French units may be taken as part of a number of different degrees and awards. They can also be studied as part of a Diploma in Languages which is certain to enhance career projects in various areas, including Business Administration, Commerce, Economics, Law or Media. Before completion of a program, it is possible to transfer from the Diploma to a Bachelor's Degree. The Diploma in Languages is an undergraduate HECS award.

For those who have completed a major as part of a degree program, there is a possibility to specialize even further, by undertaking an Honours program, possibly followed by postgraduate research (MPhil or PhD).

Degrees

The most common undergraduate degrees are the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of International Studies, and various combined degrees with an Arts or an International Studies component. More information on degrees at MQ is available through the on-line Macquarie University Handbook.

Diploma in Languages

The Diploma in Languages (French) is a part-time program normally limited to a maximum of four years. Admission is open to applicants who:

• have a completed Bachelor Degree from an Australian university or
• have been offered a place within a Bachelor Degree from an Australian university or
• are currently enrolled in a Bachelor Degree from an Australian university.

Current Macquarie Non-Award students who have successfully completed 12 credit points in French with an overall GPA of 2.0 or more are also eligible to apply. The Diploma can be completed together with a degree or as a stand-alone program. The number of credit points required for the Diploma is 24. Transfers from a Diploma to a degree (without graduating with the Diploma) are possible once students have achieved 12 credit points under the Diploma, with a GPA of 2.0 or more. 

Units included in the Diploma are worth 3 credit points each and must be chosen from the list of units available on the French Units page. Entry is normally at the beginners' (122/123) or the post-HSC (226/227) level.

Diploma in Languages or DELF/DALF?

How does the Diploma compare to qualifications such as DELF and DALF? Are the course content and level similar?

The Diploma of Languages (French) is a single, but highly versatile qualification: candidates determine themselves what they want to count towards it. In comparison, there are four different DELF and two different DALF diplomas. Together, they correspond to each of the six levels of fluency defined in the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). More specifically, DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) exists for the four lower CEFRL levels A1/A2/B1/B2, and DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française) for the two higher CEFRL levels C1/C2. DELF and DALF are awarded by the French Ministry of Education subject to satisfactory results achieved at a language examination. To participate in the examinations leading up to DELF and DALF, fees are payable. The Diploma of Languages, on the other hand, is covered under the HECS scheme, which means that fees are not necessarily payable at the time of study.

Unlike DELF and DALF, which may be awarded even in the absence of any formal coursework undertaken prior to the examination, Macquarie's Diploma of Languages (French) is a coursework based qualification. Provided it includes FRN337 Advanced French II, it is equivalent to a French major within the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Diploma of Languages will get students who start at the introductory level (FRN122 Introductory French I) and who do core language work only as far up as FRN348 Advanced French III. Students who start at the intermediate level (FRN226 Intermediate French I) can add some electives. Our aim, in a French major including FRN348/349 Advanced French III/IV, is to get students to a level of fluency equivalent to C1/C2. Typically, Diploma students should achieve C1, but the highest achievers may make it to C2. This means that, as long as it includes FRN348, Macquarie's Diploma of Languages (French) goes beyond DELF and is more or less equivalent to DALF.

Further information on DELF and DALF is available on http://www.ciep.fr/en/delfdalf/.  

Is the Diploma offered by Macquarie University recognised overseas? 

Yes, like most if not all other qualifications offered by the university. However, some overseas employers may want to have the Macquarie Diploma assessed locally, to establish equivalence with an overseas qualification. On this front, DELF and DALF may score better than the Diploma. They are instantly recognised all over the world. In addition, holders of the DELF B2 and DALF diplomas who apply for admission into a full course or degree program at a French university are automatically exempted from language entrance examinations. Holders of the Macquarie Diploma, on the other hand, will need to have their Diploma assessed before they can be admitted into a full course or degree program at a French university. Alternatively, they may apply to sit a relevant DELF or DALF examination beforehand.

Macquarie students who wish to spend a single semester on exchange at a French university, as part of a Macquarie-based qualification, go through a separate approval process. They need not worry about gaining a Diploma before going on exchange.

Honours in French

An Honours program (part-time or full-time) is available for those students who have successfully completed a major in French as part of a Bachelor's program. It involves a teaching component consisting of 4 units, of which two are common to all Honours programs in European Languages, as well as a thesis. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3 at the third year level applies. More information is available on the department-wide Honours page.

Postgraduate Research Programs

Students who have successfully completed an Honours program in French may continue their studies part-time of full-time with an MPhil or a PhD program. More information is available on the university-wide Higher Degree Research Candidates page.