Many professional fields of study require candidates to prove competency in only one language aside from English. Often, these departments prescribe a list of languages from which the student chooses. Departments specify the languages that meet their requirements to provide the candidate with the broadest possible base of non-English research.
Programs in the humanities or arts and letters tend to require students to demonstrate proficiency in two languages aside from English. Depending on the program, candidates may need to satisfy the requirement for one language before beginning research and complete the second prior to submitting their thesis. Other programs specify that students need to be competent in one language and demonstrate mastery in a second.
Some programs use various third-party tests such as the Educational Testing Service's Graduate School Foreign Language Test (GSFLT) while others cooperate with various language departments within the university to conduct testing. Certain departments, such as language departments, may offer their own internal examination. The most common examination format requires translating a passage from the foreign language into English.
Aside from taking an exam, departments may allow students to demonstrate proficiency through alternative means, such as passing relevant coursework with a specified grade during the Ph.D. course of study, transferring undergraduate or previous coursework, or other program-specific demonstrations.