Introduction
The Bachelor of Arts in French is an intensive theoretical and practical degree that arms students with the knowledge, language and professional abilities they require to undertake careers using the French language. As part of the vocational focus of this degree, students choose at least one elective from the fields of teaching, translation or arts applied to tourism as an area of professional specialization. Upon passing their examination in year four, students will graduate with professional skills as well as language abilities.
The Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Language Applied to Tourism offers students the opportunity to develop the knowledge and management skills that hospitality and tourism professionals require, but also to provide the context and the socio-political analysis that is increasingly needed in a fast-changing environment worldwide. Hospitality and tourism are closely-related areas of an economic and social phenomenon that have developed a critical role in the world economy. In Cambodia, tourism is constantly growing and there is a strong need for adequately-trained staff.
Successful graduates of this course will be equipped to seek employment in one of a variety of hospitality and tourism fields from marketing and management, through to an involvement in the growing area of sustainable tourism. These courses offer a sophisticated program, which has been developed in cooperation with the Embassy of France (Cultural Affairs and Cooperation Service), Phnom Penh. Proficient graduates are given the opportunity to continue their Master’s and Doctoral degrees in French Studies or in other disciplines overseas, in universities in France, Canada, Belgium, Vietnam, etc. through scholarships, including those granted by the AUF (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie)
The Continuing Education Center (CEC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh has been a cornerstone of professional development since 2004. Established with support from Simon Fraser University and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), we bridge academic excellence with real-world skills.
We offer a diverse range of courses, professional trainings, and specialized workshops:
- Expand intellectual horizons through our enrichment courses
- Advance your career with professional certification programs
- Prepare for academic success with our preparatory courses
- Develop cutting-edge skills in emerging fields
- Network with professionals across various industries
Background
Example
In the 1960s, the Khmer Royal University hosted a Faculty of Arts, which offered French language courses. Between 1985 and 1990, two-year short courses in French language were offered at the Institute of Foreign Languages. In 1989, after the IFL merged with the Teacher Training College to create the Phnom Penh University, the government of Cambodia requested that a Department of French Studies, offering a full degree program, be developed. An initial five-year degree in French Language was reduced to a four-year program in 1995, thus becoming consistent with all other degree programs offered at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
The Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages Applied to Tourism was created in 2008 within the Department of French Studies of the Institute of Foreign Languages of the RUPP in order to meet the demand and needs of the local hospitality and tourism professionals, but also to provide the students holders of a Bachelor of Arts in French with additional professional skills.
This professional course has been initially set up in partnership with the University of Corsica Pasquale Paoli (France) and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy (Vietnam) and in close cooperation with the technical assistance team of the Embassy of France in Phnom Penh that continuously supports the project. A large number of local hospitality and tourism professionals have also contributed to define the curriculum contents and the University of Angers has recently joined the partnership in 2011.
Admission
where the curriculums are based on what is available in the competitions. The courses provided to Cambodian gifted students to prepare for the competitions include Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Research Methodology, and so on. Since its establishment in 2004, CEC has developed and offered (on campus/outside campus) a number of courses such as
All applicants must pass the university entrance examinations in written French.
The course is demanding and is run at a high level. Therefore, students who have taken the bilingual French/Khmer option at high school (those who majored in French and studied subjects such as mathematics, biology, physics, and geography in French language) often find it easier to enter this degree course.
Details of each course are available at the website of the university (CEC’s URL).
Assessment
RUPP-HR4Asia
A student’s average is calculated based on performance in revision tests, and on results obtained during final exams. In case of repeating one of the courses in the program, students must take supplementary exams in a second session which takes place in August or September. Students can repeat an academic year only once. Final grades are based on a combination of ongoing class work and homework (50%) and final examinations or vocational training, internship report (50%).
The Bachelor of Arts in French is taken over 4 years at the Institute of Foreign Languages of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. All students must attend regularly, as the degree is only bestowed upon students who perform at a reasonable level.
