|
Undergraduate
Placement Exams for German, French and Spanish
Courses (WebCAPE)
The placement exams are intended to help students determine what
their current proficiency is in German, French or Spanish. The results
of the online placement exam are for your information only and the scores
will not be recorded or kept in your academic record. Once you have
taken the exam you will want to check your scores with the appropriate
advising links below to determine which class level is appropriate for
you.
Placement
Information for Other Languages
For placement in Japanese language courses please check the link
below. For all other languages please contact the Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures at 503-725-3522.
Satisfying the Second Language Proficiency Requirement
for Undergraduate Admissions
Second Language Proficiency
Requirement
All applicants, including transfer students, who have graduated from
high school in 1997 or any year after must demonstrate proficiency
in a second language. Students may demonstrate proficiency by meeting
one of the following options:
-
Pass with
a C- or better, two years of the same high school-level second language
-
Pass with
a C- or better, the third year of a high school-level second language
-
Pass with
a C- or better two quarters or two semesters of college-level second
language
-
Students must provide official
high school or college transcripts to indicate the Second Language
Proficiency Requirement has been met.
For a complete list of
proficiency options available for meeting the Second Language Requirement
(including American Sign Language), please contact
the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. For further information
on this requirement you can view the official OUS
Second Language Policy 
document at the OUS website.
BA
Foreign Language Proficiency Information pdf
This icon indicates at pdf document and can only be read with the
Adobe Reader program.
You can get this program for free at the Adobe
website.
Satisfying
the University Foreign Language Proficiency Requirements for the
B.A. Degree:
All of our two-year programs meet these requirements. PSU requires
that all candidates for the Bachelors of Arts degree demonstrate
proficiency at the second year level in a foreign language. The
same proficiency is also required for the minor in International
Studies; for the certificates in European, Latin American, and Middle
East Studies; for the International Business Studies Certificate;
and for certain other degree options. Most candidates for graduate
degrees at PSU must also demonstrate competence at this level, but
in reading knowledge only.
For graduation with a B.A. degree, students must demonstrate competence
equivalent to that normally attained after two years of college
study. Competency may be demonstrated in the following ways.
-
Completion
in any foreign language of 203 or its equivalent with a passing
grade.
-
Completion
in any foreign language course that has the equivalent of 203
or higher as a prerequisite
-
Demonstrated
proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that attained
after two years of college study. There are three ways to demonstrate
proficiency:
-
CLEP
score of 62 in French, CLEP score of 60 in German, CLEP
score of 66 in Spanish
-
Earned
credit by examination, at the 203 level or higher, for foreign
languages taught by PSU faculty.
-
Pass
a noncredit PSU Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures
examination for which PSU has a qualified tester. (sample
questions)
-
A
passing grade, at 203 level or higher, on a Brigham Young
Foreign Language Assessment Exam.
-
FLL
Department chair approval of certification by an external
evaluator for proficiency at or above 203 course level.
Note that English satisfied
the B.A. language requirement for students whose official transcripts
demonstrate that their secondary education was completed in a
foreign language. Such students may not enroll in first-year or
second-year courses in the language in which they received their
secondary education.
Some academic majors
require an additional year of a second language beyond the two
year B.A. foreign language requirement. Please check with your
academic advisor if you have questions about the specific number
of foreign language credits required for graduation in your major.
International Studies
and Foreign Language Majors:
These majors have three year langauge requirements that must be
met by examination. All of our three year programs prepare students
to complete the exam. The student will be given an oral interview
by an examiner, a brief writing test, and a test of listening and
reading comprehension. The expected performance level will vary
by language, according to relative difficulty. Normal preparation
for the examination is two to three courses (8-12 credits, depending
on the language) at the third year level (numbered 300-399). Credit
may be given for such an examination, if appropriate, for those
who did not receive equivalent credit through course work (credit
by exam fees apply).
Credit by Examination.
Except as described above, the department does not give credit by
examination. In special cases, credit by examination may be
allowed for fourth year language (but not literature) courses.
Please consult the department.
Satisfying the Language Requirement
for a Master's Degree
The language requirement for M.A. and M.A.T. students must be passed
before the student’s program (GO-12) or committee can be approved
and before final exams can be taken.
Options for meeting
the graduate foreign language requirement for M.A. and M.A.T. students.
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will accept
the following ways of satisfying the graduate foreign language competency
requirement:
-
Equivalent
course work: Students who have passed a course equivalent
to PSU level 203 or higher in a foreign language within the four
years prior to their admission into their PSU graduate program
will be deemed to have met the language requirement. The Department
of Foreign Languages and Literatures will issue a certificate
of completion upon evaluation of the student’s academic record.
M.A. and M.A.T. students are responsible for making their academic
records available to the chair of that department in the first
term of admission and requesting evaluation and certification.
-
Students
who do not meet the requirement under #1. above should make an
appointment with the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
during the first term after their admission to make an individualized
plan for the completion of their language requirement. Options
include preparing for and passing one of these evaluations:
-
Oral
proficiency interview (mandatory for M.A. TESOL students if
they do not take a course at level 203 or above)
-
A
written test (mandatory for M.A. TESOL students if they do
not take a course at level 203 or above), such as:
-
-
-
A
special exam, administered by the Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures . Course work after admission:
taking a course at level 203 or above
-
Overseas
intensive courses or other intensive courses
-
Special
reading courses, if available.
NOTE: M.A. TESOL students
who do not meet the requirements in #1. above may choose course
work at 203 level or must take both the oral proficiency interview
and a written test.
The Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures will teach and test only in languages
in which it has expertise. (sample
questions) However, off-campus
arrangements may be possible with the cooperation of other institutions.
Certification of having passed a foreign language examination from
an institution other than Portland State University must be approved
by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Portland
State University prior to acceptance as fulfillment of the University’s
master’s degree foreign language competency requirement.
MA
or MAT Foreign Language Proficiency Information pdf
A student whose native
language is not English may meet the foreign language requirement
in English, except for students in two programs: (1) students in
the M.A. in French, Spanish, or German, who must be tested in a
language other than English and other than the language of their
M.A. program; and (2) students in the M.A. in Foreign Literature
and Language, who are required to demonstrate fluency in two foreign
languages other than English at the time of admission and are not
required to demonstrate additional competency except as necessary
to complete their degree requirements.
For M.A. TESOL students
only, a student whose native language is not English will meet the
written requirement (2.b., above) by achieving a TOEFL score of
600 or higher.
A Note About Proficiency Exams and
Some Sample Questions:
PSU tests proficiencies the following languages:
-
-
-
Italian
(no sample test available)
-
Latin
(no sample test available)
-
Portuguese
(no sample test available)
-
-
- For testing in
other languages please contact the FLL Office directly
This exam is
given the first Friday of each month, except in September and sometimes
January (if the term has not yet begun). Here are the details:
|
