phd in french and francophone studies

The French Department’s doctoral program reflects the interdisciplinary priorities that have long defined the pursuit of knowledge here at Berkeley. We are committed not only to providing students strong coverage of the field of French and francophone literature and culture, but also to doing so through the critical application of innovative methodologies, and by continually bringing French studies into productive dialogue with developments in parallel disciplines. Our faculty’s interests are both historically and methodologically diverse; their strengths are complemented by a variety of programs—centers, working groups, and so on—that regularly bring scholars of the humanities together across campus. And the relaxed and non-hierarchical atmosphere lends itself to free and passionate inquiry. We invite you to explore our offerings.

A Short Description of the M.A./Ph.D. in French

The doctoral program in French is designed to train students to undertake original research, to engage in scholarly and critical writing, and to prepare for teaching careers at the college and university level. The following information is intended only to provide a brief overview of the program’s main features and requirements. For complete information, please see the  Guide to Higher Degrees in French . Visit our application page for  information on the application process . 

For students entering with a B.A. in French, the French doctoral program normally takes six years to complete. (Students entering with the M.A. will typically spend five years in the program.) This time may vary, depending on each individual student’s preparation; it is divided as follows:

The M.A. Phase

During the first three semesters of graduate study students complete a minimum of six courses, five of which must be graduate level (200-level). All M.A.-level coursework must be completed with at least a 3.5 GPA. In the third semester students take a written M.A. exam, based on a tailored list of representative works from the French and francophone traditions. Upon successful completion of coursework and the M.A. exam, candidates are awarded the M.A. and then considered for admission to the Ph.D. phase of the program.

Please note that the French Department does not admit applicants whose ultimate goal is the M.A. degree.

The Ph.D. Phase

In three semesters students complete four more courses at the graduate level (200-level). During the last semester in the Ph.D. phase students take their qualifying exams, based on a set of specialized reading lists developed in close consultation with faculty members. These exams, which contain both written and oral components, are intended both to test general knowledge of a period and to provide students with a chance to develop ideas that will be useful in the definition of the dissertation topic.

The Dissertation Phase

Following successful completion of the qualifying exams, students are advanced to candidacy and enter the dissertation phase of the program. Students first write a dissertation prospectus in consultation with their dissertation committee, and then proceed with the dissertation itself.

Program Features

Flexibility and broad competency.

The Ph.D. program in French has been formulated to allow students maximum flexibility to pursue their scholarly interests while guaranteeing the acquisition of broad competency in the discipline of French and francophone literature and culture. Students are expected to acquire expertise in works of all periods but are also encouraged to develop interdisciplinary and specialized perspectives.

Incoming students are assigned a faculty mentor as well as a graduate student “buddy” so as to ease their transition into departmental and professional life. We view student-faculty contact as one of the cornerstones of our program’s success.

In-Depth Pedagogical Training

The department provides all Teaching Instructors (TAs) with in-depth pedagogical training, including pilot classes and pedagogical theory. Many of our students find themselves wanting to do supplementary work in planning innovative new language courses, and are able do so through the resources provided by the  Berkeley Language Center . Many advanced graduate students develop their own reading and composition courses or serve as instructors in neighboring departments such as Art History, English, and Comparative Literature; these instructorships often offer the opportunity to plan and execute a literature or culture course of your own design.

The  GSI Teaching and Resource Center  provides weekly teacher-training workshops throughout the semester; individual teaching consultations; grants for GSIs to improve the quality of teaching at Berkeley; and a summer institute for preparing future faculty.

Romance Languages and Literatures Program

The  Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL)  is a doctorate in three Romance languages and literatures (French, Italian and Spanish, including Spanish-American), prepared with emphasis in the literature or in the linguistics or philological history of one of the three. The RLL Program offers students the opportunity to tailor a course of study in French, Spanish and Italian to their interests. Applicants to the RLL program with a French emphasis are evaluated by French Department faculty and the program’s requirements are different from those listed above.

If you have any questions regarding the graduate program in  Romance Languages and Literatures  with an emphasis in French, please contact the  Graduate Student Services Advisor .

The Designated Emphasis

Students may consider the option of pursuing a Designated Emphasis (DE) in areas such as  Critical Theory ,  Film Studies ,  Women, Gender, and Sexuality ,  Renaissance and Early Modern Studies ,  European Studies , Indigenous Language Revitalization , or  New Media . Students pursuing a Designated Emphasis take certain prescribed courses within these disciplines, and write a dissertation that partially encompasses the chosen field of study. In addition to providing students an institutional mechanism for incorporating this sort of work into the Ph.D. program, the Designated Emphasis assures prospective employers that you have demonstrated expertise in an auxiliary field, and it will appear on your final degree. The  Program in Medieval Studies  also offers a joint degree in French and Medieval Studies. Students can also pursue graduate certificates in fields such as  Applied Data Science and Teaching and Learning in Higher Education .

Interdisciplinary Centers and Working Groups

A number of interdisciplinary centers and groups regularly bring noted scholars and artists to campus. The  Center for the Study of Sexual Culture , brings together researchers with a common interest in the ways sexuality takes on different meanings in different cultural contexts.

The French Studies Program  organizes lectures, visits by scholars, and conferences involving France and the French tradition(s) across the disciplines of the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies  promotes the interdisciplinary study of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the University of California, Berkeley, and beyond, raising public awareness of the region’s diverse peoples, languages, cultures and their connection to wider global contexts.

The  Townsend Center for the Humanities  promotes research and ongoing conversation among and within academic disciplines. It hosts art exhibits, lectures, and conferences and sponsors a large number of  working groups , which meet informally and are run and attended by both graduate students and faculty. The Center also provides funding to support student journals.

Fostering intellectual life among students is a priority. Click here for information on  current student interests .

Job Placement

The Department is committed to helping graduates secure employment. This includes workshops on aspects of the job market in both spring and fall, reviewing and editing of curriculum vitae and letters of application, mock interviews, and works-in-progress talks that help candidates learn to present their research.

The Department has an  excellent record in placing students  who apply nationally and internationally for positions within the academy and beyond; in the last several years our students have been offered tenure-track appointments at Northwestern University; Duke University; University of Pennsylvania; Georgetown College; Vassar College; Emory College; Williams College; EDC Paris Business School; Maynooth University; Reed College; Columbia University; Middlebury College; Davidson College; College of William and Mary; Skidmore College; Austin College; San Francisco State University; University of Georgia; University of Michigan; University of Minnesota. Students interested in careers outside of academia have also had successful placements as Program Director; Equitable Assessment Consultant; Content Marketing for AI-platforms; Teacher; Senior Academic Programs Coordinator in Paris; and more . 

Financing Graduate Study

The Department offers a number of resources for financing graduate study, including fellowship packages, fellowships for continuing students, and Graduate Student Instructorships . It also awards grants for summer study and travel.

UC Berkeley also provides funding support on a competitive basis to humanities students at various points in their graduate career. The  Graduate Division Summer Grant  provides summer financial support. The  Doctoral Completion Fellowship  provides a full year of fellowship support for students who advance to candidacy within normative time (four years in humanities departments). The  Townsend Center  funds a competitive dissertation fellowship for humanities students.

Applicants should note that there are a few non-UC Berkeley sources of funding for graduate education. These include the  Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowships , the  Hispanic Scholarship Fund , the  Jack Kent Cooke Foundation , the  Javits Fellowship Program , and the  Soros Fellowships for New Americans .

Exchange Programs and Travel Fellowships

Graduate students in French are encouraged to spend time studying in France or another Francophone region or country. The Department has three yearly exchange programs — with the École Normale Supérieure, the Université Paris Cité or the Université de Tours. The Department usually selects advanced students to participate in these exchange programs, but from time to time students who have fulfilled almost all of their other requirements and have not yet taken the Qualifying Exam are selected.

These programs have always been sufficient to assure every student the opportunity to study in France .

These programs have always been sufficient to assure every student the opportunity to study in France.

Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) Exchange

One student may be selected for the academic year for the Department’s exchange program with the École Normale Supérieure (ENS). The ENS position will require the student selected to use their DCF during that year. Since the ENS exchange includes free housing, the DCF Fellowship stipend will not be supplemented by the department. Students who have already utilized the DCF will not be eligible for the ENS fellowship.

Paris VII Exchange

Students selected to participate in the Paris VII exchange are hired by Paris VII to teach English language courses. Students are paid a monthly salary in euros for 12 months. Students also receive health coverage under the general conditions of the National French Health Insurance System. Unlike the ENS exchange, Paris VII participants must make their own housing arrangements. Only native English speakers are eligible for this exchange program.

Université de Tours François-Rabelais

Students selected to participate in the Tours exchange are hired by Tours to teach English language courses. Students are paid a monthly salary in euros for 12 months. Students also receive health coverage under the general conditions of the National French Health Insurance System. As in the Paris VII exchange, Tours participants must make their own housing arrangements. Only native English speakers are eligible for this exchange program.

Additional Opportunities for Research/Travel in France

Fulbright IIE Fellowship Applicants must be U.S. citizens holding a B.A. degree or equivalent before the beginning date of the grant. Provides round-trip travel, tuition, books, and stipend for one academic year. Approximately 1,300 awards are available for study in over 140 countries. Applies to coursework, master’s or dissertation research.

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Grants This program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of 6 to 12 months.

Georges Lurcy Fellowship Program for Study in France This fellowship is for advanced Ph.D. students who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and whose research topic is unique to France and can only be pursued in that country. The fellowship provides a stipend (currently $25,300) to cover educational fees, necessary travel, and living expenses while in France. Students must be enrolled at UC Berkeley or at an educational institution in France during the tenure of the fellowship. Interested students should submit their application materials to the Graduate Fellowships Office (318 Sproul Hall) by the deadline. One UC Berkeley graduate student is nominated for this fellowship each year.

Walter J. Jensen Fellowship for French Language, Literature, and Culture This fellowship provides a stipend of at least $10,000 for a minimum of six months of study in France. Phi Beta Kappa will also cover a single round-trip, economy-class ticket for the recipient to travel to France; some additional support may be available to those with dependents. The purpose of the award is to help educators and researchers improve education in standard French language, literature and culture and in the study of standard French in the United States.

Degree Requirements

Course requirements.

Students in the doctoral program must complete ten courses, including one course in the history of French language (French 201) and one course in literary criticism (French 270 or French 274). Courses completed at Berkeley for the M.A. phase count toward the ten-course requirement.

Students must also fulfill a historical comprehensiveness requirement. This entails completion of a graduate seminar in Medieval literature; two seminars in 16th-, 17th-, 18th-century or early modern studies; two seminars in 19th-, 20th-century, Francophone Studies, or Modern Studies. Outside of these requirements, students are allowed, and indeed encouraged, to pursue their interests in other departments. Students wanting to improve their general background are also permitted to take up to two undergraduate courses for credit towards their degree.

The first French proseminar (French 200A) is taken during the first semester of graduate study at Berkeley. This one-hour-a-week class, which does not count toward the Ph.D. requirement, is designed to give new graduate students a broad view of the Department’s faculty, the courses they teach, and their fields of research. In addition, it introduces students to aspects of their graduate career, issues pertaining to research methodologies, and critical debates across the profession.

The second French proseminar (French 200B)   gives first-year graduate students a general introduction to reading, analyzing, and writing about French texts. The selection of works is intentionally diverse and reflects both the traditional canon as well as current interests and trends in French studies.  At the end of the course, students produce a final reflection which will serve as a starting point for their own preparation for the M.A. exam.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students may fulfill the foreign language requirement either by demonstrating a reading knowledge of two languages (Option I) or by demonstrating an exceptionally thorough reading knowledge and an adequate knowledge of the grammatical structure of one language (Option II). If you have questions about how to fulfill the foreign language requirement, contact the Graduate Student Services Advisor at  [email protected] .

