Foreign Language Requirement

Included in the Core Curriculum is a requirement that you demonstrate competence in a language other than English. You can meet that requirement in one of three ways:

• Learning a language you have not previously studied and successfully completing a full year at the beginning level (courses numbered 101/102) with at least six credits.
• Successfully completing at the intermediate level (201) a language you studied in high school.
• Passing the competency exam administered by the department.

The course you take to begin your language study at Creighton depends on your high school language background.

• If you have not begun the foreign language you wish to pursue, enroll in the 101 course.
• If you have completed one year of a foreign language in high school, enroll in the 101 or 102 course for that language, depending on how demanding your high-school course was and how well you did in the course.
• If you have completed more than one year of French, German or Spanish in high school, you must take the Online Language Placement Exam. The exam takes about 30 minutes to complete, and can only be taken once.
  Note: the Online Language Placement Exam only helps determine which language course you should enroll in. To test out of the language requirement, you will need to take the Language Competency Examination. Please note that this placement exam requirement applies to every student who took French, German, or Spanish during high school, not just students who plan to continue studying that language. The exam must be taken sometime during the summer, even if the student does not plan to take that language during the freshman year.
  
• If you studied a language other than French, German or Spanish in high school, please use these guidelines for placement:
  • If you have completed two years of the foreign language, you should enroll in the 102 course for that language. You may be able to enter the 201 course if your high school course was demanding, and you did well.
  • If you completed three years of the foreign language in high school, you should enroll in the 102 or 201 course for that language, depending on how demanding your high-school course was and how well you did in the course.
  • If you completed four of more years of the foreign language in high school, you should enroll in the 201 or 202 course for that language, depending on how demanding your high-school course was and how well you did in the course.

If you have additional questions about placement in language courses or if there are special circumstances you want to be considered, you should consult with the chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures or the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies by calling (402) 280-2508.

Testing Out of the Language Requirement

If you believe that you have competency equivalent to having completed the 201 course, you may take a Language Competency Examination during Summer Preview.  You can also arrange a separate time to take the exam by contacting the administrative assistant of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures or the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies by calling (402) 280-2508. If you receive a passing score on this examination, you will have fulfilled the language requirement.

For those students desiring to take the competency examination in French, German, or Spanish, they must first take the placement exam in that language.  Placement into the Intermediate II (202) course in that language qualifies a student to take the competency examination.

Competency Examinations are available in French, German, Japanese, Latin and Spanish. We may be able to arrange a way for you to demonstrate competency in other languages. However, the College cannot guarantee that it can assess language ability in every language. Contact the department of Modern Languages and Literatures, (402) 280-2508, for more information.