FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the attire for the program?
A. We do not dictate the attire; however, all students wear civilian clothing. Students should dress in a manner that is appropriate for an educational setting. Additionally, for residential courses, classrooms may be unusually warm or unusually cool, so bring appropriate attire.

Q. Does the unit have to pay for tuition, fees, and books for LTC courses?
A. No, the unit does not have to pay for tuition, fees, and books. These materials are paid for by a grant from the Defense Language National Security Education Office (DLNSEO).

Q. Does the unit have to pay for travel, lodging, and per diem?
A. Yes, the unit is responsible for the cost of travel, lodging, and per diem, for the residential intensive courses. There are no free military quarters or dining facilities available at Joint Forces Base, Los Alamitos. Enlisted and officer quarters are available for a cost. Information about on-base lodging can be found here https://calguard.ca.gov/jftb_losalamitos/.

Q. Do students have access to a computer lab, or laptop, during residential courses?
A. For residential courses at CSULB or the Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, students do have access to a computer lab; however, they must bring their own laptops and ear buds or headphones to assist listening comprehension requirements and online testing.

Q. Minimum number of students for each class?
A. The minimum number of students for each intensive class is six (6) students, the maximum is 10. The maximum number of students for each Hybrid Language Mentor (HLM) course is five (5) students. On occasion, there may be additional funding and more students may be admitted to the HLM courses. For this reason, we recommend applying regardless of whether the course shows it is in a “Standby” status.

Q. What is the application deadline?
A. The application deadline is approximately two weeks prior to the course start date.

Q. When are students notified of their acceptance status once the application has been submitted?
A. Students are usually notified within a week that they have been accepted to the program. In some cases, we may be able to send out acceptance emails sooner. Once students have responded to the Enrollment Survey this confirms with the CSULB LTC management team that the student is committed to attending the course.

Q. What specific documents are required to apply to the program?
A. We require the latest DLPT test score and an online application for the specific course. For the DLPT score we prefer official documentation with PII (such as SSN) obscured. We will also accept test result printouts from DMDC; official letters on unit letterhead indicating the service member’s DLPT test, score, date; DLIFLC graduation documents; and other forms of official communication.

Q. Is a DLPT required prior to applying?
A. The most recent DLPT is required prior to becoming enrolled in the CSULB Language Training Center courses. It must be emailed separately to the assistant director, with sensitive PII information obscured, to csulbltc@gmail.com.

Q. Is a DLPT offered after the training event?
A. We work with local Test Control Officers to provide optional DLPT testing on the last days of the residential intensive courses.

Q. Can you describe the lodging situation?
A. Except for bachelor enlisted and officer quarters at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos (approximately 5.6 miles from CSULB), servicemembers should look for a hotel close to the location of the class (JFTB Los Alamitos, or CSULB). Students are required to stay within 15-20 minutes of the classroom because of the long hours associated with the residential intensive courses. In the past, the Ayers Hotel (https://www.ayreshotels.com/ayres-hotel-seal-beach) has typically provided a discount if you state that you are attending a CSULB education program. The Ayers Hotel is approximately 3 miles from CSULB and 3.5 miles from the Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.

Q. What are the class times for the intensive courses?
A. For residential courses, class typically starts at 8:00 AM and finishes at 6:00 PM. Exact times are left up to the discretion of the instructor. Students must attend a minimum of 10 hours of instruction per day. CSULB LTC’s residential intensive courses are scheduled to have approximately two administrative days off. This is to allow students to take care of personal business. For virtual (online) intensive courses, class typically starts at 8:00 AM Pacific Time and finishes at 3:00 PM with a break for lunch. Virtual intensive courses provide six synchronous hours of instruction during the weekdays, Saturdays are for missed class time and volunteer work, and Sundays are for asynchronous class time.

Q. What are the class times for mentor courses?
A. The 16-week Hybrid Language Mentor (HLM) courses are online one-on-one language instruction sessions between the individual student and the instructor. The student and the instructor coordinate their meeting time each week. Students and instructors meet via online meeting software, such as Zoom or Google Meet, for 16 weekly one-hour sessions. The student must also commit to one hour of self-study a week outside of class.

Q. What are the exact class start and end dates?
A. You can view our course schedule webpage which has other useful information.

Q. What are the required language levels to enroll?
A. For intensive courses, eligibility for enrollment is a 2L/2R IRL DLPT score in the target language. However, depending on the needs of the unit and abilities of the student, we may make exceptions to policy on a case-by-case basis. Students at 1/1 level or lower are not admitted to the intensive LTC courses. For the HLM courses, eligibility for enrollment is a 1L/1R ILR DLPT score in the target language. You may also view our Eligibility page.

Q. What are the future course dates?
A. Planned course dates can be found on the Course Schedule webpage.

Q. Who is the POC for enrollment processes?
A. You may contact José Brassea, the Assistant Program Director, at csulbltc@gmail.com with any of your enrollment questions.

Q. Do the students need to bring materials (books, etc.)?
A. Class materials are provided. The servicemember needs to bring a laptop computer in order to access the internet. They will be accessing non-DOD, authentic media material found on open-source websites as well as secure learning management platforms. It is also recommended that the student have any special learning material or supplies they feel are necessary to assist in their studies (pen, paper, flashcards, etc.).

Q. Is there a daily/weekly attendance roster?
A. Attendance is the responsibility of the servicemember and checked by the faculty and staff. If a student has a problem during the course, they need to contact the lead instructor. If they need to miss more than two hours of instruction, Dr. O’Rourke, the program director, needs to approve the absence. If a student fails to show up to class, the CLPM or unit administrator or commander will be contacted. Departing the course before the end or arriving late to the start of the course is not typically accepted (except in extreme emergencies) because of the negotiated contract with the Department of Defense.

During the HLM courses, last-minute cancellations for emergencies, in some cases, may not be made up. All LTC instructors have full-time jobs aside from the one-on-one instruction of the HLM courses. The LTC director asks all students to respect the instructor’s time by not cancelling a class meeting at the last minute.