Foreign Language Requirement
Cleveland State requires all students who graduated from high school in 1987 or later to have completed two years of a foreign language in high school. Students who did not complete the courses in high school must finish a first-year foreign language sequence, or take two semesters of American Sign Language and one approved foreign-culture course. The deficiency must be corrected prior to the completion of 60 credits at Cleveland State. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences should consult with their adviser on additional foreign language requirements to complete their bachelor's degrees.
The Foreign Language Requirement applies to all undergraduate students, including those who are not native speakers of English and students for whom English is a second language, unless specifically exempted in the policy on Foreign Language Requirement (e.g., post-baccalaureate students). Such students, if deficient in foreign language studies credits upon admission to Cleveland State University, may remove the deficiency by completion of appropriate courses at Cleveland State or by verification of appropriate knowledge of language and culture through the Department of Modern Languages at Cleveland State.
Foreign Language Placement
The courses needed to meet the Cleveland State Foreign Language Entrance Requirement and the College Graduation Requirement depend on how many years were completed in high school and when these were taken. Students who delay their study beyond the first 60 hours risk having to register for courses on an audit basis to make up for lapsed knowledge.
Freshman and transfer students with more than one year or its equivalent study and fewer than three years or their equivalent study in French or Spanish are required to take the placement test. Students with three years or more of study in French or Spanish who want to continue their work in the language must take the placement test to assist in placement. Students who have studied other languages in high school should consult with the Modern Languages Department directly to continue their work in these languages. Faculty in the foreign languages normally conducts informal placement interviews.
Transfer students and students who have taken the Advanced Placement Test in a foreign language should consult with an academic adviser regarding the credit granted; they should then consult with the Modern Languages Department to select appropriate advanced coursework.