Department of English & Modern Languages

Modern Language Placement Test 

All first-and second-year Modern Language courses require an override for students who are beginning their language study at the college level.

• If you plan to study a language that you did not study in high school or at another college or university, you do not need to take a placement test. However, you will still need an override to register for the course you would like to take. Follow the steps listed below.
• If you want to continue studying a language you took in high school, you will need to take a placement test before you can register, which allows us to match you with the course that best matches your language ability. The placement test is available in French, German, or Spanish as well as in English for those wishing to evaluate their English language skills. The test is available online.

The cost of the test is $10 and usually takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Once you have completed the test, you will immediately receive your score. Please note that the placement test does not award credit.

Register

All students beginning a language course should follow these steps:

1. If you took a placement test, find your score’s place in the list below.
2. Email the professor teaching the course to request an override; if you took the placement test, include a screenshot of your score. Be sure to specify the section as well as the course (e.g., FR 1124-01). Closed (full) classes cannot be overridden.
3. Once the professor has done the override, you can register for that course.

You may also email Brandi Kellett, the chair of the department, with an override request.

Transfer students who received a "C" or higher in a four-or five-hour language course at another university may continue in that language without taking a placement test.

CLEP Test

The placement test itself does not give college credit, but it may save you time and money by indicating that you are likely (or not so likely) to pass a CLEP test, which is given by the testing center located in the Academic Success Center. You must take a CLEP test before you begin the course for which you want to receive credit.

Your Future in English

In a world that requires the ability to interpret an ever-increasing variety of texts, an English major's ability to read carefully, think critically, and write skillfully is fundamental in many professions.

Law
Because a broad liberal arts background is helpful for studying law, a major in English works well as preparation for law school.

Professional Writing
English majors who are also interested in more technical areas involving science, math, or business find opportunities to bring their interests and abilities together in the field of technical writing.

Journalism
A number of English majors have accepted positions with magazines and newspapers, working with great success as editors, publishers, and reporters.

Public Relations
English majors are well prepared for public relations positions with banks, promotions firms, or other groups that require strong skills in communication, organization, and analysis.

Medicine
Medical schools look favorably on an English major, in part because of the critical thinking skills honed by the study of literature and writing.

Library Science
An English major or minor provides an excellent background for pursuing a degree in Library Science.

Graduate School
Close to 100 percent of Lipscomb's English majors who apply to graduate school are accepted, and the vast majority of those students receive scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships that cover most or all of their graduate tuition costs.

High School Teaching
Many English majors become outstanding high school teachers with rewarding careers.

What can I do with a degree in English?

The short answer is, "All sorts of things." Because the discipline of English hones writing, reading and analytical skills, English majors find rewarding careers in a wide variety of fields. Recent Lipscomb graduates with degrees in English have become attorneys, physicians, managers, chefs, engineers, filmmakers, nurses, and librarians. Some have become high school teachers; many others have gone on to graduate programs in literature, history, religion, Spanish, Russian or TESOL, thus preparing themselves for careers as university professors.

What do English majors study? 

The simplest answer is this: "the construction and interpretation of verbal texts." Some of the questions central to the discipline are these:

• What makes some writing "literary" while other kinds aren't?
• Why do people write the things they do the way they do?
• What's the difference between writing that's clear and writing that's not, and how can we turn the latter into the former most efficiently?
• How can writing be used to make things happen in the world?
• How can writing affect the way people understand what it means to be a human being?

English Language Learning

Forty-nine percent of teachers will have English Language Learners in their classrooms, but only 12% of ALL teachers receive training related to teaching these students.

All students majoring in French, German, or Spanish Education will be certified to teach ELL (English Language Learners) upon successful completion of coursework and praxis tests.  

Other courses comprising the ELL Endorsement are offered within the College of Education.  If you have questions about the courses specific to Modern Languages, contact Dr. Kelly Kidder for more information.

kelly.kidder [at] lipscomb.edu (subject: English%20Language%20Learning) (Email Dr. Kidder)