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Exchange Term

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PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ´óÏó´«Ã½ AND THE UNIVERSITÉ DE TOURS

Have you been accepted into the Professional Development Program's French Module? If so, you have the opportunity to complete your first term abroad at the Université de Tours in France as part of the Exchange Term!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Exchange Term allows students, under certain conditions, to complete the ´óÏó´«Ã½ (´óÏó´«Ã½) Professional Development Program (PDP) which qualifies them for a BC Teaching Certificate. 

Students participating in the Exchange Term will gain specific knowledge in teaching French as foreign language by taking graduate-level courses at the Faculté des Lettres et Langues de l'Université de Tours during the first term in the Fall.

In addition, to meet the requirements for the first PDP term (EDUC 400), students must complete two online modules on Indigenous perspectives and inclusion. Once students successfully complete the first term in Tours, the credits are transferred towards EDUC 400 at ´óÏó´«Ã½. 

Designed for

To participate in the Exchange term, participants are required to possess a DELF B2 or equivalence, or higher.

Program Structure

  • In-person classes at the Université de Tours in France and at ´óÏó´«Ã½ in Canada
  • Combines ´óÏó´«Ã½'s PDP with graduate-level courses in the Faculté des Lettres et Langues at the l'Université de Tours

Intake Schedule

The Exchange Term is offered annually with the Professional Development Program commencing in the Fall term.

Next Start Term

  • September 2026

Application deadline

  • Within 7 days after receiving your PDP offer of admission. Up to April 15, 2026.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE & COURSES

Exchange Term: includes one term at the Université de Tours in France as part of the PDP French Module (16 months)

First term of the Exchange Term / PDP French Module at the Université de Tours in France followed by three terms of the PDP French Module at ´óÏó´«Ã½.

  • Term 1 - September to December at Université de Tours: Courses at the UT and two online modules with ´óÏó´«Ã½ for the PDP French Module (EDUC 400)
  • Term 2 - January to April at ´óÏó´«Ã½: PDP French Module, EDUC 401/402
  • Term 3 - May to August at ´óÏó´«Ã½: PDP French Module, EDUC 404
  • Term 4 - September to December at ´óÏó´«Ã½: PDP French Module, EDUC 405

Upon successful completion of the four terms, students will be recommended by ´óÏó´«Ã½ to the BC Ministry of Education to obtain the BC Teaching Certificate.

Note: The term in Tours can only be completed from September to December and cannot be completed during any other term. The credits are transferred as EDUC 400. This term must be successfully completed in order to enroll in the following terms of PDP. Exchange Term students are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Education as a second degree as part of their PDP - French Module. Learn more: BEd as 2nd degree

LOCATIONS

At ´óÏó´«Ã½, campus life is rich with opportunities to engage with people, ideas and activities that contribute to personal development and a better world.

You will experience a stimulating life as a student at the  in a city that offers a great quality of life. Tours is situated in the Val de Loire, less than 1 hour away from Paris by the TGV, and is a lively cosmopolitain city. Take a  of the city of Tours.

Discover Tours: a historical center for education

History has recorded that Tours has often been an active center for education. Medicine has traditionally been taught in Tours since the Gallo-Roman time in the III and  IV centuries.  Gatien, bishop of the city Caesarodunum, founded a medical academy. In the high middle ages, medicine was being taught in an Episcopal school, then in the convents, notably in the Abbaye de Marmoutier on the right bank of the Loire river, where patients came from afar. At the times of Charlemagne, bishop Alcuin founded the École de Rhétorique in Tours, the distant ancestor of education in literature and philosophy.

Explore Touraine: a cultural pole of the Renaissance

At the end of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, Touraine, which was the 'Vallée des Rois' (Valley of the Kings), was the place where illustrious writers, musicians and clerks gathered and it became the cultural pole of the Renaissance. The Touraine is the homeland or adoptive land to Rabelais, Ronsard, Michel Colombe, Léonard de Vinci, then to Descartes, de Vigny, Balzac and Anatole France.

Burnaby

Perched atop Burnaby Mountain, ´óÏó´«Ã½'s original Arthur Erickson-designed campus includes more than three dozen academic buildings and a flourishing sustainable residential community.

´óÏó´«Ã½ respectfully acknowledges the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the sÉ™lÌ“ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kÊ·ikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and xÊ·məθkÊ·É™y̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, on which ´óÏó´«Ã½ Burnaby is located.

PDP School Placement

Experience teaching during a practicum placement in a local B.C. K-12 public school.

AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE

Academic Advantages

  • excellent theory component which complements the practical component of the PDP French Module
  • observations in classrooms in schools or institutions where French is taught

Professional Advantages

  • excellent addition to your resume: experience in a different education system and different culture
  • job opportunities in language schools in Canada as well as in France and elsewhere in the world (Alliances françaises and Instituts français)

Personal Advantages

  • live in a historical region in France, rich in culture and traditions
  • explore other Francophone countries in Europe
  • experience a daily immersion in French language and culture
  • option to stay in university residences and enjoy meals at student rates

Read about our students' experience:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I have questions about DELF-DALF (Diplôme d'études en langue française-Diplôme approfondi de langue française). Who should I contact?

For more information about DELF-DALF, please visit the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs website: /baff-offa/en/DELF-DALF/Overview.html

How do I apply for a student visa for France?

To apply for a French Student Visa, visit:

Where will I live when attending the Université de Tours?

Students admitted to the Exchange Term can make their own accommodation arrangements in Tours or they can apply to stay in student residences at the Université de Tours. 

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions about the Exchange Term, contact our admissions team.

Email: pps_admissions@sfu.ca
Phone:
778-782-3559

To prevent missing emails from us, add pps_admissions@sfu.ca to your contact list if you are not using an ´óÏó´«Ã½ email account.