Modern Languages

College of Arts and Letters

Department of Modern Languages

Babbitt Academic Annex, room 108

NAU, PO Box 6004, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6004

928-523-2361 (fax 928-523-0963)  

http://www.cal.nau.edu/languages/index.html

Department Chair

Cecilia Ojeda

Undergraduate Introduction  

You may pursue the following academic plans in NAU’s Department of Modern Languages:  

• B.A. in French, German, or Spanish  

• B.A. in Spanish (extended major)  

• B.A. in modern languages (extended major)  

• B.S.Ed. in French, German, or Spanish  

• B.S.Ed. in Spanish (extended major)  

• minors in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Navajo, and Spanish  

• minors in teaching French, Navajo, and Spanish  

• certificate in Navajo translation and interpretation  

• content emphases in French, German, and Spanish (for the B.S.Ed. in elementary education)

Please note that you may also count coursework in Chinese and Japanese toward the interdisciplinary Asian studies minor and Russian coursework toward the interdisciplinary Russian studies minor. See the heading Asian Studies or Russian Studies for more information.  

Our language plans offer you the opportunity to hone your oral and written linguistic skills and to gain greater exposure to the language and literature of another culture. In addition, these plans sharpen your critical thinking and analysis skills, as well as your understanding of your native language. All of our offerings enhance your preparation for graduate school and a wide variety of careers.  

Students whose primary academic language is not English are not permitted to enroll in the first and second year of language study in their primary academic language.  The primary academic language is the language of  instruction of  the secondary school from which the student graduated.

Students with substantial language experience, however acquired, should consult with advisors in the Department of Modern Languages to place them in the appropriate language course.

Students who have graduated from a secondary school whose language of instruction is not English are considered to have met the four-semester language proficiency requirement for any Bachelor of Arts degree at NAU.  No credits are or will be assigned for that experience.  Some degree programs may require language proficiency beyond the fourth semester.  For these programs the specific language proficiency required for the degree must be met.

In these sections, we first explain placement exams and our rules about lower-division courses. Then we describe each of our academic plans individually. Finally, we explain our Spanish immersion program.  

Placement Exams  

For information about College Level Exam Program exams, see the Course, Enrollment, and Credit Policies chapter of this catalog. If you are enrolled in a language course when you take a CLEP exam for a preceding level, you must do so before the midterm.  

In addition, retrocredits are available for new students who have completed advanced foreign language coursework in high school.  Click here for more information.

For information about challenge exams, consult with our department.  

Graduate Information

You may pursue the following graduate academic plan through the Department of Modern Languages:

• M.A.T. in Spanish Education

• M.A.T. in Spanish

Click here for more information about our courses in undergraduate French and graduate French, undergraduate German and graduate German, undergraduate Spanish and graduate Spanish, undergraduate Navajo and graduate Navajo, undergraduate Chinese and undergraduate Japanese.

Click here for more information about our Modern Languages faculty.