The French Major

Students must complete 29 credit hours in French above F100/F150 including:

• F313
• 6 credit hours from: F305, F306, F361, F362, F363, F375
• At least 11 credit hours in fourth-year courses including at least two* 3 credit courses taken on the Bloomington campus exclusive of F495

*If you matriculated prior to Summer 2005, only one 3 credit course at the 400-level must be taken on the Bloomington campus.

Why major in French?

While a number of our majors choose to enter secondary education as a career, a larger percentage of majors in French combine their language specialization with other studies and pursue careers in business, computer programming and web design, law, public relations, journalism, telecommunications, arts administration, publishing, library science, politics, or public and environmental affairs to name but a few. Some students also use their language skills in order to enter government employment, the military, or organizations such as the Peace Corps. In all cases, students report back to us that their training in French enhanced their professional and academic opportunities.

France is a major economic and political force in Europe and the world; it holds one of five permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Over 67 million people around the world speak French as their first language, and French is one of the UN's five official languages. It is the official language or one of the official languages in 29 countries and is spoken in much of Africa, Canada, Louisiana, the Caribbean, Asia, the Near East, and the Pacific Rim.

Declaring a French Major

Students wishing to declare a major in French are required to meet with our French advisor, Professor Eric MacPhail.