Language Requirements
Thanks to SOAR foreign language consultant Dr. Andrew Irving, and to former SOAR consultant Lew Bosworth, for providing the following information!
Language Requirements by UW-Madison School and College
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
For all degrees except B.S. International Agriculture and Natural Resources, no additional foreign language required beyond the minimum required for admission to UW-Madison.
Retro credits earned may count toward the minimum number of credits required for graduation as general electives.
International Agriculture and Natural Resources
Four semesters of one foreign language (or the equivalent) are required for all majors under this degree. Language credit will be granted for high school foreign language based on one year of high school being equivalent to one semester of college. A student may combine high school and college work as appropriate.
Retro credits earned may count toward the minimum number of credits required for graduation as general electives.
Advising: asa@cals.wisc.edu
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School of Business
The School of Business requires that all BBA students should have completed either three years of a single high school foreign language or three semesters of a single college language course. Any language credits granted for a foreign language studied in high school are in addition to the 120 credits required for graduation from the School of Business.
Retro credits will be granted if a student fulfills the requirements before having earned 30 degree credits, but these credits do not count toward the 120 credits needed for graduation. They will, however, appear on the student's transcript.
Advising: busundergrads@bus.wisc.edu
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School of Education
No foreign language requirement for the degree, but foreign language courses may be used to satisfy either a portion of the Humanities requirement, or the entire Humanities requirement, depending on the student's program/major area.
Students wishing to earn certification to teach in a language, in addition to completing the Teacher Education Program, must fulfill the following three requirements: 1) Earn a major or minor in the language; 2) Have a semester or year-long immersion experience in the language; 3) Pass an oral proficiency exam. The specific levels of these requirements vary by the student’s program/major area.
Retro credits will be granted if a student fulfills the requirements before having earned 30 degree credits.
Advising: easinfo@education.wisc.edu
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College of Engineering
No foreign language graduation requirement for the degree, but all departments will accept at least some foreign language. The College does offer a Certificate in International Engineering, which requires completion of foreign language courses numbered 200 or higher.
Retro credits will be granted if the student fulfills the requirements before completing the first two semesters in residence in his/her college program. However, retro credits cannot be used to satisfy liberal elective requirements, except in the following sense: The College requires depth in a particular subject. If a student takes an intermediate foreign language course and receives retro credits he or she will have met that requirement.
Advising: egradvisor@engr.wisc.edu
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School of Human Ecology
No foreign language requirement for the degree, but foreign language courses can satisfy the additional Humanities requirement for the following majors: Human Development and Family Studies, Consumer Science, Family and Consumer Education, Family and Consumer Journalism, Retailing, General Human Ecology. Interior Design and Textile and Apparel Design majors can take FL courses as electives but must fulfill the 6 credit Humanities requirement with Art History and Art.
Retro credits may be granted, and in most instances will be awarded as elective credits.
Advising: acadaffairs@mail.sohe.wisc.edu
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College of Letters & Science
Foreign language is measured in units. One unit is equivalent to one year of high school work or one semester of college work. Students may combine high school and college work to meet the foreign language requirement.
B.A. Students must successfully complete a) the fourth unit of one foreign language or b) the third unit of one language and the second unit of another language. (Examples: four years of one language in high school, OR two years of one language in high school plus third college semester of another language, OR three years of one language in high school plus first and second college semesters of another language.)
B.S . students must complete the third unit of one foreign language.
Credit by course examination ("retroactive credit"). The College of Letters and Science will award degree credit for foreign language work done in high school under certain circumstances and if additional foreign language is taken at the UW-Madison. Students who enroll in a foreign language beyond the first semester level and earn a grade of B or higher will be awarded degree credit for each preceding elementary or intermediate level course in the sequence, subject to the following limitations:
- The course taken to earn credit by course examination must be the student's first completed college course in the language. A course for which a student receives college credit while enrolled high school does not count as the student's first college course in that language.
- The course taken to earn credit by course examination must be designated appropriate for this purpose by the department.
- Students may be allowed to earn credits by course examination only by taking the appropriate course and earning the appropriate grade before they have earned 30 degree credits. Exception: Regardless of the number of degree credits earned, incoming new freshmen are eligible to earn retroactive credits during their first two semesters. Students who have earned AP credit in a language may also earn retroactive credit by taking the next appropriate course under the conditions specified above.
- A native speaker of a language may not earn credit in that language.
- Credit by course examination is not granted automatically nor is it granted in all courses. To be eligible to receive credit by course examination, students must inform the foreign language instructor within the first few weeks of class that they are working for credit by course examination. They must also complete the Retroactive Language Credit Request Form and return it to their instructor or to the language department office.
- Retroactive credits are entered on the university transcript during the semester following the term in which these credits are earned. Retroactive credits do not advance a student's registration priority for the semester immediately following the term in which the course to earn retroactive credits was taken.
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School of Medicine
No foreign language requirement for the degree. Students who choose to take foreign language may earn general elective credits for such courses and any retro credits. Retro credits may be earned for the first university course in a foreign language taken prior to earning 30 credits.
Students admitted with a deficiency in the University foreign language requirement must remove the deficiency within the first year in residence and may count these foreign language credits toward the Humanities requirement.
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School of Nursing
No foreign language requirement for the degree. However, knowledge of another language is considered beneficial when applying to the professional program. Foreign language courses may count toward the Humanities requirement.
Retro credits will be granted if a student fulfills the requirements before having earned 30 degree credits. Any retro credits earned will count for general elective credit, not Humanities credit.
Advising: nzwiley@wisc.edu
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School of Pharmacy
Entry-level Pharm.D: No foreign language requirement for the degree. Foreign language courses may count toward the entry-level Pharm.D. humanities graduation requirement. Retro credits will be granted if a student fulfills the requirements before the completion of 30 credits in residence.
BS Pharmacology & Toxicology: No foreign language requirement for the degree. Foreign language courses may count toward the BS-Pharmacology & Toxicology humanities graduation requirement. Retro credits will be granted if a student fulfills the requirements before the completion of 30 credits in residence.
Advising: lmaki@pharmacy.wisc.edu
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