Introduction
All students are required to demonstrate that they have completed work in a foreign language through the intermediate level. Global Citizens expand their own worldview through the understanding of others as well as through a grasp of the complex relationship between language and culture. In order to expand their horizons and reflect on their own worldview, students must obtain intermediate level skills, which will prepare them to be immersed in another language and culture. Students will be able to do the following at the intermediate level:
- engage purposefully with users of the target language
- participate in multilingual communities in a variety of contexts and in culturally appropriate ways
- use the language to explore the practices, products, and perspectives of another culture, and
- view their own language and culture through the lens of another
For those students who do not intend to continue the study of language at Dickinson, the following describes the other possible ways for a student to fulfill this requirement:
For Students whose First Language is not English:
- Dickinson accepts TOEFL test, Academic IELTS, MELAB exams and Duolingo scores (taken prior to enrolling at Dickinson) as verification that a student whose first language is not English can fulfill the language graduation requirement with English as a foreign language. The student must submit those scores to the Registrar if not already on file with the Admissions Office.
- Dickinson accepts documentation confirming completed academic work at the middle school or higher level, in the form of a school transcript and diploma in a language other than English. To verify that the student has completed the language graduation requirement. The student must submit those documents to the Registrar if not already on file with the Admissions Office.
- If the student has neither English proficiency exam scores nor documentation of completed academic work at the middle school or higher level in a language other than English, they can still show intermediate proficiency in their first language by one of the following:
- If the language is offered at Dickinson, the student must consult with the appropriate department regarding placement evaluation.
- If the student is fluent in a language other than those offered at Dickinson, the student should contact the Registrar to obtain information regarding the procedure to be tested in that language, including the contact information for a tester, if one is on file. The student contacts the tester to make testing arrangements. Once the student has been tested, the tester will send the results to the Registrar.
For all of the scenarios listed above, the Registrar will verify the information received, then update the student’s record indicating the language graduation requirement is fulfilled, but no academic credit is earned/posted on the student’s transcript. A notice will be sent to the student and their advisor.
For Students whose First Language is English:
- If the student has completed an Advanced Placement course in high school as well as the AP test, the student must authorize the College Board to send the official score directly to the Registrar’s Office. Consult the AP information on the Registrar’s Web Page to determine if the score qualifies for placement only or both placement and credit. The Registrar will review the score and, if it fulfills the requirement, will update the student’s official record. In this case, the language graduation requirement is fulfilled, and academic credit is posted to the student’s record.
- If the student’s score on the College Board SAT II foreign language subject test is sufficiently high, it may fulfill the requirement. Consult the SAT II information on the Registrar’s Web Page. The student must authorize the College Board to send the official score directly to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar will review the score and if eligible for fulfillment will update the student’s official record and provide written notification to the student and the student's advisor. In this case, the language graduation requirement is fulfilled but no academic credit is posted to the student’s record.
- If the student’s score on the on-campus language exam places them beyond the intermediate level, the language graduation requirement is fulfilled. The department will inform the Registrar of the score and the Registrar will update the student’s official record. In this case, the language graduation requirement is fulfilled but no academic credit is posted to the student’s record.
- NOTE: First-year students who take the on-line placement test prior to course request and who score high enough to fulfill the language graduation requirement must re-take the exam in a proctored setting once on campus. The score from the on-campus re-take will be used to determine language placement/fulfillment.
- If the student has studied or is fluent in a language other than those offered at Dickinson, the student should contact the Registrar to obtain information regarding the procedure to be tested in that language, including the contact information for a tester, if one is on file. The student contacts the tester to make testing arrangements. Once the student has been tested, the tester will send the results to the Registrar. In this case, the language graduation requirement is fulfilled but no academic credit is posted to the student’s record. A notice will be sent to the student and their advisor.
- Transfer of coursework is accepted for languages not offered at Dickinson (including American Sign Language) equivalent to the intermediate level of language from an accredited institution. The course must meet the established learning objectives of the Dickinson language requirement. The student must consult with the Registrar regarding transfer of the credit associated with eligible coursework.
- NOTE: For more information about using ASL to fulfill the language graduation requirement, please visit the ASL Guidance page. American Sign Language does not fulfill any advanced language and culture requirements in programs such as International Business & Management, International Studies, etc.
Incoming students may continue with a language from high school or begin a new language at Dickinson. The following languages require completion of three courses to achieve the intermediate level (consult the Academic Bulletin for additional information):
- French
- German
- Italian
- Modern Hebrew
- Russian
- Spanish
The following languages require completion of four courses to achieve the intermediate level (consult the Academic Bulletin for additional information):
- Arabic
- Chinese
- Ancient Greek
- Japanese
- Latin
Also see specific languages as listed alphabetically in this handbook. NOTE: Dickinson’s current offerings in modern Greek do not fulfill the language requirement.
For incoming students, up-to-date information regarding language placement exams can be found on the Orientation web site.
Some majors require course work in languages beyond the intermediate level. If you meet the college’s language requirement through any of the above options but have chosen a major with additional language requirements, be sure to review the language requirements on the departmental web page and discuss with your major advisor.
Advice for first-year students
A. Students who plan to continue with a language studied in high school should request it for Fall semester. It is important not to lose language skills from lack of use. Detailed information regarding placement exams and/or guidance for all languages is available on the Orientation web site.
B. Students starting a new language should select the first course in the language sequence. All languages offer the first course in the fall. French and Spanish also typically offer the first course in the Spring semester.
C. Students who have been exempted from taking a foreign language in high school (due to a disability) will NOT be exempted from meeting the language requirement at Dickinson and are encouraged to discuss their options for meeting the language requirement with the Director of Disability Services.
Students should consider the connections languages have to other programs. For example, Physics students who study German may be able to participate in the Physics summer program in Bremen. Students planning to study social sciences or art in Italy may wish to begin Italian. The International Studies and International Business & Management majors require additional language study usually related to a geographic concentration (e.g. Japanese and Japan).
Some Dickinson study abroad programs require language beyond the intermediate level as a prerequisite. Consult the Center for Global Study and Engagement web page.