The language(s) will be chosen after consultation with the Head Graduate Advisor, and in view of the student’s intended Ph.D. Program Proposal. For example, for students intending to work in the Middle Ages or Renaissance, it could be advisable to choose Latin, Italian, or Spanish. For students interested in modern philosophy, German might be wise. Arabic might be a sensible choice for students interested in Francophone literature. Whatever the choice, it should have an intellectual or scholarly relationship to the student’s area of specialization, or with the field of Romance languages more broadly.

Additional Requirements

Doctoral students must fulfill additional requirements, including passing the Qualifying Exams and composing a dissertation prospectus, which must be approved by the student’s dissertation committee. For more information on additional requirements, consult the  Guide to Higher Degrees in French .

• M.A. / Ph.D In French
• Ph.D In Romance Language and Literatures (RLL)
• Applying to The Graduate Program
• Teaching Assistantships
• Job Preparation and Placement Record
• Guide to Higher Degrees in French
• Commencement

French and Francophone Studies

Graduate program, graduate program handbook.

The graduate program curriculum covers fields in French and Francophone literature from the Ancien Régime to the present and from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

The doctoral program in French and Francophone Studies offers a lively intellectual environment where students explore French and Francophone literatures and cultures across a broad chronological and topical range and through a wide variety of critical approaches.

Our goal is to train scholars and teachers who have a solid grounding in all periods of French and Francophone literatures and who think, write and teach creatively.

Program Benefits

Students in the graduate program profit from an annual calendar of lectures, mini-seminars and conferences, including Equinoxes , the annual graduate student conference. The Department of French and Francophone Studies shares, with the Department of Hispanic Studies, the beautiful  Rochambeau House , where students have access to dedicated study space with computers, printers and scanners.

Graduate students at Brown also benefit from the accessibility of faculty across campus as well as the vitality of the humanities and associated fellowship and funding opportunities. Providence, Rhode Island is  an affordable city  with  a vibrant cultural scene and an excellent quality of life .

The Ph.D. Year by Year

All graduate students must complete the Graduate School requirement of 24 tuition units.

In their first year, graduate students normally take 8 courses: 3 departmental seminars plus one other relevant course in the fall semester; and 2 departmental seminars, French 2900 (Teaching Methods), plus one other relevant class in the spring. Courses and schedules, and other matters relating to students’ individual programs are determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. For each course the student receives a Course Performance Report after the conclusion of the course (for courses taken in departments that depart from this practice the CPR may consist in communications between the appropriate instructor or DGS and the French DGS).

First-year students receive a mid-year evaluation from the DGS near the beginning of the spring semester. At the end of the academic year each student receives a Performance Evaluation which is uploaded to the online GSIM system. The faculty mentor assigned to each student upon entering the program serves as the student's advisor for the first academic year.

Students are on fellowship and do not teach during their first year.

Students entering the program with a Masters degree for which they have received 8 graduate credits take the 1 st  Prelim. Exam at or around the time of the Labor Weekend holiday and, presuming they pass, proceed to prepare the 2 nd  Prelim. Exam. 

In their second year, students (entering with the Bachelors degree) normally take 6 classes in their second year (3 departmental seminars in the fall semester, and 2 departmental seminars plus one other relevant class in the spring). They proceed to prepare the 1 st  Prelim., beginning by consulting with the DGS and forming a committee as outlined in the Graduate Handbook.

Students begin their teaching practice as TAs during the second year.

Until they have completed the 1 st  Prelim. students are required to take all graduate seminars offered by the Department. In instances where the DGS deems it necessary a student may be required to take classes beyond the 1 st  Prelim.

In their third year, students complete remaining coursework. All students are expected to have completed the 2 nd  Prelim. Exam by the end of their third year.

Subsequent years are devoted to preparation of the Dissertation Prospectus and to research for and writing of the Dissertation.

Students receive a second year of Dissertation Fellowship support during their period of research and writing, following consultation with the DGS.

Milestone Requirements for all levels of the Ph.D. program are listed at the end of the Graduate Handbook. Continued funding is dependent on students’ completion of appropriate Milestones. Students who do not meet Milestones may have their GSIM status changed to Satisfactory or Warning.

Required Courses

All students must pass FREN 2900: Teaching Methods, and fulfill the language requirement. They must take departmental seminars as required before taking the 1 st  and 2 nd  Prelims., or as directed by the DGS. In some instances, and with the approval of the Graduate Committee, students may be exempted from these requirements on the basis of previous work or experience.

Students are paired with a faculty mentor in the first semester of their program so that they are immediately in contact with an informal advisor for any questions they wish to discuss. That relationship continues at least until the student begins work on the 2 nd  Prelim. Exam, and often continues beyond that time.

Once they begin the 2 nd  Prelim. Exam on, students work closely with the faculty member who will supervise their exam research, and eventually with their dissertation director.

Pedagogical Training

A notable strength of our program is the in-depth training and experience students gain in language teaching, under the expert guidance of our Department’s language acquisition specialists. Students serve as Graduate Teaching Assistants in our language program during their second, third, and fourth years, teaching one section per semester. Our TAs are fortunate to work with some of the very best undergraduates in the country and to avail themselves of the certificate programs offered by the  Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning .

Professionalization

As students progress within the program they are encouraged to give conference presentations and eventually to publish their work. To that end, financial assistance is offered for attendance at academic conferences; and workshops are given on a regular basis on topics such as preparing an article for submission and publication. The 2 nd  Prelim. Exam is designed to have students produce a publishable article by the end of their second or third year in the program.

Students are also encouraged to avail themselves of professionalization workshops and programs offered by the Graduate School or the university, including those designed to prepare students for non-academic positions.

Students preparing for the job market work closely with their director, committee, and other faculty to prepare CVs, application letters, writing samples and teaching portfolios.

Master's Degree

Students may graduate with the A.M (Masters degree) by completing one year of course work and a thesis of 50-60 pages; or two years of coursework. They must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of a foreign language other than French.

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PhD in French

The PhD in French trains scholars in the literature, culture, and history of France and the Francophone world. If you have any questions about the application process, please read the PhD program FAQs below. If you have further questions, feel free to contact the  Director of Graduate Studies . 

Message to Potential Applicants

The Department of French is committed to admissions that are free from bias and discrimination. We welcome applications from talented, passionate individuals from all backgrounds and strive to build a community that is diverse and inclusive. Our admissions committee approaches each application holistically, taking into consideration factors that may have had an impact on an applicant’s academic history. Admissions are not a one-size-fits-all process in which we look for a single applicant profile – rather we embrace the fact that applicants bring different skills and life experiences to the study of French and Francophone literature, history, and culture. Successful candidates come from many different national and educational backgrounds but generally have strong written and oral skills in both French and English and a record of excellence in the study of French and Francophone literature, culture, thought or history or in an adjacent academic field.

Financial hardship should never be a barrier to applying to our program. If you are unable to pay Columbia’s application fee, you may apply for a fee waiver ( Application Fee Waivers ).

PhD Program FAQs

What areas and fields of study does the phd program in french encompass.

Our students take courses on and write dissertations about a wide array of literary, theoretical, historical and sociological topics relating to France and the Francophone world. Coursework explores different historical periods, world regions and disciplinary methodologies. For current courses, see the Columbia University  Directory of Classes  site. For recent dissertation titles visit the Department's Placement  page.

Why undertake a PhD in French?

Our students are inspired by their enthusiasm for Francophone literature and culture and the history of the French-speaking world, but they are also training for a future career. While the majority of our students apply for academic jobs, some of our alumni pursue careers in other fields, e.g. translation, diplomacy, arts administration, secondary education, the non-profit sector, and business, or pursue additional training for careers in law, finance and other professions.

Why apply to Columbia’s PhD program in French?

The faculty of the Columbia Department of French are a diverse body of scholars, hailing from all over the world, and who do exciting, interdisciplinary research in fields including literature, cultural studies, history, sociology, and philosophy. The department has strong ties to related programs and institutes in comparative literature, gender and sexuality studies, and African studies among other programs. Columbia is also fortunate to have its own Maison Française, which hosts regular events related to Francophone studies, including academic lectures and conferences, readings by and interviews with authors, intellectuals, and artists, and annual film festivals. Recent PhDs from Columbia’s French department have been hired by top-tier research and liberal arts institutions.

How is the program structured and how long does it take to complete the degree?

The program is designed to take five to six years. The first two years are devoted to taking courses and writing the MA thesis. The third year is devoted to qualifying examinations and to the preparation of the dissertation prospectus, which outlines the topic, original contribution, and methodology of the dissertation. During the fourth and fifth years, students write their dissertations. The curriculum includes courses that help students to hone their academic writing skills.

How does the PhD program relate to the MA program?

The PhD Program in French is sequential: the MA and MPhil degrees are obtained along the way to the doctorate. Students who do not wish to commit to a PhD or who feel that they need more training before they apply to PhD programs should consider applying to one of our freestanding MA programs ( MA in French , MA in History and Literature ).

How is the PhD program funded? Do students pay tuition or other fees?

All PhD students receive a five-year fellowship package that covers their tuition and health insurance and provides a stipend to cover living expenses. It is often possible to extend the duration of the fellowship for an additional year by teaching or through external funding, such as Fulbright, Mellon, ACLS, Ford and Chateaubriand fellowships. (Note that the freestanding MA program does not include a tuition waiver or stipend though limited financial aid is available.)

Can the application fee be waived for me?

In certain circumstances, but the Department of French has no discretion. Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences site for more information.

How much teaching is included in the PhD program?

Students usually teach for 3-4 years. They do not teach in their first year and also have one year of ‘Dissertation Fellowship’ that exempts them from teaching. This is typically taken in year 5. Students usually begin by teaching elementary and intermediate French-language courses then progress to offering more advanced language, literature, and history courses

What is the PhD in French & Comparative Literature?

Some students opt to complete the graduate certificate in comparative literature offered by the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society (ICLS) while they are working on their PhD in French. Admission to ICLS and completion of the certificate requires foreign language skills and coursework additional to those required by the French Department. Applicants who are interested in this option apply to the French Department and check the box indicating that they wish to be considered for the ICLS certificate program.

Where can I find a full description of the program?

Download a description of the program here.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

In addition to the application form required by the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , applicants are required to submit:

1)     Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé

2)     Statement of Academic Purpose

The statement should explain your motivations for applying to the PhD program, connecting them to previous studies or other relevant life experience. You do not have to outline a future dissertation project, but you should identify a few questions/areas of study that are of interest to you. It is important to explain why you are applying to Columbia specifically and to show that you are familiar with our program and the areas of expertise of the faculty.

3)     Three letters of evaluation

We prefer that your letters come from current or former professors who know your academic abilities well. It is also a firm requirement of Columbia’s Graduate school that at least two of your letters come from academic institutions.

4)     Two writing samples

One of the samples should be in English, the other in French. Each submission should be 10-15 pages long. Please choose work that reflects your analytical and interpretative strengths. Work that is relevant to the PhD in French is preferred, but we will also consider writing in other fields that demonstrates your ability to conduct research and present an argument. It is fine to send an excerpt from a longer piece of work, e.g. a section of a Senior or Master’s thesis.

5)     Toefl/IELTS scores

All international students whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country where the official language is not English must submit scores of the  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS .

Please note that we do not require GRE scores as part of our application process. You may submit GRE scores if you wish, but there is no requirement to do so.

P hD: Degree Requirements

Graduate Programs

French and francophone studies.

The graduate program in French and Francophone Studies is the home of advanced studies in French and Francophone literatures, language and civilization.

Faculty expertise encompasses many fields, from the Middle Ages to the present in several French-speaking societies and countries. Students receive training and guidance in literary and cultural theory, critical methods, research and teaching applications of information technology, modern linguistics, narratology, hermeneutics and sociocultural and psychoanalytic interpretation. Focal areas of research include the historical interactions between French-speaking cultures, questions of gender and race, and relations between writing, cinema and philosophical thought.

