Academics

Courses at the Université de Nice

While in Nice, students will take the majority of their courses at the Centre Universitaire d'Enseignement en Français Langue Étrangère (C.U.E.F.L.E.), a department of the Université de Nice. The C.U.E.F.L.E. offers courses in French language, literature and civilization to foreign students.

Upon arrival, students enroll in a two-week intensive language course (or stage). The stage is designed to help students adjust to life in Nice, in addition to preparing students for the C.U.E.F.L.E. language placement exam.

Following completion of the stage, students take an oral and written placement exam to determine their level of French language proficiency. Based on placement exam results, students are placed into one of the following three levels:

• Premier degré (Intermediate)
• Deuxième degré (Advanced)
• Troisième degré (Superior)

Courses at the C.U.E.F.L.E. change every year. In 2006-2007, the following courses were offered:

Premier Degré (15 credits)

Deuxième Degré (15 credits)

Troisième Degré (15 credits)

Academic Year Students

Those students who opt to study in Nice for an academic year have the opportunity to improve their level in the second semester, provided they achieve at least a 10/20 on their first semester exams. Students starting the year in the 3ème degré have the opportunity to take a specific advanced track in the spring. This track includes 6 hours a week of language instruction and 6 hours of a chosen discipline. These students also have the option to take an additional three hours of any course of their choosing.

University of Maryland Courses

In addition to courses at the C.U.E.F.L.E., all Maryland-in-Nice students take a course with the Resident Director of the Maryland-in-Nice program. In the 2008-2009 academic year, the Resident Director will be Dr. Jacqueline Letzter, Associate Professor of French at the University of Maryland.

The Resident Director course is a three-hour, three-credit course focused on civilization and cross-cultural analysis. Students will receive credit for FREN399 upon completion of the course. Year students take the Resident Director's course in the fall semester only.

Transfer Credit

At the end of the semester, all students will receive two transcripts: one from the C.U.E.F.L.E. and one from the University of Maryland. In order to transfer credit for a course taken at the C.U.E.F.L.E., students must achieve at least an 8/20. French majors at UM may be required to obtain a higher score in order to count Maryland-in-Nice courses towards the UM French major.

It is the responsibility of all non-UM students to obtain academic approval from an advisor at their home institution.

Please note: The University of Maryland is unable to guarantee that students will be placed in a particular level at the C.U.E.F.L.E. Therefore, if a non-UM student needs a higher placement in order to get any credit for the Nice program, the student is not advised to pursue the program, as a lower placement cannot be rectified within country. Please contact the Program Coordinator with any questions.