Foreign Language Requirements
IR/PS considers foreign language competency an indispensable skill for international relations professionals. All MPIA students are expected to acquire the language skills necessary to work in the Pacific Rim. The foreign language requirement is designed to ensure that students achieve a level of competency to aid in their global interactions. Students can fulfill the foreign language requirement in Bahasa Indonesia, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, or Spanish. In certain cases, students may also satisfy the requirement in other Pacific Rim languages, such as Bahasa Malay, Korean, Thai, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
IR/PS Languages and Instructional Support
Strategies to Satisfy the Language Requirement
Things to Remember When Taking Language Courses
Dual Regions of Specialization
Proficiency Certification
Education Abroad Program
IR/PS Languages and Instructional Support
IR/PS does not offer instruction in all Pacific Rim languages that can be used to satisfy the MPIA degree requirements. Normally, instruction is offered in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and subject to student demand, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, and Vietnamese. IR/PS does not offer support in other languages. Students electing to study a language where instruction is not offered by IR/PS, must conduct language study on their own and secure their own financial support for language study.
In cases where students elect to study a Pacific Rim language where instructional support is not offered at UCSD, students may still be able to count coursework outside UCSD toward their MPIA degree and the foreign language requirement. Students must submit a petition to the IR/PS Language Program Director requesting approval for units to be counted prior to the start of their outside study. Students may be required to submit supporting documentation such as syllabi, instructor resumes, catalog information, etc. Please consult Academic Affairs for more information.
Strategies to Satisfy the Language Requirement
For students pursuing one of the six career tracks, the language requirement may be satisfied in three ways:
- Native speaker ability.
- Completion of six quarters (four semesters) of approved college-level language instruction, with a grade of "B" or better in the final course.
- Passing a special IR/PS-administered language exam, which is the equivalent of the final exam administered in the sixth-quarter course in the selected language.
Students pursuing the Country and Regional Studies career track must pass both the speaking and reading proficiency examination in their selected language. The writing proficiency examination is optional. The minimum required level of proficiency is equivalent to a Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Scale 2+ for Spanish, 2 for Portuguese, and 2- for most other languages.
Things to Remember When Taking Language Courses
- You can only count up to 24 units of language coursework, taken for a letter grade, toward the MPIA 98-unit requirement.
- The language with which you choose to satisfy the language requirement must correspond to your selected region of specialization.
Dual Regions of Specialization
To declare a second regional specialization, students must submit a petition requesting dual regions of specialization. To graduate with dual regions of specialization, students are required to satisfy the foreign language requirement in each region in addition to completing two designated courses on the economy and political system in each region of specialization.
Student choosing to satisfy the language requirement for the second region by completing language courses offered at UCSD are still subject to the 24 unit maximum of language coursework units that may be applied to the 98-unit requirement for the MPIA degree.
Proficiency Certification
Beyond the basic language requirement, IR/PS also offers the option of certification of more advanced language proficiency. Students pursuing advanced language skills are strongly encouraged to undertake significant language study prior to coming to IR/PS.
Foreign Service Institute (FSI) proficiency certification in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese are offered to students at no charge. The proficiency certification is given throughout the academic year. Students not following the Country and Regional Studies track may take the exam once free of charge in a language that IR/PS currently provides full-time instructional support. If students elect to take a proficiency exam in a language other than those where IR/PS offers full-time instructional support, students must pay for exam administration. Typically, exam administration costs $500.
To sign up for a proficiency exam, students should see Academic Affairs to obtain a proficiency exam petition.
