BA in Romance Languages with Emphasis in French
Degree Program Description
The BA in Romance Languages with an emphasis in French is the exploration of the language, literature, and culture of French-speaking countries. The degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of French beyond FRENCH 2100. Faculty strongly encourages all majors to spend at least one semester (or summer) studying abroad, preferably after their second year of the language. Given the liberal arts foundation of a degree in French students pursue careers in a variety of fields or continue their studies. Graduates have pursued careers in journalism, tourism, diplomacy, and education.
Major Program Requirements
Students who have not satisfied the requirement of the elementary sequence (four years of foreign language in high school) may take the Foreign Language Placement exam, https://romancelanguages.missouri.edu/undergraduate-program, to place them in an upper level language course. Once the upper level course is completed on campus, with a grade in the C range or better the student can apply for Advanced Standing.
For the major, course work must be completed with a grade in the C range or higher in each of the required courses and students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in the major. Students must meet all major requirements listed below, as well as all College of Arts and Science and University graduation requirements, including University general education.
Students who work toward a double major (two BA degrees within the College of Arts and Science) may be able to complete the majors with a minimum of 120 credits. Students who are considering a dual degree program (in Arts and Science or in another school or college) are advised that a minimum of 132 credits are necessary.
To obtain the BA degree in Romance Languages with an emphasis in French, the following courses, or their equivalents, must be included in the graduation plan (numbers in parentheses indicate prerequisite courses).
| Major core requirements | ||
| FRENCH 2160 | Intermediate French Composition and Conversation | 3 |
| FRENCH 3160 | Advanced French Composition and Conversation I | 3 |
| or FRENCH 3280 | Commercial French | |
| FRENCH 3410 | Introduction to Literary Analysis | 3 |
| FRENCH 3420 | Introduction to French Literature I | 3 |
| FRENCH 3430 | French Masterworks: Texts and Contexts | 3 |
Additional Requirements
- Students must complete five additional 4000-level courses. We encourage students to take Stylistics as one of these. French 4960: Special Readings cannot be used to fulfil this requirement except by permission of the department chair.
- Students beginning at a level higher than FRENCH 2160 due to placement testing must still complete 30 credits in order to receive the major.
- In addition, the student is required to take a Writing Intensive course in the major, normally designated sections of FRENCH 3420 or FRENCH 3430.
- It is highly recommended (not required) that students take FRENCH 2310: French Civilization as an elective and, if at all possible, study for a summer, a semester or a full year in a French-speaking country. This course will not count towards the minor or major.
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FRENCH 2160^ | 3 | FRENCH 3160^ | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000* | 3 | Science with Lab* | 5 |
| MATH 1100* | 3 | Behavioral Science Course* | 3 |
| Social Science Course* | 3 | Social Science Course* | 3 |
| 12 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Science Course* | 3 | FRENCH 3430^ | 3 |
| FRENCH 3410^ | 3 | Science Course* | 3 |
| Humanities Course* | 3 | Humanities Course* | 3 |
| Behavioral Science Course* | 3 | Humanities Course* | 3 |
| 12 | 12 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FRENCH 3420^ | 3 | FRENCH 4000-level^ | 3 |
| Social Science Course* | 3 | FRENCH 4130^ | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FRENCH 4000-level^ | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| FRENCH 4000-level^ | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Humanities Course* | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 110 | |||
| ^ | Course meets degree program requirements |
| * | Course meets University general education and/or campus requirements |
Electives may be replaced by courses that fulfill requirements for a double/dual major or a minor. For information on the Minor in French.
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. Degree Audits are not available for all programs; however, please consult with the appropriate college or school for audit information.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, by clicking on the Request Degree Audit link. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to http://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com/index.htm. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to http://registrar.missouri.edu/degree-audits/index.php.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.