BA Language Requirements
How to Fulfill the BA Language Requirement
Complete the 4th semester (2020) of any world language with either a C-/CR or better.
If within the last five years you have had a class or experience with Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic, you MUST take the Language Placement Test to determine which 1000-2000 class to take first.
For placement in other languages we offer at the U, email wlc-advising@utah.edu.
If you have no previous exposure to a language, you may register for the 1010 class in that language without any special permission.
Start by taking the class you are placed into, and then take the sequence of classes in that language until you have passed the 4th semester class (2020) of that language with either a C-/CR or better.
Continue and complete the 4th semester (2020) of any world language with either a C-/CR or better. Alternatively, take any 3000+ 3-credit course taught in the language.
If within the last five years you have had a non-college class or experience in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic, you MUST take the Language Placement Test to determine which class to take.
For placement in other languages we offer at the U, email wlc-advising@utah.edu.
FLATS Test & Purchasing Credit
If we do not offer the language you have experience in at the U, you may take the
FLATS test (http://flats.byu.edu) and pass all three sections of the test. To use this to fulfill your BA Language
Requirement, have the results sent to wlc-advising@utah.edu, then make an appointment with one of our advisors to purchase up to 16 credits for
the language (credits are $40/credit). The purchased credits will be used to fulfill
your BA Language Requirement.
AP Exams
If you passed an AP exam with a score of 3, you may go directly into 2010.
If you passed an AP exam with a score of 4, you may go directly into 2020.
If you passed an AP exam with a score of 5, your BA Language Requirement (LR) has been fulfilled. If you want to continue taking language classes, you may take the first 3000 level course (depending on the language, this will be 3010, 3020, or 3040).
IB Exams
If you have taken an IB language exam and would like to get placed into language classes,
email wlc-advising@utah.edu.
Transfer Courses
If you have taken a college-level course (including transfer credit) in this language,
you may directly register for the next class in the sequence. If you are unsure which
course is next in the sequence, contact wlc-advising@utah.edu.
Start by taking the class you are placed into, and then take the sequence of classes in that language until you have passed the 4th semester class (2020) of that language with either a C-/CR or better. If you place directly into a 3000-level class, completing that class with a C-/CR or better will fulfill the BA Language Requirement.
OR
Pass a language proficiency test and purchase up to16 lower division language credits ($40/credit).
If you place directly into a 3000-level class via the WLC Placement Test, FLATS test, etc., instead of taking a class, you may purchase credits to fulfill the BA Language Requirement.
Please visit Purchasing Language Credits for more details on this option.
*Students who take a test to purchase credits have one year from the test date to buy the credits.
Pass 3060 with a C-/CR or better
3060 is for students who have spent 18 months or longer in another language environment. This could mean you lived in another country, speak or spoke another language at home, or focused on speaking another language in the US for an extended period of time.
If you fit the criteria above, you may register for the 3060 class in your language without any special permission. If you are unsure if you should take 3060 or not, contact wlc-advising@utah.edu.
Passing 3060 with a C-/CR or better fulfills your BA Language Requirement without
any additional procedures.
Passing 3060 with a “B-” or better allows you the opportunity to purchase up to 16
lower division credit hours for that language, which get added to your Total Semester
Hour Requirement for graduation. You have already fulfilled your BA Language Requirement
by passing 3060 with a C-/CR or better, so students who do so are never required to
purchase language credit to fulfill their BA Language Requirement. Purchased credits
will not fulfill major or minor requirements.
OR
Pass a language proficiency test and purchase up to 16 lower division language credits ($40/credit).
If you place directly into a 3000-level class via the AP test, WLC Placement Test, FLATS test, etc., instead of taking a class, you may purchase credits to fulfill the BA Language Requirement.
Information on how to take the WLC Placement Test: Language Placement Test
If we do not offer a placement test for language you have experience in, you may take the FLATS test (http://flats.byu.edu) and pass all three sections of the test. To use this to fulfill your BA Language Requirement, have the results sent to wlc-advising@utah.edu, then make an appointment with one of our advisors to purchase up to 16 credits for the language (credits are $40/credit). The purchased credits will be used to fulfill your BA Language Requirement.
If you passed an AP exam with a score of 4 or 5, you may use that score to purchase credits to fulfill your BA Language Requirement. You will be required to purchase the number of credits that is the difference between 16 and the number of credits you already earned from your AP exam score (credits are $40/credit). Make an appointment with one of our advisors to purchase the credit. The purchased credits will be used to fulfill your BA Language Requirement.
Please visit Purchasing Language Credits for more details on this option.
*Students who take a test to purchase credits have one year from the test date to buy the credits.
I'm a heritage speaker of Spanish but I'm not sure if I'm ready for a 3060 class.
Please send an email to spanheritage@utah.edu for assistance in signing up for the class that most closely aligns with your proficiency.
Complete EAS 1060 with a grade of C-/CR or better
This option is only for speakers of English as a second language who take the English for Academic Success writing placement exam. Passing EAS 1060 will automatically fulfill the BA Language Requirement.
This option will be discontinued as EAS classes are phased out at the University of Utah.
OR
Complete WRTG 2010 with a grade of C-/CR or better.
This option is for students who graduated from high school in a non-English speaking country. All U of U students are required to take WRTG 2010 or an equivalent transfer class. To verify that you can use WRTG 2010 to fulfill your BA Language Requirement, or if you would like to ask if you can use WRTG 2010 to fulfill your BA Language Requirement even though you graduated from high school in an English speaking country, contact wlc-advising@utah.edu.
You are responsible for making sure that your BA Language Requirement is fulfilled on your Degree Audit before you apply for graduation. If you have fulfilled the BA Language Requirement but it does not show up as fulfilled on your Degree Audit, email wlc-advising@utah.edu.
Please email wlc-advising@utah.edu to explain your language background and ask what you should take!
Mission Statement
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) designation is conferred to those undergraduate students who graduate from the University of Utah with their major and, in addition, basic Foreign Language skills or American Sign Language (ASL) skills. These students are recognized as possessing the foundation of study required for the continued study of a specific language which may include but is not limited to the study of literature in their language of choice, the origins of the language and its structural features and differentiation from other languages as well as the role of language in culture and society.
The study of language significantly contributes to undergraduate education by exposing students to and involving them in another culture. This involvement gives students a comparative perspective on their own culture, language, mores, and traditions.
Student Requirements
At the University of Utah, students must demonstrate proficiency that is equivalent to two years of foreign language study in order to meet the Foreign Language Requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
Upon completion of the foreign language requirement, students are assessed for their ability to comprehend and produce the foreign language in speaking and in writing and for their understanding of foreign language learning as a life-long endeavor that enhances their education in the Humanities.
Students with advanced language skills (e.g., native speakers, heritage speakers, students who have lived for an extended period abroad) should not enroll in first, second, and some third-year courses. If you do not know what your language level is or if you think your situation justifies petitioning for an exception, contact the WLC advisors before enrolling in classes. For pedagogical reasons, the department reserves the right to remove advanced speakers who have not successfully petitioned from classes not appropriate for their language level.
