The Program in France is designed to serve two distinct student groups. The
fall
semester program (which students may elect to extend to a full year)
is for students with a good command of the French language (the equivalent
of at least one 200-level course). Outstanding students with less preparation
in the language may be accepted upon special recommendation; these students
may be required to attend summer school or a summer language program.
All courses, designed specifically for our program participants, are taught in French by local professors. Those electing to stay on for the year will enroll in courses at the University of Rouen .
The spring semester is designed for students with minimal exposure to French who are interested in developing competency in the language and in exploring three distinct francophone cultures. Applicants must have completed at least one semester of college French or one-to-two years of high school study. Students who will have completed a 200-level course should apply to the fall program.
Half of the academic program for the spring semester is intensive work in French language. The other two courses, which focus in some way on France, are taught in English. Sophomores and juniors may participate, as can first year students, for whom a First Year Seminar is provided (taught in English).
Learn more about the differences between the Fall and Academic-Year Program and the Spring Program.
The St. Lawrence University Program in France is based in Rouen, a city of 125,000 people, 75 miles northwest of Paris. Rouen is a commercial center and seaport with historical and cultural importance. The city of Corneille and Flaubert, of Joan of Arc and William the Conqueror, it is often referred to as the ville musée because of the abundance of major medieval structures. It offers an active theater-concert season and many fine museums.
The University of Rouen, located in Mont Saint-Aignan – a suburb of Rouen – is a modern university with about 30,000 students. The St. Lawrence Program uses classrooms and offices in buildings at the Faculté des Lettres, but the classes include only SLU students on this program (with the exception of year-long students who directly enroll in University courses during their second semester).