Study Abroad in France
Supported and inspired by a strong and diverse French language faculty and rich course offerings in French, undergraduates choose programs based on particular academic interests and linguistic strengths.
In general, students planning to study in France should have studied French at Tulane and completed coursework with French content in preparation for a semester or year in France.
Newcomb-Tulane Junior Year Abroad in Lyon I & II
Nestled in the Rhône-Alps region of southeastern France, Lyon is the nation’s second-largest city. With a population exceeding one million and in close proximity to Switzerland and Italy, Lyon holds the status of a major European cultural, research, and trade center. Founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, Lyon is known for being the center of the silk industry during the Renaissance and of the French Resistance in World War II.
Tulane’s relationship with Université Claude Bernard (Lyon I) and Université Louis Lumière (Lyon II) provides advanced French-language students with an opportunity to enroll in a full range of courses in another cosmopolitan French city. Students will enroll at one of two universities. Science majors will take courses as Université Claude Bernard (Lyon I), while Liberal Arts majors will enroll at Université Louis Lumière (Lyon II).
Courses will be in French, as participants in this program take classes with regular French university students.
Program Dates
Academic Year (August to June) or Fall Semester (August to December).
Fields of Study
Full range of university offerings including Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering.
Eligibility & Application
3.0 cumulative GPA and 3.5 GPA in French; for year-long students, completion of two semesters of French at Tulane, including FREN 315 and either FREN 321 or 325 prior to the semester of departure; for spring semester students, completion of three semesters of French at Tulane, with a B or above, including FREN 315, 321, and 325 prior to the semester of departure. The application process includes a language interview with the French department faculty.
Students should submit both the Tulane application and the Lyon Exchange application to the OSA by the appropriate deadlines. The Lyon Exchange application is available from the Office of Study Abroad. Students should contact the study abroad advisor for an application packet.
Academic Program
After arriving in Lyon at the beginning of September, students stay in the city while attending a three-week long stage, an intensive orientation and language course, at the Centre International d’études françaises (CIEF) in Dijon, France. The stage involves 14 hours of language classes per week plus four to six hours per week of presentations, discussions and activities designed to help you integrate into life in Lyon and on a French university campus. The goal of the language courses is to provide preparation for immersion in French university courses.
Tulane awards 500-level credit for coursework completed, including three credits for the orientation program.
Living Arrangements
To locate housing, Tulane students are assisted by the International Office at their university in Lyon. Students generally choose to live in Résidences Universitaires or find independent housing. Students pay room and board fees on site.
Web links
http://www.univ-lyon1.fr/ (Science)
http://www.univ-lyon2.fr/ (Liberal Arts)
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Newcomb-Tulane Junior Year Abroad (JYA) Paris at EDUCO
(click here for the JYA Paris Web Site)
The French capital of Paris is a major world metropolis. The Seine River traverses the city; its waterways, quays, and bridges are major thoroughfares to the city’s most famous monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. Known for its cafés (one for every 200 inhabitants); parks (Bois de Boulougne, Jardin de Luxembourg, Bois de Vincennes), street life and markets; Paris is a center for culture, art, fashion, gastronomy, and intellectual life.
 Tulane's Junior Year Abroad in Paris program was established in 1955. Since that time, advanced French language students have traveled to Paris to experience the cultural diversity and vibrant nature of the French capital. While much has changed in Paris in the intervening half-century, it remains an intoxicating intellectual center.
Program Dates: Academic Year (early August to mid June)
Fields of Study: Full range of university offerings including Liberal Arts, Social Science. Qualified architecture students may be accommodated (see ESA Paris program description).
Eligibility & Application
3.0 GPA; Completion of two semesters of French at Tulane, including FREN 315 and FREN 321 or 325, with a grade of B or better during the year before departure. Students who have only completed FREN 315 in the semester prior to study abroad should expect to take an additional grammar course during the first semester abroad.
Students must submit the Tulane application by the stated application deadline. There is no additional EDUCO application, however a placement exam will be administered at Tulane prior to departure.
Academic Program
All students take a minimum of four courses per semester, though additional courses are allowed by Tulane. All courses are taught in French. Students select one or two courses at maximum from the EDUCO course offerings; the remaining courses are selected from the course offerings of our university partners described below. Courses are selected at the time of application; registration is finalized on site in Paris.
