Academics

Fall 2025 Wellesley-in-Aix Courses

• La Provence à travers la littérature et le cinéma (Provence Through Literature and Cinema)

• Traduction (anglais-français) (English-French Translation)

• Art, architecture et urbanisme en Provence (Art, Architecture, and Town Planning in Provence)

• Histoires croisées: mémoires et héritages coloniaux dans les relations France - Algérie (Entangled Histories: Colonial Legacies and Memory Reservoirs in French Algerian Relations)

Spring 2026 Wellesley-in-Aix Courses TBC

• La Provence à travers la littérature et le cinéma (Provence Through Literature and Cinema)

• Traduction (anglais-français) (English-French Translation)

• Art, architecture et urbanisme en Provence (Art, Architecture, and Town Planning in Provence)

• Villes en partage: mobilités et migrations à Aix, Marseille et Paris (Shared Cities: Mobilities and Migrations in Aix, Marseille, and Paris)

Wellesley-in-Aix Faculty

All in-house Wellesley-in-Aix courses are taught by distinguished scholars who are also active contributors to the cultural and intellectual life of Aix and Marseille. Students benefit greatly in learning not only from their faculty's research but also through their unique lived experiences, offering a front-row seat to the vibrant cultural life of France. 

Full Courseload

Students in the full-year program take a minimum of eight credits during the academic year, and fall or spring participants must take at least four credits. This may entail four 1-unit courses (36 contact hours/semester) at Wellesley-in-Aix (WIA) or Aix-Marseille University (AMU) or a combination of 1-unit and 1/2-unit classes (20-hour courses) at Sciences-Po Aix (IEP)

All students receive Wellesley College course credits and a transcript for their study in France.

Courses and Registration

Each student organizes their own program of study in consultation with the Resident Director, who assists students in identifying relevant courses in the humanities, or social sciences divisions. 

Students majoring in political science, economics, history or international relations may either enroll full-time at Sciences-Po Aix (IEP) or combine Aix-Marseille University (AMU) and IEP courses. IEP courses are generally worth 1/2 unit, so students will select multiple in which to enroll. Sciences Po also offers a year-long program that culminates in a special certificate or “Certificat d’études politiques” (CEP).

Three or four WIA courses are offered each semester, typically in translation, academic writing/methodology, art history, and international relations. Art history offerings during the year consist of two different courses which focus on Provence and include site visits. Students normally enroll in four courses per semester and earn four units (16 credit hours) of Wellesley credit. Students who have met only the minimal French requirement for participation in the program may be required to enroll in the writing/methodology course, which includes grammar review and continued work on speaking and writing skills.

Final selection of courses is made in Aix after consultation with the Resident Director who acts as the academic advisor and primary interlocutor between WIA and the local universities.

Tutoring

All Wellesley-in-Aix students are required to schedule a weekly individual tutorial with the program's assistant/tutor for language and methodology support. These sessions focus on individual questions, grammar review, exam strategies, advise on navigating French academic methodology, and practice for oral presentations. Additional sessions are available by appointment throughout the semester. 

Final Exams

Final exams schedules are not typically available until 2-3 weeks before the general exam period. Students must complete all exams in order to receive credit. It is therefore advised that students NOT make travel plans during exam periods. Exams are set by the administration rather than individual faculty, so special arrangements cannot be made. If you miss an exam at AMU or IEP without an official excuse, you will be marked absent and receive a zero. 

Transcripts

Approximately four-six weeks after your final exams, a copy of your WIA transcript will be sent to the Wellesley College Office of International Study (OIS). For non-Wellesley students, OIS will forward a copy to your home institution. All transcripts will list course titles in English and the French grade converted to a U.S. grade.