Participation in an intensive immersion experience is one of the most important and meaningful ways of developing competence in a language. In preparation for the proficiency exam, students seeking certification in a language must participate in an approved immersion experience which emphasizes prolonged and intensive interaction within the target language and culture.
Program applicants must complete and document a full-semester (or minimum four-month long) immersion experience as a prerequisite to being admitted to the professional program. The immersion experience must be completed by July 15 preceding the program start. The experience must also have been completed no more than three years before this date.
An approved experience involves significant interaction and day-to-day functioning in the host language, including use of the target language on a daily basis such as in college-level courses, a training program, or a work experience. The immersion experience need not involve attendance in an academic program only, but may take some form such that the language of routine communication is the target language. Simply living with relatives or traveling as a tourist is not considered an immersion experience for the purposes of admission to this program. Most students choose to participate in a structured educational or exchange immersion program.
Students should consult with the International Academic Programs (IAP) office in 252 Bascom Hall regarding campus-based study abroad programs. These experiences need not receive prior approval. Experiences through off-campus programs must have prior approval of the World Language Education faculty program coordinator. To obtain prior immersion experience approval, download the approval form from the EAS Web site, complete it, meet with the faculty coordinator, and obtain authorization. Bring two copies of the form to your meeting, get signatures on both, and leave one copy with the coordinator.
Native speakers are normally considered to have fulfilled this requirement without further documentation, especially if they received their secondary education in an environment where the target language is the primary means of communication. Heritage speakers are usually considered to have fulfilled this requirement; such applicants must consult with the program coordinator regarding an exemption.