For departmental purposes, the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics defines a native speaker of a language as any individual who has been raised in a family and a society where this language is habitually used for everyday communication and is the language of instruction in the student's school system.
To schedule a native speaker exam or foreign language requirement approval (FLRA), please contact the OU testing center, or you can schedule here
A native speaker may not enroll in any undergraduate skills course in their native language, with the single exception of the course in Advanced Composition 3423, but may earn credit by advanced standing exams. Undergraduate skills courses include all courses in which the primary goal is language usage, i.e., all elementary and intermediate courses, and all composition, conversation and phonetics courses. However, this does not preclude native speakers from earning credit by advanced standing exams.
If a student seeks a teaching certificate with a major in his or her native language, the student must complete the advanced composition course, as well as all literature and civilization courses or equivalent required for the major. If additional hours are needed in order to meet the 35 hour certification requirement for a language major, the student may apply for retroactive credit for as many hours of skills courses as are needed to meet that requirement, provided that a grade of B or higher was earned in Advanced Composition. Such hours are entered on the student's transcript, but under no circumstances may they count toward any MLLL degree program at the University of Oklahoma.
