French

The French Major Requirements have been updated to allow students more flexibility, especially those pursuing multiple majors, certificates and/or those who have or will study abroad. The new requirements are provided below and can officially be found in the Guide. Students who declare the French major in the fall 2025 or later will follow the new requirements. Students who were declared in the French major prior to fall 2025 have the option of keeping the pre-existing French major requirements or switching to the updated requirements that went into effect in fall 2025. To switch to the new requirements, simple email the Undergraduate Program Manager and Advisor, Mandi Schoville, and state that you would like to “switch to the new French major requirements.”

 New French Major Requirements¹

27 totals credits beyond French 204²

Required Courses (9 credits)

• French 228
• French 271
• Students pick 1 of the following: FR 321 or 322 or 347 or 348 or 361³ or 362³

Elective Courses (18 credits)¹

• Students can choose electives¹ from the master list of French courses provided in the Guide.

¹ Only 1 course taught in English can count towards the French Major.

² Students must complete the French Foundational Courses (101 – 102 – 203 – 204) prior to beginning French major courses. This is done by taking the foundational courses or placing into a level beyond 101 and working up to the major courses. Some students might place directly into a French major course via the placement test or from AP / transfer credit.

³ French 361 and 361 are only available to study abroad participants, in addition to French 316 and 420

Students can apply 6 to 15 credits from a UW study abroad program towards the French Major.

Students should review all the French major requirements provided in the Guide prior to declaring, including the Residence and Quality of Work requirements.

How are the NEW French Major Requirements different?

Students now have the flexibility to build a French major with courses they prefer while keeping the standards we value in a French major. Here are the changes:

• French 228 is now officially required for the major instead of a pre-requisite.
• French 271 is still required.
• Instead of requiring FR 321 and FR 322 and FR 347, students can now pick 1 of these courses to fulfill the 3rd required course. Also in this list is FR 348 and the study abroad only courses, FR 361 and FR 362.
• The requirement of only one course taught in English counting towards the French major remains the same. The courses taught in English can be found in the Guide with the footnote number 1 next to the course.
• A 400 level course is no longer required for the French major, however it is highly recommended to students. The 400 level courses are especially encouraged for students who hope to use their French in a professional career post-graduation.
• Students are no longer required to fulfill specific required courses such as a 300 level language course, a 400 level French/Francophone course, and an additional French / Francophone course. Besides the “required courses,” the remaining courses needed for the French major are electives. The Master List of French courses offered by the department produce a high quality French major no matter which combination of elective courses are chosen.

Outcomes of the French Major

After completion of an undergraduate French major, students will be able to:

Skills 

• Demonstrate understanding and ability to analyze literary and non-literary texts in French representing a broad spectrum of topics, time periods, and geographical regions
• Express yourself effectively in spoken and written French to inform, persuade, and narrate for different audiences of listeners, viewers, or readers
• Express yourself effectively in spoken and written French to share information, reactions, and opinions related to a broad spectrum of topics and texts

Knowledge

• Recognize and explain cultural artifacts, practices, and perspectives of the French-speaking world including how these cultural elements relate to literary and non-literary texts in French
• Demonstrate a good degree of understanding of lexical, grammatical, syntactic, and stylistic features of the French language

Dispositions

• Demonstrate awareness of difference and diversity by comparing and contrasting culturally situated  beliefs, behaviors, and norms of the French-speaking world with your own
• Engage in a sustained fashion with the French language, its users, and cultural artifacts in and beyond the classroom, e.g., in your own community, virtual communities, and study abroad

All French & Italian undergraduate courses are offered with “Honors Optional” enrollment which students can select Yes or No during course registration.

Why honors?

Students take honors courses for different reasons and to better understand honors, students are encouraged to read about the types of honors coursework and the Honors Program in general. If students are curious about taking a course for honors or the Honors Program, they should contact an advisor in honors or the French & Italian academic advisor.

Honors in French & Italian Courses

Students can enroll in “Honors Optional” for a course by selecting Yes during course registration. Students taking a course for honors will be required to do additional work to fulfill the requirements for the honors designation. Students should contact the professor/instructor of the course at the very beginning of the semester to discuss the work expectations for honors in the course.

Honors in the Major

Students may declare Honors in the Major in consultation with the French & Italian academic advisor.

To earn Honors in the Major, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major and the following additional requirements:

• Earn a 3.300 University GPA
• Earn a 3.500 GPA for all FRENCH courses and all courses counting in the major
• Complete at least 8 credits, taken for Honors, beyond FRENCH 271¹
• Complete a two-semester Senior Honors Thesis in FRENCH 681 and FRENCH 682, for a total of 6 credits²

1-Study abroad in France or in another French-speaking country is highly recommended, and the 8 credits taken for Honors can be fulfilled through French courses taken abroad at the appropriate level.

2-In certain circumstances (particularly when the student is an Honors candidate in two or more departments), two courses in literature or cultural studies numbered 500-599 or 600-699 may be substituted for the Senior Honors Thesis.

STUDY ABROAD

French Major or Certificate students typically go abroad on one of the following programs:*

Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence

Read a student story provided by French Major Collin Dewey.

“Study abroad is not meant to replicate your life at home because if it did, you would be losing out on the riches of living and experiencing a new culture, country, and people.”

CIEE Liberal Arts in Paris

UW in Paris

Institut de Touraine French Language

Italian Major or Certificate students typically go abroad on one of the following programs:*

• Bologna Consortial Studies Program
• Umbra Institute Italian Language & Culture

*Other programs offer study of the target language, though generally those options only provide language courses through the 2nd or 4th semester.

INTERNSHIPS

According to NACE , “an internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.” For more information, visit Intern Abroad.

Past Student Internships

Telelangue (Paris, France)

Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)

Various ‘office de tourisme’ (France ; Fort Mahon and Epinal)

KUHN Group (France)

International New York Times (France)

Good News International of Rwanda (Rwanda)

Bombardier (Montréal, Canada)

International Organization for Migration (Geneva, Switzerland)

US Dept of State (Italy)

French Club is an organization that focuses its activities on the French language and Francophone culture. We encourage anyone who is interested in learning about the French language/culture to join. The purpose of French Club is to improve its members’ proficiency in the French language and expand the knowledge and enjoyment of French and Francophone culture. Some of our social events include eating at local French restaurants, watching French movies, and more. French Club also aims to give back to the French community of Madison through volunteering events and raising money for the organization with fundraising events.

All of communication goes through GroupMe, so please join et au plaisir de vous voir!

Language Connect

…is a new student organization designed to bring together students from diverse backgrounds to practice and improve their language skills through regular meetups.

Each member of Language Connect will be paired or grouped based on the languages they speak and want to learn. Meetings will be held in a relaxed setting to chat, support each other’s learning, and build friendships across cultures.

Sign up to be a tutee here, or volunteer to be a tutor here!

Reach out to Fiona Freeman if you have questions: ffreeman@wisc.edu

French Tutors

The Department provides a list of French tutors & translators as a service to students and our community. We unfortunately cannot offer any particular references other than the names and information provided on this list. The Department of French & Italian assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of the French tutors & translators page, the quality of work, or any eventual financial arrangements or transactions made by/with persons.