Additional Resources

Lectures by invited speakers, films and conferences, extensive library collections, exchange programs with the Universities of Lyon and Burgundy, and computer facilities and study areas in Rochambeau House.

Application Information

Application requirements, gre subject:.

Not required

GRE General:

Writing sample:.

Required (in French). Applications should be completed in English, except for the writing sample.

Dates/Deadlines

Application deadline, completion requirements.

Sixteen courses at the 100 and 200 levels (including two mandatory courses: History of the French Language and Theory and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching), departmental tutorials, relevant courses in other departments. Also required: two foreign languages other than French at the intermediate level or one at an advanced level, two semesters of teaching, preliminary examination during third year, dissertation, and oral defense.

Alumni Careers

Contact and Location

Department of french and francophone studies, mailing address.

• Program Faculty
• Program Handbook
• Graduate School Handbook

• University of Pennsylvania
• School of Arts and Sciences
• Penn Calendar

Doctoral Program

  I. Requirements for the Ph.D.

• Course Work
• Required Courses
• Foreign Language Requirement
• Credit for graduate work done elsewhere
• Master's examination
• Qualifying evaluation
• Field Statement
• Ph.D. examination
• Dissertation

II. Advising and Evaluation of Students

Iii. study and teaching abroad, iv. funding, i. requirements for the ph.d., 1. course work ..

Students will be required to complete satisfactorily 17 courses, for a total of 17 course units (CUs). All students should take at least one course in each period of French literature. The choice of courses should also reflect a diversity of theoretical, critical, and methodological approaches. Papers should be presented following MLA guidelines and, in at least half of the French courses, should be written in French. Students may take up to three courses outside of French, either in another language or in another field pertinent to the prospective area of specialization. Comparative literature courses that are not cross-listed with French but partially deal with French texts should be discussed with the instructor and the Graduate Chair; such courses may be given French credit, depending on the amount of reading and writing done in French. Students are expected to meet each semester with the Graduate Chair to discuss seminar selection and for approval of extra-departmental courses. 

Normally a student will register for eight courses in the first year and three courses per semester for four additional semesters, or until all course requirements are met. Please find below a typical breakdown of coursework, including seminar electives and required courses covering exam preparation and pedagogical training. 

Typical format:

Year 1- Educational Fellow

Fall Semester: 4 courses (including the FIGS proseminar, FREN 7770)

Spring Semester: 4 courses (including the M.A. exam preparation course (FIGS 5000) and the FIGS anchor course)

M.A. Exam (end of the Spring semester)

Students are strongly encouraged to satisfy one of their language requirements in their first year.

Year 2- Teaching/Research Fellow

Fall Semester: 3 courses (including a Literary Theory course and FREN 5990)

Spring Semester: 3 courses 

Year 3- Teaching/Research Fellow

PhD exam (beginning of the Fall semester)

Fall Semester: 3 courses

Spring Semester: no mandatory courses

Dissertation proposal

Students should have earned 17 course units by the end of their 3rd year.

Year 4- Educational Fellow

Dissertation research and writing

Year 5- Educational Fellow

Dissertation writing and completion 

Dissertation Defense

2. Required courses .

As indicated above, five specific courses are required of all graduate students: FIGS 5000 ("Reading for the M.A. Exam"), FIGS 7770 (the FIGS Proseminar), French 5990 "Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching"), and a Literary Theory course. 

A total of seventeen (17) graduate courses are required for the Ph.D., to be distributed as follows:

1. The FIGS Proseminar, FIGS 7770, an introduction to graduate life—a course taken in the first semester of the first year.

2. A FIGS anchor course—a content course (topic varies every year) taken in the second semester of the first year.

3. The M.A. Exam Preparation Course, FIGS 5000—taken in the second semester of the student's first year.

4. FREN 5990 (Teaching and Learning)—a course taken during the first semester of the student's second year to support and implement their service as teaching fellows.

4. A Literary Theory course— taken in the student's first or second year.

6. A minimum of 9 electives in French & Francophone studies is needed (cross-listed courses included). Courses will be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Chair. Depending on their content, courses from other departments may also count, with the approval of the Graduate Chair.

7. Up to 3 courses outside French & Francophone studies in another field pertinent to the student's area of specialization.

Students are permitted to continue coursework past 17 course units with Graduate Chair approval. 

3. Foreign language requirement . 

In addition to French, students are required to demonstrate reading knowledge of another foreign language, normally one that is used significantly in their chosen field of specialization. The foreign language must be selected with the approval of the Graduate Chair. Students are encouraged to satisfy the foreign language requirement early in the program and in any case before they sit for the Ph.D. exam at the end of the third year.

This requirement may be satisfied one of three ways:

• A reading examination in a modern language, which will consist of a translation of about thirty lines of prose from a literary text and thirty lines of modern criticism (two hours with a dictionary). Reading exams are offered twice a year, once in October and once in March. The dates will be announced by the Graduate Coordinator. 
• Successful completion of a one-semester Latin course, in which the student has fulfilled all course requirements such as tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. The student will need to produce a letter from his or her instructor that attests to satisfactory performance in the course.
• Successful completion of a summer course for reading knowledge, offered tuition free by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences during the first summer session of each year. Reading courses are usually given in French, German, Spanish, and they are sometimes given in Latin. Students are expected to complete all course assignments and pass the final exam in order to fulfill the language requirement.

Alternative options to satisfying the   language requirement may be approved by the Graduate Chair on a case-by-case basis.

Please note: Students specializing in Medieval or Renaissance studies need to fulfill a Latin requirement in addition to the other language. The Latin requirement may be fulfilled one of two ways:

• Successful completion of a one-semester Latin course, in which the student has fulfilled all course requirements such as tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. The student will need to produce a letter from his or her instructor that attests to satisfactory performance in the course.
• A translation exam in Latin, which will consist of one passage by a classical author and one passage by a Medieval/Renaissance author.

4. Credit for graduate work done elsewhere (Transfer of Credit) .

French & Francophone Studies students can transfer a maximum of three graduate-level courses from a previous degree program toward their total of 17 required courses for the Ph.D. Requests for transfer of credit are reviewed by the French & Francophone Studies faculty and the Graduate Chair at the beginning of the student's second year in the program. Requests for transfer of credit must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation. Students must submit course descriptions, bibliographies, syllabi, papers, exams, and/or any other materials requested by the French & Francophone Studies faculty and the Graduate Chair.

5. Master's examination .

An oral exam based on the Master's Reading List (a corpus of 25 texts) will be given at the conclusion of the spring semester of the student’s first year (2nd semester). Students are granted one credit unit to prepare for the exam. 

The oral exam will last approximately one hour and will be conducted by the examining committee partially in French and partially in English. It is designed to test students' general knowledge of the Masters Reading List and attendant sociohistorical contexts. The grade for the oral exam will be pass/fail.

6. Qualifying evaluation .

In order to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, students must pass successfully a qualifying evaluation. At the beginning of the second year, the faculty will evaluate all aspects of the student's performance during his or her first year in the program, namely:

• All written assignments completed for courses
• Contribution to class discussion
• Performance on Master's examination

After all criteria are considered by the graduate faculty, the student will be informed that he or she has:

- Passed the evaluation and is invited to continue studies toward the doctorate. If all Graduate School requirements have been met, the student will be awarded a Master's degree in his or her second year.

- Passed the evaluation and is eligible for a terminal Master's degree. A student who is judged eligible for a terminal Master's degree will be required to finish the third semester of coursework in order to receive the degree.

- Failed the evaluation and is asked to withdraw from the program at the end of the semester in which the evaluation takes place.

7. Ph.D. examination .

The Ph.D. exam will be taken in fall of the third year (or the 5th semester). It will be devised by an examination committee organized by the student in consultation with the student’s primary advisor and the Graduate Chair. It will consist of the following:

• A take-home exam essay, to be completed within four days. The exam will be on a topic formulated by the student’s advisor (in consultation with the committee).  The topic will be in the student's field but will not be directly related to the proposed dissertation topic.  It will be based on the texts from the student’s field of specialization on the Ph.D. reading list (e.g. 17th-century Theater, 19th-century realist novel, 20th-century poetry). It will be written in the language to be used for the student’s dissertation and the length of the answer will be approximately 15-20 pages. The grade for the written Ph.D. examination will be pass/fail.
•  An oral exam to follow within one week will further probe questions from the written exam and also address texts from the Ph.D. Reading List, which will consist of the comprehensive general list as well as 20-25 texts relating to the student's chosen specialized field. The exam will last about one and one-half hours and will be conducted mainly in French. The grade for the oral Ph.D. examination will be pass/fail.

8. Dissertation Process .

The presentation of a dissertation is the final requirement for the Ph.D. Candidates must be thoroughly acquainted with all University regulations governing the writing and presentation of a dissertation and should refer to the Doctoral Dissertation Manual .

a. Dissertation Proposal

Following successful fulfillment of the Ph.D. Examination, the candidate will shape a dissertation project and writing schedule. A Dissertation Chair and a Dissertation Committee will be chosen through a selection process involving the candidate, the FIGS Graduate Chair, and the French & Francophone faculty. The committee will consist of faculty members and at least 2 of which have to belong to the Graduate group. Whatever the composition of their Committee, all students are encouraged to consult informally and widely with the faculty beyond the Committee, both inside and outside the department. In consultation with the Committee, the candidate will prepare a draft of the dissertation proposal, which will serve as the basis for an informal oral presentation of the dissertation topic to the French & Francophone faculty in the Spring of their third year.

b. Dissertation

The presentation of a dissertation is the final requirement for the Ph.D. The dissertation must represent the organized result of an investigation into some area or aspect of literature or culture that was previously unknown or at least insufficiently explored. Candidates must be thoroughly acquainted with all University regulations governing the writing and presentation of a dissertation, and should refer to the Doctoral Dissertation Manual. (Copies are available at the Graduate Division, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 322A, or from the Graduate Coordinator.)

c. Dissertation Defense

A public, oral presentation of the dissertation will take place during the semester in which the student will graduate. The defense is open to all members of the University community. The defense will include both a short presentation given by the student and an oral examination of the thesis material.

Upon entering the graduate program in French and Francophone Studies, each student will be advised by the Graduate Chair for French and Francophone Studies. Thereafter, the Graduate Chair will continue to review graduate student course registration and give general advice, but students are encouraged to consult other faculty members as well. When a general area of concentration is identified as a possible source of a dissertation topic, the appropriate professor will become, de facto, the student's principal advisor, and, normally, the dissertation supervisor.

After each course, students will receive a "Graduate Progress Report" which will evaluate their work in the course and will also record whether they wrote their papers in French or in English. In addition, the faculty may meet with students individually each year to provide an assessment of overall performance with respect to grades, class participation, quality of written material, and teaching. Because the faculty does not wish to encourage any student who may not be able to complete the degree with distinction, students who have not shown adequate command of oral and/or written French, have failed a course, have a grade point average lower than 3.5, or have generally performed below expectations may be placed on departmental probation, asked to finish the requirements for a terminal M.A., or asked to leave the program.

Advisor/Advisee Expectations

It is expected that graduate students in French and Francophone Studies will take advantage of our exchange programs with the Universities of Paris and Geneva. In most cases, students will spend their fourth or fifth year abroad according to whichever exchange program best fits their research needs. The exchange program with the University of Geneva allows students to take course work and write a substantial paper in fulfillment of the D.E.S. degree. The exchange programs with the Universities of Paris generally require students to teach and allow for independent research. Information on the different programs is available from the Graduate Coordinator. While abroad, students are expected to make steady progress on their dissertation research and writing and to maintain regular contact with the Graduate Chair and the dissertation advisor.

