Before taking the first qualifying exam, English graduate students must demonstrate their working competence in one of the following foreign languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Latin. If possible, students are advised to select a language that has particular relevance to their individual areas of concentration. By petition, other languages (e.g., Bengali, Korean, Old English, Persian, etc.) may be substituted in cases where the language has clear relevance to the student’s intended program of study, and if the student and/or department can find a qualified examiner. In addition, a student may petition the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), who will consult faculty specialists as appropriate, to have their native language (if other than English) fulfill the foreign language requirement when it applies to their program of study. Please note that computer coding languages do not count toward this requirement.

Students should aim to fulfill their foreign language requirement in their first year, either through the language exam or by completing a graduate reading course or a literature course in the language (see below). Starting early means that, if you need to retake the exam or a course, you will have fulfilled the language requirement by the end of your second year. Completing the language requirement and passing the first qualifying exam is needed to receive the MA. Students must hold an MA to teach in the summer.

Depending on their field of study, additional language training may also be helpful for a student’s scholarship. In some cases, it may even be expected by colleagues in their field. Therefore, the language requirement for the PhD in English at UCSB should be considered as a bare minimum, rather than as an indication of all the foreign language training a particular student may need.

The requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:

1. by passing a written translation exam in the English department, or
2. by passing (with a grade of B+ or better) an approved graduate reading course,  or
3. by passing (with a grade of B+ or better) either one graduate literature course or one upper-division undergraduate literature course taught in the foreign language.

See below for each option, which require that students contact the DGS for prior approval.

Language examinations may be held in the fall, winter, or spring quarter. During the exam, students will translate two foreign-language passages into English. These passages represent the kind of material they will encounter in their professional lives: one passage of non-fictional prose dealing with a literary topic, and the other drawn directly from a literary work (or in the case of Latin, two passages from different authors). The passages together will normally have a combined total of about 600-700 words. Both passages must be translated in full, by hand and with a high degree of accuracy, within the two-hour time limit. The use of one paper dictionary (provided by the student) is allowed but not required. Since arrangements to create/grade exams must often be made with faculty in other departments, students wishing to take the language exam must notify the Staff Graduate Advisor at least a month in advance of their exam date.

Students may fulfill their language requirement by completing certain reading-proficiency language courses for graduate students offered at UCSB. To fulfill the requirement they must pass the course in question with a grade of B+ or higher. The Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Committee will determine the appropriate language courses and make that list of courses available to students. Students may also petition the Graduate Committee for permission to take comparable courses that have not been listed.

The following UCSB courses have been approved by the Graduate Committee:  French 11A and B and German 1G and 2G are directed toward the acquisition of reading knowledge, and enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Other courses are ITAL 11A – Italian for Graduate Students and CH ST 249 – Spanish for Graduate Students. Students must complete  a final translation exam or final translation assignment for these courses to qualify for their language requirement. Students choosing this option are required to submit a course syllabus, in advance of taking the course, to the Staff Graduate Advisor who will forward it to the Director of Graduate Studies

These courses are not housed within the English department, and it is not guaranteed that they will be offered in a given quarter, so students should be plan  ahead. Note that no graduate credit is given for these courses.

Candidates must pass, with a grade of B+ or better, either one graduate literature course or one upper-division literature course taught in the foreign language. Students choosing this option are required to submit a course syllabus, in advance of taking the course, to the Staff Graduate Advisor who will forward it to the Director of Graduate Studies . Foreign literature courses taught at another university and/or taken prior to entry into our program may be accepted at the discretion of the DGS and the Graduate Committee, with the reservation that no such course taken more than two years prior to entry into this program.

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