The World Languages and Literatures section of the Academic Advising Handbook is also available to .
Foreign Language Core Requirement: A proficiency in a language other than English must be demonstrated by the successful completion of a 102-level course or its equivalent.
All incoming freshmen are required to take the Placement Test for languages, unless they have made previous arrangements with the Advising Center, for example, if they are recipients of a Language Talent Award or they will be taking a language at Pacific other than the one they have studied previously. The Placement Test is intended to guide student enrollment. The score will be used for initial course enrollment during the Registration and Advising event. Students should register for the class into which they are placed.
If a student disagrees with the test results, she/he should attend the first class session of the course into which she/he were placed and are registered. After class, the student should consult with the language course instructor about whether a level change is appropriate
If a student wants to enroll in a course at a level that is different from the student's placement level, the student needs to talk with the instructor of the desired course. The instructor of the desired course must sign the add/drop form to grant permission to take the class. The student then turns the add/drop form into the Registrar by the due date.
The Registrar will process language level course requests based on the instructor’s signature on the add/drop form during the add/drop period. The Registrar changes the students' records to reflect the permission to change levels, and the Advising Center sends out a notice to students' advisors. Outside of the add/drop period, the student may obtain permission to change levels from the language head. The language head will make the final decision in any unresolved cases. The Registrar will process language level change requests from the language head, regardless of time of year and whether or not the student plans on enrolling in the current term.
Chinese and German offer 102 only in the Spring.
The Avant score for the Placement Test is an averaged score of reading comprehension, reading grammar, writing, and speaking scores. A score with an * indicates that the student has scored at the high end of the indicated score.
Language Experience and the Recommended Formal Entry Course Level
| Level for Registration | Avant Score/Placement Recommendation | Course Placement | Scoring Notes: These are guidelines. If a student's scores in the individual testing areas are highly variable (1s, 3s, and 5s, for example), please contact Erica Andree, CLIC Director, or Jeanne-Sarah de Larquier, WORLL Department Chair |
| Level One | 0,1,1* | 101 | Student may score an occasional 2 on a test segment, but average score will be lower than 1.75. |
| Level Two | 2, 2*, 3 | 102 | Student must achieve a minimum average of 2 on all test segments. Any segment score of 2 should result in a 102 placement. |
| Level Three | 3*, 4 | 201 | To be placed in 201 student must exceed average of 3.5. Most test segment scores should be 4s. |
| Level Four | 4*, 5 | 202 | Students who receive a 4+ or 5 should at a minimum enroll in 202. Strongly urge students to attend the 202 class and speak with instructor about the appropriate course level. |
| Level Five | 5* | 202+ | Students who receive 5+ should register for 202 or 300, depending on whether they wish to focus more on language proficiency or on subject area studies. They should consult with the appropriate instructors for final placement. |
| Level Six | 6, 6* | 300 level courses | Students who score 6 or above should register for a 300 level course. |
Waiving or completing the Foreign Language Core requirement without taking the courses at Pacific requires one of the following:
- A student must pass the proficiency exam of the language taught at Pacific – Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish.*
- An international student who took ESL classes at the university level is automatically exempted.**
- A student whose native tongue is not English, but rather is a language that is not taught at Pacific, may be exempted by obtaining approval from the Advising Center and his/her advisor and by submitting a petition for approval to the Chair of the WORLL department.
- A student who has scored 4 or higher on the AP language exam will come in with the 102-level credit and the requirement will be considered complete. A student who has a score of 5 or higher in the HL IB test will come in with the 102-level credit and the requirement will be complete (please note: students with a 5 or higher on the SL IB test will come in with the 101-level credit and the requirement will not be complete.
- Transfer credits of the successful completion of at least a 4-credit 102-level course in the semester system, or a 3-credit 103-level course in the quarter system from other university or college with the grade of “C-“ or above.***
- A student who has taken 4 or more high school years of a language not taught at Pacific with the grade of “B” or above may petition for exemption from the Language CORE. In the petition the student should include (I) a copy of high school transcripts and (II) a brief description of the skills and materials taught in the language. The petition should go to the WORLL department chair.
*Proficiency Exam
Exams are offered twice a year, in October and March. The exam includes a written component, listening comprehension, and an oral component. Only students who do no want to take any additional foreign language courses and who stand a good chance of passing the exam should be encouraged to take it. The exam is designed for students who have had at least three years of high school (this is roughly equivalent to one year of university courses). Qualified students wishing to take the exam should contact the language head and the department chair by the beginning of October or March. Students are allowed to take the test twice. Students must pay a $40 feel for taking the test.
**International Students
- An international student who took ESL classes at the university level, and who wants to major in Modern Languages, is exempted from the 12 credits of a secondary foreign language.
- A student whose native tongue is taught at Pacific and who wants to major in that language should consult with the language head and the WORLL department chair.
***Transfer Credit
The Foreign Language course of the transfer credit earned in the college or the university may include a language not taught at Pacific.
Sample Degree/Course Planning Templates
- Chinese (minor only)
- French (major and minor)
- Japanese (major and minor)
- German (major and minor)
- (major and minor)
- Modern Languages (major only)
If you have any questions about the Language Programs at 鶹Ӱ, please contact Professor Lorely French, Chair, World Languages and Literature at frenchl@pacificu.edu