First-year students are invited to apply for competitive selection to attend Bryn Mawr College's Institut d'Études Françaises d'Avignon. The Avignon program, held in June and July, is a six-week course of study in which students take two graduate-level seminars: http://www.institutdavignon.fr

Students in their third year and above are invited to apply for competitive selection to attend Dartmouth's Institute of French Cultural Studies. The Dartmouth program, held every other year, is a summer program organized around a specific topic and designed for advanced graduate students and junior faculty:  http://www.frenchculturalstudies.com

Students interested in applying to the Avignon or Dartmouth programs should consult with the Graduate Coordinator and the Graduate Chair.

All students admitted to the Graduate Program in French & Francophone Studies receive a Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, which guarantees five years of financial support (tuition remission, Penn's health insurance, and a 12-month stipend) to students who continue in good academic standing. The fellowship requires a two-year teaching assistantship as service to the department.

In addition, the Graduate School has made funds available to the Department to subsidize students' travel and research expenses as follows:

• Up to $500 per conference for a limited number of students delivering papers at scholarly conferences, to be awarded competitively on a yearly basis. A student may receive up to three such awards from the department during his/her graduate career. Students should first apply for Graduate Student Travel Subvention through the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), which grants a maximum of $500. Students are then eligible for up to $500 beyond the SAS award if their travel expenses exceed that award.
• Financial assistance for a limited number of students undertaking short-term research abroad or summer academic programs to be awarded competitively on a yearly basis. Funds may not be used solely for the purposes of enhancing language proficiency.
• Up to $600 each for students attending the MLA Convention for the purpose of job interviews (awarded once to all such students).

Please see the Graduate Coordinator for application details.

Students can also apply for travel grants from GAPSA .

Students who have finished all pre-dissertation requirements and who no longer receive fellowship support are eligible for a lectureship. These awards provide a stipend for every course taught and may cover the dissertation tuition. The Department also has a small number of one-year, non-renewable full-time lectureships reserved for recent graduates.

Both forms of financial support described above are awarded on the basis of academic merit.  For need-based financial assistance, such as student loans, please contact Student Financial Services at (215) 898-1988; E-mail:  [email protected] .

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French Graduate

Phd in french and francophone studies.

The Graduate Program in French and Francophone Studies  at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill trains scholars and teachers in the analysis of the literature and culture of the Francophone world. The program offers a full graduate curriculum in all periods of French literature from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century, in the literature of many French-speaking geographical regions, in cinema, and in literary, cultural, and social theory. Faculty members offer graduate seminars stemming from their own research on topics that include early modern poetry and poetics, the literature and culture of Québec, the seventeenth-century novel, theater and performance, nineteenth-century literature and culture, colonial and postcolonial studies, contemporary theory, Francophone Asia, Franco-Arab studies, the cinema of the Nouvelle Vague, and gender and sexuality studies. All courses involve a variety of approaches by which graduate students receive a thoroughly rounded, globally oriented education through the doctoral level.

The transdisciplinary and transcultural orientation of the Program in French and Francophone Studies is reflected in its close ties with other units on the UNC campus, such as the  Center for European Studies , the  Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies , the  Department of Asian Studies , the  Program in Comparative Literature , and the  Program in Sexuality Studies . PhD students are encouraged to take classes in these and other areas as a complement to their coursework in French and Francophone Studies. Enhancing the graduate experience at UNC is nearby  Duke University , which also has a highly dynamic graduate program in French as well as many other fields; the two institutions have long had a policy allowing graduate students at each to take courses at the other. In addition, UNC graduate students have opportunities to work and study in a Francophone environment through programs in Montpellier, Paris, and Montreal.

As part of their professional training, all graduate students in French and Francophone Studies teach a variety of courses, including all levels of language instruction, conversation and composition, and introduction to literature. In their first year, students take a seminar in language pedagogy designed to build their abilities and qualifications as teachers.

Bruno Estigarribia

Department Chair

Lauren Lisinski

Graduate Student Services Manager

Ellen Welch

Program details.

Following the  pattern for the PhD in the Department of Romance Studies , the PhD in French and Francophone Studies entails the following specifics.

Graduate students in French and Francophone Studies are expected to acquire a broad knowledge of all periods of French and Francophone literature, well distributed throughout the following areas:

• Renaissance
• 17th century
• 18th and 19th centuries
• 20th and 21st centuries, including Francophone studies

Students should take at least two courses concentrating on material from before 1700 and at least two courses focused on material from after 1700. In consultation with the Graduate Advisor, doctoral students may enroll in a maximum of one course per year outside the department in areas related to their interests. In the event that there are not enough courses offered in the department to fill a student’s schedule in a given semester, the Graduate Advisor may authorize one additional course outside the department. Beyond the basic coursework, doctoral students may want to take supplementary classes to strengthen their preparation for the research paper, the qualifying exams, or the written comprehensive examination, to lay the groundwork for the dissertation, or to develop a wider range of teaching fields. As interdisciplinary studies may be appropriate to some research projects and career plans, a supporting program of three courses (nine credit hours) may be part of the PhD program.

For students applying to the doctoral program with the MA in hand, appropriate placement and course transfer will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in consultation with the Graduate Advisors. The Department may transfer up to four courses (12 credits) into the PhD program and in very exceptional cases up to nine (27 credits). For these students transferring a total of nine courses (27 credits), the research paper, and the second-year qualifying exams are waived. All students must meet the Graduate School’s minimum residency requirement of four semesters of full-time registration.

Please click here  for information on the “old program” (for students who began in 2014 or earlier).

Qualifying Exam

In the second week of the spring semester of their second year, graduate students take their qualfying exams.  To prepare for the exam, students should read all works on the  Qualifying Exam Reading List  (formerly called the MA Reading List). In taking the exam, students will answer one question out of a choice of two in each of the three following divisions:

• Medieval to 17th century
• 20th and 21st centuries including Francophonie

For each division, students will receive two questions from which they will select one; they must answer a total of three questions, one for each period. The faculty who specialize in these periods will write the questions, which address works on the reading list and involve approaches to them that are typically discussed in graduate courses. Students should answer at least one of the three questions in French and at least one in English. The exam is taken at home, and students will receive the three pairs of questions on three different days, usually a Tuesday, the following Thursday, and the following Tuesday. No reference material or notes may be used for the exam. Students must submit their answers to the questions electronically within three hours of receiving them.

Each question will be graded as S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory), but in exceptional cases, graders may award an H (High Pass). Students who receive a U on any one of the questions of their PhD qualifying exam may retake this part of the exam after an interval of at least three months.

Research Paper

The research paper should be 5,000-7,000 words of text, exclusive of endnotes and works cited. All research papers must follow MLA style and conform to the Graduate School’s  Guide to Theses and Dissertations .

At the beginning of the student’s second year, he or she should approach a member of the faculty to serve as the research paper advisor. In consultation with the advisor, the student selects two additional members of the Romance Languages faculty to serve on the Research Paper Committee. Once they have agreed, the candidate should submit all three names to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will officially appoint the committee and notify those involved, including the Graduate Student Services Manager. The advisor and the two readers will approve the research paper once they deem it ready. The research paper is normally finished in the Spring semester of the second year. The approved version should be submitted electronically to the Graduate Student Services Manager  no later than the last day of classes . The research paper is a thesis substitute, not a thesis, so it does not need to be received by the Graduate School by the April deadline for theses.

Once graduate students have completed all of their second-year requirements, they will have the option of requesting an MA if they choose not to continue to the PhD or if they just wish to have the diploma.

PhD Written Exam

When students have completed all coursework for the PhD, they are expected to prepare for dissertation research. The first step is compiling a bibliography that reflects a student’s interest in the area she or he has chosen for the dissertation. According to his or her research interest, the student selects an advisor as well as two other faculty members to form the exam committee. In consultation with the committee, the student prepares the bibliography; once the committee approves the bibliography, the student studies for the written exam. Each of the three committee members proposes two questions for the exam. The student completes the exam as a take-home over a weekend, answering one question from each of the three committee members. The exam should be taken a minimum of three calendar months after the committee approves the bibliography, but no later than the third week of November in the fall semester and the second week of April in the spring semester. Exams are not given over holiday weekends.

Students may not petition to take written exams at times other than those assigned for all graduate students. Registration is required during the semester(s) in which written exams are taken.

The written examination will take place over a weekend (exam emailed to student by 3:00 pm on Friday and returned to the Graduate Student Services Manager by 9:00 am on Monday). Grades are S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). In exceptional cases, professors may award H (High Pass). Students who receive up to two Us may repeat the exam after an interval of three months. Students may not ask to take written examinations at times other than those assigned by the Department. Registration in the university, typically for Thesis Credit, is required during the semester in which written exams are taken.

Dissertation

Upon completing the written exam, the student writes the dissertation prospectus, which outlines the dissertation topic and proposed research. In this phase of the program, the student chooses two other faculty members to complete the dissertation committee, who may be from outside the program or from another institution. Before this committee of five, the student defends the prospectus.

The last step in the PhD program is the dissertation, which involves extensive, in-depth original research. When the student successfully defends the dissertation and submits it in final form to the Graduate School, he or she will be granted the PhD.

For guidelines on preparing and submitting the final text of the dissertation, please see the Graduate School’s  Guide to Theses and Dissertations . Students should also consult the  Graduate School Handbook  to be sure of meeting all degree requirements prior to working on and submitting the dissertation.

Meet the Graduate French Faculty

Affiliated Faculty

Donald m. reid.

(PhD, Stanford University)

Professor of History

19th and 20th century French history, cultural studies, labor history

What Our Students are Saying

Department of French & Italian

Graduate program in french.

The aim of the Ph.D. program in French is to train scholars and university teachers of French language, literature, and culture in a thriving and diverse intellectual environment.

The academic structure of the program enables students to acquire a broad understanding of the whole field of French and Francophone studies as well as a secure grasp of their own field of concentration and prepares them to develop independently as scholars and teachers. Doctoral students will gain a solid knowledge of the foundations and evolutions of French and Francophone literature through diverse theoretical approaches and interdisciplinary areas.

Students accepted into the Ph.D. program enjoy financial support for five years, although readmission each year depends on satisfactory performance. They also hold part-time Assistantships in Instruction. Generous financial support is available for a wide array of professional training, including scholarly research, language learning, and conference presentations.

Applicants to the program should consult our own FAQs in addition to the appropriate sections of the Graduate School website .

Director of Graduate Studies: Professor André Benhaïm 331 East Pyne Building 609-258-7332 [email protected]

• U of R Home
• La Cite universitaire francophone

French and Francophone Intercultural Studies (MCert, MA, PhD)

Over 300 million people worldwide speak French, including more than seven million Canadians.

La Cité universitaire francophone is the main hub for French-language university programming, research and services offered at the University of Regina and across the province.

Our French and Francophone Intercultural Studies graduate programs are among the few truly interdisciplinary francophone studies programs in Canada, which allows you to pursue your interests while interacting with colleagues in related fields.

Develop your graduate studies path by choosing from one or more areas of study:

• Social sciences: political studies, sociology
• Languages: applied linguistics, sociolinguistics
• Humanities: literature, history, philosophy

We offer the following graduate programs:

Master of Arts (thesis-based)

In the thesis-based Master of Arts, the academic focus is on the study of linguistic, cultural and political practices and representations of Francophone communities, and their relations with other cultures (anglophone, Indigenous, immigrant, and others.) Become a specialist by exploring a research topic in-depth, according to your interests.

Master of Arts (course-based)

In the course-based Master of Arts, you can build your knowledge, establish connections between topics and disciplines, and develop your skills. There is a choice of courses in various subject areas, including French and Francophone literatures, and a seminar for collaborative work and exposure to research by U of R professors. This program includes a 6 credit internship with a community organization, which allows you to become familiar with the work of a Francophone community organization and to understand the challenges and opportunities of Francophone communities.

