French is a powerful tool. Whether you are just beginning your exploration of the language or continuing efforts begun elsewhere, the skills and knowledge you gain through French study at the University of Minnesota Morris, will serve you well.
The French program is
- global and local in its aims and impact;
- innovative in its support of the UMN Morris mission, featuring opportunities for community engagement and courses in sustainability, literature, cinema and culture, and community interpreting and translation;
- connected to other academic programs on campus;
- a gateway to a life of travel, discovery, and success.
In French at UMN Morris, you can
Take Classes
Is French totally new to you? Wonderful. Begin French at Morris, spend a semester or a year in a French-speaking country, and graduate in four years. Advanced coursework spans Medieval, early Modern, and Modern France as well as the arts, histories, and cultures of French-speaking North and West Africa as well as North America. Morris also offers advanced skills courses in phonetics, grammar, translation, and community interpreting. Read more about french classes you can take.
Lead
- Pursue community engagement skills in your French courses.
- Teach local kids and adults French and francophone culture through community engagement.
- Continue supporting kids and grow your own French skills working summers as an activity coordinator at Lac du Bois, Concordia Language Villages, in northern Minnesota.
- Gain skills that will enable you to support community members with emerging skills in English.
- Serve as an officer for the UMN Morris Entre Nous French Club.
Study Abroad
The Academic Center for Enrichment can help you decide when and where to study abroad. Opportunities include a winter weekend in Winnipeg, short-term summer programs to Senegal, Paris, and Morocco, and semester or year-long exchanges in Lille, France. ...On a budget? Financial aid you receive at Morris applies to study abroad. Pay Morris tuition to attend university in Lille, France or to study in Quebec through the National Student Exchange program. Visit the UMN Morris Academic Center for Enrichment for more information about these opportunities. As a Morris student, you also enjoy access to the many programs supported by the UofM Learning Abroad Center.
Plan your next steps
While you’re with us, apply to the Morris McNair Program, a selective program that prepares candidates for a Ph.D. program in whatever you are passionate about. Advanced skills in another language give you a competitive edge for graduate study and national fellowship programs like the Boren or Fulbright. The course, Hum 1305: Career Prep in World Languages prepares you to leverage your liberal arts and your French skills.
Take a breather
Many students pursue the Teaching Assistant Program in France, as a ‘gap year’ in their adventures. TAPIF offers the opportunity to spend seven months immersing yourself in French while working in a school as an English-language teaching assistant. Thanks to TAPIF, Morris students have gone to many different regions in France, French Guiana, and Martinique.
