General Studies Foreign Language Requirement
Knowledge of a foreign language has always been the mark of an educated person and is recognized by APU as an integral part of a liberal arts education. The Department of Modern Languages prepares students as citizens of a global community, with a firm anchoring in a Christian perspective and academic excellence. Both a major and a minor in Spanish are offered, as well as introductory study in the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and American Sign Language. Study of a foreign language provides students with the opportunity to simultaneously develop basic language skills and gain valuable insight into foreign cultures. The ability to speak a second or third language can open unimagined doors to new experiences and challenging careers as well as afford the pure enjoyment of speaking with people from other countries.
Academic advising may help a student to select the language study most suited to his/her major. For example; music majors (especially those emphasizing vocal performance) may benefit most by studying French or Italian, history and religion majors may choose German, and nursing and social work majors might select Spanish. Art majors who hope to study in Italy or France would find Italian or French study advantageous; and business majors who plan to interact internationally may opt for Russian, German, Japanese, or Chinese. A student’s major advisor, and the Department of Modern Languages’ faculty, should be consulted for further specifics.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement for General Studies, two semesters for a total of eight units of the same language are required. Students who have studied a language prior to entering Azusa Pacific University may opt to take the SAT II placement test or a CLEP exam. Depending on the score of the SAT II test, students may have their proficiency validated and waive the requirement. If the CLEP test is chosen, an appropriate score will also grant units toward college graduation.
Learn more about APU's General Studies program or browse a listing of available courses in the following:
