Foreign Language Requirement
The New York State Education Department requires one year (two semesters) of a language other than English for certification in all fields (except foreign language education and TESOL, which have their own requirements). TESOL requires two years of a language. The language requirement is similar to, but not identical with, the University’s undergraduate foreign language requirement, and some majors have more extensive language requirements. The NYSED requirement can be met by taking courses in the same language or more than one language. American Sign Language may be used to satisfy this requirement. If a student does not meet this requirement upon admission, the student must satisfy this requirement, in addition to other degree requirements, prior to student teaching.
While the New York State Education Department will accept a grade of D or better, Stony Brook undergraduate and graduate students must satisfy this requirement by passing two semesters of a foreign language with a grade of C or better.
How To Satisfy the NYSED Foreign Language Requirement
A student may satisfy the foreign language requirement in one of the following ways:
- Complete two semesters of elementary foreign language courses with a grade of C or better.
- Complete the second semester of an elementary-level foreign language course with a grade of C or better.
- Complete one semester of an intermediate- or higher-level foreign language course with a grade of C or better.
- Students for whom English is not their first language may:
- Take a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test in their native language. A proficiency level equivalent to one year of college study must be achieved. Please visit the College Board website for more information about CLEP tests.
- Submit an official transcript from a secondary school or university previously attended for at least two years where the primary language of instruction was a language other than English.
- Score 3 or higher on an AP foreign language exam.
- Score 5 or higher on a Higher Level IB foreign language exam.
- Score 530 or higher on an SAT II foreign language exam.
- Take Challenge Exams and be awarded 6 credits.
- Achieve Advanced Low Proficiency Level or higher on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or the Writing Proficiency Test (WPT).
- A student may take a language placement exam at the Language Learning and Research Center (LLRC), located in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. Placement exams are available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. For more information about placement exams, please visit this link. If a student takes the Stony Brook Placement Exam, credit is granted as follows:
- Score Level 1 – no credit
- Score Level 2 – 3 credits – must take one semester of elementary-level foreign language course
- Score Level 3, 4, or 5 – satisfies foreign language requirement
Important Notes
- A foreign language Regents exam and a FLACS exam are not accepted to meet this requirement.
- A student may not take the same course at two different institutions.
- A student is only able to earn a total of 15 credits across all disciplines by taking Challenge Exams.
- Foreign language courses taken on a P/NC basis at another institution will be accepted. The official transcript must be accompanied by a letter from the Dean of the institution where the course work was taken attesting that the original grade was a C or higher.
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