Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Foreign Language/French Certificate


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The Foreign Language Certificate is an 18-credit program aimed at those who want to add a foreign language credential to their main academic preparation, either as a bachelor’s degree in progress or in a postbaccalaureate setting. The certificate is an excellent opportunity for students in any college of the university, particularly those in colleges where foreign language study is not generally required, such as the Eberly College of Business and the College of Health and Human Services.

This certificate offers students a variety of options for fulfilling the requirements. In addition to completing the course sequence, students may earn credits toward the certificate by taking an Advanced Placement Exam, or they may earn ACE credits. Students with previous foreign language experience who do not earn credits through Advanced Placement or ACE are required to take a departmentally-approved language placement exam for possible exemption from some courses. Students are allowed to exempt out of up to 12 credits of the initial language sequence either by exam or through transfer credits from another institution. All students, including returning, graduate, and transfer students, are required to take at least six credits at IUP from Foreign Language levels 220 and above.

Initial Language Sequence 12cr


Intermediate Language Sequence: 6


Students must complete FRNC 220  and 3 additional credits above the 201 level. The 3 additional credits may be either FRNC 230  or another course related to French, which must be approved by the Department of Foreign Languages chair or the chair’s designee.

Courses taken in a study abroad context may also count toward the certificate. Transfer credit received through study abroad experiences must be approved by chair of the Department of Foreign Languages or the chair’s designee or previously approved through the Admissions–Transfer Services Office.

Oral Proficiency Interview Exam


By the midterm of the final semester of course work for the certificate, students will be required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or the Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer (OPIc), administered by Language Testing International (LTI). The OPI and OPIc provide an independent rating of the student’s oral skills in the language, which may be useful for employment purposes. There is a fee for the OPI and the OPIc, for which students will be responsible.

Total Certificate Requirements: 18


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