Montreal offers a unique situation: in the workplace, two languages often coexist on a daily basis. For that reason, fluency in French has become an absolute necessity for furthering one's professional career. Many employers now require that their employees be able to carry out a wide range of work-related tasks and to deal with complex social and professional situations in French. Our new credit program, the McGill Certificate of Proficiency—French for Professional Communication is the answer to this new reality.
- Who is the Program for?
- Program Objectives
- Approaches (Methodology) and Content
- Course Organization
- Program Structure
Who is the Program for?
While the program is oriented toward professional needs, it is open to all. It is available to any person who wishes to acquire substantial training in French as a second or foreign language within a structured, dynamic, and stimulating educational framework, where student performance is fairly and objectively evaluated. The program is especially well-designed for people who need French in their professional life and/or for those who hope to use French as an important tool or catalyst for their careers. This part-time program is compatible with a full-time work schedule.
Program Objectives
The courses allow students to achieve specific linguistic and communicative objectives in order for them to acquire relevant skills and function efficiently in a French-speaking work environment.
At the certificate level, with confidence and autonomy, the student is able to:
Interact with native speakers in a variety of fields or topics and address an audience;
Produce a wide range of texts with a high degree of linguistic accuracy;
Read a variety of general and semi-specialized texts, without major difficulties;
Follow different types of oral communication, such as discussions, presentations, conferences, and lectures.
Approaches (Methodology) and Content
The program integrates several tried and tested pedagogical methodologies and uses the most recent techniques in the field of teaching French as a second language. Identifying student needs, along with practicing the language in simulations and real-life situations, is the core of this approach. Themes and content are chosen based on student interest, pedagogical effectiveness, and relevance to current professional situations. The program encourages student autonomy by offering a wide range of subjects, resources, and online virtual projects.
Course Organization
With the exception of the Preparatory Non-Credit Module for the beginner and elementary levels, each level is comprised of two courses which the student must pass in order to be promoted to the next level.
Intermediate-Level Courses
In each intermediate level, one course focuses mainly on linguistic skills and the other is more oriented towards communicative competence. Nevertheless, the intermediate levels are not divided in the traditional manner of one course exclusively devoted to writing and the other to speaking, as the table below illustrates.
| Linguistic Courses | Communicative Courses |
| Written (and oral) grammar | Oral (and written) grammar |
| Vocabulary | Vocabulary |
| Written expression + | Written expression - |
| Oral expression - | Oral expression + |
| Written comprehension (reading) | Oral comprehension and phonetics |
Advanced-Level Courses
In the advanced-level courses, the oral and written components are more clearly divided, as shown below:
| Written Expression | Oral Expression |
| Grammar and written structures | Grammar and oral structures |
| Vocabulary | Vocabulary |
| Techniques and strategies in written communication | Techniques and strategies in oral communication |
| Style and formatting | Listening strategies for comprehension |
| Planning and organization | Registers |
| Types of writing (letters, summaries, commentaries, articles, reports, etc.) | Professional communication (meetings, interviews, presentations, etc.) |
Program Structure
Preparatory Non Credit Module—Beginner and Elementary
60 hours per course (48 in class/12 online)
Classes per week: twice on weekdays or once on Saturdays
- CFRN 102: Basic French
- CFRN 104: Elementary French 1
- CFRN 106: Elementary French 2
McGill Certificate of Proficiency Module
McGill Certificate of Proficiency—French for Professional Communication: Successful completion is based on certain conditions.
Thirty (30) credits in ten (10) courses across five (5) levels of proficiency
3 credit per course*
39 hours per course
Fall and Winter: One class per week
Spring: Two classes per week
*Students in an undergraduate or graduate program should verify with their faculty whether credits attached to Continuing Studies courses are acceptable towards their degree.
- Intermediate Low
-
- CEFN 211: Functional Grammar/Writing 1
- CEFN 212: Communication Practice 1
- Intermediate Mid
-
- CEFN 221: Functional Grammar/Writing 2
- CEFN 222: Communication Practice 2
- Intermediate High
-
- CEFN 331: Functional Grammar/Writing 3
- CEFN 332: Communication Practice 3
- Advanced 1
-
- CEFN 411: Grammar/Writing Techniques
- CEFN 412: Oral Communication Techniques
- Advanced 2
-
- CEFN 421: Written Communication Contexts
- CEFN 422: Oral Communication Contexts
Complementary Credit Courses - Advanced Module
- CEFN 401: French Vocabulary in Context
- CEFN 402: Persuasive French in Communication
