Can you audit undergraduate foreign language classes while in a PhD program?

[Zephyr99]

A bit of a random topic during this hectic application cycle but is it normal for doctoral students in history to take undergraduate foreign language classes? Also, do doctoral students normally pay for these language courses or do graduate fellowships normally cover the costs?

[Simple Twist of Fate]

At my university, I know that it's not uncommon for undergrads and grads to be in the same language courses (I'm not sure if these are technically grads taking undergrad courses or undergrads taking grad courses -- or even if the distinction really matters in languages). And I don't believe they're paying out of pocket.

(...usual caveat about different universities having different systems, so who knows...)

[virmundi]

In my current school, this isn't a problem. Undergraduates do have preference though, so if the course is completely full, graduate students get the boot -- or at least that's what I've been told. At my old school, we were not allowed to audit language courses -- and while the state in which I lived allowed retirees to audit courses at any state school with permission from an instructor, they were also forbidden from auditing language courses. Apparently the fear was that there would be a mad rush of people enrolling in language courses. Of course, at my current institution where graduate students are allowed to audit these courses, there doesn't seem to really have been any kind of issues along those lines.

This seems like a good question to ask when you are off visiting campuses in the spring. What sorts of options are available for studying languages, what do students usually do, is there money for language study in another country in the summer, etc.

Edited December 10, 2012 by virmundi

[Safferz]

You don't pay for courses as a student in a funded PhD program. Here (at least with the African languages program, I'm sure these rules vary by language department) you're not allowed to audit a language course, but you can certainly formally enroll and take it as a credit. And the history department counts language courses as electives, so you use it towards your coursework requirements as well. Many students in my cohort are taking language courses now, and I plan to do the same next semester.

[Safferz]

This seems like a good question to ask when you are off visiting campuses in the spring. What sorts of options are available for studying languages, what do students usually do, is there money for language study in another country in the summer, etc.

Agreed -- and I should also add, if you're an international student, be sure to ask whether they have funding sources for language study that are *not* FLAS. We're not eligible for that

[musichistorygeek]

To fulfill the language requirement for my MA program, we were given the option of taking beginning courses from Continuing Education over the summer (not for credit and generally not covered by funding, but significantly cheaper than tuition for a 3-5 credit course), audit an undergrad course at whatever level (obviously not for credit but generally covered), or take a "language for reading knowledge" class designed for graduate students who wanted to improve their translation skills (for credit and definitely covered). If you didn't take the reading knowledge class, you needed to take a separate translation exam administered by the department. Which option you took depended on your courseload and/or teaching schedule, as well as how proficient you were in the language. (If I recall correctly, if you already had advanced reading knowledge of a language, you could just take the exam without doing any additional coursework.)

[CageFree]

In my program we are allowed to take pretty much any class that's offered, as long as we can handle the workload and we don't exceed the max unit count per quarter. People who take language courses do it for credit, and take them on a pass/no pass grading basis so they don't have to stress over the amount of work.

[profev]

I would advise always approaching the professor of the class. Even if the class is full, if you explain your situation, or volunteer to help with the class, it shouldn't be a problem. Most professors like motivated students who get it. So, you might find that you are a breath of fresh air, especially in the lower-level courses. I am currently auditing an undergraduate level French class and have had no problems doing so.

[runaway]

Agreed -- and I should also add, if you're an international student, be sure to ask whether they have funding sources for language study that are *not* FLAS. We're not eligible for that

My understanding is that FLAS funding also varies from school to school, so it might be something to consider.

[comp12]

At the two universities I have attended, grads can certainly take UG-level language classes without paying. In fact, grads usually can take any class they want pending the workload doesn't interfere with their regular work, and that they satisfy whatever pre-req. requirements the course needs.

[Safferz]

My understanding is that FLAS funding also varies from school to school, so it might be something to consider.

It's a federal program though, so eligibility is always limited to US citizens and permanent residents.

[runaway]

It's a federal program though, so eligibility is always limited to US citizens and permanent residents.

Should have clarified my thought-- for people who happen to be eligible for FLAS, the regions that schools have funding for vary. I know one school I'm applying to has FLAS funding, but not for my region. So this could play into the fit of a school, or at least have some practical implication on your funding opportunities.

Sorry for being so unclear. Finishing these apps has my brain fried!

[virmundi]

Should have clarified my thought-- for people who happen to be eligible for FLAS, the regions that schools have funding for vary. I know one school I'm applying to has FLAS funding, but not for my region. So this could play into the fit of a school, or at least have some practical implication on your funding opportunities.

Sorry for being so unclear. Finishing these apps has my brain fried!

Hmm -- both of the schools that I have attended thus far have FLAS funding, but only for languages that are deemed high priority by the U.S. State(?) Department. I think that this tends to include languages in the East Asian sphere, eastern Europe, and parts of Asia... There may be schools that place additional limitations on FLAS availability though...

[MastersHoping]

I'm in political science, but I do a lot of political history too.

At my university, Romance languages, German, etc. can be taken for a graduate Audit.

Languages like Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Hindi must be registered for but you are allowed to take them Pass/Fail (whereas undergrads are not). 

In my department, the general policy is that you are allowed to take these classes and no one will stop you, but it seems to be discouraged by faculty and advisors. 

[TakeruK]

Although this is an old post, my experience has been that this completely depends on the policies at your school. I'm in a sciences department and I took a language course for credit in the last academic year (I took it on a pass/fail basis rather than a letter grade basis though). The credit doesn't count towards my degree requirement at all, but it appears on my transcript and counts towards the total number of credits earned at my university.

I do need to get approval from my department, but it's not because of funding---we all get tuition waivers and tuition costs the same no matter how many courses you take. It's just a matter of them approving my use of time. This part varies from department to department and even a little bit from advisor to advisor. I did this in my 4th year of my PhD, well after all other course requirements were met and my advisor was happy to approve the 3 hours per week course with the expectation that I would still maintain current research work. To my advisor, as long as I work on research for ~40 hours per week, it doesn't really matter what else I do with my time. And since my actual working hours don't really matter, if I take a course from 4pm to 5pm on some days, I can just stay an hour later or come in an hour earlier to make up for it.