Your second language requirement depends largely on your major and degree type.  Generally, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees require you to have a fourth-semester proficiency in a language. Generally, non-B.A. degrees, such as Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees require you to have a second-semester proficiency. Your academic advisor can help you clarify which requirement you have, and you can learn more by reviewing the Second Language Requirement policy. 

The second language requirement does not require you take a specific number of courses, it requires that you achieve a certain level of skill.  In other words, a “second-semester proficiency” means “the skill level a student would usually have after successfully finishing a second-semester language course at the college level.” Exactly what that means will differ based on the language, but usually learners with second-semester proficiency have a solid understanding of the basics of the language and culture, but are likely to need a lot of help communicating.  Students with fourth-semester proficiency will have a much deeper understanding, with increased abilities but are still not expected to be “fluent” or “expert” users of the language.  

Note that this means that if you have substantial skills with a language (no matter how you developed those skills), you might be able to satisfy the second language requirement with that language.  Maybe you acquired those skills through dedicated self-study, by living abroad for a while, or because some of your family members use that language. Even if you don’t speak a language fluently, have limited reading and/or writing skills,  or only understand the language partially.

The university offers many paths towards satisfying this requirement. See the official Catalog policy for full details, but here you can get a sense:

• Taking (and passing) a class at the appropriate level: a second-semester language class (most commonly numbered 102) will satisfy a second-semester requirement, while a fourth-semester language class (usually 202) will satisfy a fourth-semester requirement.  Note that these classes are in a sequence.  For example, you cannot usually jump straight into French 202 unless you demonstrate that you have the skills you would have learned in French 201 (usually by taking a placement test or an exam like the AP or IB). 
• Note that any language class numbered higher than your requirement will satisfy the same requirement.  For example, German 201 (third-semester German) will also satisfy the second-semester proficiency requirement.  This is important because most language programs will not allow students to take a course that covers material they already know. Your placement test will determine the best course for you to take.
• Credit by Exam: The University accepts results from exams such as the Advanced Placement (AP),  International Baccalaureate (IB), and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. For more details, review the Credit by Exam policy.  
  • Some languages for which we do not accept AP/IB scores nevertheless offer credit-by-exam. These exams are coordinated by the individual departments that teach that language. 
• Passing a University of Arizona Proficiency Exam: Even if you didn’t take a credit-granting exam like the AP or IB, you can still “test out” of the language requirement by demonstrating your skills in a formal proctored test. These tests are coordinated by the departments responsible for those languages.   
• Proficiency exams for French, German, Latin, Russian and Spanish are facilitated through the College of Humanities. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are facilitated through the Department of East Asian Studies. Classical Greek can be arranged through the Classics Program. The School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies coordinates proficiency exams for Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish. The College of Education coordinates proficiency tests for American Sign Language. The Department of Linguistics facilitates proficiency exams for all languages not taught on campus and those taught through the critical languages program.
• Note that some proficiency exams do require additional fees not covered by your normal tuition. These fees cover the costs associated with the experts who will evaluate your skills.
• If you are an international student who is as native speaker of a language other than English and who had to prove skills with English as part of your admissions requirements, the university will treat English as your official second language and satisfy the requirement through the scores on your standardized tests of English as a Second Language and/or an Endorsement from the Center for English as a Second Language.  You should not need to take a proficiency test or take courses in your native language to satisfy your Foundations Second Language requirement.

Placement tests are used to help you figure out the best course for you to study the language here at the University of Arizona.  If you want to take a course and have a previous background in the language, the placement test helps make sure you get into the course that’s right for you.  All students planning to enroll in courses in a language they have experience with are encouraged to take placement tests as part of their orientation to the university. 

• If you have NO previous background in a language, you don’t need to do a placement test.  Just enroll in the first semester course in that language (often numbered 101).  If, for example, you are interested in learning Russian, and don’t know any Russian (or know very little), you can just enroll yourself in Russian 101.  
• But if you know some Russian from your family’s background or spent some time in Russia, it’s a good idea to take the placement test.  This helps make sure that you use your time effectively and that all the students in the class have about the same skill level. The placement test might still place you in Russian 101 or maybe you’ll have enough to jump to Russian 102! 

