All undergraduate students with two or more years of high school study in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, Italian, Russian, or Spanish, who plan to continue their study of the same language in either the fall, spring, or summer semester must take a placement examination to determine the appropriate level of college study. Test scores remain valid for one year, so students who postpone language study beyond that year must retake the placement test. All students with less than two years of high school study in a language will automatically be placed in the 101-level course in their chosen language.
All students must begin their language study at the evaluated placement level and will not receive Core credit if they start at a lower level.
- Students placed at 101 must take 101 and 102 in the same language.
- Students placed at 102 must take 102 and 280 in the same language.
- Students placed at the 200 level or above must take one 3-credit course at the level of their placement.
- Placement based on AP scores – For students who have taken an AP exam in French, German, or Spanish Language or Literature, the placement is as follows:
- Score of 4 or 5 – Students receive six (6) Pace credits and are exempt from taking language courses for core, but are encouraged to continue language studies to develop proficiency. Students who elect to continue may select any 300-level course. They might also consider completing a minor or major (or second major) in a language.
- Score of 3 – Placed in a three-credit (3) 200-level course. Course No. 280, "Intensive Review," is the recommended course in Spanish or French, but other options are also possible. Must complete one (3 credit) language course to satisfy the language core requirement.
- Placement based on high school record
If a student has studied a language for the following length of time in high school, he/she will be placed at the following level of the same language:
- Four years – No. 280 or other 3-credit 200-level course selected by the student. Must complete that one language course to satisfy the language core requirement.
- Three years – No. 280 (Intensive review) is the best option in French, Spanish, or Italian. In Japanese and Chinese, the intensive review course is No. 271 offered NYC. Must complete that one language course to satisfy the language core requirement.
- Two years or one year (during any high school years) – No. 101. Must complete 101 and 102 to satisfy the language core requirement. (Note: Students with a facility for language may elect to accelerate their language study by enrolling in intensive language study 101A and 102B, offered consecutively for seven weeks each during a single 14-week semester.)
- Placement for those starting a new language
All students starting a new language at Pace will be placed at the beginning (101) level. Those students must complete 101 and 102 in that language to satisfy the language core requirement.
Notes on Language Core Requirements
- Students who have completed their secondary schooling at an institution where English is not the language of instruction are exempt from the core language requirement. However, they are invited to learn a new language at Pace.
- Students who take the NYU 12-point Proficiency Exam and score 12 points receive 3 credits of language Core credit.
- American Sign Language (ASL) may be used to fulfill the core language requirement. Transfer students with two semesters of college-level study of ASL (grade "C" or better) will receive transfer credit and will be exempt from further study of any language at Pace.
- Transfer students in the College of Health Professions, the Lubin School of Business, the Sands College of Performing Arts, or the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems may take a culture course to fulfill the entire language core requirement. The remaining three (3) credits are to be made up in Inquiry and Exploration.
