For the master's degree or licentiate, a reading knowledge of French, German, Latin, or Greek is required. All language requirements must be fulfilled one year prior to the time of the presentation of the candidate's degree.

In order to demonstrate reading knowledge in the requisite language, the student must pass a translation examination administered by the School of Philosophy. Students with no prior knowledge of French or German are advised to take the reading competency course in the language (GER 500 or FREN 500) offered every semester by the Department of Modern Languages before attempting the School of Philosophy examination.

Language Examinations Administered by the School
The School of Philosophy translation examinations in French, German, Latin, and Greek are given once in the fall and once in the spring. They are administered in two parts, each of which is a three-hour session in which the student is required to translate a passage presented. The student may consult a single dictionary throughout the examination.

Candidates for the M.A. or the Ph.L. degree must pass one part of one such examination either in French, German, Latin, or Greek. Candidates for the Ph.D. must pass both parts of the examinations in both French and German. All candidates must take both parts of the examination. No language will be recognized as a substitute for French or German.

A foreign language examination committee, appointed by the Dean, will be responsible for the preparation and the grading of the School's translation examinations. For further particulars, see the Foreign Language Examination Guidelines.

Copies of past Language Examinations can be found here.