Master’s Certificate

The master’s certificate lets you discover your interests. In this program, you will gain knowledge of Francophone and intercultural studies topics, learn how to use data for research purposes, and take three elective courses for a range of experiences and skills.

The master’s certificate can easily transition into the thesis or course-based master’s program. 

Doctoral programs

Doctoral studies focus on literature, sociolinguistics, linguistics, terminology, gender and culture studies, and the history of ideas. The Doctoral program encourages students to develop meaningful engagement and relationships with Francophone communities, both through their research and as part of their learning, where experiential learning opportunities will be provided. The program itself is multidisciplinary in nature, given the involvement of professors from various disciplinary backgrounds, and the students’ work will be interdisciplinary, drawing and adapting from various disciplines as their topics suggest.

Our graduate programs help you develop your skills in communication (writing and presentations in French), in research (data use and analysis) and in community and intercultural relations.

Quick Facts

French and francophone intercultural studies meet your faculty, why study french and francophone intercultural studies at the university of regina.

La Cité universitaire francophone is the main hub for French-language university programming at the University of Regina. La Cité’s mission is to meet the university education needs of Saskatchewan’s French-speakers, regardless of their first language. We initiate, encourage, develop and support research and the dissemination of academic work in French on issues that affect Francophone minority communities.

La Cité is set apart through community engagement, experiential education, and interdisciplinary research approaches.

Centre canadien de recherche sur les francophonies en milieu minoritaire (CRFM)

Situated at La Cité, the CRFM directs a research program that focuses primarily on the experience of the Fransaskois community while also considering the experience of other Canadian and international Francophone communities seeking to assert their role in a minority environment. The research program uses a multidisciplinary and inter-institutional approach. The CRFM also fosters research that allows for a comparison of the Francophone experience with that of other ethno-cultural minority groups.

The CRFM also offers research internships.

Interdisciplinary programs

Our focus on interdisciplinarity and on intercultural relations means we take into account variations in the French language and respect diversity within Francophone communities. We relate Francophone communities in minority settings to other Francophone settings in Canada and the world, including diasporas, but also to Indigenous peoples, and continually question the relationship between coexistence, interdependence, and movements of peoples across the world.

Bilingual experience

Studying at La Cité means that French is the language of work and study, but outside of it the language is English. This quasi-immersive experience means that students have the opportunity to develop their capacity in French in formal and informal settings, all while working in an environment that includes people who approach French from various trajectories and speak it differently. As a result, students learn how to function effectively in a bilingual environment.

Expert faculty members

Learn from expert faculty members who are also active researchers with diverse interests. Our faculty research interests include:

• 20 th century French literature, rhetoric, and stylistics
• Comic strips (from Europe, Asia, and North America)
• Political and intellectual history of Canadian Francophonie
• Language policies on education in multilingual environments
• Language planning and sustainable development
• Comparative francophonies, French as second/foreign language in multilingual settings
• Sociolinguistics and vitality of languages in minority settings
• Politics of intercultural relations
• Social and political philosophy (phenomenology and existentialism)
• Popular music

Faculty members also offer research assistantship positions.

Research project

If they choose, students can pursue original research projects related to the francophone community of Saskatchewan, which is currently understudied. There are also opportunities for collaboration with francophone community organizations in Saskatchewan.

French and Francophone Intercultural Studies Frequently Asked Questions

Perspectives sur l’étude des communautés francophones begins with the minority settings of French speakers in Canada to study the ties between discourses, academic research, governmental policy, the organization of communities, and processes of identity-building and socialization.

Relations interculturelles au Canada and Bilinguisme, multiculturalisme et interculturalisme explore key Canadian policies and issues around language and culture from the disciplinary perspectives of history, political science, sociolinguistics, and others.

Littérature franco-canadienne explores selected works by Francophone authors in Quebec and Canada, particularly texts written in a minority context.

Some courses include fieldwork, archival work, and working with documents (e.g. translation). Each course has its own approach to the connection between ‘la francophonie canadienne’ and ‘la francophonie internationale’.

Yes! Once you have been accepted as a fully-qualified graduate student with no conditions or holds on your admission, then you are eligible to apply for our scholarships, awards, or graduate teaching assistant positions.

French and Francophone Intercultural Studies Scholarships and Awards

• French Studies Graduate Entrance Award
• La Cité universitaire francophone Scholarship
• Saskatchewan Innovation and Excellence Graduate Scholarship
• Lloyd Person Scholarship
• La Cité Graduate Student Scholarship

Apply for these scholarships, and more, by visiting our Graduate Awards Portal (GAP) , the U of R online graduate scholarship application system.

All Graduate Funding Opportunities

Visit our Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website to learn about all graduate funding opportunities including:

• National Scholarships (including Tri Council funding)
• Awards to Study Abroad
• FGSR Funding/Special Awards
• Funding for Indigenous Students
• Funding for International Students
• Other Awards and Scholarships
• External Scholarship Opportunities
• External Student and Faculty Awards

What Can You Do With a French and Francophone Intercultural Studies Degree?

Upon successfully completing your graduate program in French and Francophone Intercultural Studies, you will be ready for the next step of your career. Many professors at La Cité are graduates of La Cité programs. The jobs that graduates go on to include:

• Government administrator
• Non-profit administrator

Request More Information

Ph.D. Program in Modern French Studies (FRMS)

Our Ph.D. program combines training in literary, cultural and language studies with individualized research to open new, innovative understandings of the French-speaking world of yesterday and today. 

Related Links

• Application fee waiver
• Ph.D. Handbook (PDF)
• French Program Graduate Funding
• French Graduate Placement

The Ph.D. in modern French studies at the University of Maryland offers comprehensive training in French and Francophone studies, including teaching, research and professionalization. The program offers seminars in French and Francophone literature, culture and film, in addition to French language and linguistics. With the guidance of internationally recognized faculty specializing in a range of genres and issues and reflective of the diversity and complexity of the French-speaking world, students develop competencies in innovative research methods and approaches such as critical theory, gender and sexuality studies, colonial and post-colonial studies, cultural and media criticism, ecocriticism and digital humanities, among others. The French Ph.D. program fosters collaborative work across disciplines, languages, media, centuries and fields. Students may pursue graduate certificates in affiliated programs such as women, gender and sexuality studies, comparative literature and digital humanities, as well as participate in Graduate School field committees in film studies and in medieval and early modern studies. Students are encouraged to pursue independent and innovative thinking through individualized curricula and research projects with the support of the French program’s intellectual community.

Students are normally granted full funding for four years, with the possibility of an additional year, contingent upon availability of funds. Annual renewal of financial support is based on satisfactory performance and progress in the program. The program also provides thorough pedagogical training and teaching experience in French language, literature and culture courses.

Students who have graduated from our program have pursued careers in higher education and beyond. For a complete list of Ph.D. graduate placements .

Admissions Information

Entry into the Ph.D. program is open to students who have already completed an M.A. in a field related to French studies. Students with a B.A. in French or a related field should begin with the M.A.

All foreign applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL examination (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

Course Requirements

Ph.D. students are required to take for credit a minimum of eight courses beyond the M.A. at the 600-level or above.

All students must take one course in each of the three following core categories: 1. History of Ideas 2. Issues in Literature 3. History of the French Language

Apart from those core courses, with the help of the director of graduate studies and their advisor, students will create an individually-tailored program of study that best matches their interests to complete the course requirements towards their degree.

Additionally, graduate teaching assistants are expected to take a 1-credit practicum in their first semester (FREN709) and FREN611 (The Structure of the French Language) in their second (spring) semester.

For additional information, please see the Graduate Student Handbook.

Language Requirement

All Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate a sound reading knowledge of one other language in addition to French and English. Students should choose a language that provides an appropriate background for the projected dissertation. The fulfillment of this requirement is one of the prerequisites for advancement to candidacy.

For additional information on how to fulfill this requirement, please see the Graduate Student Handbook.

Entering students are advised in their first semester by the director of graduate studies or by some other designated professor. By the end of their second semester, students should choose a permanent advisor and register this choice with the director of graduate studies. Final responsibility for meeting Graduate School requirements and deadlines rests solely with the student.

Qualifying Examinations

In order to advance to candidacy, Ph.D. students are required to pass two Qualifying Examinations consisting of:

 a) one two-part Comprehensive Examination; and  b) one Prospectus Defense.

In both cases, the committee will be composed of three members of the French faculty. An additional fourth member from outside the department is possible for the prospectus defense if the topic warrants it.

A ) The first Qualifying Examination is a two-part comprehensive exam, first written, then oral, taken over two consecutive days. It assesses whether students have acquired sufficiently broad knowledge of French and Francophone literature as well as of a range of theoretical approaches to be able to successfully take on the dissertation project. This exam should be taken by the end of the student’s third semester in the Ph.D. program. If students choose to submit their written response in English, the oral portion will be in French, and vice versa.

For the written part of the examination, students will have four hours to respond to one of two questions based on the standard Ph.D. reading list. The exam is taken without notes, in an examination room with a computer provided by the department.

For the oral part of the examination, which lasts approximately an hour, students will be asked to discuss their written response and the reading list with their committee.

To obtain the current reading list for the Ph.D. examination, contact the director of graduate studies.

B) The second Qualifying Examination is the oral defense of a written dissertation prospectus (approx. 5,000 words) and accompanying bibliography. The prospectus is a formal project proposal for the dissertation. The prospectus should lay out the proposed area and object of study, explain the relevant context, a research question, how your project is inscribed within the larger field (what has and has not been done in this area), a theoretical approach and a description of the methodology to be adopted, as well as a bibliography.

*Please note that, following a successful prospectus defense, doctoral students are required to submit the most recent version of their dissertation draft as an email attachment to the three departmental members of their Dissertation Committee one year date-to-date after their prospectus defense, and every six months thereafter until the submission of the final version of their dissertation two weeks prior to the defense date. As a rule, students will receive written feedback on these drafts within four to six weeks.

Dissertation

Doctoral dissertations must receive the preliminary approval of the three departmental members of the Dissertation Committee before being submitted to other readers. All readers must be given at least two weeks in which to read the dissertation. At the beginning of the semester in which the dissertation will be defended, the dissertation director will ask the dean of the Graduate School to approve the Examining Committee. At least one member of this five-person committee (normally the dean's representative) will be external to the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and one may be drawn from another university. A date will then be set for the oral defense, which can be expected to last about two hours.

Application Instructions

Application deadline is January 15 for admission in the fall and may be submitted here . Before completing the application, applicants are asked to check the Admissions Requirements site for specific instructions about the Ph.D. program .  

As required by the Graduate School, all application materials must be submitted electronically through the Graduate Application Portal :

• Non-refundable application fee for each program
• Statement of Purpose. The statement should address relevant aspects of your educational experience, the focus of your academic interests and reasons for applying to our program.
• Unofficial transcripts of your entire college/university record (undergraduate and graduate), including records of any advanced work done at another institution. Electronic copies of these unofficial transcripts must be uploaded along with your online application.
• Three letters of recommendation. In your online application, please fully complete the information requested for your recommenders and ask them to submit their letters electronically.
• Two samples of critical writing in French. While we encourage you to submit your best writing sample, we prefer a writing sample in your declared field of interest. If you are submitting an excerpted selection, please include a brief description or introduction to the selection. The MLA citation format is preferred.
• Description of Research/Work Experience (optional)
• Publications/Presentations (optional)
• Academic CV/Resume

  Completed applications are reviewed by an admissions committee in each graduate degree program. The recommendations of the committees are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, who will make the final admission decision. To ensure the integrity of the application process, the University of Maryland authenticates submitted materials through TurnItIn for Admissions .   For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact the Graduate School.

Information for International Graduate Students

The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. International applicants are encouraged to contact the office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS), a valuable source of information and assistance for prospective and current international students. Admitted international students will receive instructions about obtaining the appropriate visa to study at the University of Maryland which will require submission of additional documents. International students admitted by the Graduate School are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visa in order to enroll.

