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Language Requirements for Professions
Quebec law requires that candidates seeking admission to provincially recognized professional corporations* must be able to communicate verbally and in writing in French. To demonstrate a working knowledge of French, the professional corporation requires one of the following:
- Evidence that you have completed three years of full-time instruction in a French post-primary school.
- A certificate that shows you completed your secondary education in Quebec in 1986 or later.
- Successful completion of a written examination set by Quebec's Office de la langue française (OLF). See below for more information.
If you are a registered student and are within two years of graduating with a degree that will give you access to a professional corporation, you can write the OLF examination. You should contact Enrolment Services for an application form. Examinations take place every three months and may be attempted an unlimited number of times. Priority is given to students closest to graduation.
More information may be obtained from the Office de la langue française, 125 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 1X4. Telephone: 514-873-6565. Website: .
If you need to acquire a functional level of proficiency in French, you can take courses from either the English and French Language Centre (Faculty of Arts www.mcgill.ca/eflc) or the Centre for Continuing Education, 688 Sherbrooke Street West, telephone: 514-398-6200 (www.mcgill.ca/conted).
If you are already strong in French and want to maintain or improve your proficiency, you may consider taking courses in the Department of French Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts or the Centre for Continuing Education.
* Ã山ǿ¼é degrees and diplomas currently give access to corporations regulating the activities of the following professional groups:
Agrologists | Lawyers |
Architects | Licensed General Accountants |
Chartered Accountants | Nurses |
Chartered Appraisers | Occupational Therapists |
Chemists | Physicians |
Dentists | Physiotherapists |
Dietitians | Psychologists |
Engineers | Social Workers |
Geologists | Speech Therapists and Audiologists |
Industrial Administration Accountants | Urbanists |
Industrial Relations Counsellors | Vocational Guidance Counsellors |