How much Hebrew is one "year"?

[Shibboleth7]

When programs require applicants to have had 2 or 3 years of Biblical Hebrew, what does that generally mean? Is a "year" two semesters? 6 credit hours? Do exegesis courses in Hebrew count, or language instruction only?

Thanks friends.

[xypathos]

Yes, a year of a language generally means six credits (some schools are 8 - 3+1 "lab" as my school did but it's still the same situation really). Language courses trump exegesis (generally) and exegesis courses trump self-study - generally. If you're perhaps a year short on the language (as per your transcript) but feel that exegesis or self-study has made up for the deficit, show your command of the language in your writing sample.

If your POI is amenable to it, toss them a quick email explaining your situation and why your transcript may not be the best reflection of where you're at skill wise. I ran into this same situation feeling that my ability with Czech and Latin didn't square with my lack of course credits on my transcript.

Odds are good no matter what, the school will test your ability with the language directly or indirectly.

Edited November 25, 2015 by xypathos