English Proficiency Requirement

Non-native speakers of English must submit TOEFL exam results to the Graduate School with their application. Based on these results, students may be advised to take a written expression course from the Maryland English Institute or a basic writing course given by the English Department. This course will not count towards the degree.

Please see the Graduate Admissions Process for International applicants for more information.

Program Contact

Director of graduate studies, sarah benharrech.

Associate Professor, French Affiliate, Classics Associate Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

3104 Jiménez Hall College Park MD, 20742

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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Phd in francophone studies.

UL Lafayette's dynamic, innovative, and interdisciplinary doctoral program in Francophone Studies is the only graduate program in the United States specifically in Francophone Studies and provides students the opportunity to study all the regions of la Francophonie individually and as a whole.

Un programme innovateur et unique

Our program regularly provides specific courses on the literatures, cinema, and cultures of France, Belgium, Quebec, Acadia, Louisiana, the Antilles and Haïti, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Maghreb. The graduate program in Francophone Studies was the first in the United States to design courses on Louisiana Cajun and Creole languages, as well as courses on Belgian Francophone literature.

The French faculty consists of a diverse group of scholars who bring a wide array of expertise and who are committed to providing excellent mentorship of PhD candidates in both scholarship and teaching.

Une expérience singulière

The university itself is located in the heart of French Louisiana, a cultural crossroads joining many areas of the contemporary Francophone world that share historical and linguistic roots. The natural beauty of the landscape provides a fitting setting for the culture’s unique heritage and multicultural diversity.

Students from all over the Francophone World come together at UL to explore the rich variety, hybridity, and créolisation of the global Francophonie using a variety of approaches: literary, linguistic, critical, ethnographic, cinematographic, historical, culture and folklore studies.

Learn more about our: PhD requirements » Curriculum and courses » French and Francophone Studies faculty » Funding for PhD students »

Apply today! Venez étudier avec nous-autres !

Ready to earn your Ph.D. in Francophone Studies from UL? Visit the Graduate School for application information and the online application .

French and Francophone Studies

French Graduate Adviser : Larry Norman

Interdisciplinary Engagement

In addition to the primary field in French and Francophone Studies, all of our PhD students create an individual course of study in a secondary field, which can be in a second Romance literature or in another discipline.  By defining their own path of study while acquiring a rigorous grounding in their chosen fields, students develop the skills and versatility necessary to adapt and succeed in an evolving profession. Formal secondary field tracks in  Cinema and Media Studies  and in  Gender and Sexuality Studies  have been developed, or students are invited to design their own secondary field .

Students may also choose to complete a dual degree program with  Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS) , or to apply to the  Masters in Legal Studies (MLS)  program. 

The University of Chicago’s  graduate workshops  are a hallmark of graduate study at this University. These workshops provide opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange among students and faculty across the University. PhD students participate in and coordinate these forums for sustained interdisciplinary exchange among students and faculty.

International Exchange

• Qualified doctoral students may apply to be part of a dual degree program between the University of Chicago and a French institution. Program and application requirements may be found  here .
• The   University of Chicago Paris Center  is located in the research hub between the Université de Paris Diderot and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The Center annually hosts around a dozen graduate students from the University of Chicago, who work in close communication with faculty through the Research Residency Program, while also participating in the Center’s own graduate student workshop. The Center promotes collaboration with French academic institutions such as the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences Po); the University of Paris-IV (Sorbonne); the University of Paris-VI (Pierre et Marie Curie); the University of Paris- VII (Diderot); the University of Paris-IX (Dauphine); the University of Paris-X (Nanterre); and the École Normale Supérieure. 
• École Normale Supérieure exchange program .   Each year the University sends two graduate students for fully funded year-long residences as visiting students at the ENS on the rue d’Ulm in Paris. 
• Collège de France Exchange Fellowship .  Each year, this program offers full funding for a graduate student to conduct doctoral research in Paris, providing a formal year-long affiliation with the Collège de France and its research assets.
• The   France Chicago Center . This University of Chicago-based interdisciplinary organization fosters ties between University students and researchers and their colleagues in France. The FCC organizes and sponsors conferences and colloquia, provides pre-dissertation and dissertation fellowships (including the Collège de France Exchange Fellowship) as well as travel grants for students, funds visiting faculty members from France, and organizes numerous lectures.   

Research Resources

• ARTFL Project .  The University of Chicago is home to North America’s largest collection of digitized French resources and makes for a premier center for work in the digital humanities. A longstanding collaboration with the French National Center for Scientific Research, ARTFL offers a select number of research assistantships for students wishing to develop skills in the area of digital humanities.
• Montaigne Studies .  Published since 1988 at the University of Chicago, the journal publishes scholarly articles on Montaigne and his thought. Students who specialize in the Renaissance may gain important professional experience at the journal as Assistant Editors. 
• The   University of Chicago Library . One of the largest research libraries in North America, with 12.6 million volumes in print and electronic form, the Library holds a vast collection of French and Francophone printed materials, manuscripts, rare books, journal holdings, databases and microfilm sets, and provides extensive support for developing personal research skills.

Graduate Program

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Emphasizing interdisciplinary, global, and transhistorical approaches, our doctoral program fosters complex and challenging ways of thinking about French and Francophone literatures and cultures, strongly grounded in poetical, textual, visual, and historical analysis. Doctoral students in French at UVA gain both deep knowledge of a specialized field of study and broad familiarity with literatures and cultures in French from their origins to the present.  They also develop strong pedagogical skills through training and experience.

Requirements for the doctoral program include coursework, a series of increasingly focused research statements, qualifying exams, and a substantial independent research project.  Further details are available in the Graduate Handbook .

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UCLA Graduate Programs

Graduate Program: French & Francophone Studies

UCLA's Graduate Program in French & Francophone Studies offers the following degree(s):

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Masters available on Doctoral track

With questions not answered here or on the program’s site (above), please contact the program directly.

French & Francophone Studies Graduate Program at UCLA French & Francophone Studies Graduate Program at UCLA 212 Royce Hall Box 951539 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1539

Visit the European Languages & Transcultural Studies Department’s faculty roster

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Visit the registrar's site for the European Languages & Transcultural Studies Department’s course descriptions

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MAJOR CODE: FRENCH & FRANCOPHONE STUDIES

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Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

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French/Francophone Studies

French/francophone studies – m.a. and ph.d..

Our graduate program is characterized by a diverse and interdisciplinary study of literature and cinema, as reflected in our wide range of course offerings and faculty research interests. Recent graduate seminars have featured topics ranging from insanity in medieval France to marginalization in recent francophone cinema.

Fast-Track Ph.D. Program

Students with a previous M.A. degree may be admitted to our four-year PhD Fast-Track program

Our doctoral programs in French have been ranked in the top 10 in the nation by the National Research Council. Our 11 faculty members have published books on topics ranging from imaginary saints in medieval France to the legacy of French literary history in the context of the post-colonial francophone world.

We offer financial aid in the form of fellowships and associate instructor positions, generally in five-year packages for students who successfully complete the M.A. degree and continue on to the Ph.D.

Students with a previous M.A. degree may be admitted to our four-year Ph.D. Fast-Track program. In this program, a student will spend the first year in the program as an M.A. student. At the end of the first year, the student will present a dossier of their work which will be evaluated and considered as an application to the Ph.D. program. After admission to the Ph.D. is granted, all coursework completed in the first year of study will be counted towards the Ph.D. degree, and the student will be permitted to transfer relevant/eligible coursework from their previous degree.

Indiana University Bloomington is a great place to study, with a beautiful campus and vibrant scholarly environment. The Department of French and Italian has partnerships with the Lilly Library of rare books and manuscripts, the Medieval Studies Institute , the Renaissance Studies Program , the Media School , African Studies , Latin American & Caribbean Studies , Gender Studies , the Book Lab , and other programs to offer students interdisciplinary experiences. Upon completion of the Ph.D., our graduate students typically obtain excellent job placements at universities and colleges worldwide.

Recent Ph.D. Placements

University of Chicago

University of Houston

Colby College

Kennesaw State University

Baylor University

Brown University

Butler University

Davidson College

Eckerd College

Franklin & Marshall College

Kenyon College

Lycoming College

Queen’s University-Belfast

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Areas of study

• Manuscript, book studies, and digital humanities
• All periods, from the Middle Ages to the 21 st century, of literatures and cultures in French
• Postcolonial Francophone literary and cinema studies
• Theater, opera, and cinema studies
• Cultural studies and theoretical inquiry in the humanities

Find more information in our Student Portal Meet our faculty

A note from the program director

Welcome to French and Francophone Studies at Indiana University Bloomington! The strength of our graduate program lies in the outstanding profiles and diverse backgrounds of our graduate students, the expertise of our 10 faculty whose cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge scholarship covers a broad range of topics and areas, and the unmatched resources our department and campus offer to scholars, teachers, and professionals in training.

Read full note

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PhD in French & Francophone or Italian Studies

The Department offers a doctoral programs in French & Francophone Studies and Italian Studies. Each gives students an opportunity to achieve a high level of scholarly competence and to develop the capacity to contribute original knowledge to the field. We are committed to the interdisciplinary study of language, literature, film and culture. Our faculty has a great depth and breadth of expertise, particularly in medieval and Renaissance culture and literature, linguistics, modern and contemporary literature, and film studies.

Our PhD programs build on linguistic, literary, film and cultural studies to support a selection of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies. The programs provide an intellectually rigorous and focused but flexible set of core courses to prepare students for the pursuit of more specific individual research interests. Students will also receive preparation in world language pedagogy and the history and structures of language, establish coordinated theoretical grounding in one or more disciplines, and achieve proficiency in two professionally relevant languages in addition to French or Italian and English.

Students will have full use of the Department’s broad cultural competencies and access to a wide range of interdisciplinary resources in the University’s other Departments and Schools. Plans of study will include selected, pertinent courses in other Departments depending on individual students’ qualifications and specializations. This structure strongly supports interdisciplinary development, as students will interact with programs, Departments and Centers such as African American and African Studies, Second Language Studies, History, History of Art, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Film Studies, Disability Studies, Comparative Cultural Studies, Sexuality Studies, Folklore and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Goals include:

• to provide students with the analytical tools and research skills necessary to conceive, create, and publish original and significant research in their chosen fields;
• to train students to become effective post-secondary teachers in their fields through workshops, observations, apprenticeships, and the opportunity to teach a variety courses; and
• to prepare students to become leaders in their future institutions of employment and scholarly fields through seminars, workshops, and service opportunities that expose them to the administration of departments, universities, and professional organizations. With the innovative coursework and wide range of experiences in research, teaching, and service our program offers, students may expect to become competitive candidates on the job market and successful working professionals.

The path towards the PhD degree follows a natural progression from course work to candidacy to dissertation. For students entering without an approved MA degree, the PhD is a five-year program. Students take courses for approximately two and a half years before taking their candidacy examinations in Spring of their third year. Upon successfully passing their candidacy examinations, students submit and defend a dissertation prospectus in early Autumn of their fourth year and then engage in writing the dissertation. For students entering the PhD program with an approved MA degree, the program normally takes four years. Students take courses for one and a half years then continue as explained above. Students in the program who are making good progress but who have not finished their dissertation by their last year of regular funding may apply for an additional year of funding. Such funding is awarded on a competitive basis and is in no way guaranteed.

Current FRIT Graduate Associates should always plan in consultation with their Faculty Advisors, the Chair of Graduate Studies, and the Academic Program Coordinator.

Program Information

1. The FRIT PhD programs require 86 credits (36 for the MA in progress and 50 hours of original coursework for the PhD)  GSH 7.1 .

