Language Requirements and Grad School?

Question

THe MA program I'm looking into applying to says this:

"Language Requirement: At the beginning of the 3rd semester of study, MA students are required to satisfy a French Language Requirement demonstrating a reading knowledge of French."

So are they only going to only accept people into this program if they have French courses on their Undergraduate transcript? AND say I did get accepted. How am I supposed to learn enough French in 2 semesters to satisfy this requirement?

Answer 1

These days, admission into graduate programs is increasingly difficult, so applicants who already have a research language under their belt will be more competitive than those who do not.

Having said that, while having studied French as an undergraduate is quite desirable, it is not absolutely necessary. Grad students who enter their graduate programs without the necessary language skills usually take a graduate level course (lasting one semester, or part of one summer) called "French for Reading." Study in this course prepares one to pass the language exam offered by one's department, which usually involves translating a passage from a scholarly work in one's field.

Answer 2

From the snippet that you pasted here, you do NOT have to have had studied French previous to applying. You should note that it requires only a READING knowledge, and college language courses are extremely intense so you will probably be able to do so within 2 semesters. Of course if you're concerned, it probably wouldn't hurt to have some basic knowledge of French before starting the program. There are lots of online language learning guides that you can use to get started.

Good luck.