French is the language of culture.

Access great works of literature, film, painting, architecture, fashion, and the culinary arts by studying one of the richest cultures in the world. Discover passionate political history and thriving intellectual traditions. Learn about contemporary pop culture, comics, television, and new music being created now in French-speaking countries all over the world. Demand is growing all for French throughout the world.

French is your global passport for the future.

French is the sixth most spoken language in the world, the official language of 29 countries, and the most studied foreign language after English. Forbes reports that French will be the "most-spoken language in the world" by 2050. Speaking French can lead to a successful career.

French is a great career move

French is a major language for international business, finance, diplomacy, travel, humanitarian work, and many other fields. According to an ABC news report, French is the second most useful language in the world for business. It has the sixth-largest economy in the world. Learning a second-language can help you get a job. It’s also a major research language and an excellent addition to pre-medical studies, psychology, education, law, international relations, international business, and political science. 

French makes you smarter

Learning a second language has a profound effect on your brain. Bilingualism increases neural pathways and slows the ageing process while boosting cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities. Studying French at Miami means more than just learning the language. Through interpreting cultural artifacts, analyzing literature, and negotiating cultural differences, you develop creativity, interpersonal effectiveness, and an ability to handle open-ended problems, highly desirable skills for professional positions with high-level responsibilities. Read more about how bilingualism slows the aging process and how it makes you smarter.  

Develop your creativity by studying French abroad

Learning French abroad allows you to immerse yourself in programs that are different from anything designed for non-speakers. They offer an in-depth experience and unique challenges that set you apart to people abroad and at home. Psychologists have shown that living abroad makes you more creative.

French is meaningful

There is a French saying – you don’t live to work, you work to live.  In French culture, knowledge and pleasure are intimately related. Studying French connects you to the world around you, to other countries, other people, other viewpoints. It equips you to face the great challenges of our time with greater perspective. It also connects you to over a thousand years of human experience – the big picture and the larger community. See what France has to say about the importance of learning French.

For students who like to read, write, and engage with diverse intercultural perspectives, we offer a French major (33 credit hours) and minor (18 credit hours). Our French honors track and combined BA/MA degrees provide high-ability students with the option to choose to add an extra challenge to their degree and conduct independent research in the literature, arts, and cultures of the French-speaking world. We offer two faculty-led study abroad programs in Paris (winter term) and in Dijon (summer term) that allow students to earn credit toward the major and the minor while in France.

Through our weekly French Table and the student-run French club, students can practice their French outside of the classroom and join with a community of learners who share a passion for French Studies.

For more information about the major or the minor, please contact Dr. Mark McKinney, Program Director of French.