French Language Courses

Eligibility Criteria : -
shortlist

What are French language courses?

Indian companies have garnered high praise and attention from the international markets and this necessitates employees who know foreign languages such as French. Also, there is a growing need amongst Indian students to learn French because of the huge career prospects that it offers. French language courses are being offered by many institutes and colleges in India to help students and business professionals learn the language and boost their credibility.

French learning courses offered in India broaden the scope of corporate careers and open up other career opportunities at the same time. From grade 4 to the Advanced Diploma and degree in French, educational institutions and universities in India provide an all-round approach to learning a new language.

French language courses in India are conducted at different levels, including:

  • School level: Several schools in India provide French classes to students in grades 9 and 10 or earlier, which is tested according to guidelines prescribed by the Senior Secondary Examination.
  • College level: Colleges and institutes provide French language courses for beginners or students with a previous knowledge of the language.

Read on to learn more about French language courses in India.

 

Skill Sets Required:

The skill sets required to take on French learning courses are as follows:

  • Interest in French and its literature.
  • Minimal knowledge of French grammar to understand the courses better.

The skill sets required to take on French language courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are as follows:

  • Eagerness to learn the language and its literature.
  • Moderate to good knowledge of French grammar to understand the language better.
  • Efficient listening skills or aural comprehension skills.
  • Fluency and accuracy in communication, diction, and dialect.
  • Good reading skills so that you can read the language in a more focused and selective manner
  • Ability to comprehend and understand passages and essays well.
  • Good writing skills in writing essays, formal and informal letters and email, reports, assignments and summaries.

 

Job Prospects at Certificate/Diploma Level:

Type or Level of French Learning course:

Job prospects:

Diploma in French

1. French writer and columnist

2. French Editor for social media and websites

3. Operations Analyst

4. French Language Specialist

5. Translator

Advanced Diploma in French

1. French Linguistic tester

2. Country Manager – French

3. Brand Manager – French

4. Secretarial, Executive and Public Relation Assignments Jobs

5. Translation and Interpretation Jobs

6. Credit Analyst – French Bilingual (Risk Management)

7. Documentation Specialist

Certificate in French

1. French writer and editor

2. French language analyst

3. Catalogue Specialist

4. Operations Analyst

 

A few important benefits of French learning courses are as follows:

  • Jobs as translators give the candidate opportunities to be employed by big industries, research organisations, government agencies, embassies, and publishing houses.
  • Jobs as language specialists in French open doors in fields of tourism, travel sector, hospitality industry, export agencies, fairs and exhibitions, radio stations, trade organisations and airlines offices.
  • Jobs as operations analysts and credit analysts with French certification or diploma helps in getting jobs in MNCs within India and abroad.

 

Job Prospects at Undergraduate Level:

Course

Job Prospects

BA (French)

1. Teacher for High school/Secondary school – French

2. French Linguistic Tester

3. Credit Analyst (Risk management) – French bilingual

4. Translator

5. Documentation Specialist

BA Honours (French)

1. Part-time French Instructor

2. French Medical Interpreter

3. Technical Support Agent

4. French tutor or teacher

5. French fluent representative for customer services

6. French Annotator 

7. Support Analyst Bi Lingual

8. Country Manager – French

9. French Bilingual Automotive Mechanic and Parts Expert

 

Job Prospects at Postgraduate Level:

 

Course

Job Prospects

MA (French)

1. Teacher for High school/Secondary school – French.

2. French Linguistic Tester

3. Publishing houses

4. Credit Analyst (Risk management) – French bilingual

5. International organizations

6. Interpretation and Translation

7. Documentation Specialist

8. Tourism

9. Entertainment

10. Public relations and mass communication

11. Diplomatic service

 

 

Related Exam

Admission Procedure & Exams

At the Certificate/Diploma Level

Eligibility Criteria:

Type of French language course:

Eligibility criteria to be met

French Certificate courses

Grade 10 + 2

French Diploma courses

Certificate in French language required

French Advanced Diploma courses

Diploma in French language required

 

Admission Process:

Unlike other courses, French language courses provided by universities and institutions have relatively basic admission processes. The admission process for diploma and certificate levels is given in the table below:

Type of French language course:

Admission process:

French Certificate courses

On the basis of marks secured in the 12th grade. some universities may have their own entrance tests.

French Diploma courses

On the basis of marks secured in French certificate courses. Some conduct entrance tests.

French Advanced Diploma courses

On the basis of marks secured in French diploma courses or entrance tests scores may also be considered.

 

Some colleges/institutions which offer French language courses are:

  • Alliance Française:

Alliance Française provides French learning courses with two French certifications; The DELF (diplôme d’études en langue française) and the DALF (diplôme approfondi de langue française), which are diploma programs issued by the French Ministry of Education.

It also offers another French Certification called TCF (Test de Connaissance du français), which is a standardised test conducted by the guidelines of Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) and Council of Europe.

