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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 a second language in high school) may take the Second Language Placement exam 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 (i.e. receive back credit for the elementary language sequence in that language).

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. In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.

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.

To obtain the BA degree in Romance Languages with an emphasis in French, the following courses, or their equivalents, must be completed.

Major core requirements
FRENCH 2160Intermediate French Composition and Conversation3
FRENCH 3160Advanced French Composition and Conversation I3
or FRENCH 3280 Commercial French
FRENCH 3410Intro a la pensee critique / Introduction to Critical Analysis3
FRENCH 3420Introduction to French Culture3
FRENCH 3430French Masterworks: Texts and Contexts3

Additional Requirements

  • Students must complete five additional courses, preferably at the 4000-level.  We encourage students to take Stylistics as one of these. FRENCH 4960 cannot be used to fulfill 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 (WI) 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; this course will not count towards the minor or major.  It is highly recommended, if at all possible, that students study for a summer, a semester or a full year in a French-speaking country. 

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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
FallCreditsSpringCredits
FRENCH 216013FRENCH 316013
ENGLSH 1000*3Science with Lab*5
MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 12003Behavioral Science Course*3
Social Science Course*3Social Science Course*3
 12 14
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Science Course*3FRENCH 343013
FRENCH 341013Science Course*3
Humanities Course*3Humanities Course*3
Behavioral Science Course*3Humanities Course*3
 12 12
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
FRENCH 342013FRENCH 4000-level13
Social Science Course*3FRENCH 413013
Elective Course3Elective Course3
Elective Course3Elective Course3
Elective Course3Elective Course3
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
FRENCH 4000-level13Elective Course3
FRENCH 4000-level13Elective Course3
Elective Course3Elective Course3
Elective Course3Elective Course3
Elective Course3Humanities Course*3
 15 15
Total Credits: 110
1

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. See also information on Minor in French.

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. 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 https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. 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 https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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