Get an Advantage with a Bilingual Degree

Discover the benefits of a bilingual education at York University's Glendon Campus.

The world is constantly evolving, and having another language in your toolbelt can only help you succeed. As Southern Ontario’s Centre of Excellence for French-language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education, York University’s Glendon campus’ integrated approach to a bilingual liberal arts education is unique in Canada.

Explore the benefits of learning a new language and discover what a bilingual education at Glendon would look like:

Benefits of learning a new language

You’ll experience four main benefits when you learn a new language:

1. Get hired

Bilingual candidates are more likely to get a well-paying job and advance more quickly in their career than their monolingual peers.

2. Meet the needs of employers

People who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask, and better listening skills. They switch between competing tasks and monitor changes in their environment more easily than monolinguals, as well as display signs of greater creativity and flexibility.

3. Better decision-making

Studies show that decisions made in our second language are more reason-driven than those made in our first language. When we deliberate in a second or third language, we distance ourselves from the emotional responses and biases associated with our mother tongue. As a result, bilinguals are adept at making more systematic and level-headed decisions.

4. Be future-ready

According to the World Economic Forum Top Skills report, demand for higher cognitive skills such as creativity, critical thinking, decision making, and complex information processing will continue to grow.

But… why French?

Here’s why you should choose French as your second language:

• With 128 million first-language speakers and another 51 million second language speakers, French is an important world language
• It’s also one of the only languages in the world spoken on five continents
• French, along with English, is of special importance in Canada and is the official working language of major organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and the International Olympic Committee

How you’ll learn French at Glendon

Get an inside look at Glendon’s inclusive and immersive campus:

Our integrated approach to language learning and our small campus size mean that you’ll achieve a solid, working knowledge of French in two main ways:

1. Inside the classroom

Students at all levels of French proficiency — from true beginners to the more advanced — have a place at Glendon. Our bilingual, multicultural campus provides the ideal setting for language learning.

Does everyone study some French? Oui !

How does it work?

Every student who graduates from Glendon has reached our minimum requirement for a Bilingual BA: a solid, intermediate level of French. Once you’re admitted to Glendon, you’ll complete an online assessment for your French abilities to place you in a class that’s best suited for your skills:

• Absolute beginners take French as a Second Language (FSL) courses with other beginners
• Students with more experience in French will be placed in intermediate FSL courses that work best with their knowledge
• If you’re advanced, you’ll have the opportunity to take one or more discipline courses taught in French (e.g. Introduction à la psychologie)

2. Outside the classroom

Our small, close-knit campus offers you a unique bilingual environment where your French will improve daily just by being here.

You’ll hear French from other English speakers practicing their second language on campus, and from francophone students of various backgrounds: about 1/3 of our students come from French-speaking locations around the world — Quebec, France, Belgium, Morocco, Cameroon, Haiti, and Mauritius, to name just a few.

Many of them are at Glendon doing the same as you, but in the reverse: learning English while they earn their university degree. Our campus is truly bilingual to the core: all Glendon professors and staff speak both languages; our services, library resources, and even our campus signs are offered in English and French.

Socially bilingual

Student newspaper, campus radio station, and student clubs warmly welcome both anglophone and francophone students, while our Drama Studies students put on productions in English, French, and increasingly, Spanish at Glendon Theatre. You might also have the chance to help your neighbours in residence with their English while they’re helping you with your French!

So, is a bilingual education for you?