Update to the Foreign Language Requirement for Poole Majors

No significant curriculum change is taken lightly and the Poole faculty have given a great deal of thought to this change. There are four primary reasons why we decided to update our curriculum and adjust the foreign language requirement.

1. This change puts us in line with other business schools across the country and other B.S. degrees at NC State.  Being “like” others isn’t necessarily a reason for change by itself, we pride ourselves on excellence and doing more than what’s “average” but recognizing that we were an outlier indicated we should at least consider whether there were justifiable reasons. The next three reasons below changed that calculation…
2. This change will impact student success – we are not trying to make our degrees easier but we are always conscious of ways we can remove barriers to student success and graduation. We are aware that the 201 level of language was a significant barrier and challenge to many students and adjusting this requirement will open up a more achievable path to graduation.
3. This change provides additional flexibility for students – it adds 3 more credits of free electives and potentially reduces or removes the need to take any foreign language courses. This is a short-term impact as our hope is to move towards what is outlined in the final reason below.
4. This change gives us the opportunity to better focus on achieving our goals with our curriculum.  We are committed to graduating culturally competent, globally-aware students. Requiring that students complete a third semester foreign language or the equivalent was in part an attempt to achieve this. But after careful consideration, we believe there can be a better way to educate students in these things. Adjusting the foreign language requirement will give us the opportunity to better explore how we can achieve our educational goals through a replacement for the 3-credit foreign language requirement.

There is nothing you need to do. The new curriculum will not be in place until the summer so you should complete your degree requirements as planned and graduate this May.

You can declare your major at any point and you will automatically be moved into the new curriculum in your major that only requires language proficiency.

If you are planning to change majors into or add a Poole major in a future semester (starting Summer 2022) or are planning to transfer into NC State Summer 2022 or after, there is nothing you need to do, you will be admitted into the new curriculum.

There is no change to your degree and nothing you need to worry about.  Your degree already only requires foreign language proficiency, the same as the new curriculum for the other majors.

If you are currently in the Business Administration, Accounting, or Economics (BA) majors and are graduating after summer 2022, the situation and your options are not as straightforward. Please read below for FAQs and information that applies to your specific degree. Please note however that the information provided below is only meant to give general guidance and may not cover your specific situation. You should make sure to look at your current degree audit along with a “What If” audit for the new curriculum in your major/concentration and reach out to the Poole Advising Team if you have any questions.

No, students are required to complete all classes in their active curriculum. Students can see these requirements by viewing their official degree audit (please note that “intended” audits are not official).

Yes, for students graduating Summer 2022 or after. Students can change their curriculum to the newest curriculum until August 1st by completing the form available at go.ncsu.edu/foreignlanguagechange. Please note that if you move to the newest curriculum you are responsible for all of the requirements for that new curriculum, which may delay your graduation. Please see the Potential Implications section below before making any decisions.

That depends a great deal on your current major and how long you have been at NC State. There are three general places where you will likely see an impact – (1) your major degree requirements, (2) how your language proficiency is satisfied, and (3) your free electives and any non-degree courses. See below for more details on each of these things. 

These hours become free electives. As you know, all Poole degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours, so we have reassigned these hours to allow for more flexibility for students in the free elective category.

See the section towards the top of this page that covers the four primary reasons for the change.

If you still have questions after reading all of the information provided on this page, please reach out to a member of the academic advising team. They are available to serve students in 3 ways: drop-in advising, email, and one-on-one appointments.  You can see details on our advising webpage.