Students Entered Prior to 2013

If you have any questions, contact the Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success, 3207 Boylan Hall, 718.951.5471.

Lower Tier

Select one course from each box (nine courses required).

Upper Tier

Select one course from two different boxes (two courses required).

Academic Foundations

Core Curriculum Foreign Language Requirement

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures participates in the college’s Core Curriculum through the foreign language requirement.

The department shares responsibility for Core Studies 6 and 10 with other departments.

• All baccalaureate students are required to complete one course in a foreign language at Level 3 (the third semester of study at the college level) or to demonstrate an equivalent proficiency by examination, except as modified as follows.
• Admission to Level 3 presupposes two years of secondary-school language study. Students who offer only one year of foreign language study (or none at all) are required to take one or two semesters of college study (Levels 1 and/or 2) before they can take Level 3. A student who has studied a language in high school for at least two years, or who has completed Level 1 and 2 of a foreign language at the college level, and wants to study a different language at the college level may do so, but this student must complete a minimum of two terms of the new language at the college level to fulfill the requirement.
• Students who have successfully completed three years of one language in high school and have passed the Regents Level 3 are exempted from the language requirement.
• Students whose native language is not English may be exempted from this requirement by passing one of the proficiency examinations administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. A student can be exempted from the foreign language requirement by demonstrating proficiency (which includes the ability to read and write the language) in a natural language, ancient or modern. If the language presented is not taught at the college, external certified documentation may be required. The college does not accept proficiency in American Sign Language as sufficient for exemption from the language requirement. Students who offer Hebrew or Yiddish will be sent to the Department of Judaic Studies for proficiency testing.

Language Exemption

All baccalaureate students are required to complete one course in a foreign language at Level 3 (the third semester of study at the college level) or to demonstrate an equivalent proficiency by examination, except as modified as follows.

• If a student provides proof of the high school Regents Exam with a diploma and transcript, an exemption from language will automatically be placed on his or her Brooklyn College transcript.
• If a student has transfer credit from a college where the language spoken is other than English, an exemption from language will automatically be placed on his or her Brooklyn College transcript.
• A student who has studied a language for at least two years in high school or two terms at another college and wants to study a different language at the college level may do so, but this student must complete a minimum of two terms of the new language at the college level to fulfill the Core Curriculum requirement.
• If a student attended a yeshiva, exemption will be determined by the Department of Judaic Studies.
• If a student has a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCE—”A” Level or the “0” Level, or the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)), the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures will determine the equivalent credit.
• If a student provides proof of three years of language, with a grade of C (70) or better, from a private New York high school or out-of-state (non-Regents) high school, an exemption will be given. If a student does not have proof of Regents, he or she has three options:
  • Make a greater effort to obtain the proof.
  • Take a placement exam in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
  • Register for Level 3 and complete language courses at Brooklyn College.
• Students who attended high school in a foreign country should consult the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures about placement and/or exemption.
• Credit or exemption is not given for sign language.
• Credit is not given for an exemption exam.