Moreover, for the Bachelor of Arts in French, from the 4th year, students choose one of the electives covering the fields of teaching and translation which provides students with knowledge and experience in several professional fields, increasing their chances of finding satisfactory employment. The internal regulations of the Department of French Studies stipulate that these electives are open to any student holding a high school degree with 2 years of university studies, or a bachelor’s degree. Students who pass the recruitment application for the electives, and who meet all the course requirements will receive a certificate indicating their successful completion of the elective components of this degree.
Following successful completion of their 3rd year core curriculum in French, Cambodian students are offered 2 options for a tourism specialization in 4th year :
- a 20-credit specialization course. Successful graduates will be granted the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
- a 60-credit specialization course. Successful graduates will be granted the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism of the University of Angers (France) and also the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
The Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages Applied to Tourism requires students to complete 60-credit compulsory modules, including specific classes enabling students to examine the theoretical and conceptual issues facing the industry and critically analyze and apply these concepts.
The modules focus on the relationship between scholarship and industry application. Students are required to undergo a 2-month compulsory vocational training.
Most modules are taught in French but the course also includes one module in English and some professional seminars are also held in English.
Teachers are mostly international tourism experts and professors from the RUPP or partner universities, as well as local hospitality and tourism professionals (Apsara National Authority, Sofitel, Sunway Hotel, Asian Trails…) that provide a constant and solid support to the course.
Goal
- To inform and enrich working and non-working adult learners through educational activities that are designed to develop their professional, personal, and social skills and to enhance their acquisition of knowledge.
- To enhance the economic development of Cambodian communities by upgrading the competencies of the labor force and organizational effectiveness in areas relevant to the vision of the CEC.
- To upgrade the degrees of Cambodian learners by providing Distance Education Programs at RUPP.
Course Description
MAJOR COURSES
French writing, listening and reading skills
Years II-IV, Semester I & II
In this course, students acquire a good knowledge of the French Language, in order to pass the DELF Examination (level B1) of the new CEFRL in semester II. Students will acquire all items of the new system of references.
Integrated Language Practice
Year II-III, Semesters I & II
Rather than a traditional approach to grammar, the ILP course enables students to move towards a more active/independent learning of the French morphosyntax. Emphasis is laid on construction of meaning in reading and writing instead of answers to skill- and-drill questions. The course focuses on student’s ability to monitor their own comprehension (metacognition). Students work collaboratively as a community of learners in interaction with the other students and the teacher.
The ILP course aims at providing students with a strong foundation for using resources and learning strategies and to control over aspects of the reading process (rereading, annotating, mapping ideas, examining organizational patterns, finding definition,…). Skills acquired can also be transferred to different academic settings. This ILP course focuses on levels A2-B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages /CEFRL).
General culture
Year II-III, Semesters I & II
Students acquire and refine a general knowledge of the global history and culture in the period from the prehistory until the sixteenth century in Europe. Using sources including booklets, school textbooks, encyclopedias and websites, they examine the development of societies in the world, their structures and the political regimes that have shaped the European continent and the French culture through to the sixteenth century.
Students also acquire and refine a general knowledge of the geography of Asian Continent. Using sources including booklets, school textbooks, encyclopedias and websites, they examine the relief, climate and atmosphere, the development of the economy, the population in different countries of the Asian continent.
Academic Work Methodology
Year II-III, Semester I & II
This course develops students’ capacity to read and analyze sources of texts at an academic level. Students learn how to use documents as sources of knowledge; find and select appropriate sources in the library and over the internet; gather information by taking notes, summarizing a text, picking out its key points and reading any graphs; analyzing information; and presenting it in written format. Students also learn about referencing and building bibliographies, thus building the skills to write academic assignments.
French literature
Year II-III, Semesters I & II
In this course, students work on literacy documents that support the development of their knowledge. They learn to distinguish different styles of literacy documents such as narrative texts, portraits, argumentations, fables, letters. Moreover, they learn to understand the mentality of the European culture and mentality throughout the novels whose reading is one of their most important homework.
Academic Work Methodology
Year III, Semesters I & II
This course develops students’ capacity to read and analyze sources of texts, at an academic level. Students learn to use documents as sources of knowledge; find and select appropriate sources in the library and over the internet; gather information by taking notes, summarizing a text, picking out its key points and reading any graphs; analyzing information; and presenting it in written format. Students also learn about referencing and building bibliographies, thus building the skills to write academic assignments, synthesis texts, research documents, CVs and cover letters.