Proficiency Tests allow you to satisfy the second language requirement without further coursework (if you’re successful). No student has to do a proficiency test, but it is an option for students who already have sufficient language skills to satisfy their requirements and do not wish to continue studying that language. 

All disability-related accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center (DRC). After you have affiliated with the DRC, the DRC can work with the faculty in the language(s) you choose to study to provide appropriate accommodations. 

The University of Arizona offers you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study dozens of languages with experts (many of them native speakers!)  

You can find great options in modern languages which may have been offered at your high school like Chinese, French, Spanish, or American Sign Language but the university offers an abundance of choices! You can learn East Asian languages like Japanese and Korean, Native American languages like Diné (Navajo) or O’Odham, Middle-Eastern languages like Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Hebrew, European languages like Italian, German, Portuguese and Russian, or historically important languages like Latin or Classical Greek. 

There’s actually even more options than that, as many less commonly taught languages are offered through the Critical Languages Program. These courses are offered on an on-demand basis with languages like Cantonese, Modern Greek, Hindi & Urdu, Swedish, and Tagalog being among those offered regularly. 

While there are some languages you cannot formally study at the University of Arizona, there will be few times in your life where you will have more opportunities to learn a language than your time as a student here!  

Deciding what language to study can be a complicated process.  You’ll want to think about the way that language study fits into your interests, hobbies, major, career aspirations, and passions.

You can, of course, try to complete the Foundations Second Language requirement as efficiently as possible. If this is your top priority, we encourage you to think about the language skills you already have. If you had some high school language experience or speak another language at home, you might be able to complete the requirement with fewer classes or possibly without in-class study. 

But you should also think about your other priorities in life. If you’ve always wanted to live in Paris, this opportunity to study French can be a great step towards realizing that dream.  Studying German might help you lock down that key engineering internship in Munich.  Arabic, Hebrew or Classical Greek might help you engage more deeply with your faith or better understand the history and literatures associated with those languages. Latin might prepare you for your work in Law School or the LSAT you’ll need to take as you apply! Maybe more formally studying Russian or Hindi will help you connect more deeply with your parents or grandparents. 

The University of Arizona occupies a unique place in the world, and your language study can help you be better connected to your community here. Consider taking Spanish in Southern Arizona’s borderlands where Spanish is heard side by side with English every day, or learning more about the peoples on whose ancestral lands the university sits by learning O’Odham. You could even get connected with Tucson’s vibrant deaf community by learning ASL. 

We hope you make the most of your time to invest in yourself as a person, your future career aspirations, and your passions and ambitions beyond the formal requirement. 

• In short, as early as possible, within the context of the other courses, you may need to prioritize for your majors and/or minors.
• Every student’s academic journey is different, but language is different from many other general education requirements in that language courses have to be done in sequence.  You cannot expect to complete a fourth-semester language requirement by taking Italian 101, 102, 201, and 202 all in a single semester.  Because second language study is a foundational piece of your Gen Ed, you will make the most of your subsequent Gen Ed courses, and your major and minor courses if you have achieved your language proficiency sooner rather than later. Moreover, if you decide you’d like to add a major or minor in your language, an early start ensures you have time to complete these requirements.  
• If you are continuing to study a language you studied in high school, we strongly suggest that you enroll in your language courses as soon as possible.  Time spent away from the language may make your studies harder or may even mean you need to take more courses to achieve the required proficiency.  
• Even if you are starting a new language or are starting over with a first-semester course, working on your second language early will ensure that the language requirement does not delay your progress towards graduation.  
• Finally, language courses tend to be smaller than many other courses, and allow you to get to know your peers and form connections. Perhaps relatedly, research shows that students who take language courses in their first semester of college tend to be more successful than their peers who don’t.  Language study can be a great way to form a community here at the University of Arizona. 