The year begins with a two-week orientation program. The orientation program includes an intensive language review, as well as special activities, lectures, cultural events, and local excursions to familiarize students with Paris. The orientation program is mandatory but does not earn academic credit.
Tulane awards credit at the 500-level for coursework completed on this program.
Living Arrangements
The EDUCO program offers three types of student housing: French households, student apartments, and student foyers. By and large, the most popular option, and the one most encouraged for students wanting to gain fluency in the French language and culture, is living in a French household. Students will rank their preference for housing type at the time of application to the program, but should be aware that spaces for each are limited. Housing type cannot be guaranteed. With little exception, Tulane students are not permitted to live in the apartments or with other Tulane students.
Please the JYA Paris site for further details.
Faculty liaison
Prof. Beth Poe, Department of French & Italian
Web links
Newcomb-Tulane JYA Paris Web Site
EDUCO: http://educo.nexenservices.com/
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Architecture JYA in Paris at École Spéciale d'Architecture
In France, the average mec et nana (slang for guy and girl) work a 35-hour week. This doesn't apply to architecture students. Students usually work through the night; one finds company in the studios. However, when it comes to building studies, it is constant source of wonder that the famous piece of architecture in one's book is right across, a metro ride away. In this city with the most famous road axes and architecture that influenced the rest of the world, learning has never been boring. Within buildings, the smallest lifts and creaking deformed staircases will astound you. Back to the school, the buildings – overshadowed by la Fondation Cartier across le Boulévard Raspail – may be small, but complete in their own way. Computer and internet facilities, a small architectural library, a café where students gather and an interesting school building create intimacy. Security is rather tight, with walls that cause scaling problems, and digital codes are the key to heavy steel doors in the evenings and weekends. Studios are double-locked, and key control is practiced. Students are safe in the knowledge that they are in the good hands of their French professors, who are very competent in their respective fields.
Located in the central Parisian area of Montparnasse, the École Spéciale d'Architecture is the only private school in Paris. When first founded in 1865, ESA created specific courses oriented towards the needs of the evolving society. The technical orientation of these courses is still developed today. The courses at ESA integrate workshops, lectures and practical exercises. Each semester, a specific area of thought is explored by the entire school. The overall theme federates the teaching as a whole and sheds a particular light on all work done during the semester. Prior themes have included: form, space, landscape, scale, light, townscape, time and matter.
Thanks to its independent status, ESA has the flexibility to adapt to the latest needs of the professional world. ESA seeks to bring together a high-level teaching team; to introduce the most advanced technology into its teaching, and to attract the most prestigious architects from France and abroad to the school. The stability and continuity of the students' studies is ensured by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and researchers. In addition, architectural celebrities are invited as "visiting professors", to run one of the studios for a period of one or two semesters. Analysis and testing the very latest trends in architecture in this way is central to the school's teaching. Similarly, once a semester, a prominent figure on the international architectural scene is invited to run a one-week workshop at ESA. More information can be obtained at www.esa-paris.fr.
Program Dates: Academic Year only (late August to late June); exact dates provided closer to program start.
Fields of Study: French language, Students may take any of the courses that ESA offers. The subject areas of strength are: History/Social Science, Plastic Arts/Photography, Building Techniques, and Architectural Environment. Please visit the school's website for a complete course listing: www.esa-paris.fr
Eligibility: 3.0 GPA; Completion of two semesters of French at Tulane, including FREN 315 and FREN 321 or 325, with a grade of B or better during the year before departure. Approval from the School of Architecture.
Academic Program: Architecture students in Paris are assisted in by the Tulane Resident Director. After arriving in Paris, students enroll in a four-week orientation and language program. This program, run by the Centre International des Etúdes Françaises, consists of classes designed to improve linguistic and cultural proficiency, as well as field trips to complement different aspects of the classes. Students receive 3 credits for this course.
In Paris, students choose register for courses at the ESA. Students may also enroll in Tulane courses offered at Reid Hall for JYA participants. Students are encouraged to continue with a French grammar course to complement their architecture studies at ESA.
Living Arrangements: Housing arrangements in Paris are made by the Resident Director, and include the international student residence in Paris (La Fondation des Etats-unis at the Cité International) or homestays. Requests are accommodated based on availability. Students are billed room and board through Tulane along with regular tuition.
Faculty liaison: Dr. Richard Watts, Department of French & Italian
Web links
www.esa-paris.fr/
EDUCO: http://educo.nexenservices.com/
JYA Paris Web site
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