Foreign Language Requirements

Students must demonstrate reading knowledge in two approved foreign languages to receive a Ph.D. in English at Tufts. Satisfaction of the Foreign Language Requirement must occur by the end of the third year, and may be completed by examination, by course, or any combination of the two.

Examination
Graduate students may satisfy the two language requirement by passing a two-hour examination in each of two foreign languages. Exams are coordinated through the Graduate Studies Office and are offered in October, January, and April each year.

Course
Passing a course for "Reading Knowledge" will also be accepted as fulfillment of one or both foreign languages. Tufts offers two such courses, "French for Reading Knowledge" and "German for Reading Knowledge" which are only available during Summer Session. Students may also present appropriate evidence of competence achieved in a foreign language from a prior attended institution.

Alternatively, advanced proficiency in one language may be demonstrated by obtaining a passing grade in at least one graduate-level course in a foreign literature.

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