Interdepartmental Programs
Middle Eastern and North African Studies
Foreign Language Information
Language Departments & Placement Exams
International Institute majors are required to show proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level (2nd year, level 6). International Institute minors should check with their particular IDP for any language requirement.
Students who come to UCLA already proficient in a foreign language may arrange to be tested by the department that formally teaches the language at UCLA. The results of that test will determine if you must take further classes, or if your proficiency allows you to waive out of language requirements. Please consult the appropriate department to verify language level.
Oftentimes, the placement exam information will be listed on the Schedule of Classes (select a language course to bring up the information). If no information on the placement exam is found, contact the language department or the instructor of the course.
In many departments, foreign language placement examinations are administered once a year: one week before Fall quarter begins. On occasion, additional placement exams are offered at other times during the academic school year. However, students should not rely on this possibility. It is best to take the exam at the earliest opportunity, so as to begin with the most appropriate course of study. Consult the proper language department to determine exact time, date, and place of examinations.
If you have tested completely out of the language requirement, please present a copy of the results to your International Institute Academic Counselor. If no language exam is offered in a particular department, you may still have your language requirement waived upon presentation of a written recommendation from the language department.
African Languages-Linguistics Dept
3125 Campbell Hall
310.825.0634
Contact language instructors directly.
- Hausa
- Swahili
- Wolof
- Zulu
- Yoruba
- Bambara
- Amharic
- Chichewa
- Setswana
Asian Languages & Cultures
Royce Hall 290
310.206-8235
East Asia:
- Korean
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Japanese
South Asia:
- Hindi/Urdu
- Indic (Sanskrit)
Southeast Asia:
- Filipino/Tagalog
- Indonesian
- Thai
- Vietnamese
English
2222 Rolfe Hall
310.825.1389
- Yiddish
French & Francophone Studies
212 Royce Hall
310.825.4620 or 825.1687
- French
Germanic Languages
212 Royce Hall
310.825.1147
Contact language instructors directly.
- Afrikaans
- Dutch
- German
Indigenous Languages of the Americas-Linguistics Dept
3125 Campbell Hall
310.825-0634
Contact language instructors directly.
- Quechua
Italian
212 Royce Hall
310.794.8910 or 310.825.1940
Undergraduate Advisor: Dr. Elissa Tognozzi
- Italian
Near Eastern Language & Cultures
3215 Hershey Hall
310.825.0301
Contact language instructors directly.
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Hebrew
- Iranian (Persian)
- Uzbek
- Azeri
Scandinavian
212 Royce Hall
310.825.6828
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
Slavic Languages
115 Kinsey Hall
310.825.2676
Contact language instructors directly.
- Bulgarian
- Czech
- Hungarian
- Lithuanian
- Polish
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian/Croatian
- Ukranian
Spanish & Portuguese
5310 Rolfe
310.825-1036
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Summer Intensive Language Programs
Southeast Asian Languages
Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI)
An Intensive Language Learning Program
The Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI) is a nine-week intensive language training program for undergraduate and graduate students and professionals. Instruction is offered in the following languages at the first, second and third year levels: Burmese, Hmong, Indonesian, Javanese, Khmer, Lao, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Each language course is equivalent to two semesters of study, with full academic year credit. Instruction is given in small individualized groups taught by a team consisting of a coordinator (usually a linguist specializing in Southeast Asian language pedagogy) and teachers who are native speakers of that language. Financial aid is available.
For the summers 2004 through 2009, SEASSI will be held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The entire list of SEASSI Consortium members include:
Arizona State University
California State University-Long Beach
Cornell University
Northern Illinois University
Ohio University
University of British Columbia
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Hawaii-Manoa
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Yale University
Advanced Filipino Abroad Program (AFAP)
University of Hawaii/Philippine Normal University, Manila
The Advanced Filipino Abroad Program (AFAP) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the University of Hawaii Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
The summer program is designed to provide American teachers and students with the opportunity to learn the Filipino language (Tagalog) in a Philippine setting, through a unique short-term immersion program. Unlike the typical travel abroad programs, it focuses on advanced-level language acquisition and consists of a structured academic program of four hours every morning and from two to three hours of task-based language use in the afternoon.
Consortium for the Teaching of Indonesian and Malay (COTIM)
Advanced Indonesian Abroad. This program is designed to include three basic components: intensive language study in small groups five days a week for eight weeks, a one-week period for field work on individual research topics, and immersion in Indonesian culture through interaction with Indonesian students and residence in an Indonesian home.
The Consortium for the Teaching of Indonesian and Malay (COTIM), includes those universities in the United States and Canada which provide regular instruction in Indonesian: Arizona State University, Cornell University, Northern Illinois University, Ohio University, University of British Columbia, University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Hawai'i, University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University. The administrative headquarters of COTIM are currently housed at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, in cooperation with both the United States Department of Education and UNSRAT, which will oversee all contractual agreements involving this summer program.
Group of Universities for the Advancement of Vietnamese Abroad (GUAVA)
The Group of Universities for the Advancement of Vietnamese Abroad (GUAVA), a consortium of institutions of higher learning in North America currently offering programs of instruction in the Vietnamese language, was formed at the University of Washington on August 1, 1993. Current members of GUAVA are: Arizona State University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Texas Tech University, University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Hawaii, University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale University.
Advanced Thai Abroad at Chiang Mai University
An intensive eight-week course for students with at least intermediate-level study of Thai language (or the equivalent) offered by the Consortium for Advanced Study of Thai in cooperation with the Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Advanced Study of Thai program is conducted with assistance from the U.S. Department of Education, Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program. The AST program is offered contingent on sufficient enrollment. AST cooperates with the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute; applicants are advised to apply to AST and SEASSI to ensure that they are considered by both admissions committees.
Tagalog on Site - Philippines Program
A study abroad program providing eight weeks of Tagalog instruction, this non-credited program provides an effective intensive learning experience during the U.S. summer. Instruction takes place primarily in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, but the program includes field trips to other locations.
Middle Eastern Languages
Western Consortium Summer Intensive Middle Eastern Language Program
The Universities of the Western Consortium jointly sponsor summer intensive classes. Each course is the equivalent of a full year's study. Check out the summer offerings at the following universities:
- UCLA
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Berkeley
- University of Arizona, Tucson
- University of Texas, Austin
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City
- University of Washington, Seattle
African Languages
National African Language Resource Center
Search the NALRC African Language Program Inventory for universities that offer courses in particular languages. Note that inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean that the university offers a summer intensive program, however.