European Business and Culture Semester (EBCS)
Period
January or September
Duration
Semi-annual (240 hours)
Required levels
B1 to C1
VISA
Yes
A semester of immersion in Paris that brings together French language courses, specialty courses taught in English and an individual research project. Designed with your institution, credit-bearing and turnkey.
The European Business & Culture Semester welcomes students from partner universities and schools for a full semester in Paris. They make progress in French, explore the cultural, economic and institutional foundations of France and Europe, and carry out a research project presented in a final paper. A demanding academic experience, backed by more than a century of CCFS expertise.
Programme information:
Tuition: €5,500 per student. Credits: 30 ECTS credits, i.e. 15 US credits, transferable and calibrated with your institution, with a transcript.
Course Objectives
- Make progress in French in homogeneous level groups, with measurable progress guided by expert teachers.
- Explore the cultural, economic and institutional foundations of France and Europe, to understand the continent beyond France alone.
- Carry out a research project presented in a final paper or group project, of lasting value on return to the home institution.
Detailed Program
A 240-hour semester, on campus in Paris (CCFS campus, Paris 17th arrondissement), with January or September intakes. Alongside the French language courses, the semester includes specialty courses taught in English, covering the following subjects:
- French culture and art de vivre
- Intercultural management
- Europe and international relations
- Luxury and design
- Fashion
- Tourism, hospitality and restaurant management
- French and European business environment
240 hours, three core components:
- French, 120 hours (in French). Language courses in homogeneous level groups (minimum 15 students), including phonetics laboratory sessions, with measurable progress guided by expert teachers.
- European Business and Culture, 80 hours (in English). Economics, culture, institutional organisation, and the strengths and markets of Europe. To understand the continent, beyond France alone. Courses cover the seven subjects above.
- Research paper or group project, 40 hours (in English). A supervised research project or a group project of 2 to 3 students, written in English, of lasting value on return to the home institution. Tutoring and an oral defence before a jury at the end of the semester.
- Total, 240 hours. 30 ECTS credits, 15 US credits. One semester, January or September intakes.
Languages of instruction: French (language courses) and English (specialty courses, research paper and final defence).
Highlights
- Transferable credits. 30 ECTS credits, i.e. 15 US credits, with a transcript, so the semester is easier to recognise at your institution.
- Structured contact hours. 240 hours of instruction across language, specialty courses and research, a framework suited to student visa requirements.
- A semester in two languages. French as the language of study, English for specialty courses, the research paper and the defence.
- Work students can build on. An individual paper or a group project defended before a jury, reusable at the home institution.
- A turnkey offer. A programme built with you, which secures the academic validation of the semester.
- Paris and CCFS. A campus in the 17th arrondissement and an institution welcoming international students since 1919.
Why CCFS Sorbonne?
- Since 1919. More than a century of expertise, a leading institution in the teaching of French language and civilisation, and recognised know-how in welcoming international students.
- More than 160 nationalities. Close to 2,000 students each year, an international community and a multicultural network in Paris.
- In the heart of Paris. A modern campus in the 17th arrondissement, a short walk from the landmarks that make the capital’s prestige.
- A recognised teaching approach. Expert teachers, phonetics laboratories and high academic standards.
Assessment & Certification
- 30 ECTS credits, i.e. 15 US credits, with a transcript, to make it easier to recognise the semester at your institution.
- Transferable credits, calibrated with your institution, with grade equivalence defined together with your academic services.
- An individual paper or a group project defended before a jury at the end of the semester.
The CCFS semester is structured around 30 credits in order to offer our partners a clear framework, aligned with international standards (ECTS) and easy to integrate into their own curricula. This structure is specific to CCFS, which award certificates of achievement and not degrees. It is not recognised by the French Ministry of Higher Education: it is the bilateral agreement concluded with the partner institution that establishes the recognition of these credits and their integration into the student’s course of study.
Target Audience
The programme is designed for institutions that want to offer their students a full semester in Paris:
- Universities and business schools: study abroad offices of US and Canadian universities, business schools, liberal arts colleges.
- Study abroad providers: providers and programmes that place groups of students abroad.
- European institutions: universities and schools looking for an immersion semester in French as a foreign language.
Prerequisites
- Homogeneous French level groups, minimum 15 students.
- Every programme is defined together with your institution: group size, intake and credit equivalence are calibrated jointly.
Course Materials
Course materials provided by the teachers for each theme.
Visa
With 240 hours of instruction across language, specialty courses and research, the semester offers a framework suited to student visa requirements.
Registration Procedures
Becoming a partner, the steps:
- First contact. An initial conversation with the partnerships team about your needs and student numbers.
- Programme design. Choice of specialty courses, intake and research format with your institution.
- Credit validation. Credits and grade equivalence calibrated with your academic services.
- Agreement and arrival. Signature of the partnership agreement, then welcome of the cohort in Paris.
Let’s build your semester. Every programme is defined together with your institution. Let’s talk.
- Violaine Peladan, Head of International Partnerships: violaine.peladan@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
- Bastien Nivet, Dean of Academic Affairs: bastien.nivet@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
Your contacts
Violaine Peladan
Head of International Partnerships
violaine.peladan@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
Bastien Nivet
Dean of Academic Affairs
bastien.nivet@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
Cours de civilisation française de la Sorbonne
7-11 avenue des Chasseurs, 75017 Paris
+33 1 44 10 77 00
