Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America

Montreal, Canada

Application Deadline: March 15, 2010

Studying in Montreal has been a great experience! The region is rich with history and culture, much of which we aren’t familiar with even though we are close in proximity. The Quebec region is truly a different culture from US or Anglophone Canada—even though you're in North America, you’re definitely abroad.

—Kathyrn Thorton ’11, 2010 program participant

Université de Montréal

One of the top universities in the French-speaking world, the Université de Montréal (UdeM) is the largest French-language institution of higher education in North America.

Montreal In today’s globalized world, UdeM is a unique point of synthesis and a link between between two worlds—the European and the American. From the outset, it has participated in the dialogue of cultures and played a significant role on the international scene, a fact borne out by many cooperative projects with various international organizations and governments.

Situated in Quebec at the crossroads of English and French culture, UdeM offers students academic training with a global perspective in fields of advanced research. Classes are in French, with texts in French and English, depending on the subject.

A Francophone university deeply rooted in Montreal and Quebec, the Université de Montréal has made internationalization a top priority in all of its activities and educates students from every part of the world. With over 5,000 foreign students enrolled, UdeM is one of Canada's most cosmopolitan universities.

Combining green space and modern architecture, the campus is situated on the northern slope of Mount Royal, visible from every part of the city. The university’s majestic Art-Deco tower is a distinctive feature of Montreal's unique skyline. Côte des Neiges, one of the city's most vibrant districts, offers the university community a wide range of shops and services, including a cultural center, bookstores, boutiques, restaurants, and cafés.

In addition to the lively café scene, there is plenty to do both on campus and off. The university has one of Canada's most dynamic faculties of music and organizes over 500 public events each year. UdeM also boasts one of Quebec's largest sports complexes, including an indoor pool, ice rink, track, racquetball courts, gyms, and stadium. Whatever one’s interest, there is likely an outlet at UdeM—or in the beautiful, sophisticated city that surrounds the campus.

Location

Originally a small French colony, Montréal is now a flourishing modern metropolis of three and a half million inhabitants. It is one of the major cities in North America and the second-largest French-speaking city in the world. English is also widely spoken, making Montréal an active center of trade and creating a unique, bi-cultural character. Further enriching the city, waves of immigrants from more than 80 countries have added their traditions, cuisines, and more than 135 languages to the multi-ethnic mix.

A safe, walkable city with excellent public transportation, Montréal is known above all for its Latin ambience and “joie de vivre.” Near the river, “Old Montreal” is European in character, with cobblestone streets, a café culture, and historic 17th- and 18th-century architecture contributing to its unique charm.

The city is really fun to explore… Montreal is well known for its amazing food that you normally find in a little "hole in the wall" dive, meaning it's adventure to find, delicious to eat, and well within a student's price range.

—Kathryn Thorton ’11

With a love of good food, Montréal has carved out a reputation for gastronomy to rival major European cities. Cafés, bistros, and elegant restaurants offer fine cuisine and ethnic treats at nearly any time of day or night. Night owls will be enchanted by the lively nightlife, with bars and nightclubs open until three o'clock in the morning.

In addition, the city’s cultural scene provides entertainment for everyone: a lively music scene, theatre (in French and English), ballet and dance performances, major international performers, and an assortment of world-class street festivals.

The city’s weather is continental, with inhabitants enjoying four distinct seasons. Spectacular scenery and excellent hiking, biking, and skiing is available less than an hour away. And Montréal offers sporting events to keep fans happy throughout the year: baseball, hockey, football, and soccer, Formula 1 Grand Prix on Île Notre Dame, and motocross in the Olympic Stadium.

Program of Study

The main objective of the Mobility, Society, and Governance in North America (MSG-NA) program is to create a group of young professionals and researchers endowed with a comparative and transnational vision of the processes that characterize the NAFTA region, in the hope that this vision will allow them to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing the three countries of North America.

Notre Dame students participating in the MSG-NA program in Montréal can apply for the fall or spring semester. The fall semester begins August and runs through December; the spring semester runs from February through June.

The program is open to students from all colleges at Notre Dame with at least two years of French. All classes in this program are taught in French, but papers may be written in English. In addition, the Université de Montréal offers a free summer immersion course in French, lasting six weeks, for students accepted in this program. (Students electing to participate in the summer immersion course are encouraged to apply for the fall semester abroad.)

Students in the MSG-NA Montréal program benefit from UdeM’s academic strength in a wide range of areas, including history, Latin American and Canadian studies, and Amerindian cultures.

The MSG-NA program focuses on four sub-topics: Border and Environmental Management, Democratic Process and Institutional Reform, Immigration, Cultural Identities, North America after NAFTA (with particular attention to socioeconomic welfare).
MSG-NA program participants take courses related to project themes. Students must choose 3 of their 5 courses from the approved course bank or must have alternative courses approved by the project director.
Students in the MSG-NA program also become a part of a virtual community with the other students participating at each of the partner institutions.
Finally, students in the program will have the opportunity to participate in an all-expenses-paid summer workshop in Mexico in the summer of 2010 to interact with students participants from other partner institutions.

Participants are chosen by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Office of International Studies. Acceptance into the MSG-NA program is highly selective.

Eligibility for the Program

Students from any discipline may apply. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA with a “B” or better in French language courses. All candidates must have completed at least 4 semesters of French by the time of their travel abroad. A FREE intensive French immersion program (levels 1-3) is available to accepted students during the summer before their study-abroad semester.

MSG-NA Costs and Fees

Students accepted into the MSG-NA programs will pay Notre Dame tuition only. (Credit and grades for courses taken abroad will be transferred to Notre Dame and will appear on the student’s Notre Dame transcript.)

In contrast to participants in other University study abroad programs, students in the MSG-NA program do NOT pay Notre Dame room and board fees or the $750 international studies fee (used in other programs to cover airfare, field trips, and room and board at the study-abroad site).

In the MSG-NA program, each student is responsible for paying for his/her own round-trip airfare and room and board at UdeM. Each MSG-NA student will receive a $3,000 stipend to put towards these and any other necessary expenses (e.g., insurance).

Students may incur other expenses, such as passport and visa fees, along with other incidental costs specific to the program of study. For financial aid purposes, the cost of attendance will be calculated based on estimated program costs as determined by the Office of Financial Aid.

Additional Information

There is much more we can tell you — about this location, vibrant religious, cultural and recreational life of this community...about the student housing, transportation, health care and much, much more. It is, after all, the details that make this program so appealing. Interested? Just click here for additional information.