American University Center of Provence

Founded in 1993, the American University Center of Provence (AUCP) is formally recognized by the French national Ministry of Education. For more than 15 years the AUCP has been providing high quality academic and cultural experiences for college and university students. Two full French-immersion undergraduate programs (Aix-en-Provence: Liberal Arts / Marseille: International Relations) combine rigorous course work in French with intercultural learning components, bringing together what goes on in the classroom with the authentic cultural encounters of daily French life. The programs' Intercultural learning components include: an all French-speaking language commitment, individual French homestay, language partner, personal interest activity, and community service. On-going mentoring ensures a balance of challenge and support. Record Outcomes: Nine years of independent outcomes assessment research confirm the success of the AUCP immersion model, with AUCP students achieving record end of semester scores in both French language acquisition (TEF) and intercultural sensitivity (IDI)*. * Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) The recently published Georgetown Study, which tested 1159 study abroad participants, demonstrates that AUCP students are making, on average, 6 times more progress in their intercultural learning than students attending the other 60 programs researched.