Capstone Certificate of French Studies for Teachers

The Department of French and Italian offers a special Capstone Certificate of French Studies for Teachers. The program is designed for teachers of French at the K-12 level who are interested in taking graduate-level French-language courses in the Professional French Masters Program (PFMP). The Certificate is designed to prepare working French teachers reach or maintain native-like fluency, advocate more effectively for the teaching and learning of French, and help their students bridge the gap between language learning and careers using French after their studies.

Students enrolled in the Capstone Certificate complete courses from an array of core master's-level courses in the PFMP, alongside other teachers and professionals preparing to use their French in international business, international education, international development, and the arts. Through individual advising, students choose courses such as methods in second language acquisition, professional communication, advanced grammar, Francophone culture and society, debates in social and environmental responsibility, career strategies, and a personalized professional internship abroad in a French-speaking organization in business, education, international development, or the arts. Courses are available in person and online. All completed Certificate coursework may also be used toward the Master of French Studies degree, through the PFMP.

1. Speak, read, listen and write in French at a level sufficient to interact successfully with native French speakers inside and outside the classroom.
2. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relationship between practices and perspectives in the cultures of the worlds major French-speaking regions.
3. Articulate, critique, and elaborate the major professional approaches and best practices in the field of French language education at the K-12 level.
4. Use the most appropriate methodologies for success when beginning or returning to work in teaching French at the primary and/or secondary level.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: