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The undergraduate major in LLCL: French brings an explicitly international focus to Florida Atlantic’s excellence in undergraduate education. French Studies at Florida Atlantic spans the globe, providing students with essential knowledge needed to access not simply the culture of metropolitan France, but also the francophone cultures of the Caribbean, Canada, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and North Africa. The strong historical focus of the major track provides students with a clear understanding of the role played by French and francophone cultures in the context of the liberal arts and social sciences.

The backbone of the major is advanced competency in the French language. French majors therefore receive thorough grounding in French, initially through courses in advanced language and composition, and then with courses which focus on the culture, literature, and history of metropolitan France, with continuous elective offerings in such areas as "The French Culture of Comedy" and "Paris in Literature and Film."

By completing the BA in LLCL: French, students develop a significant understanding of the field. This competency allows students to enter a related career or advanced program of study upon graduation. Possible careers involving French include, but are by no means limited to: teaching, publishing, translation, interpreting, law, social work, medicine, and business. Students earning a French major can also go on to earn an MA or a PhD in French, Comparative Literature, Teaching of French, Linguistics, or a related field.

Students take a minimum of 36 credits to earn the major. The credits are divided up as follows (as of Fall 2025; students who entered the program prior to Fall 2025 should contact Professor Michael Hamilton (mhamilton@fau.edu) about the requirements):

• LLCL Core (6 credits)
  • LIN 3010 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LIT 3060 Introduction to Comparative Literature
• Language, Literature, and Culture Courses
  • A minimum of ten upper-division courses (30 credits) with prefixes of FRE, FRT, or FRW. At least one of the courses must be a one of the following French linguistics courses:
    
    • FRE 3780 Pronunciation et Phonétique
    • FRE 4850 Structure of Modern French

New students who would like more information on these options should contact Professor Michael Hamilton (mhamilton@fau.edu) (office: Culture and Society 232).

All majors are strongly encouraged to schedule academic advising at least once a semester with LLCL advisor and discuss their course selections each semester preferably in September and February before registration begins in order to ensure timely progress toward the BA degree. Students can benefit from connecting with faculty by coming to office hours to explore research and career opportunities.

Double Major: Increasingly, many students are combining French with another field in a double major, such as Business-French, Biology-French, Communication-French, in order to open international possibilities in the student's primary field. To graduate with a double major, students must meet all the requirements for both majors and be sure that academic advisors in both departments are monitoring course work and progress toward the degree. For more information about double-majoring, please contact Professor Michael Hamilton (mhamilton@fau.edu).

The M.A. concentration in French provides advanced study of the French language, literature, and culture. 

French Concentration (non-thesis):

• Requires 12 courses (36 credits), including:
  • 2 core courses (6 credits) in literature and linguistics;
  • 6 courses (18 credits) in French literature (culture, film) or French linguistics;
  • 4 electives (12 credits).
• Electives can be in French or other languages offered by the department. Those interested in the teaching of French can take electives in linguistics and language pedagogy.
• Electives can include coursework for the graduate version of the ESL Studies Certificate. 
• In the last semester of study, students pass a written comprehensive examination.
• Students graduate with at least 18 graduate credits in French needed for teacher's accreditation.

French Concentration (thesis):

• Requires 8 courses (24 credits) plus 6 credits of thesis work, for a total of 30 credits. The coursework includes:
  • 2 core courses (6 credits) in literature and linguistics;
  • 4 courses (12 courses) in French literature (culture, film) or French linguistics;
  • 2 electives (6 credits).
• Electives can be in French or other languages offered by the department. Those interested in the teaching of French can take electives in linguistics and language pedagogy.
• Electives can include coursework for the graduate version of the ESL Studies Certificate. 
• In the last semester of study, students defend an M.A. thesis.
• Students graduate with at least 18 graduate credits in French needed for teacher's accreditation (12 credits from coursework and 6 credits from thesis work).

Teaching of French Concentration (discontinued):

• The Teaching of French concentration was merged with the French concentration in Fall 26. Students who joined the Teaching of French concentration prior to the merger can remain in it or switch to the French concentration.

French is also available as a primary or secondary area for the Comparative Literature concentration of the M.A. degree or as an area of focus for the Ph.D. Program in Comparative Studies.

Non-degree students can take courses in French to earn 18 graduate credits for teacher’s accreditation without enrolling in the M.A.

Full-time degree-seeking graduate students may be awarded a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with tuition remission and a stipend as they gain experience teaching beginning French language courses. Graduate students can also benefit from multiple funding opportunities for research, travel, conference participation, and for summers.

How To Apply