Bachelor of Arts
French
A French degree gives you a passport to a world of career opportunities.
Few majors prepare you to work and live in a global society as a French degree does. Our Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature equips you with marketable skills and advanced cultural knowledge, giving you multiple career options and a strong foundation for graduate school. You’ll excel in writing and research, work well on teams, and use technology effectively. Oakland’s French program also offers robust study-abroad opportunities, along with personal faculty attention that helps you gain maturity and professional polish. Whether you’re planning to teach, pursue a doctorate, or simply acquire a broad education, our bachelor’s degree in French provides you with intellectual rigor and cultural elan.
Few majors prepare you to work and live in a global society as a French degree does. Our Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature equips you with marketable skills and advanced cultural knowledge, giving you multiple career options and a strong foundation for graduate school. You’ll excel in writing and research, work well on teams, and use technology effectively. Oakland’s French program also offers robust study-abroad opportunities, along with personal faculty attention that helps you gain maturity and professional polish. Whether you’re planning to teach, pursue a doctorate, or simply acquire a broad education, our bachelor’s degree in French provides you with intellectual rigor and cultural elan.
Bachelor’s Degree in French: The Oakland University Advantage
Our French degree pairs rigorous academics with practical workforce preparation. Employers in virtually every industry—including business, computing and health care—seek out new hires who communicate clearly, think independently and possess a multicultural outlook. As a French major, you’ll cultivate sustainable skills that you can adapt over time in response to changing economic trends and technologies.
Other key benefits of our French degree include:
- International experience. Our French degree includes a variety of options for overseas travel and study. You can spend an entire semester (or more) taking classes at the Université d’Orléans, and/or opt for excursions to Montreal, Belgium, Senegal, Paris and other destinations in the Francophone world. Most of our French majors choose to spend time abroad (although it’s not a program requirement).
- Personalized instruction. You’ll enjoy small, intimate classes in Oakland’s French program, building strong rapport with your peers and one-one-on relationships with your professors. All of our French courses are taught by Ph.D. faculty who take a strong interest in your success, offering academic guidance and career advice along with high-caliber classroom instruction.
- Hands-on education. The French degree includes a required capstone project that involves in-depth research, writing and presentation. You can also opt to complete an independent translation project in collaboration with faculty, or work as a volunteer or intern for a local business, nonprofit or other organization.
- Fifth-year teaching option. Oakland is one of Michigan’s most respected training grounds for French teachers. The Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) enables you to pair the French degree with a one-year teaching program that qualifies you for professional certification as a French teacher.
What Can You Do With a French Degree ?
Graduates of our French bachelor’s degree program are very well qualified for a wide variety of career paths, including graduate studies. Bilingual employees have particular appeal for employers in many industries, including business, tourism, education and government.
At Oakland University, many students pair the French major with a degree in business, political science, international relations, art history or another discipline. You can also combine a French degree with Oakland’s Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP), a fifth-year program that prepares you for certification as a K-12 French teacher.
Recent graduates of our French program have gone on to careers in fields such as:
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Government administration
- Strategic communication
- Higher education
- Law
- International relations
- Nonprofit leadership
- International development
French Major: What You’ll Learn
The bachelor’s degree in French revolves around an academic core of three courses in spoken French language, a French composition course and a grammar review. You’ll also take required classes in French literature, cinema, and civilization, plus a European literature course. (Introductory-level language courses do not count toward the French major.)
The French program also includes a senior capstone course involving independent research on a literary or cultural topic. The project culminates in a thesis paper written in French.
Finally, the French degree includes four electives, at least two of which must be French literature courses. Sample electives include:
- French Business Communication
- Translation: French to English
- Translation: English to French
- French Literature of the 19th Century
- Modern and Contemporary French Literature
- French Literature of the Middle Ages
- Independent Translation Project
Bachelor of Arts in French Resources
- Major requirements
- Minor requirements
- Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
- College of Arts and Sciences
Programs Related to the French Degree
Not sure if the French major is right for you ? Check out these other [undergraduate / graduate] degree programs at Oakland, and contact our admissions team to discuss your options.