Second Language

All A&S Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, and the Bachelor of Criminal Justice require a second language. The second language requirement can be met in a number of ways:

1. Certification of completion of three years of a foreign language in high school (must be three years of the same language). Beginning with catalog year 1999-2000 all three years must be graded C or better.

2. Completion of the 212 (or 214 for native Spanish speakers) level of a foreign language. The normal sequence for those with no prior background in the language is: 111, 112, 211, 212. Spanish speakers should take the 113, 213, 214 sequence. Students should enter the sequence at their proficiency level. Starting at a higher level does not give you credit for the courses you skipped; you would replace these with electives.

3. Successful completion of a regular university course taught in a language other than English, or completion of an upper-division course in a foreign language.

4. Challenging the 212 level of French, German, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish, or Spanish/Portuguese 214 for the native Spanish speaker. We don't usually recommend this option because of the high cost of challenging a course. It makes more sense to take an upper-division course in the language, if possible, and meet the second language requirement and an upper-division requirement at the same time.

5. Obtaining, from the head of the Department of Languages and Linguistics, certification of a working knowledge of a language that is not taught at NMSU. Certification of knowledge of a Native American language may be obtained from the director of the American Indian Program.

6. Pass CD 476, American Sign Language III, with a grade of C or better.

International students who are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) to enter the university are automatically exempt from the second language requirement.

Computer languages do not satisfy the second language requirement.

Students should satisfy the second language requirement as soon as possible and the necessary courses should be taken in consecutive semesters. Languages other than Spanish and French usually offer the 111 and 211 levels in the fall semester, and 112 and 212 in the spring. All levels of Spanish are offered in the fall and spring semesters. Spanish is the only language regularly offered in the summer sessions (111 and 211 first session and 112 and 212 second session). Once a sequence is started, you must earn a grade of C or better to progress to the next level. You may not skip a level without written approval from the Department of Languages and Linguistics.

Exceptions to the Second Language Requirement

The following degrees offered by the College of Arts and Sciences do not require the second language: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Conservation Ecology.