French, B.A.

Saint Louis University's Bachelor of Arts in French program, offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, aims to develop students’ competency in the language while increasing their knowledge of the French-speaking world.

As the living environment becomes increasingly transnational, a major in French offers an attractive asset to careers in many fields, including business, medicine, politics, law and the humanities. In addition, the major prepares SLU students for graduate work in French by providing them with a broad range of courses in French and Francophone literature and culture.

Additional program highlights:

• We offer a wide variety of French-speaking courses, including French and International Relations, Business French, French Cinema and French and Francophone Media.
• Students can spend a semester or a year in France in either Lyon or Poitiers. Both cities have study abroad programs that allow students to experience the country and its culture firsthand. Students will take classes in the French university system with French students and other international students. Courses taken in these full-immersion programs may count towards the student's major or minor in French. Classes taken in France may also fulfill some University core requirements.
• The French experience at SLU extends beyond the classroom walls. The department offers frequent activités culturelles open to all levels and hosts a chapter of the national French honor society, Pi Delta Phi. Students can also participate in service opportunities in the St. Louis community. 

Curriculum Overview

French course offerings cover all centuries of French literature and culture, Francophone and postcolonial studies, gender studies, and interdisciplinary areas such as art and literature, music and literature, cinema, cross-cultural questions, literature and the environment. Unique undergraduate offerings allow students to combine international, scientific and professional interests with French.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

Students are encouraged to enhance their majors through an immersion experience in a French-speaking country. SLU students can choose from a variety of study options in French, including summer, semester and academic-year programs in the cities of Lyon and Poitiers in France. SLU French majors often complete a major in another discipline (English, biology, psychology, international business, communication, etc.).

Careers

The benefits of the French program also include several career opportunities. Combining practical aspirations with the humanizing and broadening effects of language study, the undergraduate major prepares students to perform in many rewarding careers. Accessibility to faculty is a hallmark of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Faculty will be happy to advise students on career options.

Career paths for French graduates include:

• Education
• International business
• Non-governmental organizations
• Foreign service
• Law
• Medicine
• Research
• Interpreting
• Cultural services planning
• Museum work
• Relocation abroad services
• Travel consultant
• Study abroad advisor

Admission Requirements

Begin Your Application

Saint Louis University also accepts the Common Application.

Freshman

All applications are thoroughly reviewed with the highest degree of individual care and consideration to all credentials that are submitted. Solid academic performance in college preparatory coursework is a primary concern in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file.

To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, applicants must be graduating from an accredited high school, have an acceptable HiSET exam score or take the General Education Development (GED) test. 

Transfer

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED.

Students who have attempted fewer than 24 semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit must follow the above freshmen admission requirements. Students who have completed 24 or more semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit must submit transcripts from all previously attended college(s).

In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the Office of Admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University. Where applicable, transfer students will be evaluated on any courses outlined in the continuation standards of their preferred major.

International Applicants

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken post-secondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Tuition 

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: Financial aid is provided through grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

Saint Louis University makes every effort to keep our education affordable. In fiscal year 2023, 99% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students received financial aid and students received more than $459 million in aid University-wide.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, apply for admission by December 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For more information on scholarships and financial aid, visit the Office of Student Financial Services.

1. Graduates will be able to interact in French.
2. Graduates will be able to interpret authentic materials in French.
3. Graduates will be able to compare their own cultures with cultures in which French is a dominant language.

French students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours for the major regardless of whether they start at FREN 2010 Intermediate French Language & Culture or later.

¹

Up to 9 credits may be in related fields with the approval of the Department.

Continuation Standards

All French major courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher in order to count and for the student to continue in the major/minor.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits (excluding pre-college level courses numbered below 1000).
• Complete the University Undergraduate Core curriculum requirements.
• Complete major requirements: minimum of 30 credits required.
• Complete remaining credits with a second major, minor, certificate or electives to reach the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
• Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, a 2.00 grade point average in the major(s), and a 2.00 grade point average in the minor/certificate or related elective credits.
• Complete department- and program-specific academic and performance requirements.
• Complete at least 50% of the coursework for the major and 75% for the minor/certificate through Saint Louis University or an approved study-abroad program.
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits through Saint Louis University or an approved study-abroad program.
• Complete an online degree application by the required University deadline.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

¹

Students with prior experience in French take a placement test (SLUPE) to determine their level. See Program Notes.

²

French majors generally have a second or even third major. See Program Notes.

³

For all FREN 3000-level courses, the prerequisite is FREN 2010 or a SLUPE (placement test at SLU) with a score of 4 or 5.  Students may take any FREN 3000-level courses, in any order.  Students are required to take a minimum of three (3) FREN 3000-level courses. Some FREN 3000-level courses fulfill the University-CORE (Eloquentia Perfecta II-Oral and Visual Communication; Writing Intensive, among others.). 

⁴

Many French 4000-level courses also fulfill the Global Citizenship Core Diversity requirement or the University-Core requirements.

⁵

French 4000-level literature courses fulfill the Core Literature Requirement.

Program Notes

The sequence of courses will vary according to the student’s previous experience with the language and individual preferences.

Students have several options to study abroad in a French-speaking country, including a one-semester program in Poitiers, France.  Students also can study for a yearlong program in Lyon, France. We encourage students to finish FREN 3010 Discovering the French-Speaking World or FREN 3020 Text, Voice, & Self-Expression before studying abroad.

SLU French majors often complete a second or even a third major in another discipline — for example, political science, English, biology, psychology, international business, communication or international studies.