<p>Do most graduate programs in biology require proficiency in specific foreign languages? </p>
<p>My son would like to try something new and somewhat unusual in college. But he knows someone applying to math grad programs who is looking at schools that want proficiency in one of the more commonly used foreign languages. So this is a concern for him in choosing. He is a prospective bio major but not pre-med. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any insights.</p>
<p>Foreign language proficiency is required in some social sciences, particularly history. But I’ve never heard of it being required in biology.</p>
<p>Oh, dear lord, no. At least, I’ve never heard of it.</p>
<p>English is the common language of biomedical research around the world. My co-workers who are from outside the US have mentioned that they find it difficult to talk about science in their native languages, because English is the language used in the lab even in their native countries.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. I too assumed that English would be the default language in the sciences. Then again, I would have assumed that for math too (which was why I was surprised to hear of his friend’s experience applying to grad school).</p>