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Program Structure

Please follow the program structure outlined in the Academic Calendar from your FIRST academic year as a student at St. Thomas University. Find the Academic Calendars HERE. If you have any questions, please contact your academic advisor. 

Students wishing to enter the minor, major, or honours program in French at St. Thomas University must have completed grade 12 French (or the equivalent) with an average of at least 75%. Students with less than a 75% average on grade 12 French (or with French completed to the level of grade 11) and who wish to upgrade their knowledge of French to a level where they can be considered for a major in French at St. Thomas University are encouraged to:

 

  • Take intersession and/or summer session courses in French
  • Take a summer course in a French-speaking area (for which government bursaries are available)

These options are designed to bring the students’ knowledge of French to the required level for a major in the shortest possible time.

 

Note that students who take French courses in programs other than the ones offered at STU may be assessed upon their return to the university. For further information, please contact the Chair of the Romance Languages Department or the appropriate faculty adviser.

 

Honours

To complete the honours in French, students must complete the honours module with an overall average of B. The honours module consists of the compulsory course FREN 3413 Grammaire avancée and an additional 12 credit hours in French courses at the upper level, of which 6 credit hours must either be in 4000-level courses or FREN 4996 Thèse de spécialisation.

 

Honours courses should be chosen with great care and in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor. Note that all honours programs must be approved by the Department’s Honours and Majors Committee (HMC) normally in the year preceding the commencement of the program.

 

Students wishing to complete the honours program in French shall make application to the Chair of the Romance Languages Department. The application shall include: 1) a letter of intent indicating the name of the student’s program advisor and intended program of study; 2) a copy of the student’s transcript; 3) a writing sample from a second- or third-year French course. Ideally, students should consider making an application for acceptance into the honours program in French at the end of their second year. This would enable the faculty advisor to ensure that students can complete the sufficient number of credits required within their diploma and make allowances if certain courses are not offered in a given year.

 

To be eligible for admission to the honours program in French, the student must maintain at least an average of B in all French courses taken at STU. The application and program of study must be approved by the HMC. The Chair shall notify the student of the committee’s decision.

 

Students opting to write a thesis must have their thesis proposal approved by the HMC. The honours thesis will normally be read by a reading committee of two other faculty members chosen from within the department. Where this is not feasible or where the thesis involves an interdisciplinary component, the reading committee shall be composed of the program advisor, a member of the Romance Languages Department and a faculty member chosen from another appropriate department.

 

Major

It is recommended that students declare their subject major to the Registrar’s Office by the beginning of their second year. Students wishing to complete a major program in French must complete at least 36 credits hours of courses from either Module 1 Langue française and/or Module 2 Civilisation du monde francophone. Of the 36 credit hours for the major.

 

  • At least 12 credit hours must be from Module 2 courses at the 3000 level: FREN 3603, FREN 3613, FREN 3623, FREN 3633, FREN 3643, FREN 3653, and FREN 3663.
  • At least 3 credit hours must be at the 4000 level.

Double Major in French and Spanish  

Please see the Romance Languages section of the website.
 

Minor

Students wishing to complete a minor in French must complete at least 18 credit hours with an overall average of B in those 18 credit hours. At least 6 credit hours must be at the 2000-level or higher. Note that some courses may have prerequisites.

 

Certificate in French Language Proficiency

The Certificate in French Language Proficiency is available to any student studying French at STU. At the beginning of their fourth year, students must apply for the certificate to the Chair of the Romance Languages Department. The certificate is awarded to students who meet the following criteria:

 

  • Completion, with a grade of B+, in each of the three courses FREN 2316 Grammaire du français, FREN 2326 Composition, and FREN 2336 Communication orale (students excluded from taking FREN 2336 may, with the permission of the department, substitute 6 credit hours in upper-level courses in language or civilization)
  • Completion, with a grade of B+, of a subsequent 6 credit hours at the 3000- or 4000-level or equivalent in French language or civilization