The certificate of Proficiency in Modern Languages is a degree-dependent certificate that is open to students taking one of the languages offered through the Department of Global Languages and Cultures (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish), regardless of major. It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for jobs and/or graduate programs requiring a strong command of one of those languages by providing students with an internationally-recognized marker of proficiency.
In addition to completing 12 credit hours at the 200-400 level in a single language with a passing grade, students pursuing the certificate of Proficiency in Modern Languages are required to demonstrate their proficiency in that language by achieving a score of Advanced-Low on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) test developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Proficiency in Modern Languages Certificate Requirements
Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)
Students pursuing the certificate are required to take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) test. Students must demonstrate a minimum of Advanced Low (AL) on the OPI to receive the Certificate of Proficiency in Arabic.
The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a language test developed by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and consists of a 30–40-minute interview. It is designed to assess how well a person speaks a language independently, regardless of how, where, why and for how long they have studied it.