  • Kurukshetra University (Haryana), Punjab University and Banasthali Vidyapeeth offer Certificate in French.
  • Jamia Millia Islamia, Maharshi Dayanand University, Punjab University and The University of Delhi provides Diploma in French.
  • Karnatak University (Dharwad), Kurukshetra University, Jamia Millia Islamia, University of Mumbai, Punjab University, and University of Delhi provide Advanced Diploma in French.
  • Full-time French learning courses: Some of the colleges in India that offer French courses are Integral College, Lucknow and Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Although, there are places which offer distance learning option.
  • Part-time French learning courses: These are the Certificate of Proficiency in French courses, which are offered by universities like Gujarat University, Ahmedabad and Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.
  • Distance learning and online: These courses are provided by universities such as Amity Directorate of Distance and Online Education, Noida and Quantum HR Solutions, Gurgaon.

 

Delivery, Duration and Fee

Type of French language course

Delivery

Duration of course

Fee structure (INR)

French Certificate Courses

Full-time

1 year

Depends highly on the university but generally ranges from 6,000 to 30,000 on an average

French Diploma

Full-time

3 years

 

Depends highly on the university but generally ranges from 10,000 to 42,000 on an average

Diploma of Proficiency

Full-time

1 year

Depends highly on the university but generally ranges from 10,000 to 42,000 on an average

Advanced Diploma in French

Full-time

3 years

Varies (depends on the university)

 

At the Undergraduate Level

Eligibility Criteria:

Course

Eligibility Criteria

BA (French)

Grade 12 passed

 

Admission Process:

Course

Admission Process

BA (French)

It varies from university to university. While most of the universities and colleges admit students to French language courses based on their marks scored in grade 12, some colleges also conduct entrance tests.

 

Below mentioned are universities and institutions in India that offer undergraduate French language courses, including BA Honors (French):

Duration, Delivery Type and Fee Structure:

The duration and fees for the below mentioned undergraduate French language courses may differ from university to university but this is a general idea.

Course

Delivery Type

Duration

Fee Structure (INR)

BA (French)

BA Honors (French)

Full-time

Full-time

2 years

3 years

 

Depends highly on the university but generally ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 on an average

 

At the Postgraduate Level

Eligibility Criteria:

Course

Eligibility Criteria

MA (French)

Grade 12
+
Graduates with French as Major/Optional/ Main/Special subject
Or
BA or BSc or BCom graduates with French as second language with 55 percent marks in the language concerned in the undergraduate level degree course
Or
Graduates with Diploma Superior of Alliance Franchise
Or
Advanced or Higher Diploma of any recognised University or Institute

 

Admission Process:

Course

Admission Process

MA (French)

Admissions are generally done through an online application form. Some of the universities also organise an entrance test for the selection of candidates.

 

Below mentioned are universities and institutions in India that offer postgraduate French language courses, including MA in French:

Duration, Delivery Ty pe and Fee Structure:

Course

Delivery Type

Duration

Fee Structure (INR)

MA (French)

 

Full-time

2 years

 

Depends highly on the university but generally ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 on an average.

 

Specializations

Specialisations at UG Level

Following are the areas of specialisation offered to students pursuing undergraduate French language courses:

French Linguistics:

Linguistics is studying and learning about the way different types of building blocks are combined to make up a language. Specialisation in French linguistics includes training in French and Romance linguistics and focus on cultures, literature and languages of France and the francophone world. Branches of linguistics include phonetics (study of the sounds of speech), phonology (study of how sounds are organized and used in French), morphology (study of words, and their formation and relationship to other words), syntax (study of how phrases, clauses and sentences are constructed and combined in French), semantics (study of meaning), sociolinguistics (study of society and language) and historical linguistics (study of how the French language has changed over time).

Film studies:

This area of specialisation helps students explore the history, theory and criticism of films and television with the focus on novel forms of interactive media. As far as the French language is concerned, specialisation in film studies will concentrate on exploring, analysing and understanding a selection of French films so that students can develop analytical skills in artistic representations and cultural issues.

History:

Specialisation in French civilisation will help students develop the skills required for the analysis and interpretation of a wide range of cultural artefacts in a historical and contextual perspective.

Media studies:

This area of specialisation under French language courses will help students learn theoretical and practical aspects of the media world. Specialisation in French media studies will cover design, film, audio and multimedia knowledge.

Literature:

Literature under French language courses is a common specialisation that will involve in-depth study of a number of literary texts written in the language. It focuses on imparting knowledge of key cultural, social and political issues relating to the countries where French is spoken.

Specialisations at PG Level

Students pursuing postgraduate French language courses can choose from a variety of options for specialising in a particular area. Though the options remain the same as offered at the undergraduate level, students enrolled in postgraduate degree will be exposed to in-depth knowledge of the field they choose to dedicate themselves to. It will involve extensive study of French linguistics, film studies, history, media studies and literature.