Determine Your Italian Level

VISITING STUDENTS:  To select the appropriate language level, share the Italian course syllabi available in Blackboard with an advisor in the languages department of your home school. Visiting students do not take the online placement exam.

MOST MATRICULATED SYRACUSE STUDENTS -- including native and heritage speakers of Italian and students with Italian, AP, IB, or other college-level or transfer credit -- must take the online Italian placement survey/exam, accessed through MySlice/Blackboard, before submitting your SAF. 

SU students should not take the placement exam if:

•   you have already taken one or more ITA classes at Syracuse, in which case you should take the next course in sequence 

•   you have already taken SU’s Italian online placement exam, in which case you should take the course level in which you were placed

Instructions on accessing this exam are available online. To access the exam, log into MySlice: Advising > Placement Exams > Take Placement Exams 

• The purpose of the online placement exam is to identify your language level and allow you to register for the appropriate course during online registration in November. 

• ALL STUDENTS' language level will be confirmed with an assessment in Florence.

ALL Students at Beginning (100) or Intermediate (200) levels:

If you are at one of these levels, you take a 4-credit language instruction course: ITA 101,102, 201, or 202.

• When planning your schedule and selecting non-ITA courses, leave a morning time slot free for your Italian language class. Your ITA class meets on either Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays, from either 8:30 to 10:45 or 11:00 to 1:15 (don't worry, there is a coffee break!). See the Schedule of Classes for details.

• Class size is limited and, due to room availability, there are a limited number of sections per time slot, so build a schedule with alternative days/times for your ITA class.

• If you are at a beginning level (101 or 102), you may also opt to take a 2-credit companion course to supplement your language acquisition and experiential learning: ITA 117 or 118. These classes meet on Monday/Wednesday afternoons.

ALL Students at an Advanced level (300 or 400):

If you have already completed four semesters of college-level Italian (or are at that level of proficiency), you are eligible to take one or both of the following 3-credit courses:

• ITA 325 – Advanced Language Usage

• ITA 421 – Patterns of Modernity in 20th Century Italian Literature

Students in the Intensive Language Program:

You will take both of the following courses for a total of 7 credits:

• ITA 380 - Intensive Italian instruction at the University of Florence. Classes meet at the Centro di Cultura per Stranieri five times a week, Monday-Friday mornings. Assessment in Florence will determine which level of ITA 380 you will take. 

• ITA 316 - Italian Practicum II. This course is held at SU Florence and runs in parallel to the course at the Centro, providing additional support as necessary to fine tune your language skills and prepare you for the final examination.

RETURN to STEP ONE