General Education Requirement

All undergraduate students must demonstrate proficiency in world language by fulfilling one of the following requirements:

• Successful completion of a one-semester college-level world language course (101) or the equivalent, such as CLEP, the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or AP credits
  or
• Having earned a final grade of 85 or higher in the third year of high school world language study or a passing grade in any subsequent year of high school world language study
  or
• Having earned a score of 85 or higher on a world language Regents Exam or a local exam aligned with a discontinued Regents Exam (Checkpoint B Exam)

Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science Candidates

Students enrolled in a B.F.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. program in the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Professional Studies need only one semester of a world language.

Students enrolled in the B.S. program in early childhood, childhood, early childhood and childhood, adolescence education, inclusive special education, and the B.S. in speech and hearing science must

• successfully complete the second semester (102) of a college-level world language sequence 
  or
• confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the second semester (102) of a college-level world language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department, such as the CLEP or OPI.

Note: Some majors require specified courses in world language in support of their major program requirements in addition to those described above.

Bachelor of Arts Candidates

Students enrolled in a B.A. program must

• successfully complete the fourth semester (202) of a college-level world language sequence 
  or
• confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the fourth semester (202) of a college-level world language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department, such as the CLEP or OPI.

Students with no previous college-level credit who plan to meet the bachelor of arts world language requirements through coursework at SUNY Cortland may choose from the following:

• American Sign Language (accepted by selected programs)
• French
• Spanish

Students will begin work at a level determined in consultation with an advisor according to guidelines established by the Modern Languages Department. The guidelines are based on criteria taking into account individual academic records.

Students who wish to begin world language study at a level below the level indicated by the guidelines may do so on an "audit" (no credit) basis. To begin world language study for credit either below or above the level indicated by the guidelines, students need the written consent of the Modern Languages Department chair.

Students with no previous college-level credit who believe they have achieved their required proficiency in a world language may arrange for assessment through CLEP or ACTFL OPI examination, following guidelines established by the Modern Languages Department. Any financial burden for such assessment must be assumed by the student. 

Students whose first language is not English may satisfy the foreign language requirement through successful CLEP or OPI examination or by presenting a transcript that attests to successful completion of secondary study in any language other than English. Contact the associate dean of arts and sciences for more information.

American Sign Language

American Sign Language can meet the SUNY Cortland world language requirement except for the following programs:

African American Studies: Concentration in African American Sociological, Political & Community Development African American Studies: Concentration in African & African American History Adolescence Education: English (7-12) Adolescence Education: Physics and Mathematics (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and African American Studies (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and Anthropology (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and Economics (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and Geography (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and History (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and Political Science (7-12) Adolescence Education: Social Studies and Sociology (7-12) Adolescence Education: Spanish (7-12) Archaelogy Cinema Study Media Production Business Economics Business Economics: Concentration is Human Resource Management Business Economics: Environmental Management Business Economics: Financial Management Business Economics: International Business and Economics Economics Economics: Concentration is International Political Economy & Public Policy English Professional Writing Geography Geographic Information Systems  Geographic Information Systems: Concentration in Advanced Geospatial Applications Geographic Information Systems: Concentration in Computer Techniques Geographic Information Systems: Concentration in Demographics and Business Geographics Geographic Information Systems: Concentration in Environmental Science Geology Environmental Geoscience Healthcare Management                        History International Studies: Area Concentration in Africa International Studies: Area Concentration in Asia and Pacific Basin International Studies: Area Concentration in Europe International Studies: Area Concentration in Latin America International Studies: Area Concentration in Geography International Studies: Area Concentration in Culture and Global Development International Studies: Area Concentration in Global Economic Systems International Studies: Area Concentration in Global Political Systems International Studies: Area Concentration in Historical Development International Studies: Area Concentration in International Health and Environment Spanish Teaching English as a Second Language: Certification Teaching English as a Second Language: Non-Certification Physics Physics: Concentration in Environmental Science Physics: Concentration in Geophysics Physics & Engineering (3+2)