The University of Waterloo's French Teaching Specialization (FTS) is a long-established and prestigious program of consecutive education in which students receive an Honours B.A. in French from the University of Waterloo and have the option of pursuing a B.Ed. from Nipissing University. It is a comprehensive program providing excellent academic and work experience designed to meet the need for well-educated teachers of French. As such, the FTS program has a nearly 100% employment rate upon graduation.
Program Features
FTS has many features that distinguish it from other programs in the province, giving our graduates an edge when applying for permanent teaching positions.
- Guaranteed acceptance at Nipissing University to complete the requirements for teacher certification in Ontario (Students are still required to apply through OUAC)
- 100 hours of volunteer work in schools
- Thorough grounding in French language, literature, and civilization
- As an intensive specialization, FTS students are required to maintain a minimum major average of 75%
- Additional course requirements in second language acquisition, and Psychology and Sociology of Education
- FTS is compatible with the co-op stream or the EDGE program
French Teaching Specialization (FTS)
Digital Tracking Checklist (PDF)
Experiential learning requirement
Students in the French Teaching Specialization are required to complete a total of 100 hours of relevant volunteer or paid experience under the supervision of certified teachers or qualified professionals.
- Hours must be completed during the student's undergraduate career at Waterloo, from term 1B to 4B, inclusively.
- All 100 hours must include experience with K-12 school age children/youth. Out of these hours, at least 50 hours must be completed in a classroom setting. Other experiences may include camps, community organizations, etc. Volunteer or paid experiences may include various formats of teaching and learning.
- Organizations eligible for volunteer or paid experiences must be approved by the French Studies academic advisor.
The in-school experience is an essential component recognized as part of the teaching experience required for admission to Nipissing University.
Relevant volunteering in a school environment can include:
- teaching conversation groups
- in-school tutoring
- supervisory projects
- classroom observation
- unit preparation
Relevant volunteering or paid positions in the community can include:
- Extra-curricular activities (music lessons, sports coaching, etc.)
- Day and overnight camps (counselor, volunteering, etc.)
- Other experiences with children and youth
As your experiential learning must be conducted under the supervision of a professional, babysitting is not considered for this requirement. Please check with the French Academic Advisors prior to securing your placement.
FTS Experiential learning form must be signed by your supervising teachers. It is the responsibility of the student to have this form completed and signed by each placement, and to submit the signed forms to the French Academic Advisors.
Please contact the French Academic Advisors for help should you have trouble finding a school for your in-school experience.
Program Benefits
Upon graduation at Nipissing University, students are fully qualified to teach at the Primary/Junior level (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6), the Junior/Intermediate (Grades 4 to 10) and the Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7 to 12) levels. Please refer to the Nipissing University website for information pertaining to their program offering.
Nipissing University Faculty of Education
The second teachable subject
No second teachable subject is required in the Junior/Intermediate level (Grades 4 to 10). Please see teaching subject (French) requirements under the P20 Junior/Intermediate section of Nipissing University's Calendar.
A second teachable subject is required in the Intermediate/Senior level (Grades 7 to 12). Please see second teachable requirements under the P30 Intermediate/Senior section of Nipissing University's Calendar.
