Academics

Academic Program

The Poitiers program is ideal for students in a variety of majors who have sufficient French background and are hoping to experience cultural immersion in the French context.

The yearlong Poitiers exchange program is a unique opportunity for students to improve their French proficiency and expand their academic training in general-education, major and minor courses within a French university.  The language of instruction is French.

There are two types of year-long study in Poitiers.   Most Oregon students in Poitiers make use of the language institute courses at the Centre de Français Langue Étrangère (CFLE), which offers intensive training in French language skills at all levels.  Students whose French skills are sufficient may select from direct enrollment courses in a variety of fields in the humanities, social and natural sciences, and business management.  Most students who arrive in Poitiers with three years of college-level French completed are ready for direct enrollment from the first semester, whereas students who arrive with only second-year college French completed usually start mainly with CFLE courses and transition into more direct enrollment courses in the second semester.

Some of the unique academic programs at Poitiers include: a renowned center for medieval studies (in an excellent setting for the topic!), the program in "Spectacular Arts" (theater arts and film), and the Institute of Technology, which blends scientific studies with technological training and innovation.  In addition, students majoring or minoring in the fine arts or music may sometimes be placed into one or two courses per semester in the School of Fine Arts Poitiers (separate from the university), on a case-by-case basis.  Studio art and music courses cannot be guaranteed until a French professor accepts the student after arrival in Poitiers, usually based on examination of a small work sample.

The semester Poitiers exchange program is a unique opportunity for students with advanced background in French language to continue to improve their French proficiency while taking regular university courses, in a variety of fields, that focus on French life and culture. The language of instruction is French. The semester program can be paired nicely with an internship semester in or around Poitiers (see below).

The academic program begins each fall with a stage, an intensive cultural and linguistic orientation course for which students receive UO credits.  During the stage, students complete a language skills evaluation that determines CFLE placement levels and/or confirms that students are ready for direct enrollment in general university courses taught in French.  All stage, CFLE and direct-enrollment courses are taught by University of Poitiers faculty members, but only international students (from outside France) participate in the stage and CFLE courses.

Poitiers Internships
The Poitiers site, in a special partnership with the IE₃ Global Internships program, offers students the additional option of a full-time, credit-bearing internship.  The custom-tailored internship placements can be located for students in almost any major and in most professions; the Poitiers Site Director assists students in scouting potential internship providers in Poitiers and the immediate surrounds.  Internships may be completed as an add-on in the summer term following the year in Poitiers, or in place of the second semester of academic courses.  Poitiers has been a particularly successful internship site, with recent interns working in theater, archaeology, tourism, business, and other fields.

Students interested in combining academic study and an internship in Poitiers should apply for both options on their OUS program application.

Registration and Credits

Students participating in this program will be registered at the University of Oregon and will receive UO credits for courses taken at Poitiers.  The student’s course work will be reviewed and evaluated by appropriate academic departments at the UO.  Students must keep detailed records of course outlines, reading lists, exam results, and other work completed to facilitate accurate evaluation by the academic departments at the UO.

Students are responsible for making sure that the courses they plan to take in Poitiers will meet major and minor requirements.  Students are advised to consult with their academic advisor about their plans to study in the Poitiers program.

Special Note
Students majoring in French or Romance Languages should observe that at least three of the upper-division literature courses (numbered above 319) must be taken on the Eugene campus.

Course Equivalencies

Only those courses that have been taken by UO students in the last seven years are listed on the equivalency sheet.  Courses that do not appear on this sheet will need to be approved for UO credit.

Poitiers CFLE Equivalencies
Poitiers Equivalencies

Poitiers Credit Chart

Host University Website

For general information on the University of Poitiers:  http://www5.univ-poitiers.fr/

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