Foreign language skills
Competency #2
Requirements vary by region of interest
EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement:Eastern Illinois University requires all students to meet the EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement.
PC PrepWorking across cultures requires students to communicate and interact with native speakers of the desired region for their placement.
Achieving a strong intermediate proficiency level (usually equivalent to Intermediate Mid) is needed to interact professionally and effectively with speakers in their region. The average proficiency level at the conclusion of our 4th semester courses (2202G) ranges from Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid. Therefore, successfully completing 2202G ensures that students have acquired the minimum language skills for a placement in a Spanish- or French-speaking country or region.
Latin AmericaStudents indicating an intention to serve in Spanish-speaking countries, need to build intermediate proficiency in Spanish
Placement Policy: Students who have not yet completed their EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement through their high school study of Spanish, will take the following courses at EIU:
- WLS 1101 Beginning Spanish I (4 credits).*
- WLS 1102 Beginning Spanish II (4 credits)
- WLS 2201G Intermediate Spanish I (4 credits)
- WLS 2202G Intermediate Spanish II (4 credits)
*Note: Students who took one year in high school can skip 1101 and take 1102 right away. 1102 completes the EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement.
Students who have already completed their EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement by taking 2 years of Spanish in high school with average grade C, will take the following courses at EIU:
- WLS 2201G Intermediate Spanish I (4 credits)
- WLS 2202G Intermediate Spanish II (4 credits)
Students who have completed 3 or 4 years of Spanish in high school, may start in
WLS 2201G or WLS 2202G, depending on their comfort level.
AP: Score of 3: Students who have received an AP score of 3 have already received credit for WLS 2201G and will need to take WLS 2202G.
Score of 4: Students who have received an AP score of 4 have already received credit for both WLS 2201G and WLS 2202G. They are not required to take further classes for PC prep but may want to consider a Spanish minor.
Native speakers or heritage speakers of Spanish: If your proficiency level is (at least) Intermediate Low (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines), you are not required to take intermediate Spanish but need to provide evidence of your level. Contact a faculty member in the Department of World Languages & Cultures at EIU and ask for an assessment of your proficiency level. This assessment is complimentary and conducted by Spanish faculty.
AfricaStudents indicating an intention to serve in French-speaking countries need to build proficiency in French
Placement Policy: Students who have not yet completed their EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement through their high school study of French, will take the following courses at EIU:
- WLF 1101 Beginning French I (4 credits).*
- WLF 1102 Beginning French II (4 credits)
- WLF 2201G Intermediate French I (4 credits)
- WLF 2202G Intermediate French II (4 credits)
*Note: Students who took one year in high school can skip 1101 and take 1102 right away. 1102 completes the EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement.
Students who have already completed their EIU Foreign Language Graduation Requirement by taking 2 years of French in high school with average grade C, will take the following courses at EIU:
- WLF 2201G Intermediate French I (4 credits)
- WLF 2202G Intermediate French II (4 credits)
Students who have completed 3 or 4 years of French in high school, may start in
WLF 2201G or WLF 2202G, depending on their comfort level.
AP: Score of 3: Students who have received an AP score of 3 have already received credit for WLF 2201G and will need to take WLF 2202G.
Score of 4: Students who have received an AP score of 4 have already received credit for both WLF 2201G and WLF 2202G. They are not required to take further classes for PC prep but may want to consider a French minor.
Native speakers or heritage speakers of French:
If your proficiency level is (at least) Intermediate Low (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines), you are not required to take intermediate French but need to provide evidence of your level. Contact a faculty member in the Department of World Languages & Cultures at EIU and ask for an assessment of your proficiency level. This assessment is complimentary and conducted by French faculty.
Other Countries/RegionPeace Corps does not have specific language requirements for all volunteer placement sites.
- Portuguese = Sub-Saharan Africa
- Arabic = Middle East & Northern Africa
- Russian = Eurasian countries in Eastern Europe & Central Asia
- Mandarin = East Asia (offered at EIU, upon demand)
- Hindi = Southern Asia
- Proficiency in languages specific to a singular country are discouraged due to the limited outreach of those languages.
However, you will likely learn and use another language during your service. Therefore, you need to have experience learning another language. Since you have to meet the EIU Foreign Language Graduation requirement (two years of a world language in high school, or two semesters of a world language in college), you may have met that requirement already or are working on it. Keep in mind: Studying a language that corresponds with the region of the world that you wish to go to is strongly recommended. A list of languages and their corresponding regions are listed below. Note that these languages are currently not offered at EIU (except Mandarin, which is offered upon demand) but may be taken at other institutions and transferred in.