• Absolutely! The Foundations requirement sets a minimum level of language skill that you need to achieve, but many students decide to go beyond those minimums, to pursue their interests, their personal or career ambitions, or just to try something new. 
• Many languages are taught at advanced and graduate levels at the University of Arizona. Those advanced courses usually move beyond the basics and instead practice using the language to think deeply and communicate about other complex issues. You could find yourself practicing Business French, talking about International Relations in Russian, reading the works of Plato in Greek, or practicing medical interpretation in Spanish.
• How language study fits into your graduation plan will be a great discussion for you to have with your academic advisor(s) and/or the faculty in language programs.  Many students add a language as a minor or a double major in addition to their primary major.  Since students need 120 units to graduate, and Major/Minor + Gen Ed may not cover everything, many students use language courses to help fill up these “elective units.”
• Ultimately, once you’ve met the minimum requirements, how you pursue language study is your choice, but it is important to remember that you are unlikely to find the opportunity to formally study a language and to have access to experts in those languages once you leave the university.  If you ever want to learn a language, now may be your very best opportunity! 

Studying abroad can be an amazing experience and an awesome opportunity to study a language in an immersive environment. Every study abroad program is different. As you consider programs, you’ll want to be sure you understand which kind of program you are looking for and what the expectations and opportunities are! 

• Some programs expect and/or require some amount of skill with the language before you depart for the program. For example, if the program is going to be taught in German, or includes required courses in intermediate German, you can’t go without the basics. 
• Other programs do not require you to have the language but offer you opportunities to begin or continue studying that language while you’re abroad.  These are often fabulous opportunities, and your studies might satisfy your second language requirements.

Still other programs do not present meaningful opportunities for formal language study–there are no language classes as part of the program–but nevertheless offer great opportunities for you to better understand a foreign culture, and even pick up bits of the languages spoken! 
 

An ability to communicate in a language beyond one’s first language has been a key part of a university education for as long as universities have existed.  Scholars seek out knowledge wherever it can be found.  And if you can’t break through an English-speaking bubble, you’ll be limited. Whatever your career aspirations, this capacity to be a scholar of the world will serve you well!
 

Language learning is a key part of the General Education foundations because it is an integral part of your learning to Communicate Effectively, to Use information Ethically and Effectively, to Think Critically and to Understand and Value Differences. In other words, as you learn a second language, you work towards achieving all the outcomes of our General Education program.

Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine translation offer incredible potential for helping humans communicate across language barriers. As exciting as these developments are, they do not replace the value of language learning for us humans.  

While one (important) purpose of learning a language is to exchange ideas with those who speak that language, there are other important purposes and benefits.   

Studying a language means understanding the ways in which a given language is intrinsically connected to specific cultures and their worldviews. It means learning how speakers of another language conceptualize the world differently than you do. It means learning about the messages that lurk behind and around the things we actually say, and the different ways thoughts can be organized. It means experiencing what it’s like to not understand or not communicate well, to be a beginner, an outsider. It means you’ll have a better understanding of how human languages work, and how they can be thoughtfully deployed to communicate, to persuade, and to ensure understanding.

Even if you never again speak, read, or hear the language you study after you’ve satisfied the second language proficiency requirement, those experiences and understandings are essential parts of your university education. In turn, those experiences and understandings will make you a more sophisticated multilingually and culturally attuned user of whatever technological tools the future presents. 

In addition to these essentially human but somewhat broader areas, language skills also make a real difference to the lives of college graduates. 

Employers are often looking to hire (or pay more for) employees with language skills. Skills in language enable more productive international collaborations, friendships, and partnerships, and ease the path for both recreational and business travel. Those who can show interest and knowledge of another culture will have stronger odds of closing the deal, of reaching an understanding, and of avoiding causing unintentional offense. 

Studying a second language also changes your brain by enhancing your memory, your attention and your ability to multi-task and problem solve. In other words, in addition to the language-related benefits you gain, language learning also trains your brain, providing cognitive benefits that will support your work in your other classes and efforts outside of and beyond the university.

While it is true that language proficiency is one of the many university requirements you’ll need to complete to graduate, it’s also your chance to increase your skills in powerful and important ways. 

