Queen's University Belfast

Source: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/french-ba-r120/ Parent: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/

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Undergraduate 2027

Undergraduate 2025

BA | Undergraduate

French

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Entry year : Academic Year 2027/28

Entry requirements : ABB

Attendance : 4 years (Full-time) \

UCAS Code : R120

Overview
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There are more than 220 million French speakers in the world today, on all five continents, and that number is set to rise to over 600 million by 2050. French is one of the most important global languages for diplomacy, business, media, tourism and the creative industries. It is also an official language of the UN, EU, NATO, IOC and Red Cross. Degree-level study of the French language, and cultures and societies across the world where French is spoken, is therefore a crucial asset for professional development and opening up career opportunities.\ \ French at Queen’s reflects the dynamism and cultural diversity of the French-speaking world, from metropolitan France to North Africa to the Caribbean, as well as francophone-Chinese cultures. Training in high-quality language skills is at the centre of the course. Students will also explore a variety of major contemporary issues (e.g. urban cultures, migration, conflict and peace, social inequalities, language policy, multimedia industries, the environment and global health), across historical periods and geographical areas, and through a range of forms, including art, cinema, digital media, linguistics and literature. All students spend a period of residence in a Francophone country.

French at Queen’s is 2nd in the UK for Teaching Quality and 4th for Student Experience in the Times University Rankings 2026.

Course highlights

Global Opportunities

After Stage 2, you will spend a period of residence (normally 8 months or more) in a French-speaking country. Students will have the possibility of acquiring professional experience by teaching in a school, undertaking a work placement, or doing voluntary work. They may also elect to study at a French university.\ \ Students in Languages at Queen’s have specialised classes to prepare them for the Year Abroad and members of our staff act as Year Abroad Officers. \ \ \ Queen's University Belfast is committed to providing a range of international opportunities to its students during their degree programme. Details of this provision are currently being finalised and will be available from the University website once confirmed.

Students taking a BA in French undertake an extended period of residence abroad (typically 8 months), normally working as an assistant in a school or undertaking a paid work placement in a French-speaking country (previous students have gone to France but also, for example, Belgium, Canada and Guadeloupe). Students can also elect to study at a French-speaking university. In addition to the benefits for oral competence, the residence provides a unique opportunity for immersion in French and francophone culture. Moreover, the Year Abroad is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal development, and further develops communication and language skills and intercultural awareness. The challenges of living abroad come to be a unique (and unforgettable) stage in their own personal development.

World Class Facilities

Queen’s has an excellent library with an outstanding range of resources in French and Francophone cultures. The Language\ Centre has state-of-the-art facilities for language learning, and the IT provision more generally is excellent.

Internationally Renowned Experts

French at Queen’s is taught by world-leading experts in nineteenth and twentieth-century French and Francophone culture, with particular expertise in visual culture, linguistics, popular culture, medical humanities and postcolonial writing. Research in Languages at Queen’s was ranked 3rd in the UK in the 2014\ Research Assessment (REF).

Professor Maeve McCusker is a world-leading specialist in postcolonial writing in French, with a particular interest in the Francophone Caribbean. In May 2023, her book Fictions of Whiteness was awarded the prestigious Gapper Book Prize by the Society for French Studies, for the best monograph published in the UK and Ireland in the previous year.

Student Experience

Students run a lively French Society and staff offer support through a personal tutoring system, skills development programme and a structured framework for feedback.

There are a number of undergraduate prizes available to top-performing students on this pathway. In addition to Foundation Scholarships recognising outstanding achievement in Stage 1, we have a range of endowed prizes. The AN Troughton Award and The Samuel and Sarah Ferguson Travel Prize recognise academic achievement at Stages 1 and 2. The Chris Shorley Prize rewards the best performances in the Language exam in Stage 3, and the Richard Bales Prize is awarded to the student with the highest mark in an optional module in Stage 3. Students of both languages receive a certificate of distinction for first class performance in the Stage 3 oral.

Further Study Opportunities

Further study is also an option open to French graduates. Students can continue to our MRes programme, which will be tailored to a student’s particular interests, and will involve a combination of guided study and independent research. It is a research preparation degree, allowing students to explore in depth a topic of their choice. It is an ideal preparation for PhD research. Other postgraduate programmes of possible interest for graduates of French include the MA in Arts Management and the MA in Translation.

“As part of the BA in French, you learn skills that are invaluable in the workplace. Writing and delivering presentations; building working relationships and teaching classes in a foreign country; organising events; working to set deadlines and using critical analysis- all experiences and abilities I have carried with me into employment.”\ Robert Ainley, BA French, Producer and journalist, U105

“In Queen's, what I realised is that it’s not just about the language. It’s not just about the listening, pronunciation and translation. There's a lot more to it, you learn so much more, you gain so many more skills, lifelong skills. You get a general overview of the language and can do historical modules and cultural modules, and you work with a variety of media: film, novels, short stories, poems, art."\ Veronica Rossetto, Stage Three student in BA French who began her studies in French as a Beginner.

“As part of the BA in French, you learn skills that are invaluable in the workplace. Writing and delivering presentations; building working relationships and teaching classes in a foreign country; organising events; working to set deadlines and using critical analysis- all experiences and abilities I have carried with me into employment.”\ Robert Ainley, BA French, Producer and journalist, U105

“In Queen's, what I realised is that it’s not just about the language. It’s not just about the listening, pronunciation and translation. There's a lot more to it, you learn so much more, you gain so many more skills, lifelong skills. You get a general overview of the language and can do historical modules and cultural modules, and you work with a variety of media: film, novels, short stories, poems, art."\ Veronica Rossetto, Stage Three student in BA French who began her studies in French as a Beginner.

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