Our program in French combines language study at all levels with coursework in French and Francophone literature and cultural studies. Our students benefit from our location - less than an hour from French-speaking Quebec, offering easy access to Montreal (the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris) and to French-language radio and television directly from Quebec. Our Maison Française and events building on Vermont's French-Canadian heritage give students opportunities to put learning into practice and to make contacts that can further their studies, travel, or career. French at UVM also prepares students for the French-speaking world overseas through one of UVM's many study abroad program sites available in France and other French-speaking nations around the world. French is a native language or an official language of government, education, and business in more than 30 countries on five continents. Companies from France, Quebec and other French-speaking nations are engaged in many technology-based industries and services, ranging from aerospace to biophysics, medicine, engineering, and computer technology. French is also an important language of diplomacy and international politics and is an official working language of many of the world's most important international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union.