Program: Japanese, B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences - San Diego State University

Apr 05, 2025

2020/2021 University Catalog

All candidates for a degree in liberal arts and sciences must complete the graduation requirements listed in the section of this catalog on “Graduation Requirements .” No more than 48 units in Japanese courses can apply to the degree.

Students majoring in Japanese must complete a minor or a certificate in another field to be approved by the departmental adviser in Japanese.

All students with transfer credits must take a placement test at the Testing Services office at SDSU.

NOTE: Speakers of Japanese who have completed compulsory education through junior high school in Japan are not eligible to enroll in Japanese language courses or major in Japanese. These students will not receive credit for JAPAN 311 , JAPAN 312 , JAPAN 321 , JAPAN 322 , JAPAN 411 , JAPAN 412 , JAPAN 421 , JAPAN 422 , and JAPAN 480 .

Preparation for the Major

(20 units)

JAPAN 111 - Elementary Japanese I Units: 5
JAPAN 112 - Elementary Japanese II Units: 5
JAPAN 211 - Intermediate Japanese I Units: 5
JAPAN 212 - Intermediate Japanese II Units: 5

Language Requirement

The language requirement is automatically fulfilled through coursework for preparation for the major.

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

Passing the Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 10 or completing one of the approved upper division writing courses (W) with a grade of C (2.0) or better. See “Graduation Requirements ” section for a complete listing of requirements.

Major

No more than one upper division Japanese course taught in English may be applied to the major.

A minimum of 24 upper division units in Japanese to include 12 units from

JAPAN 311 - Third Year Japanese I Units: 3
JAPAN 312 - Third Year Japanese II Units: 3
JAPAN 411 - Fourth Year Japanese I Units: 3
JAPAN 412 - Fourth Year Japanese II Units: 3

Four Courses Selected from

JAPAN 321 - Advanced Japanese Discourse Units: 3
JAPAN 322 - Advanced Conversation Through Media Units: 3
JAPAN 421 - Japanese Literature Through Text and Film Units: 3
JAPAN 422 - Newspaper Reading and Advanced Composition Units: 3
JAPAN 480 - Business Japanese Units: 3
A Japan content course approved by the major adviser

Language Requirement for the B.A. Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Refer to section of catalog on “Graduation Requirements ” for additional ways to satisfy competency.

Students electing the study of Japanese to fulfill the language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts and sciences must successfully complete JAPAN 211 or the equivalent level of achievement. The usual sequence of coursework is

JAPAN 111 - Elementary Japanese I Units: 5
JAPAN 112 - Elementary Japanese II Units: 5
JAPAN 211 - Intermediate Japanese I Units: 5

High School Equivalents

High school courses in a language other than English may be used for purposes of placement in college courses and may be counted toward meeting the language requirement in various majors. These high school courses will not count as college credit toward graduation.

Secondary school language courses can be used as follows:

The first two years of high school level language count as the equivalent of the first semester of a college level course.
The first three years of high school level language count as the equivalent of the first two college semesters.
Four years of high school level language count as the equivalent of three college semesters or five college quarters, thus fulfilling the language requirement.

Japanese Language Proficiency Test

The Japanese language proficiency test is taken to assess the proficiency level and to place students at the most appropriate level in the curriculum of the Japanese language program at San Diego State University. Students who have special backgrounds, and those SDSU students who took Japanese elsewhere, including SDSU students who participated in exchange programs, are required to meet with the program adviser and to take this examination.

Test dates and times are listed in the “Special Tests” section of the Class Schedule.