CAS students can fulfill the CAS Second Language Requirement in a number of ways. Please review the pathways flow-chart above well as the additional information below for more detailed information on how:

  • By completing courses through CAS (or Wheelock School of Education if American Sign Language), including some through Study Abroad.
  • A score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement foreign language exam or a score of 5, 6, or 7, on an Higher Level, International Baccalaureate exam.
  • Scores on SAT II language exam of 560 or higher (These tests were discontinued by the College Board in January 2021. Students may submit scores from tests taken prior to this date in fulfillment of the requirement.)
  • Bilingual proficiency evaluation (see below)

Language Placement Exam:

If you are trying to figure out what level of a language you should enroll in, you should take a Language Placement Exam. Please note that a placement exam does not fulfill the requirement; see chart above.

If you are continuing study in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, or Russian, please see instructions for the on-line placement tests here.

If you are continuing study in French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish, please see instructions for the online placement tests here.

If you are continuing study in Latin, Ancient Greek, or Modern Greek, please see instructions for placement tests here.

These are not the only languages we offer!  The above languages have online placement exams, but all other languages will have placement exams during the first week of classes. In addition to the languages listed above, see below for more offerings.

Please check with the World Languages and Literatures, the Department of Romance Studies, the Department of Classical Studies, or the African Studies Department for other placement exam times and locations.

Language Courses at BU

To register for a language course, please use the Student Link to register for the appropriate level. You can find all languages offered and their course codes below:

Language College/Dept
American Sign Language SED DE
Amharic CAS LD
Arabic CAS LY
Chinese CAS LC
French CAS LF
German CAS LG
Greek-Ancient CAS CL
Greek-Modern CAS CG
Hebrew CAS LH
Hindi-Urdu CAS LN
Igbo CAS LD
Italian CAS LI
Japanese CAS LJ
Korean CAS LK
Latin CAS CL
Mandinka CAS LD
Persian (Farsi) CAS LZ
Portuguese CAS LP
Russian CAS LR
Spanish CAS LS
Swahili CAS LE
Turkish CAS LT
Akan Twi CAS LW
Wolof CAS LW
Xhosa CAS LM
Zulu CAS LD

 

Proficiency Evaluation:

Students whose native language is not English may be eligible to take a language exam or meet the requirement by demonstrating appropriate fluency, as determined by the College.  Typically students must have fluency in skills relevant to the comprehension and production of that particular language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).  Students can request proficiency evaluation by submitting the Request for Foreign Language Proficiency Evaluation form to CAS Language Advising no later than second semester of sophomore year.  Note: students who were required to provide TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores on file as part of their application to BU do not need further evaluation; the requirement will marked as complete.