Department of Anthropology
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Foreign Language Requirement
Each PhD student is required to demonstrate proficiency in one language other than English. The choice of the language to be demonstrated and the type and level of proficiency must be approved in advance by the student’s advisory committee. This requirement must be satisfied before taking the preliminary examination.
Language proficiency may be demonstrated by any of the procedures specified in the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures Manual.
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By satisfying the foreign language requirement at another graduate school and transferring the record to Purdue.
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By passing the fourth semester of Purdue's undergraduate course sequence in an acceptable language with at least a grade of C- in the last course, or with an equivalent of this requirement transferred from another institution.
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By examination. The student's department will notify the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the skill it requires (reading, conversation, etc.) and will submit examination material to be approved by the foreign language examiner. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will then prepare, proctor, and grade an appropriate examination and transmit the results to the student's department.
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By graduate coursework. This option currently is available in French, German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. It consists of passing the appropriate 603 or 605 course with a grade acceptable to the student's department.
If the language is one for which these procedures cannot be used, any of the following methods may be substituted:
- The student may arrange an examination by a member of the Purdue faculty who is fluent in the language. The format of the exam and the qualifications of the examiner must be approved by the student’s advisory committee prior to the examination.
- The student may take an examination administered by an independent testing center or service (e.g., Educational Testing Service) which is approved by the student’s advisory committee.
- The student may provide evidence satisfactory to the advisory committee that the student is a native speaker of the language.