Language Learning as Part of Higher Education: An ability to communicate in a language beyond one’s first language has been a key part of a university education for as long as universities have existed.  Scholars seek out knowledge wherever it can be found.  And if you can’t break through an English-speaking bubble, you’ll be limited. Whatever your career aspirations, this capacity to be a scholar of the world will serve you well!

Language Learning as part of Gen Ed: Language learning is a key part of the General Education foundations because it is an integral part of your learning to Communicate Effectively, to Use information Ethically and Effectively, to Think Critically and to Understand and Value Differences. In other words, as you learn a second language, you work towards achieving all the outcomes of our General Education program.

But doesn't artificial intelligence mean we don’t NEED to learn languages? Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine translation offer incredible potential for helping humans communicate across language barriers. As exciting as these developments are, they do not replace the value of language learning for us humans.  

While one (important) purpose of learning a language is to exchange ideas with those who speak that language, there are other important purposes and benefits.   

Studying a language means understanding the ways in which a given language is intrinsically connected to specific cultures and their worldviews. It means learning how speakers of another language conceptualize the world differently than you do. It means learning about the messages that lurk behind and around the things we actually say, and the different ways thoughts can be organized. It means experiencing what it’s like to not understand or not communicate well, to be a beginner, an outsider. It means you’ll have a better understanding of how human languages work, and how they can be thoughtfully deployed to communicate, to persuade, and to ensure understanding.

Even if you never again speak, read, or hear the language you study after you’ve satisfied the second language proficiency requirement, those experiences and understandings are essential parts of your university education. In turn, those experiences and understandings will make you a more sophisticated multilingually and culturally attuned user of whatever technological tools the future presents. 

Tangible Benefits:  In addition to these essentially human but somewhat broader areas, language skills also make a real difference to the lives of college graduates. 

Employers are often looking to hire (or pay more for) employees with language skills. Skills in language enable more productive international collaborations, friendships, and partnerships, and ease the path for both recreational and business travel. Those who can show interest and knowledge of another culture will have stronger odds of closing the deal, of reaching an understanding, and of avoiding causing unintentional offense. 

Studying a second language also changes your brain by enhancing your memory, your attention and your ability to multi-task and problem solve. In other words, in addition to the language-related benefits you gain, language learning also trains your brain, providing cognitive benefits that will support your work in your other classes and efforts outside of and beyond the university.

While it is true that language proficiency is one of the many university requirements you’ll need to complete to graduate, it’s also your chance to increase your skills in powerful and important ways.

The University of Arizona offers you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study dozens of languages with experts (many of them native speakers!)  

You can find great options in modern languages which may have been offered at your high school like Chinese, French, Spanish, or American Sign Language but the university offers an abundance of choices! You can learn East Asian languages like Japanese and Korean, Native American languages like Diné (Navajo) or O’Odham, Middle-Eastern languages like Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Hebrew, European languages like Italian, German, Portuguese and Russian, or historically important languages like Latin or Classical Greek. 

There’s actually even more options than that, as many less commonly taught languages are offered through the Critical Languages Program. These courses are offered on an on-demand basis with languages like Cantonese, Modern Greek, Hindi & Urdu, Swedish, and Tagalog being among those offered regularly. 

While there are some languages you cannot formally study at the University of Arizona, there will be few times in your life where you will have more opportunities to learn a language than your time as a student here!  

Deciding what language to study can be a complicated process.  You’ll want to think about the way that language study fits into your interests, hobbies, major, career aspirations, and passions.

You can, of course, try to complete the Foundations Second Language requirement as efficiently as possible. This might be important if you’re especially worried about your graduation timeline. If this is your top priority, we encourage you to think about the language skills you already have.  If you had some high school language experience or speak another language at home, you might be able to complete the requirement with fewer classes or possibly without in-class study. 

But you should also think about your other priorities in life. If you’ve always wanted to live in Paris, this opportunity to study French can be a great step towards realizing that dream.  Studying German might help you lock down that key engineering internship in Munich.  Arabic, Hebrew or Classical Greek might help you engage more deeply with your faith or better understand the history and literatures associated with those languages. Latin might prepare you for your work in Law School or the LSAT you’ll need to take as you apply! Maybe more formally studying Russian or Hindi will help you connect more deeply with your parents or grandparents. 