French Linguistics
Year III, Semester I & II
n this course, students study phonetics and phonology, as well as the history and theories of the field of language, research, linguistics.
General Culture
Year IV, Semester I
Students are initiated to the philosophy of the great philosophers in the different time periods of the world’s history such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean-Paul Sartre. Moreover, students build their understanding of current cultural issues in France and in other countries where French is spoken. Students consult research documents for their understanding related to the mentioned philosophy.
French Literature Analysis
Year IV, Semester I
In this course, students build their understanding of literary conventions and styles, and build their ability to analyze various forms and styles of literature. Students learn about the relationship between culture and literature, and improve their critical thinking skills by analyzing various stories and pieces of literature. Students also participate in a workshop about writing strategies, and learn techniques for successful reading aloud, listening, comprehension and analysis of various readings.
Academic Work Methodology
Coordinator: Mr. Chan Tola
Year IV, Semester II
This course develops students’ capacity to read and analyze the sources of texts at an academic level. Students learn how to use documents as sources of knowledge; find and select appropriate sources in the library and over the internet; gather information by taking notes, summarizing a text, picking out its key points and reading any graphs; analyzing information; and presenting it in written format. Students also learn about referencing and building bibliographies, thus building the skills to write reports, proposals, synthesis of statistics or projects.
French Linguistics
Year IV, Semester II
In this course, students learn about syntax by working on their understanding of word categories. Students also identify common problems and issues in general syntax in Khmer and French. Problems of syntax are clarified through practical activities on topics including verb mechanisms, and through the search for a “common denominator” of syntax, which goes beyond inter-linguistic differences in many languages. Finally, students address issues of grammar and plural category terms.
ELECTIVE COURSES
A. Teaching French as a foreign language
Teaching French as a Foreign Language
Year IV, Semester I & II
In this course, students learn the basics of teaching French as a Foreign Language. Thus, they study basic theories about teaching foreign languages, including practical theories on the use of textbooks. Moreover, they study the respective place given to the teaching of each of the four aptitudes: writing, speaking, reading and speaking.
Methodologies for practice; Internship and report
Year IV, Semester I & II
In this course, students understand the needs of French language learners, clarify their understanding of the relationship between educational research and class practice. By participating and observing actual mastering of diverse teaching theories and techniques, and setting goals for levels of learning through practice in different high schools, bilingual classes, etc.
B. Translation
Computer Science Applied to Translation
Year IV, Semester I
In this course, students learn to use specialized in formation, technology tools, which have been developed to assist the translator. As part of this, they learn to use the computer laboratories at the French Cultural Center in Phnom Penh.
Introduction to interpretation
Year IV, Semester II
Students learn the techniques of sight interpretation, acting as a physical guide and interpreter. They also learn to undertake both consecutive and simultaneous translation, examining the process of taking notes, preparing necessary documentation, and the ethics of interpretation.
Methodology for Technical Translation
Year IV, Semester I & II
Students build their abilities in translating technical documents, in a professional environment. Students learn to translate and edit financial and information technology reports, and revise the editorial demands of translation work, including page organization, setup and design.
Terminology and Documentary Workshop
Year IV, Semester I & II
Students build on their skills in translating, within a professional environment, by undertaking various translation projects. They follow the correct process of translation, collecting necessary evidence and documents and producing a final work which satisfies client demands.
B.5. Introduction to literary translation
Year IV, Semester I & II
Students build on their skills in literary translation, focusing on the practical aspects of working as a professional translator. As part of this, they build their understanding of the process of professional translation, including page design and setup, working with computers and meeting deadlines and other client demands. Finally, students become familiar with the financial aspects of operating as a translator, preparing them for employment as an interpreter or translator after graduation.
Practice of Translation (Version-Theme)
Year IV, Semesters I & II
Students work on a practical translation project, thus implementing the theoretical knowledge they have gained from other courses.
Staff
Activities
Date: September 4, 2025
Type: Training
Uploaded By: Staff