2. Completion of the following residency requirements:

• minimum of 24 graduate credit hours at Ohio State (for students with transfer credit)
• minimum of two consecutive pre-candidacy semesters or one semester and a Summer session with full-time enrollment
• A student must be registered for at least three graduate credit hours during the Autumn or Spring semester(s) or summer term(s) of the candidacy examination, the Autumn or Spring semester or Summer term of the final oral examination, and the Autumn or Spring semester or Summer term of expected graduation ( GSH 7.1 ).

3. Successful completion of a Candidacy Examination at least one semester before a student can defend and graduate ( GSH 7.3 ).

4. Registration for 3 hours of graduate credit each semester following candidacy until graduation - "continuous enrollment" ( GSH 7.7 ).

5. FRIT Graduate Students are required to take coursework in theory, culture, literature, language, courses outside of FRIT (primarily to complete a minor or GIS), exam preparation, and writing.

All doctoral candidates must successfully complete required coursework (comprised of theory, language, culture, courses outside FRIT to complete a GIS/minor, exam preparation, and writing), pass a qualifying paper and oral defense, pass a candidacy examination (with a written and an oral component), successfully defend a dissertation prospectus, and pass a final oral examination on the dissertation and the designated special areas of research.

Program Guidelines

While we encourage our PhD students to begin thinking of their main area of specialization and even of an eventual dissertation as early as possible in their program, we also want them to keep in mind the realities of the job market they will eventually enter. To that end, they should take a broad range of courses throughout their degree program in order to establish a familiarity with areas of French, Francophone, or Italian Studies outside of their specialization. Universities hiring at the Assistant Professor level today tend to favor candidates with solid pedagogical training and teaching experience and with at least two areas of teaching expertise. PhDs pursuing non-academic careers also find a broad range of coursework essential. Examples of primary or secondary areas of specialization include, among many others, comparative studies, film studies, gender and sexuality studies, cultural studies, medieval and renaissance studies, and second language acquisition.

During the first year of study, the Chair of Graduate Studies will advise students. The student may change the Faculty Advisor upon consultation with and approval of the Graduate Studies Committee Chair and the faculty involved. Students should notify the Department Academic Program Coordinator of their selection by email. All courses will be chosen in consultation with and with the approval of the Faculty Advisor. The student will, in consultation with the Faculty Advisor, select the fields of concentration that will later form the basis of the student’s minor and major qualifying exams by week four of the third year of study for students entering without an approved MA and by spring of the first year of study for students entering with an approved MA. The student will also, with faculty advisor approval, select the other members of the Advisory Committee, who should be representative of the areas of the student’s specialization. The Advisory Committee is composed of at least four authorized graduate faculty members, including the student's faculty advisor. ( GSH 7.3 ) At least one member of the Committee must be from a Department or program other than French and Italian, unless the minor field is French & Francophone or Italian Studies. This Committee will serve as the minor and major field candidacy exam committee.

Students are expected to have completed all regular coursework before their Candidacy Examination. Upon successful completion of the examination, students must enroll each semester for 3 hours of graduate credit ( not  taken as an audit) until they complete their degree. A minimum of 3 credit hours is considered full-time enrollment for post-candidacy students; it is generally also at the maximum number of credit hours allowable without exceeding graduate funding. Post-candidacy students must apply to the Department for a leave of absence for any period during which they are not continuously enrolled. (GSH 7.7 & 11 )

Graduate Students are required to demonstrate at least a reading knowledge of one other professionally relevant language beyond French/Italian and English, such as French, Italian, Latin, German, Spanish, Arabic, or any other language related to the student’s areas of study, subject to the approval of the student’s advisor. Proficiency through coursework or exams in the professionally relevant languages will be required by the end of the second year. While speaking proficiency in the designated languages will certainly be encouraged, reading proficiency (above the second-year level) will be seen as the more important requirement. Students can demonstrate proficiency in one of three ways:

• By passing the graduate reading proficiency exam given by a Department;
• By passing a level II examination in German;
• By taking and passing German 6101 and 6102, French 6571 an 6572 or Latin 5890 and 5891 (reading courses);
• By taking and passing the 1101-1103 series in other languages with a grade of "B" or better (the 1000-level series may not be substituted for 5000 and 6000- level reading courses in Departments where the latter exist, although students are free to take any additional courses on their own). 

Students may demonstrate proficiency in a native or heritage language relevant to their field of study via a translation examination administered by the Department offering instruction in that language within the University.  Credit hours taken to satisfy the Language Requirement cannot be counted toward those required for the degree ( GSH 7.1 )

In addition to their major area of study, FRIT graduate students will also organize a set of focused courses in and outside the Department to earn a  Graduate Minor or Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization  (GIS). Students should work with their Faculty Advisors and the Chair of Graduate Studies to select their minor/GIS. Once selected, students should apply for their minor/GIS through  GradForms as soon as possible. Each minor/GIS has a specific advisor in the home Department. Students should work with their minor/GIS advisor after declaring. Once completed, the students should submit the “ Transcript Designation ” request through GradForms .

These are sample program plans. Every student is different. Students should work closely with the Director of Graduate Studies, Academic Program Coordinator, and their faculty advisor to craft a plan that works best for them.

When concerns arise or persist, the graduate student ombudsperson is an impartial resource that can help graduate students explore options in resolving their concerns. Generally, graduate students should aim to address and resolve concerns within their Department. Graduate students are encouraged to discuss concerns with their faculty advisor first. If concerns remain, graduate students should then reach out to the program Graduate Studies Chair. Further unresolved concerns should be communicated to the Department Chair. If the concerns cannot be resolved internally within the Department, the graduate student is encouraged to contact the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences. In situations where the student believes the issue has not been resolved within the College, they can request further review from the Graduate School. ( GSH Appendix D )

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The French Section offers PhD supervision in an exceptional range of French and francophone studies areas. It contains world-leading researchers in the literature, thought, and culture of the Middle Ages, the early modern period, the 19th century, and the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as in cinema and linguistics. There is usually more than one specialist in any field, which helps broaden the PhD student's approach to and understanding of their topic. There is a dynamic culture of research seminars, and the postgraduate students themselves run their own seminar and arrange an annual postgraduate conference.

The PhD is awarded on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing that reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry within the field of French Studies, broadly defined. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It is also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, and the expected timeframe would be five to seven years.

The important notion of 'original' can be defined in a number of ways, but basically, the thesis should represent a significant contribution to learning through the discovery of new knowledge, through the connection of previously unrelated facts, or the development of new theory, or the revision of older views, or some combination of these different criteria. In writing the thesis, you are expected to take due account of previously published work on the subject, and you should ensure that the thesis is clearly and accurately written, paying due account to English style and grammar. The thesis must be written in English, apart from quotations. There is a normal word limit of 80,000 words, including footnotes, references, and appendices, but excluding the bibliography.

During your research, you will work closely with a Supervisor who is a specialist in your research area. You will also be assigned an advisor who will normally have an interest in your research area and can offer advice whenever needed. In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a professional training programme for the benefit of all research students.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of a PhD course, students will have produced a piece of extended original research of publishable or near-publishable quality.

They will have obtained the following:

• expert knowledge of a particular field of French studies
• knowledge of the methodology or methodologies appropriate to their field
• a set of research skills appropriate to their field
• the ability to produce scholarly writing in English of a sufficiently high standard
• an appropriate set of transferable skills, such as work planning and time management

For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Advanced Study to a PhD, the minimum academic requirement is an overall distinction in the MPhil.

For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Thesis to a PhD, the usual academic requirement is a pass in the MPhil.

All applications are judged on their own merits, and students must demonstrate their suitability to undertake doctoral-level research.

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages .

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, department of french, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Michaelmas 2025

Funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• Literature, Culture and Thought (Taught) MPhil
• Literature, Culture and Thought (Research) MPhil
• English Studies MPhil
• English PhD
• Education (Education, Globalisation and International Development) MPhil

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PhD Program in French

Our doctoral program focuses on the literatures, films and cultures of the Francophone world. Students with traditional backgrounds in French Studies - but also students with atypical backgrounds - are encouraged to apply, provided they satisfy the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies.

The humanities teach a breadth of soft skills that graduates need to succeed in the job market.

Katarina Todić '15

Bachelor of Arts Honours French and History

About the Program

Our objective is to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of the Francophone world across time, space and socio-cultural discourses and practices, and to facilitate their professional integration in an increasingly globalized world. Admitted candidates will design their own academic journey jointly with their PhD committee. They will take six half courses, including one required course that will expose them to various literary theories, and a series of professionalization workshops (Eg. How to write articles and for various journals, How to prepare for a job interview, etc.) If approved by the Department of French and the instructor, and if relevant to their field of research, students will also be able to take courses in other departments. Courses, comprehensive examinations ( or publishable articles) and a thesis will structure the four years. Part-time students will be admitted on an exceptional basis.

One of the most salient and innovative features of the program is the option of spending up to one year in a Francophone country or region (in Europe, Canada, US, Africa, Asia or the Caribbean). The research study abroad must be approved by the Graduate Committee upon its evaluation of the proposal. During their study abroad, students will be able to expand their research, enrich their professional and personal experience, immerse themselves in a Francophone environment and experience its diversity. While we wish to prepare students for academic professions, we also strive to facilitate their access to other professions which demand highly skilled individuals in fields such as in international relations, the media, human resources, NGOs, business, diplomacy, environment or the arts.

Students may opt to specialize in one or more of the following areas:

• Francophone literatures (African, Asian and Caribbean)
• Quebec literature
• Franco-Ontarian, Acadian and Francophone literatures from elsewhere in Canada
• Indigenous literature in French
• French literature
• Visual culture and intermediality
• Women’s studies and feminist research
• Philosophy of the Enlightenment
• Queer theory
• Utopia and science fiction
• Critical and literary theory

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements conform to the general University regulations. Applicants whose specialization is in French or Francophone literatures and cultures or in a program deemed equivalent are encouraged to apply. The English language proficiency test (TOEFL) is not required to enter the PhD Program in French.

Students will be admitted to the PhD program with a completed MA in French or in a program deemed equivalent. Equivalence will be granted on a case by case basis in consultation with the School of Graduate Studies. Students must obtain a minimum B+ average or equivalent at the Master’s level to be considered for admission. As a rule, part-time studies will not be an option at the PhD level. However, in exceptional circumstances, permission to pursue the Doctorate part-time might be granted, provided the student adheres to a rigorously scheduled plan of action for completion of all degree requirements within a reasonably limited timeframe.

Application Process

The application process is completed  online . You may apply only if you are planning to begin your graduate studies in September 2025   and note that close date for applications is March 31, 2025.

The application includes the following documents which must be uploaded:

• A letter of intent in French, stating why you want to do a Ph.D. degree in French with us, your intellectual and academic background that prepared you and what you intend your research focus to be (one page).
• Your Ph.D. project description (one page to one page and a half in length).
• A sample of your writing (10-12 pages of your M.A. project in French)
• All your official transcripts since the first year of university.
• Two reference letters written by your professors. We recommend that students ask for these letters very early, communicate the deadlines to their referees (professors providing a letter of reference) and provide them with relevant documents (CV, copy of transcripts, study plan, etc.).
• Your resume (Curriculum Vitae).
• A non-refundable amount of $110 Canadian dollars must accompany your application form for administrative fees. This fee must be paid in Canadian dollars by means of a credit card payment or electronic transfer.

The main criterion is the excellence of your grades and the quality of your letters of recommendation. Offers of admission will be normally sent in the spring by the School of Graduate Studies upon the recommendation of the department’s Graduate Studies Committee.

If you are an international student intending to undertake full-time studies in Canada, you must first notify the officials of the Canadian Immigration Service in your country of origin. Applicants must not leave their country until they have in their possession an offer of admission, issued only by the Faculty of Graduate Studies of McMaster University, and a valid study permit to study at McMaster issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Please note that students from certain countries must obtain a Temporary Resident Visa before being allowed to study in Canada. For further information, please visit the website Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada  (French and English version).

