NOTE for current students: The date of the Foreign Language examinations for Fall 2012 is Wednesday, December 5. Students wishing to register must do so by Monday, September 24 in Boylan 2314.

One of the degree requirements for the MA English program is to demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language. Students should turn their attention to this matter early in their studies (see the note at the bottom of this page). The foreign language requirement can be fulfilled in the following ways:

1. For the most frequently requested languages (Spanish and French) you must complete and return an application to the English Graduate Deputy by the date specified in the current Schedule of Classes (and posted on the "Graduation" page of this site). The test is given every Fall and Spring semester on three dates, also specified in the Schedule of Classes (and posted on the "Graduation" page): the date for language examinations; the date for comprehensive exams (Sabbath observers); the date for comprehensive exams (all others). The test gives you two hours to translate a one or two page passage from the foreign language into idiomatic English with the aid of a dictionary. If you are going to be tested in French or Spanish, a packet of readings is available from the Graduate Deputy of the English Department.
   
2. For all other languages, identify a professor in one of the foreign language departments at Brooklyn College who is willing to test your knowledge of your chosen language and agree on a mutually convenient date to take the test.
   
3. Take a course at the CUNY Graduate Center's Language Reading Program (see below) in French, Latin, German, Spanish, or Italian (not all languages are offered every semester). If you pass with a grade of B or better on the course, this will satisfy the foreign language requirement. It is your responsibility to request that the GC Language Reading Program notify the English Graduate Deputy of the course results in writing.
   
4. If your first language is not English, speak to the Graduate Deputy about possible exemption from this requirement.

CUNY Language Program

The CUNY Graduate Center Language Reading Program will offer intensive, non-credit courses in languages designed to assist graduate students in meeting the language requirements for their degree. These courses last for twelve weeks and aim at developing a reading knowledge of the languages.

The Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-4309
Tel: 212-817-2081
Contact: Amy Sweeney

NOTE: STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY URGED NOT TO WAIT UNTIL THEIR LAST SEMESTER IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT, AS THIS CAN RESULT IN UNANTICIPATED HOLD-UPS IN GRADUATION. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT STUDENTS TURN THEIR FULL ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER ONE OR TWO SEMESTERS EARLIER, AT THE VERY LEAST.