A major in French allows students to explore the rich culture and history of France and francophone countries throughout the world. The French program provides excellent academic preparation for many professions in various fields, including education, business, travel, and publishing. 

The French major consists of ten classes (30 credit hours) beginning with F200, the third semester of college French. Depending on your previous language preparation, you may be able to test into FRIT-F 200 Second-Year French I: Language and Culture or higher. If you place into the 300 level and pass a 300 level French class, you can earn credit for F200 and F250. Students in the major can choose to take 1 course (3 credit hours) taught in English through the French department, with their remaining courses taught in French. The flexible requirements for the French major allow our students routinely to complete a double major.

The range of courses you can take for both the major and the minor includes language, literature, history, grammar, conversation, phonetics, cinema, and business French. French majors often take advantage of the many opportunities to study abroad either for a semester or an entire school year. About 80% of French Students spend some time aboard during their time at IUB.

If you have taken French in high school or at another college or university, you should take the online placement exam before New Student Orientation. Please consult new student online testing information on the First Year Experience program website. 

To find out more, check out the Department of French and Italian website or the College of Arts & Sciences Academic Bulletin.