A French degree from Transylvania University will help you master the language and give you a deeper understanding of French culture. And our location in Lexington, Kentucky, provides French majors with opportunities for practical application, with internships and community engagement projects widely available.
The balance between natural science and a humanities-based education is really important to me. It’s been essential to my mental stability as a student, and it’s forced me to think in different ways.
Raisa Tikhtman ’14
Speaking French increases career options in many fields—from business to medical research—and improves your prospects for admission to graduate programs in fields such as anthropology, philosophy, history and law. Kentucky’s top two trading partners are Francophone countries—Canada and France—and nearly 47 percent of Kentucky’s exports went to French-speaking countries.
Ranked in the top 1% nationwide for Most Focused—Romance Languages by College Factual
French students complement their study at Transy with many experiences abroad. Most recently students have studied in Madagascar, Nice, Paris, Nantes and Dijon and completed summer paid internships in Normandy.
French majors also recently conducted faculty-guided research projects in Vietnam, Senegal and Quebec. Many students of French also take advantage of Transylvania’s May term travel courses to French-speaking regions of the world, studying art in Paris, cycling in the south of France and completing a French immersion course in Montreal.
THE DOUGLAS AND MARILYN CARDWELL FRENCH SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Cardwell Scholarship is an endowed scholarship available for students to study in France or another country where French is the primary language. This scholarship is in addition to the approved use of other Transylvania awards, financial aid and loans. Current sophomores are eligible to apply after consulting with the directors of study abroad and Transylvania’s French program.
Where Our Graduates Have Worked
Affinion Group
AmeriCorps
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Leyhausen International Services
U.S. State Department
Internships Our Students Have Completed
Bayeux Tapestry Museum, France
Paleospace Museum, France
Caen Memorial Museum, France
William the Conqueror’s Castle, France
Youth Childhood Services, France
Automates Museum, France
Courses of Special Interest
Research grant to study colonialism and cuisine, Vietnam
Grant to research Viewing the Other, Senegal
French pedagogy research, Quebec
Research grant to study political discourse, Martinique
Community engagement with Kentucky Refugee Ministries
Packing French books for delivery to Africa, International Book Project
Where Our Graduates Have Studied
Emory University
Indiana University
New York University
Syracuse University
University of Chicago
Vanderbilt University
Possible Career Options
Teacher or professor
International business or banking professional
Translator or interpreter
Writer or editor
Diplomat
Semester Study Abroad Opportunities
Australia I
Fiji
France I
France II
Ireland
Morocco
New Zealand
Scotland
These GlobalTransy programs have at least two courses related to the major.
Interested in studying abroad for a summer? Take a look at our summer study abroad opportunities.
Contacts
Brian Arganbright, Professor of French
859-233-8782
Transylvania University
300 North Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508-1797