How stringent is this foreign language requirement? Is it a make or break deal if I only have one semester of foreign language starting next semester (my last semester at CCC)? I just recently decided I wanted to do this major and I have all the other pre-reqs for it completed with good grades and super relevant ecs… Only problem is I won’t have the 4 semesters of the foreign language it recommends. Is this bad?
http://www.assist.org/web-assist/reportOnly.do?agreement=aa&reportPath=REPORT_2&reportScript=Rep2.pl&event=19&dir=1&rinst=left&EM=1&sia=DIABLO&ia=DIABLO&ria=UCB&oia=UCB&ay=15-16&dora=POLECIS says that “Students who cannot fulfill the language requirement using one of the above methods should take as many semesters of foreign language as possible before transferring.”
Note also that you need to have the L&S foreign language requirement (among others, or IGETC) complete by the time of transfer (this is an L&S requirement, not a major-specific requirement). See http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/requirement/fl.html .
Thanks @ucbalumnus 
(I’ve already satisfied the L&S foreign lang requirement with high school work) Just wondering if the fact that I’ll only just be beginning one semester of foreign language after I submit my app will be looked down upon with equal weight like that of missing a major pre-req.
Cal Econ transfer here with friends in PE.
The fact that freshmen admits can declare the PE major without finishing the four semesters of foreign language means they won’t knock you down too badly for not completing all four but having only one out of four might be asking them to overlook too much. You simply would be missing more than half (4 out of 7) of the listed prerequisites for the major (IAS 45 and the 3 foreign language courses).
Source: http://iastp.berkeley.edu/pe
Is there any way to test into a higher class? The department really (only) cares about the fourth semester course to meet the requirement and most lower division students at Cal take the first three language requirement courses as P/NP so your chances would improve significantly if you can test into a higher class and complete a second semester equivalent instead of a first semester equivalent.
Additionally another option is to show them that you intend to meet the foreign language through a one semester upper division language immersion course while studying abroad…but this is really hard to show outside of native fluency.
Source: http://iastp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/Handbook%208.22.14_final.pdf (Page 4-5)
@SDGoldenBear I actually do have credit for IAS 45 (a 5 in AP world) which I was hoping would help me. And I think i could place into a second or even third semester equivalent. Do you know if these can be taken as pass/no pass in community college? it says they can in the handbook but doesn’t specify if at ccs.
If you can take the second or third semester language course, then that is certainly better than having only the first semester language course, since the major is concerned with the level of language course completed (or equivalent demonstration of proficiency), not the number of courses.
Typically all major requirement courses taken at a community college cannot be taken as P/NP so it’s reasonable to assume that your foreign language requirements will fall in that category and must be taken for a letter grade. Regardless, I would definitely call the department with the specifics since the answer will vary depending on the course and the community college.
@SDGoldenBear not necessarily. Haas, for one, allows language to be taken P/NP, and they’re strict as hell.
And if you plan to take a higher language course after the P/NP level you can definitely do it across the board in any major. In other words, French 3 P/NP and then French 4 for a letter grade. That’s because language is a validation subject, meaning any course below the final level (taken for a letter grade) is assumed passed – even if you never took it.
So if OP wants to take a course P/NP in fall it should, in theory, be fine as long as he takes a higher level in spring for a grade. The one problem could be, though, that the final grade they will be seeing when they make a decision will be the P/NP.
OP needs to ask the dept for clarification of their policy before he proceeds.
Very true. I didn’t think about that since OP will only have the opportunity to take one semester of FL in the spring prior to her expected transfer. (At least that’s what I understood from the first post) Does the course validation rules apply across different campuses? Is it frowned upon akin to taking the calculus series at different community college districts?
I can only go by the validation rule, which is you’re at your level however you got there. In other words, you have an A in French 3, you’re at French 3, even if you never took any other French course, or had an F in an earlier course, etc. It doesn’t make a difference where you took them. (It also applies to testing into a level.)
The calc sequence is usually accepted from different colleges, assuming it’s the same calendar term (semester or quarter), but I know what you mean, it can possibly be dicey. But I’ve never heard of that with language. Calc is a year-long sequence, whereas language can go on for years. Maybe that’s it. It’s a good question, but I’ve never read of an issue regarding multiple colleges. Hmmm…