Study French Online at UT Austin
Faculty in the University's College of Liberal Arts teach more than three dozen global languages. Through the Texas Language Gateway (TLG) partnership with University Extension, many of those languages are now available to learners everywhere.
Parlez-vous français?
University Extension (UEX) offers a three-course series to help students achieve intermediate proficiency in French, covering two years of material in three semesters, thus fulfilling most college language requirements. Courses follow the University’s semester-based academic calendar, which includes three start dates per year in August, January and June.
Why learn French?
Today, about 200 million people speak French as a first or second language, primarily in Europe, Africa, and North America. French is also an official administrative language of many organizations such as the African Union, the International Court of Justice, the International Olympic Committee, and the United Nations.
As political and economic issues become increasingly global in scope, proficiency in French can be an asset to a career in education, business and industry, or in international affairs.
Course Sequence
Offered online in an on-demand format, there are no live class meetings. Coursework can be completed on your own schedule, as long as you meet the due dates for all assignments throughout the semester. Exams must be taken on the assigned dates.
UEX courses are open-enrollment, and everyone pays the same registration fee regardless of residency status.
Introductory French I (FR 406) - $1100
This is the first of a three-semester sequence of online courses designed to begin your development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in French. No prior French coursework is required to enroll.
Introductory French II (FR 407) - $1100
This second course in the sequence is designed to continue your development of French language skills. To enroll in this course, you must have completed FR 406 with a grade of at least C or demonstrate completion of the equivalent course at another institution.
Intermediate French I (FR 412K) - $1100
This is the final course in the sequence. You will learn useful vocabulary, grammatical structures and cultural information, all naturally embedded in videos and online activities. Requires completion of FR 407 or 507 (or the equivalent) with a grade of at least C.
Meet the Faculty
Patricia Kyle
Patricia Kyle is Director of Online Instruction in the Department of French and Italian at UT Austin. She holds the Ph.D. in French Linguistics from Indiana University where she specialized in Applied French Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, as well as an MBA and MA in Information and Learning Technologies from the University of Colorado. Kyle has taught French language and linguistics, second language acquisition and language teaching methodology at the graduate and undergraduate levels and specializes in the design, implementation, management and staffing of online language courses.
Morgane Haesen
Morgane Haesen, a native of Belgium, is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in French at UT Austin. In 2022, she received her Ph.D. in French from The Pennsylvania State University where she served as Curriculum Developer for the implementation of a new textbook series, as well as the Coordinator for the Summer Language Institute. As a cultural historian, Professor Haesen also studies life writings in francophone borderland spaces, including Alsace-Lorraine during the First World War, Castroville, Texas, in the mid-19th century, and Oran, Algeria in the early 20th century.
Ryan Swankie
Ryan Swankie is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in French Studies and researcher specializing in poetics, aesthetics, online language learning, and course design. After a decade of literary studies at Arizona State, Paris-East Créteil University (UPEC), and UT Austin, where he completed his Ph.D., Swankie wrote the groundbreaking doctoral thesis “Aesthetic Activism” (2018), which offers a new approach to understanding the sociopolitical dynamics of a literary text. As a language instructor, he designs immersive courses that enhance linguistic and cultural engagement, while also serving as an abroad program liaison.
