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Portuguese Major

FLIP Incentive Program

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College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Foreign Language Incentive Program

The Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) allows degree-seeking undergraduate students who have already completed the UI General Education Foreign Language requirement to earn additional semester hours of college credit while studying a foreign language. Two options are offered, referred to as FLIP 1 and FLIP 2; students may also combine the options. While enrolled in a FLIP course, students should request evaluation for FLIP credit by submitting the electronic form.  At the close of the semester, the student's grade in the course is reviewed by CLAS and if the grade is a B- or higher, the FLIP credit will appear on the student's record.. Certain rules apply; please read them carefully. Questions about the Foreign Language Incentive Program may also be directed to CLAS-Academic Programs and Services, 120 Schaeffer Hall or to clasps@uiowa.edu.

FLIP 1: Students who completed four years of second language study in high school, or who completed the Foreign Language component of the General Education Program by some other means (except college-level language study), and who complete an approved course at a level beyond the final course in a General Education approved foreign language sequence and earn a grade of B- or higher will receive 4 s.h. of credit.  To be eligible for FLIP 1 credit, students must take the Foreign Language Placement Test in the language or languages in which they wish to earn FLIP 1 credit. Students may earn a maximum of 8 s.h. of credit through FLIP 1, if they take course work in two languages.

FLIP 2: Students who completed four years of second language study in high school, or who complete the Foreign Language component of the General Education Program by some other means, including foreign language study at the University of Iowa, may, at any time prior to graduation, earn up to 4 s.h. of additional credit for study of a language different from that which they applied to the General Education Program. Students may receive 2 s.h. for the first course in that language that they complete with a grade of B- or better. Students may receive an additional 2 s.h. for the second, sequential course in the same language that they complete with a grade of B- or better. Students can earn up to 4 s.h. in one language, and a maximum of 8 s.h. credit overall in FLIP 2.

Details of FLIP policies:

• Credit hours awarded through FLIP are ungraded, and are not included in GPA calculations, but the semester hours count toward the graduation.
• Credit hours awarded through FLIP are counted as residence credit.
• FLIP credit cannot be earned for college course work for which credit already has been received.
• Students who were previously enrolled in an incentive course and failed to earned a B-, or who enrolled in but dropped a FLIP-eligible course after the third week of the semester, cannot earn FLIP credit in that language in a subsequent semester.
• Students with Advanced Placement credit in foreign language must avoid duplication and regression when registering for FLIP-eligible courses. Students should consult with the appropriate language department for help in choosing FLIP courses.
• Students may earn credit through several combinations of FLIP 1 and/or FLIP 2, but may only earn a maximum of 8 s.h. of FLIP credit.

Get the CLAS FLIP application form here.

Fifth-semester courses in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese are those which have a prerequisite of 35:012 or equivalent.  As of Fall 2004 these are courses numbered between 35:103 and 35:114; currently existing courses in this range are the following:

  35:103  Writing in Spanish
  35:106  Spanish for Native Speakers
  35:110  Readings in Spanish Literature & Culture (Spain)
  35:111  Readings in Spanish American Literature & Culture
  35:112  Introduction to Literary Analysis
  35:113  Screening Latin American (Introduction to Latin American film) 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)
language credit for Spanish major-level courses

Students who earn a score of 4 or 5 on the Spanish AP Language Exam are given 3 semester hours of major-level credit in the area of Spanish language.  Upon entering the Spanish program, these students may take any of the courses listed above, as well as courses with a prerequisite of at least one Spanish course numbered above 35:012.