2024-2025 Academic Year
Chair
Alexandra Tsedryk, BA, BEd (Minsk State University), MA (Western), PhD (Dalhousie), Associate Professor
Certificate of Proficiency in French
The program leading to the award of the Certificate of Proficiency in French is designed to provide university students who are not specializing in French with an opportunity to follow a co-ordinated program of French as a second language. All courses for the certificate are degree courses. Thus, students in a degree program which may include French courses can credit these courses both towards their degree and towards the Certificate of Proficiency in French. However, students are not required to enrol for a degree in order to follow the certificate program. To be accepted in the program, candidates must meet university entrance requirements.
Each student entering the certificate program must declare in writing their intention to pursue the certificate to the Department of Modern Languages.
❏ The certificate will be awarded upon completion of a comprehensive examination of the candidate in the skills of oral comprehension, oral expression, reading and writing.
❏ A grade inferior to C- on any one of those skills will mean that the certificate will not be awarded.
❏ In order to sit for the comprehensive examination, each candidate must have completed:
- 3.0 units of FREN, 2.0 units of which must be at the 2000 level or above
- obtain an average GPA of 2.7 for those FREN courses in order to be eligible to sit for the comprehensive examination
- a maximum of 1.0 unit may be transferred from another institution for credits towards the Certificate of Proficiency in French. Such a transfer is granted by the Registrar’s Office upon the recommendation of the Department of Modern Languages.
❏ The comprehensive examination for the certificate will be held annually during the April examination period. Application for this examination must be made before January 16 of the same year.
❏ Students must sit for the comprehensive examination within two years of completing the course requirements. Students who fail the comprehensive examination on their first attempt will be allowed to sit again the following year.
❏ The certificate will be awarded by the University through the Senate.
The program leading to the award of the Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in French is designed to provide university students who are not specializing in French with an opportunity to follow a co-ordinated program of French as a second language. All courses for the certificate are degree courses. Thus, students in a degree program which may include French courses can credit these courses both towards their degree and towards the Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in French. However, students are not required to enrol for a degree in order to follow the certificate program. To be accepted in the program, candidates must meet university entrance requirements and departmental requirements for admission to FREN 2214. Students who have not attained this standard must first take appropriate means to reach the required level.
Each student entering the certificate program must declare their intention in writing to pursue the certificate to the Department of Modern Languages.
❏ The certificate will be awarded upon completion of a comprehensive examination of the candidate in the skills of oral comprehension, oral expression, reading and writing.
❏ A grade inferior to C- on any of one of those skills will mean that the certificate will not be awarded.
In order to sit for the comprehensive examination, each candidate must have completed the following courses:
- FREN 2214, 2215, 3314, 3315, 3324 and 3325
- obtain a minimum GPA of 2.7 in each of these courses in order to be eligible to sit for the comprehensive examination
- A maximum of 1.0 unit, granted at the 2000 level, may be transferred from another program of French, within or outside Mount Saint Vincent University, for credits towards the Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in French. Such a transfer is granted by the Registrar’s Office upon the recommendation of the Department of Modern Languages.
❏ The comprehensive examination for the certificate will be held annually during the April examination period. Application for this examination must be made before January 16 of the same year.
❏ Students must sit for the comprehensive examination within two years of completing the course requirements. Students who fail the comprehensive examination on their first attempt will be allowed to sit again the following year.
❏ The certificate will be awarded by the University through the Senate.
The level of proficiency reached by the candidate will be recorded in each to the four language skills (oral comprehension, oral expression, reading and writing) as follows:
Level A: a GPA of 3.7 or above—Excellent
Level B: a GPA between 2.7 and 3.3—Good
Level C: a GPA between 1.7 and 2.3—Satisfactory
Students who achieve Level A proficiency in all four language skills will be awarded the Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in French with distinction.
The comprehensive examination can be credited only to the Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in French. It cannot be used to fulfill requirements for any other university course or program.
Academic Note: This web-based calendar information is applicable for the 2024-2025 academic year which runs from September 01, 2024 to August 31, 2025.
For information on previous years, please consult the University Academic Calendars web page.
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