Iowa State University and the Graduate College have an English language requirement for international students who are nonnative speakers of English and are offered a teaching assistantship. Nonnative speakers of English are considered those whose primary language is not English. English may be considered a student’s primary language if they have been raised in an environment where English was the first language learned and spoken from childhood, and English is the only official language of their locality and nation.
International graduate students who are offered a graduate teaching assistantship are considered international teaching assistants (ITAs).
ITAs are required to take the Oral English Certification Test (OECT) in order to meet the Iowa Iowa Board of Regents Policy 3.21 English Language Proficiency (Oral Communication Competence). The OECT evaluates the ITAs’ ability to use English for instructional purposes. Some international students may qualify for full or partial OECT exemption based on English language test scores or home country (see OECT Exemptions here).
ITAs are expected to take the OECT before they begin their teaching assistantships. If they do not pass the OECT with Level 1, they are required to complete the necessary section (A, B/C, and/or D) of GR ST 5400 courses before or during the same semester as their teaching assistantships. The types of teaching duties depend on the OECT levels.
ITAs can retake the OECT at the end of the semester in which they take GR ST 5400. There is no cost for the test.