For the musicologist and the ethnomusicologist, a reading knowledge of foreign languages is an essential tool that must be acquired as early as possible in one's professional training. The ability to conduct independent, original research with primary sources as well as the need to be familiar with relevant secondary literature in a variety of languages demands the ability to read and, especially in ethnomusicology, speak foreign languages easily, quickly and accurately. Even graduate course work can often be expected to require the use of foreign languages for assigned secondary readings and projects involving primary sources.

The following requirements for proficiency in foreign languages therefore aim at promoting the acquisition of language skills at the earliest possible moment in a student's career, at a time when such facility will benefit the student's course work, preparation for the general examination, and selection and execution of major research projects, such as the Masters Report and the Ph.D. dissertation.

I. Masters Level Requirements

1. Students at the Masters level in Musicology are required to pass a language proficiency examination in one language other than English, normally German or one of the Romance languages, approved by petition to the Division. Students at the Masters level in Ethnomusicology are required to pass a language proficiency examination in one major world language (e.g., Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic) relevant to the field of ethnomusicology and/or to the culture area of specialization of the M.M. Report, and approved by petition to the Division.
   
2. Depending upon the choice and approval of certain report topics, MM students in Musicology may be advised to develop proficiency in a language other than the required languages. Proficiency in this additional language may not be substituted for the required proficiency in German or a romance language outlined in point 1. above.
   
3. Students must pass the language proficiency requirement before being allowed to register for the MM report.
   

II. Doctoral Level Requirements

1. Students in the Ph.D. program must demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages of significance to the discipline.
   
   1. Students in historical musicology must demonstrate proficiency in German and a second language, which will normally be one of the Romance languages. Students in ethnomusicology are required to pass a language proficiency examination in one major world language (e.g., Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic) and in a second foreign language related to the area of research, both to be approved by petition to the Division.
      
   2. Students must request the Musicology Division's approval of their proposed second language as early as possible in their graduate curriculum but no later than the end of the second semester of study within the degree program.
      
   3. Students who enter the doctoral program without sufficient knowledge of one of the required languages are required to improve their proficiency, and must take and pass an examination in one of the languages administered by the Musicology Division no later than their third long-term semester in residence.
      
   4. Students must take and pass the proficiency examination in the second foreign language before being allowed to take the comprehensive examination; proficiency in the required second language should be demonstrated by examination no later than the student's fifth long-term semester in residence.
      
2. Depending upon the choice and approval of certain dissertation topics, students may be required to demonstrate proficiency in additional languages specified by the Division. Proficiency in these additional languages must be demonstrated before the Ph. D. dissertation will be accepted by the supervising committee.
   
3. Timely progress through the language requirements is considered essential for the professional development of the student. Decisions concerning a student's financial aid and/or continuation in the Ph. D. program will depend in part on the student's completion of the language requirements in a timely manner.
   

III. Language Proficiency Examinations

1. The foreign language proficiency examinations are the responsibility of the Musicology/Ethnomusicology Division and will be administered by designated members of the division.
   
2. The examinations will be administered once each long-term semester, usually in the full week before Thanksgiving and in the week after Spring break. The dates of the examination will be set by the Division and communicated to the Office of Graduate Studies and to graduate students in the Musicology/Ethnomusicology programs.
   
3. The exams will consist of 3 to 4 excerpts from scholarly publications (one of which will normally be a lexicographic sample), each approximately one typewritten (double-spaced) page in length, representing different kinds of problems encountered in the given language. The examination will last a maximum of three hours.
   
4. The excerpts for each exam will be selected by two assigned members of the Division. They will also be responsible for grading the exam, and to communicate the result to the Division Head who will relay it to the Office of the Director of Graduate Studies and the student. The results of the exams will normally be available by the end of the current long-term semester.
   
   1. The grades for the language examination will be: "Pass"; "Pass with Reservations"; and "Fail."
      
   2. Under special circumstances, the Head of the Division, after consultation with its members, may ask faculty from a foreign language department at the university to help administer a language examination.
      
5. The examination materials and the result of the exam will be placed in the student file, and become part of the permanent record.