The University of Arizona occupies a unique place in the world, and your language study can help you be better connected to your community here. Consider taking Spanish in Southern Arizona’s borderlands where Spanish is heard side by side with English every day, or learning more about the peoples on whose ancestral lands the university sits by learning O’Odham. You could even get connected with Tucson’s vibrant deaf community by learning ASL. 

We hope you make the most of your time to invest in yourself as a person, your future career aspirations, and your passions and ambitions beyond the formal requirement. 

Your second language requirement depends largely on your major and degree type.  Generally, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees require you to have a fourth-semester proficiency in a language. Generally, non-B.A. degrees, such as Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees require you to have a second-semester proficiency. Your academic advisor can help you clarify which requirement you have, and you can learn more by reviewing the Second Language Requirement policy. 

The second language requirement does not require you take a specific number of courses, it requires that you achieve a certain level of skill.  In other words, a “second-semester proficiency” means “the skill level a student would usually have after successfully finishing a second-semester language course at the college level.” Exactly what that means will differ based on the language, but usually learners with second-semester proficiency have a solid understanding of the basics of the language and culture, but are likely to need a lot of help communicating.  Students with fourth-semester proficiency will have a much deeper understanding, with increased abilities but are still not expected to be “fluent” or “expert” users of the language.  

Note that this means that if you have substantial skills with a language (no matter how you developed those skills), you might be able to satisfy the second language requirement with that language.  Maybe you acquired those skills through dedicated self-study, by living abroad for a while, or because some of your family members use that language. Even if you don’t speak a language fluently, have limited reading and/or writing skills,  or only understand the language partially.

The university offers many paths towards satisfying this requirement. See the official Catalog policy for full details, but here you can get a sense:

• Taking (and passing) a class at the appropriate level: a second-semester language class (most commonly numbered 102) will satisfy a second-semester requirement, while a fourth-semester language class (usually 202) will satisfy a fourth-semester requirement.  Note that these classes are in a sequence.  For example, you cannot usually jump straight into French 202 unless you demonstrate that you have the skills you would have learned in French 201 (usually by taking a placement test or an exam like the AP or IB). 
• Note that any language class numbered higher than your requirement will satisfy the same requirement.  For example, German 201 (third-semester German) will also satisfy the second-semester proficiency requirement.  This is important because most language programs will not allow students to take a course that covers material they already know. Your placement test will determine the best course for you to take.
• Credit by Exam: The University accepts results from exams such as the Advanced Placement (AP),  International Baccalaureate (IB), and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. For more details, review the Credit by Exam policy.  
  • Some languages for which we do not accept AP/IB scores nevertheless offer credit-by-exam. These exams are coordinated by the individual departments that teach that language. 
• Passing a University of Arizona Proficiency Exam: Even if you didn’t take a credit-granting exam like the AP or IB, you can still “test out” of the language requirement by demonstrating your skills in a formal proctored test. These tests are coordinated by the departments responsible for those languages.   
• Proficiency exams for French, German, Latin, Russian and Spanish are facilitated through the College of Humanities. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are facilitated through the Department of East Asian Studies. Classical Greek can be arranged through the Classics Program. The School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies coordinates proficiency exams for Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish. The College of Education coordinates proficiency tests for American Sign Language. The Department of Linguistics facilitates proficiency exams for all languages not taught on campus and those taught through the critical languages program.
• Note that some proficiency exams do require additional fees not covered by your normal tuition. These fees cover the costs associated with the experts who will evaluate your skills.
• If you are an international student who is as native speaker of a language other than English and who had to prove skills with English as part of your admissions requirements, the university will treat English as your official second language and satisfy the requirement through the scores on your standardized tests of English as a Second Language and/or an Endorsement from the Center for English as a Second Language.  You should not need to take a proficiency test or take courses in your native language to satisfy your Foundations Second Language requirement.

Placement tests are used to help you figure out the best course for you to study the language here at the University of Arizona.  If you want to take a course and have a previous background in the language, the placement test helps make sure you get into the course that’s right for you.  All students planning to enroll in courses in a language they have experience with are encouraged to take placement tests as part of their orientation to the university. 

