Graduate Language Proficiency Exam

Graduate Language Proficiency Examination for courses taught by MLCS

Please note that beginning October 2020, the exam will be delivered remotely through eClass.

Graduate Students are reminded that in accordance with regulations outlined in the Calendar of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, section 203.7, they may have to meet a language requirement.

This requirement may be met in one of the following ways in MLCS:

• A student may have taken and obtained a grade of C+ or better in any 212 intermediate level language or the equivalent, other than English. The course(s) must not have been taken more than three years prior to admission as a provisional PhD or MA candidate.
• Students may take the appropriate undergraduate course(s) but with a graduate course number and must receive a minimum grade of C+. Please contact our Undergraduate Advisor (mlcsug@ualberta.ca) to request an upgrade to a graduate course number. The student will continue to attend the undergraduate course section and complete all course requirements. The grade received will show as CR or NC.
• If students have a reading knowledge of the language, they may take the Graduate Language Proficiency Examination given by MLCS.

For the Graduate Language Proficiency Examination, students will demonstrate their ability to comprehend written material in the target language at the intermediate level. Students will be provided with a written passage (approximately 1200 - 1500 words in length) and a series of reading comprehension questions. With the help of a dictionary, the student must read the text and provide written answers in English. These examinations have time restrictions and are written in eClass.

Upon completion of the examination, notification will be sent to the Graduate Contact of the student's department. Students who are not successful in the examination may make a second attempt by taking an alternative exam through eClass or consider taking one of our language courses.

Students who speak a language other than English fluently should contact their own department about waiving the requirement. Please note that MLCS no longer offers an Advanced Language Proficiency Examination.

Graduate Language Proficiency Examination Dates and Deadlines

As the Proficiency Examinations will now be available through eClass, students may challenge the examination at any time during the academic year. Please email mlcsug@ualberta.ca to register to write the exam. Please note that students are responsible for registering for this examination well in advance of any of their program deadlines. Last minute requests may not be accommodated.