General Education Placement Policy Statement

Please note: The following policy and procedure statements pertain to students who begin college as degree-seeking students in Summer 2004 and after. The WKU general education foreign language requirement states: "Students who begin their college career as degree-seeking students during the 2004 summer term and thereafter will be required to take the second semester level or higher foreign language course."

I. Students who have completed the foreign language section of the Kentucky pre-college curriculum (that is, students who have had two years of study in one language at the high school level at any point in the past) are subject to these policies:

1. Students will not be allowed to enroll in our 101 (first semester elementary level) course in the language they studied previously. They must enroll in 102 (second semester elementary level) and pass that course in order to fulfill the FL (foreign language) general education requirement.

2. Students who have completed the pre-college curriculum may enroll in a language different from the one they studied in high school and complete 101 and 102 in that language in order to fulfill the foreign language general education requirement. The 101 course counts as elective credit toward graduation.

3. Those students who successfully pass 102 without having taken 101 can receive 3 hours of verified credit for 101 upon payment of a fee. These credits will appear on the student's transcript and count as elective credit toward graduation.

4. Students who come to Western with strong language skills or who have had 3 or more years of high school language study in French, German, or Spanish, should take our on-line placement exam to see if they can place at a higher level than 102 in these languages and earn 6 hours of verified credit upon successful completion of the course into which they place. (Please note: if students with 2 years or more of high school language study take the on-line test and place in 101, they will nonetheless be prohibited from enrolling in that course.)

5. Students who present appropriate AP or CLEP credit or who transfer college credits equivalent to 102 or higher also fulfill the general education requirement in that fashion.

II. The following policy and procedure statements pertain to students who were first-time college students in summer 2004 and after and who have not completed the foreign language section of the Kentucky pre-college curriculum (that is, students who have had less than two years of study in one language at the high school level at any point in the past):

1. Western may admit students in spite of not having completed the pre-college curriculum, but they must make up this entrance deficiency by passing a 101 (first semester elementary level) course in any foreign language within the first 24 credit hours of their WKU studies. We strongly encourage students to enroll in 101 and 102 in sequence so that the skills developed in 101 are still strong in 102.

2. The 101 course will count as elective hours toward graduation.

3. The 102 (second semester elementary level) foreign language course may be taken at any point after the successful completion of 101 in that language in order to complete the graduation requirement, although taking the courses in sequence is strongly advised.

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