• If you have NO previous background in a language, you don’t need to do a placement test.  Just enroll in the first semester course in that language (often numbered 101).  If, for example, you are interested in learning Russian, and don’t know any Russian (or know very little), you can just enroll yourself in Russian 101.  
• But if you know some Russian from your family’s background or spent some time in Russia, it’s a good idea to take the placement test.  This helps make sure that you use your time effectively and that all the students in the class have about the same skill level. The placement test might still place you in Russian 101 or maybe you’ll have enough to jump to Russian 102! 

Proficiency Tests allow you to satisfy the second language requirement without further coursework (if you’re successful). No student has to do a proficiency test, but it is an option for students who already have sufficient language skills to satisfy their requirements and do not wish to continue studying that language. 

Studying abroad can be an amazing experience and an awesome opportunity to study a language in an immersive environment. Every study abroad program is different. As you consider programs, you’ll want to be sure you understand which kind of program you are looking for and what the expectations and opportunities are! 

• Some programs expect and/or require some amount of skill with the language before you depart for the program. For example, if the program is going to be taught in German, or includes required courses in intermediate German, you can’t go without the basics. 
• Other programs do not require you to have the language but offer you opportunities to begin or continue studying that language while you’re abroad.  These are often fabulous opportunities, and your studies might satisfy your second language requirements.

Still other programs do not present meaningful opportunities for formal language study–there are no language classes as part of the program–but nevertheless offer great opportunities for you to better understand a foreign culture, and even pick up bits of the languages spoken! 
 

• In short, as early as possible, within the context of the other courses, you may need to prioritize for your majors and/or minors.
• Every student’s academic journey is different, but language is different from many other general education requirements in that language courses have to be done in sequence.  You cannot expect to complete a fourth-semester language requirement by taking Italian 101, 102, 201, and 202 all in a single semester.  Because second language study is a foundational piece of your Gen Ed, you will make the most of your subsequent Gen Ed courses, and your major and minor courses if you have achieved your language proficiency sooner rather than later. Moreover, if you decide you’d like to add a major or minor in your language, an early start ensures you have time to complete these requirements.  
• If you are continuing to study a language you studied in high school, we strongly suggest that you enroll in your language courses as soon as possible.  Time spent away from the language may make your studies harder or may even mean you need to take more courses to achieve the required proficiency.  
• Even if you are starting a new language or are starting over with a first-semester course, working on your second language early will ensure that the language requirement does not delay your progress towards graduation.  
• Finally, language courses tend to be smaller than many other courses, and allow you to get to know your peers and form connections. Perhaps relatedly, research shows that students who take language courses in their first semester of college tend to be more successful than their peers who don’t.  Language study can be a great way to form a community here at the University of Arizona. 

All disability-related accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center (DRC). After you have affiliated with the DRC, the DRC can work with the faculty in the language(s) you choose to study to provide appropriate accommodations. 

• Absolutely! The Foundations requirement sets a minimum level of language skill that you need to achieve, but many students decide to go beyond those minimums, to pursue their interests, their personal or career ambitions, or just to try something new. 
• Many languages are taught at advanced and graduate levels at the University of Arizona. Those advanced courses usually move beyond the basics and instead practice using the language to think deeply and communicate about other complex issues. You could find yourself practicing Business French, talking about International Relations in Russian, reading the works of Plato in Greek, or practicing medical interpretation in Spanish.
• How language study fits into your graduation plan will be a great discussion for you to have with your academic advisor(s) and/or the faculty in language programs.  Many students add a language as a minor or a double major in addition to their primary major.  Since students need 120 units to graduate, and Major/Minor + Gen Ed may not cover everything, many students use language courses to help fill up these “elective units.”
• Ultimately, once you’ve met the minimum requirements, how you pursue language study is your choice, but it is important to remember that you are unlikely to find the opportunity to formally study a language and to have access to experts in those languages once you leave the university.  If you ever want to learn a language, now may be your very best opportunity!