French Teaching

Policies

Admission to Major is granted by the department. Minimum University admission requirements are:

• a minimum of 32 earned semester credit hours.
• a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 (“C”).

Contact the department for application procedures.

GPA Policy. A grade of “C-” or better must be earned for major or minor credit.

P/N Grading Policy. Work done for a major or minor must be done for a letter grade beyond the second-year level. A grade of P must be earned for major or minor credit in all work done on a P/N basis.

Proficiency Policies. Students who wish to receive credit by examination may take tests to have their proficiency evaluated. Students may not take a proficiency test for a course in which they are enrolled. The department reserves the right to deny admission to courses for those students whom a faculty member determines to have mastered the material already. 

Fulfilling BA Language Requirement. Students who wish to validate the BA Language requirement for previous study in French, German, Spanish, Swedish or Norwegian may do so by taking a credit by exam (see above section). Students do not meet the BA language requirement merely because they have taken two years of high school language.

Residency Requirement. Transfer credits will be applied only if they are the equivalent of work offered by the Department of World Languages & Cultures for the major or minor in that language. In addition, a minimum of work must be taken at Minnesota State Mankato as follows: Major: a minimum of three upper division courses other than Independent or Individual Study, for a total of at least 8 credits. At least two of these courses must be at the 400 level. Minor: a minimum of two upper division courses other than Independent or Individual Study, for a total of at least six credits. 

Courses not required for a student’s specific baccalaureate degree should be chosen according to these general guidelines: 

• BA: Emphasis on literature in upper-division courses; students will most likely pursue their education beyond the baccalaureate level.
• BS: Emphasis on the ability to communicate in the language; presupposes knowledge of culture and civilization; students frequently have career goals in other disciplines for which a language is either required or recommended.
• BS French Education: Emphasis on communication (four skills plus culture and language analysis).