Maryland-in-Nice Academic Overview
Academic Program
The Maryland-in-Nice academic program is designed to promote cultural and linguistic immersion. Offered by the Department of French and Italian and in partnership with Centre Universitaire d' Etudes en Français Langue Étrangère (C.U.E.F.L.E.), a department of the Université Côte d’Azur, it is a hybrid program. This means that some of your credit is conferred by the University of Maryland, while some is transferred directly from the Université Côte d’Azur.Students working towards the French minor can complete (12 of the 18 credits toward the minor. A maximum of 9 transfer credits can be applied to the minor from courses taken. Students working towards the French major typically complete half of the required major credits (18 out of 36 credit hours) in one semester
Students studying for a semester on the program will enroll in 18 credits comprised of the following courses:
| UMD Resident Credit Courses | Credits |
| FREN399A or FREN499X: Directed Study in French | 3 |
| CUEFFLE Transfer Credit Courses | |
| French Language (language level determined by placement) | 9 |
| French Civilization (Savoir culturels) | 3 |
| French elective (Savoirs disciplinaires) | 3 |
Full year students will take 18 credits in the fall semester and 15 in the spring. The spring course load is reduced because they do not take the Directed Study in French course with the Resident Director during their second semester abroad.
Course Descriptions
FREN399A or FREN499X: Directed Study in French is a living and learning course that takes advantage of the unique cultural and linguistic resources offered to Maryland-in-Nice students. Visits to museums and sites, theater plays, current films and news, trips to other regions of France provide the basis for discussions and assignments selected by the instructor. This course is designed to allow students to take full advantage of their discovery and understanding of French culture and history, while strengthening their oral comprehension, reading, writing, and speaking skills. Separate assignments and additional coursework will be given to students in the 499 section.Note: Enrollment in FREN399A or FREN499X will be based upon results from the placement exam. When class size exceeds capacity, FREN399A will be taught by an adjunct faculty resident in Nice. Full year students enroll in this course in the fall semester only.
CUEFLE Courses: A couple of months before arriving in Nice, the CUEFLE assigns students a preliminary placement exam which assigns a language level. During the first week of the semester, students take a second placement test which formally confirms their language placement or moves them to another level. The results of the second exam will place students in one of three levels of coursework:
- Premier degré (1er degré) Intermediate A2-B1*
- Deuxième degré (2ème degré) Advanced B2
- Troisième degré (3ème degré) Superior C1-C2**
*Students who test into A2/B1 also enroll in ateliers, which are designed to supplement students' language studies in the Premier Degre. The University of Maryland does not accept the ateliers for academic credit.
**In order to place into the 3ème degré, a student must perform very well on the placement exam, demonstrating a very strong command of both written and oral French. The 3ème degré closely resembles the French university system. Most classes are based on lecture, rather than discussion. Students who place into the second track within the 3eme degree (C2) have the opportunity to take classes at the Faculté de Lettres at the Université Côte d’Azur.
Premier degré A2, B1 (equivalent to 200 or 300-level FREN courses at UMD)*
| Course Type | Credit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| French Language | 9 | 6 hours written instruction and 3 hours oral comprehension and workshops. You will choose two courses on French civilization and culture. Examples include "Tourisme" and "Litterature francaise". |
Deuxième degré B2 (equivalent to 400-level FREN courses at UMD)
| Course | Credit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| French language | 9 | 8 hours of writing, grammar, and conversation |
| French Civilization (Savoir culturels) |
3 | Choose two topics:
|
| Elective course (Savoirs disciplinaires) |
3 | Choose one:
|
Troisième degree C1 - C2 (equivalent to 400-level FREN courses at UMD)*
| Course | Credit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| French language | 9 | 2 hours writing, 2 hours grammar, 2 hours conversation |
| French Civilization (Savoir culturels) |
3 | Choose two topics:
|
| Elective course (Savoirs disciplinaires) |
3 | Students in the C1 level will choose between one of the following electives:
|
Students
Sequence of semesters for Year Students: Students studying at the CUEFLE for the full year may have the opportunity to improve their placement level for the second semester. Students who pass the final exam for the 1er degré will move to the 2ème degré for the second semester. Similarly, those who pass the final exam for the 2ème degré will move into the 3ème degré.
NOTE: Per university policy, UMD credit will only be granted for language courses taken at or above the level of French already received at UMD. Credit will not be awarded for repeated courses or courses at a level lower than that already received at UMD (e.g. a student who has received credit for FREN301 may not earn credit for any 200-level equivalent course at the Université Côte d’Azur). Students who test into A1-B1 can only apply 12 credits towards their French major/minor. Placement in specific levels cannot be guaranteed by UMD. For additional information on this policy, please refer to the UMD Academic Catalog.
Credit & Grading
Credit
The Maryland-in-Nice program is a hybrid credit program. This means that upon completion of the program, students will receive two types of credit: resident credit (RC) and transfer credit (TC).Resident Credit: Courses refer to the UMD courses (FREN399A/499X) that will show up on the UMD registration and for which you will receive a grade that is factored into your UMD cumulative GPA. Non-UMD students will receive a transcript from the University of Maryland for these courses.
Transfer Credit: Courses taken at the Université Côte d’Azur will be considered for transfer credit. Equivalents for transfer credits and applicability to degree will be determined by your academic advisor. Non-UMD students will receive a Université Côte d’Azur transcript for these courses While the grades for transfer credit courses are not factored into your cumulative GPA, the following conditions apply to all transfer credits:
(1) You may NOT take courses on a Pass/Fail basis.
(2) You must receive the equivalent of a C or better (8/20 or above) in a given subject in order for the course credit to transfer to UMD. Please refer to the grading scale below.
(3) According to the French Department, French majors and minors must earn a 10/20 in order to fulfill requirements for their French degrees.
At the end of the semester, CUEFLE will provide transcripts to Education Abroad for evaluation. The French Department will post any resident credit grades and EA will evaluate the transfer credit course for credit. Please note that these are typically available no earlier than 1-2 months after the end of the program.
Grading
The French grading system is on a numeric scale of 0 through 20. In the French system, the only grades that count are those given for grading opportunities taken in class i.e. final exams. Accordingly, there is often not as much formal homework assigned during the semester as in the United States, and final exams typically carry significantly more weight on students' final grades than the American system.Maryland-in-Nice Grading Scale
| French Grade | Approximate US Grade Equivalency |
| 20-17 | A |
| 16-13 | B |
| 12-8 | C |
| 7-0 | D/F |
Université de Nice
The Université Côte d’Azur is a public French university with an approximate enrollment of 25,000 students. The Université Côte d’Azur is divided into four separate campuses spread throughout the city and suburbs of Nice. Maryland-in-Nice participants will attend classes at the Carlone campus, which is on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and a short bus ride from downtown Nice. In addition to the CUEFLE, the Unité de Formation et de Recherche Lettres, Arts et Sciences Humaines (UFR LASH) and UFR Espaces et Cultures are also located at this campus.The Carlone campus provides students access to a library, languages resources center as well as student services offices for sports and athletic activities.