Montpellier, France

Martinique, French Antilles

Quebec, Laval

Paris, France

Rennes, France

Toulouse, France

The Setting

Montpellier captures the essence of picturesque southern France. Nestled among rolling hills leading down to the nearby sea and scattered medieval towns, it is a popular cultural and intellectual haven for French and international visitors alike.

Located just 10 miles from the Mediterranean coast, Montpellier boasts a myriad of cultural activities, manicured parks and quaint narrow streets. Its intellectual life centers at the prestigious University of Montpellier, one of the oldest universities in France.

Montpellier's people, whether at cafes in the central square or in their own living rooms, mirror the warm and friendly climate. The city, with a population of 250,000, also offers a rich array of international theater, ballet, concerts and museums. The University Paul Valéry, the liberal arts campus of the University of Montpellier, lies in a 25-acre park at the foot of an alpine-covered hillock, within walking distance of the city center. With over 19,000 students, it offers a wide variety of courses in the humanities, arts and sciences.

Overview

Purdue University offers this program in cooperation the University of Minnesota. Direct Purdue credit is available in liberal arts, and other fields are pending approval. Students might earn transfer credit for classes taken in other areas; however, students interested in pursuing transfer credit should discuss this with their academic advisor.

More information

Please see the Purdue Study Abroad web site

for information on eligibility, academic programs and calendar, housing, program costs, financial aid, application procedures and deadlines, contact information for recent returnees, and additional links relevant to study in French-speaking cultures.

 University of the Antilles-Guyane

Summer

The Setting

With its blend of Creole charm and French elegance, Martinique is known as the "Little Paris of the Caribbean."

Overview

The African American Studies and Research Center, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the University of the Antilles-Guyane (Université des Antilles-Guyane) offer a summer program in Martinique, the French Antilles.

This program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the Caribbean, Creole Culture and African Diaspora studies as well as French language, although French is not a requirement for participation for non-majors and minors. Courses are offered in both French and English and are taught by faculty from both institutions at the Campus Schoelcher. Presentations by Francophone writers such as Jean Bernabè and Raphael Confiant and excursions to St. Pierre and Trois-Ilets will supplement lectures. The program takes place during the annual cultural festival in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique. Students are encouraged to take advantage of such cultural activities. Students with a major or minor in French must have completed at least four semesters of language study. More information Please visit the Study Abroad Office website for information on financial aid, housing, and to complete an online application.

The Setting

Rising atop an immense promontory carved out of the Laurentian foothills, Québec City is basically a natural fortress. Québec City’s extraordinary history and cultural wealth make it an ideal location for this summer program.

Located only six kilometers from the center of Québec City, the Université Laval is the oldest French-speaking institution of higher learning in North America. Founded in Québec City in 1852, the university moved to a new 500-acre campus in nearby Sainte-Foy in the late 1950's. With the main buildings connected by a network of underground tunnels, its modern facilities include a new sports arena, a student co-op, banking services, an excellent research library, modern audiovisual resources, attractive housing, and outstanding teaching facilities.

Purdue University offers this program as a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of the Big Ten universities.

Direct Purdue credit is available in liberal arts.

Students might earn transfer credit for classes taken in other areas; however, students interested in pursuing transfer credit should discuss this with their academic advisor.

For more information please see the Purdue Study Abroad web site.

Purdue credit

Direct Purdue credit is available in liberal arts. Students might earn transfer credit for classes taken in other areas; however, students interested in pursuing transfer credit should discuss this with their academic advisor.

Eligibility

Applications are open to students of all majors. Any Purdue University student is eligible if s/he: has (1) a minimum GPA of 2.75 out of 4.0; (2) reached at least junior standing by the start of the program; and (3) completed at least four semesters college-level French for the fall and full-year programs, or at least five semesters college-level French for the spring semester. Successful candidates will demonstrate academic success, maturity and a desire to experience another culture.

Academic Program

Courses are taught in French by native French faculty and focus on increasing verbal and written fluency. Courses focus on grammar, conversation, phonetics and composition to help students communicate effectively in French. Area studies courses in economics, history, literature and political science provide students with an opportunity to learn about France's past, present and future. Field study activities in art, history, business, cinema, sociology and theatre give students greater access to Paris and its wealth of opportunities and events.

In order to encourage interaction with native French speakers and to participate in the French system of higher education, IES also facilitates enrollment in French universities. Additional opportunities for interaction are available to full-year students through participation in occasional joint seminars sponsored by IES and L’Université de Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV).

More information

Please see the Purdue Study Abroad web site for more information.

The Setting

The University of Haute Bretagne is divided into two campuses: Rennes I (the science division) and Rennes II (the humanities division). This program takes place at the Rennes II campus which is located about one mile from downtown Rennes.

Rennes is a beautiful city situated in the province of Brittany. The Brittany province is divided into two halves: Haute Bretagne and Basse Bretagne. Rennes is located in Haute Bretagne, the more urbanized, modern half of the province.

Rennes is distinguished as an administrative, economic, and intellectual center. A city of approximately 250,000 people, Rennes is endowed with impressive museums, gardens, theaters, sports facilities and discotheques. For students interested in taking short excursions, Rennes is a fantastic place to live. It is an ideal base for excursions throughout

Brittany and for short trips to Paris, located only three hours away by train.

More information

Please see the Purdue Study Abroad web site for more information.

Ecole Supérieure d'Agriculture de PURPAN (ESAP), Toulouse, France, which is in the southwestern part of the country on the Garonne River.

Interested students should contact International Programs in Agriculture at 494-9690 or drop by Room 26, Agricultural Administration Building, AgAbroad@agad.purdue.edu

Students who participate in this program will:

–spend eight weeks in France, including one month at ESAP and one month living/working on a farm or in a French company involved in agriculture, natural resources, or food science.

–study intensive French in addition to completing course modules on plant and animal agriculture, agricultural economics, and food science, and

–participate in field trips and cultural excursions.

More information

Please see AgAbroad@agad.purdue.edu for more information.

Purdue Exchange with Université Marc Bloch in Strasbourg, France

Thanks to a special grant from the French American Cultural Exchange (FACE), Purdue sends two graduate students in French to the Université Marc Bloch (UMB) in Strasbourg, France, to study the entire fall semester.

The program is open to all Purdue graduate students in French of any nationality. At UMB, the students take courses appropriate for their curriculum, and receive full Purdue credit. Students maintain their Purdue funding while abroad.

Students also participate in special one-week seminars taught at Purdue by UMB professors.

Students may apply and be accepted into the program at the same time as they apply for graduate studies in French at Purdue, and spend the fall semester of their second year in France. Please simply state your interest in your application essay.