Adequate preparation for any career in international relations requires the ability to use at least one foreign language for general and professional purposes. Since this is not usually acquired in undergraduate work, SAIS offers intensive and specialized language instruction. A student's background, area of study and career objectives determine the language to be studied. A student who wishes to begin a new foreign language should take intensive introductory work during the summer before entering SAIS. Many students find it necessary to enroll in intensive language programs during the first and second years. Students who plan to take Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Russian and who do not have a sound background in these languages should be prepared to take one summer of additional instruction at their own expense in order to reach the level necessary to pass the proficiency examination. Demonstrated proficiency in a modern foreign language widely used in international communication rather than essentially in one country is a requirement for the M.A. degree. Criteria include the ability to understand conversation, a command of the spoken language sufficient for the exchange of ideas in conversation with a native speaker, and the ability to read primary sources and other materials in the international relations field with accuracy and relative speed. Ph.D. candidates must acquire the ability to read primary sources or other materials in international relations in one or two foreign languages. Language proficiency examinations are given in September, December and May. The requirement may be fulfilled as soon as a student can demonstrate proficiency. In addition to English, the languages taught at SAIS include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese, all of which are used in the literature of politics and have been designated by the field directors as essential to subjects taught in the fields. Students entering SAIS in January should note that the first semester of each language course is offered only in the fall semester.
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