French Language and Culture

Learning to speak, read and write French opens up career and travel opportunities, and helps you appreciate and understand Francophone cultures.

The UBC Certificate in French Language and Culture is designed to improve your French language skills and prepare you for study, travel or doing business here in Canada and throughout the French-speaking world. By the end of the program, you can expect to be able to talk in detail about familiar topics, interact comfortably with native French speakers, read contemporary texts, and write clearly on a range of subjects.

Program Format: Can be completed 100% online in instructor-supported courses with real-time classes, and in self-paced courses with modules released weekly
Duration: A minimum of five French language courses of nine weeks each, and a final project
Cost: Approximately $2,800–$3,000
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What This Program Offers

This program helps you become more proficient in spoken and written French, and understand and appreciate Francophone cultures in a variety of countries.

Learn grammar, verb tenses and nuances of colloquial and formal French language. Understand how to use the correct protocols, practise conversation scenarios, and prepare and deliver speeches.

After you have completed the required courses, you have the opportunity to learn specialized French vocabulary related to your area of expertise or to an area of interest to you through a personalized final project.

Who is This Program For?

This program is designed for professionals and students who want to communicate in French fluently and comfortably in their specialization, and understand Francophone cultures for work, study or travel.

Before applying to this program, we recommend you have a basic command of spoken and written French. Conversation courses start at the lower intermediate level. Our reading and writing courses require that you have a lower intermediate level of French before you enrol. Read an overview of our conversational language course levels to understand what level you’re at, or contact us if you need guidance.

How We Deliver This Program

The UBC Certificate in French Language and Culture is a part-time program that consists of a minimum of four courses in French conversation, and at least one course in reading and writing.

Expected Effort

Expect to spend 2-3 hours on your course per week, including time spent in class sessions, and completing homework and course materials.

Outside of class time, you can access handouts and other materials online at your own pace and rhythm. You might be doing readings or watching videos to prepare for your next class, or practising with the material you have learned in your previous class.

Technology Requirements

You’ll need access to a laptop or desktop computer or tablet, an email account, and a reliable internet connection with an up-to-date web browser. For real-time classes, you’ll also need access to a video camera and microphone.

Program Courses

The curriculum consists of a minimum of five courses of nine weeks each, followed by a final project.

If you start at the lower intermediate level, you then take four intermediate/advanced level conversational or reading and writing courses.

If you start at an intermediate or advanced level, you can take intermediate and advanced courses up to four times, which will cover different topics and allow you extended conversational practice.

At least one course must be a reading and writing course, regardless of the level you start at.

You work on your final project over nine weeks, and then present and discuss it before a small committee.

If you’ve taken an eligible French course with UBC Extended Learning in the past year, you can ask to have it applied retroactively to the certificate. Note that only one French course can be applied retroactively.

View all French language courses.

Personalized Final Project

For the final project, you work one-on-one with an instructor for nine weeks. Under their guidance, you select a topic relevant to Francophone living, and write an essay of a minimum of 3,000 words. You also prepare an oral presentation about your essay that you present before a small committee of instructors. Every week, your instructor provides you feedback and support on your progress.

How Am I Assessed?

These are non-credit courses without letter or numerical grades. In conversational courses, you receive verbal feedback on your conversation and grammar skills from your instructor during class. Written homework is typically corrected in class. In self-paced writing courses, lessons may include auto-corrected quizzes, exercises for which you’ll receive written feedback and occasional forum posts from your instructor.

Meet Your Instructors

Instructors are native French speakers with experience working in French-speaking countries.

Milka Beck
Salim Dakhia
Claudia Faggioni
Mireille Hamel
Andrew Iverson
Marie-Gerald Jean
Marjan Mahmoudi
Ali Mohamed
Chantale Roy
Naima Teir

Program Costs

Each language course (including course materials) is $380−$555. The cost for the personalized final project is $610. A non-refundable application fee of $175 is due when you’re accepted into the program.

You can pay for one course at a time. The cost to complete the program is approximately $2,800–$3,000, and depends on how many courses you complete, and if you can take advantage of earlybird savings of $30 per course.

Course and application fees are in Canadian dollars and are subject to change. Fees may be paid by Visa®, Mastercard®, money order or certified cheque.

How to Apply

Admission Requirements

The admissions process helps to ensure that the needs, intentions and expectations of participants are adequately matched to the program's objectives and capabilities.

Follow These Steps to Apply:

Complete the following steps to submit your application:

Complete the online application form. You should include personal and/or career goals, interests and program expectations.
Once you have been accepted into the certificate program, pay the $175 non-refundable application fee online. You can now begin registering for courses.

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UBC Certificate Program

Who is This Program For?

Expected Effort

Technology Requirements

Personalized Final Project

How Am I Assessed?

Admission Requirements

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