Language Requirements
Quick Links
Although the University as a whole does not require language proficiency, many fields of study do. Students who are required to evidence intermediate proficiency as a collateral requirement of their major studies and individuals who desire to present official evidence of language proficiency for purposes of employment or application to graduate schools may satisfy intermediate language proficiency through any one of the following options:
a) a score of 3 or above on the following College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examinations:
| CLASSICS-VIRGIL | 3, 4 or 5 | 56.303 | 3 Credits |
| CLASSICS-LATIN LYRIC | 3, 4 or 5 | 56.303 | 3 Credits |
| FRENCH LITERATURE | 3, 4 or 5 | 50.261 & 50.262 | 6 Credits |
| SPANISH LITERATURE | 3, 4 or 5 | 54.301 & 54.302 | 6 Credits |
b) a score of 5 on the following College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examinations (for a complete list of scores and credit awarded click here):
| FRENCH LANGUAGE | 5 | 50.101, 102, 211, 212 | 12 Credits |
| GERMAN LANGUAGE | 5 | 51.101, 102, 211, 212 | 12 Credits |
| SPANISH LANGUAGE | 5 | 54.101, 102, 111, 112 | 12 Credits |
c) a minimum score of 70 on CLEP Examinations (for a complete list of scores and credit awarded see CLEP or Advanced Placement):
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
| French Language, Level 2 | 70 | 50.101,102,211,212 | 12 credits |
| German Language, Level 2 | 70 | 51.101,102,211,212 | 12 credits |
| Spanish Language, Level 2 | 70 | 54.101,102,211,212 | 12 credits |
d) Foreign Language Achievement Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board
University credit is granted on the recommendation of the Department of Languages to entering freshmen who have demonstrated satisfactory language competency through the Language Achievement tests of the College Entrance Examination Board. University credit on the intermediate course level will be given to students achieving scores of 550 or better. Such credit will satisfy any language proficiency requirement specified for students by their major departments.
e) a satisfactory score on a placement test prepared and administered by the Department of Cultural Studies (no course credits are awarded);
f) a passing grade for a level 4 (Intermediate II) college level course in a language offered by UMass Lowell (or accepted for transfer credit) or passing grades in Level 3 (Intermediate I) and a more advanced course taught in the language.
Language Proficiency Requirement
Students enrolled in Bachelor of Arts programs in the social sciences and humanities (with the exception of Economics) are required to demonstrate intermediate level proficiency in a foreign language. This requirement may be fulfilled by meeting one of the options listed above. Students with documented learning disabilities may be allowed to fulfill the language requirement through an alternate set of courses. Such students should file appropriate documentation with the office of Disability Services, at which time they will receive information on their alternative requirement.
