he answer to that depends on the particular area of concentration that a doctoral student pursues within the larger field of Security Studies. The student’s supervisory committee sets any and all foreign language requirements. Certainly a doctoral program with an emphasis on the security issues of a specific strategic region will require some language competencies. Generally speaking, the supervisory committee sets standards of language proficiency that must be met rather than directing the specific path by which a student attains those standards. It is possible that one student’s supervisory committee will require moderate reading or speaking abilities while another’s committee will require a much higher level of proficiency if, for example, extensive research in a foreign language is necessary for the completion of the dissertation.