Study Abroad in French

By the time they graduate, nearly half of all UMM students study abroad.
Will you be one of them?

While study abroad is not required to earn a French major, it is strongly encouraged. Study abroad not only improves your French skills, but also:

deepens your understanding of at least one other culture
enhances your understanding of your own culture
improves your communication skills in French and English
develops your problem-solving skills
provides opportunities for personal and intellectual growth
broadens your undergraduate experience
gives you an extra edge as you apply for jobs or to graduate programs
leads to professional and personal opportunities you may never have imagined!

So, the only question is, will you find yourself...

...alone on a craggy bit of coast on Mont Saint Michel,...	... at a crowded fish market on the coast of Senegal?
or somewhere in between?

Popular Study Abroad Options

UMM July in Paris Program

A very popular program, recognized for its affordability and for the fact that nearly everything is included in the program fee! Open to students of all levels of proficiency, including beginners. Students spend the month of July living in Paris and taking intensive language and culture courses at the Sorbonne. Excursions in and around Paris are scheduled for most afternoons. Visits to Versailles, Monet's gardens in Giverny, Normandy Beach, and Mont Saint Michel, as well as visits to sites and museums all over Paris; includes a long weekend at the beach in Saint Malo. Enrollment is limited to 25. Apply early! Contact Prof. Matt Senior for information about July in Paris 2006.

U Minnesota in Montpellier

Most UMM students seeking to spend a semester or a full year abroad choose this program, which offers a variety of options--homestay, dorms, and apartment living. Participants attend l'Université Paul Valéry. Less advanced students enroll in French language and culture courses for foreign students, while advanced students take some of their courses in the regular university curriculum, alongside French students. The Montpellier program also offers the possibility of an internship for college credit. Credits transfer directly to UMM. Spring semester, especially, is very popular: apply early.

Teaching Abroad

Consider the Assistant Program in France, which allows you to teach in a French middle or high school 12 hours per week for a reasonable stipend. UMM students have enjoyed this program as a year-long break away from their studies, as well as the year after they graduate. You must be at least 20 to participate.

If you are thinking about a career in teaching, you may wish to teach English in a French speaking country through ELTAP.

If you are already on your way to becoming a teacher or you are ready for student teaching, consider the GST Program.

Getting Started is Easy

Each academic discipline at UMM has compiled a Study Abroad Sheet to recommend study abroad programs that will enable you to earn credits in a specific major at UMM. Each discipline also has a study abroad advisor who can help you decide which program will best meet your needs and help you navigate the application process.

Check the Discipline Study Abroad Resources to find this information for the major you are pursuing to see whether programs in a francophone country are recommended.
If no francophone options are included on the sheet, consult the list of language-specific options for that major (on the same web page). Discuss this option with the Study Abroad Advisor in your major to decide whether one of these meeets your needs.

Here is the Study Abroad Sheet for the French major.

Once you have selected a program, you can begin investigating scholarships and financial aid.
- The UMM Study Abroad Office offers several scholarships and maintains a list of national scholarhips
- UMTC Learning Abroad Center maintains a scholarship database.
- For the past two years in a row, the American Association of Teachers of French has selected UMM students as finalists for the Walter Jensen scholarship

Contact the Study Abroad Advisor for French, Prof. Tammy Berberi, as well as your academic advisor to begin the planning process. The key to study abroad is thinking ahead, as much as a year in advance of the application deadline.

Photo credits:
Mont Saint Michel - Prof. Tammy Berberi
Fish Market in Senegal - Prof. Sarah Buchanan
Eiffel Tower - July in Paris 2004 participant Doug Bright