Canadian equivalency for grades obtained at foreign universities will be calculated following the guidelines of the Ontario Universities Registrars’ Association (OURA).

For more information, we invite you to consult  International Student Services.

Language Requirement

Candidates will successfully pass a proficiency examination in a language other than French or English.  The examination consists of the translation of a passage from a third language to French or English. The choice of language should be made by the candidate in consultation with her/his supervisory committee. The department should be informed of this choice as soon as possible.

With the approval of the Department of French Graduate Studies Committee and the candidate’s supervisory committee, this language requirement may be substituted by:

• Successful completion of the course EDU 750/751 Principles and Practices of University Teaching offered by MIIETL (McMaster Institute for Innovation & Excellence in Teaching and Learning). The description of the course may be found in the following section of the SGS Calendar: Faculty of Humanities – French – French Courses .
• Successful completion of a three-unit, doctoral-level course in another discipline relevant to the candidate’s research topic.

This requirement may be fulfilled at any time before completion of the degree.

Program Timelines

A supervisor must be declared within the first 5 months of study and the supervisory committee must be declared within the first 12 months of study. The supervisor will recommend, for the student’s approval, at least two other colleagues – to a maximum of four – as members of the supervisory committee. We recommend that the supervisory committee be wholly established by the end of January of the year following the beginning of the program. Students and supervisors should meet regularly and a report on the student’s progress must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies at least once a year.

The PhD degree program will normally be four years in length. Students are expected to participate in professionalization workshops offered during the academic year. All PhD students must complete six half-courses (three units each) within the first year of the program. One of them, FRENCH 705 Introduction to Literary and Critical Theory, is required. The listing of all courses can be found in the following section of the SGS Calendar: Faculty of Humanities – French – French Courses . The minimum passing grade is a B-.

Before December 1st of the first year of the program, all graduate students, including part time students, must also complete courses SGS 101 (Academic Research Integrity and Ethics) and SGS 201 (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act – AODA). A graduate student may not obtain a graduate degree at McMaster without having passed these courses.

Candidates are expected to complete comprehensive field examinations. PhD. candidates in consultation with their supervisory committee will choose two areas of concentration: the first will be literary and theoretical in nature and the second interdisciplinary. Candidates will submit an extensive bibliography for each area of concentration and will be assessed by way of a written examination. Candidates will be given one week to complete a 10- to 15-page paper for each area. Full-time students will write these examinations within the first twenty months of their program, that is, before the end of April of their second year of residency, assuming the student began residency in September of the first year. These exams are intended as opening stages of the doctoral dissertation. For each examination, candidates must prove their proficiency in the French language and their competence in their selected areas of specialization. They must display in-depth knowledge, not only of the primary texts, but also of the existing scholarship in their areas of concentration. Candidates must obtain a passing grade. In the event of a failing grade, candidates will have one opportunity to rewrite their exams; this second and final attempt should occur within three months of the date of their first examination. In place of a comprehensive examination paper, students will have the choice to write an original article that will be submitted to a recognized, peer-reviewed journal in their field. The article will be a minimum length of 7000 words.

Students will prepare a 25-page thesis project in consultation with their thesis supervisor. This project will then be presented and examined by the candidate’s supervisory committee. An oral defence of the project, conducted by the supervisory committee, must be successfully completed before the candidate can proceed with research and preparation of the thesis manuscript. This requirement should be completed within the first 24 months of the candidate’s program.

During the third or fourth year of the program, candidates will write a scholarly thesis of approximately 250 pages (including notes and bibliography) and will defend it at an Oral Examination. The oral examination of the thesis will normally be conducted in French.

• Completion of 6 half courses within 12 months of start date
• Completion of a research methodology workshop
• Selection of thesis supervisor (as soon as possible, and within the first five months into the program)
• Two areas of concentration, which are the subjects of the student’s comprehensive examinations, to be determined in conjunction with committee members
• Submission of the First Year Progress Report (before the 12th month)

Second Year

• Comprehensive examinations (one of them may be replaced by a publishable article) to be completed within the first 20 months of the program. If the article option is chosen, the article will be submitted to a recognized, peer-review journal in the relevant field.
• A 25-page thesis project to be completed and defended orally within the first 24 months
• Submission of Annual Progress Report (before the 24th month)
• Submission of draft chapters of the thesis
• During their third year of the program, students may elect to study or do research abroad, audit classes in other disciplines, at McMaster or at other universities, or participate in a field work/internship program in a Francophone region or country. To spend a period of time in a Francophone region or country, students must obtain the written approval of their committee and of the School of Graduate Studies.
• Submission of Annual Progress Report (before the 36th month)

Fourth Year

• Submission of the final draft of the thesis; the thesis defence; uploading of the final, electronic version of the thesis to MacSphere.

French PhD Tuition & Program Fees

Visit Graduate Studies to learn more about tuition, supplementary fees and everything you need to know about being paid as a Teaching or Research Assistant. Tuition fees are assessed on a term by term basis, depending on the number of courses a student takes or if they are paying by term.

Faculty Scholarship Adjustments Guidelines

The McMaster Graduate Scholarship (MGS) is the most common form of scholarship support available to graduate students in our program. The MGS ensures that students receive a guaranteed minimum level of scholarship support. Adjustments to the MGS will depend on other available scholarships.

The Faculty of Humanities Adjustments guidelines policy is available for review.

REVIEW THE POLICY

Apply to the PhD Program in French

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GRADUATE SUPERVISORS

Research your passion in French with supervision from our world-class faculty.

SEE OUR CURRENT AND FORMER GRAD STUDENTS

Supplemental information.

Graduate Course Offerings & Outlines 2024-2025

• FRENCH 6CC3 / Theoretical Reflections on Interdisciplinarity, Dr. Elzbieta Grodek
• FRENCH 6U03 / Topics in Literature and Culture of Quebec and Francophone Canada, Dr. Joëlle Papillon
• FRENCH 705 / Introduction to Literary and Critical Theory, Dr. John Stout
• FRENCH 711 / Voltaire et son siècle, Dr. William Hanley
• FRENCH 730 / Lectures Dirigées
• FRENCH 6MM3 / Sex, violence, and elegance: the eighteenth-century French novel, Dr. William Hanley
• FRENCH 6Y03 / Topics in 20th Century French Literature, Dr. Elzbieta Grodek
• FRENCH 701 / La poésie française contemporaine, Dr. John Stout
• FRENCH 730 / Lecture Dirigées
• FRENCH 733 / La Littérature Autochtone, Dr. Joëlle Papillon

Students who are accepted also have the option of taking, with the professor’s agreement, one directed (tailored) reading course (FRENCH 730) a year on a chosen subject.

McMaster Scholarships

External Scholarships

The Department offers a teaching assistantship to all students admitted to the Graduate Program by the official deadline.

Discover the resources available for Teaching Assistants and offered by the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching :

• McMaster Teaching Assistant Guide
• McMaster Teaching Assistant Guide for Remote Teaching
• Forward with FLEXibility: A Teaching and Learning Resource on Accessibility
• MacPherson Supported Teaching Tools

The MacPherson Institute is located in the McMaster Mills Library (L504) and is a resourceful and welcoming place to meet teaching and learning specialists at McMaster.

TAs’ Community of Practice

Teaching Assistants’ Community of Practice in the Department of French:

French TAs meet a couple of times each term to share best practices and discuss their teaching experiences. 

Collective Agreement 

CUPE 3906 – T.A.s (Unit 1)

A collective agreement providing terms and conditions of employment as a TA at McMaster.

Research assistantships are occasionally available conditional on faculty research funding.

With a French graduate degree, you could work as a teacher, journalist, translator, interpreter, proofreader, international aid and development worker, diplomatic service officer, education consultant, government administrator, public policy analyst, lawyer. 

You will gain marketable skills such as:

• Analytical and critical thinking
• Conceptual, systemic, interconnected thinking 
• Listening and communication
• Discussion and negotiation
• Writing and literature review skills
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork ability
• Planning and organizing activities
• Intercultural dialogue
• Understanding of diverse worldviews and practices
• Open-mindedness
• Life-long learning skills 

Academic job postings are available on University Affairs and Fabula , among other sources.

• Thesis Defence
• Graduate Calendar
• School of Graduate Studies Graduate Resources
• Graduate Association
• Program Handbook

PAST PHD THESES

See some of the research projects completed by our PhD students in recent years.

Department Life

The French department at McMaster boasts a vibrant collegial environment for students and faculty members alike to study, explore and celebrate the Francophone World.

upcoming events

Francophonie & Diversité

Discover how McMaster acknowledges the entire “Francophone world” and embraces “Diversité”.

Internationalisation

Explore the internationalisation initiatives in our Department.

Gems at Mac

See the wide variety of unique resources offered by McMaster University.

Find a Humanities Expert

Research-focused and student-centered. Humanities researchers promote interdisciplinary approaches to local and global leadership. Learn more about our researchers by searching by name or keyword.

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Our undergraduate program — one of the most vibrant in the U.S. — offers a unique variety of major options to suit any area of interest.

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News and Events

Latest news:, besançon summer program featured in college of the liberal arts article.

November 3, 2023

Willa Silverman, The Malvin E. and Lea P. Bank Professor of French and Jewish Studies, 1959-2023.

October 24, 2023

Assistant Professor Burleigh Hendrickson among Penn State Fulbright 2023-2024 Award Winners

October 3, 2023

Upcoming Events:

(re)-envisioning francophonies: toward creative directions, practices and methods, ph.d. program in french and francophone and african studies, general description.

French and Francophone Studies doctoral students who have research and educational interests in African studies may apply to the Dual-Title Doctoral Degree Program in African Studies.  The goal of the program is to enable doctoral students from French and Francophone Studies to complement their knowledge and skills in their primary discipline with in-depth knowledge of prevailing theories on and problem-solving approaches to thematic, regional, or national issues pertaining to African development and change. The Dual-Title Doctoral Degree Program will provide interested French and Francophone Studies doctoral students with a multidisciplinary approach that will enhance their analytical capabilities for addressing key issues in African Studies.

Admission Requirements

Students must apply and be admitted to the graduate program in French and Francophone Studies and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the dual-title degree program.  After admission to their primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the African Studies dual-title program.  Refer to the Admission Requirements of the  African Studies Bulletin page .  Applicants interested in the dual-title degree program may make their interest in the program known clearly on their applications to French and Francophone Studies and include remarks in their statement of purpose that address the ways in which their research and professional goals in the primary department reflect an interest in African Studies-related research. To be enrolled in the Dual-Title Doctoral Degree Program in African Studies, a student must have the approval of the French and Francophone Studies Department and then submit a letter of application and transcript, which will be reviewed by and African Studies Admissions committee.  An applicant must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) to be considered for enrollment in the dual-title degree program.  Students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in African Studies prior to obtaining candidacy in French and Francophone Studies.

Degree Requirements

• A minimum of 66 post-baccalaureate credits. Course work accepted for the M.A. in French and Francophone Studies will count toward the credit requirement. At least 48 credits, exclusive of dissertation research credits, must be in French and Francophone Studies.
• 18 credits of Africa-related course work at the 400- or 500-level of which the following 9 credits are required: AFR 50 1 (3) and a minimum of 6 credits from a list of courses maintained by the African Studies program chair. 
• Up to 6 of the 18 credits may come from French and Francophone Studies, as approved by the student’s French and Francophone Studies and African Studies Program academic advisers.
• The remaining credits can be taken in African Studies or in any department other than French and Francophone Studies.
• Of the 18 credits, no more than 6 credits may be taken at the 400-level and no more than 3 combined credits may come from 596 and 599 listings.

The choice of courses in African Studies is to be proposed by the student, subject to approval in advance by the French and Francophone Studies and African Studies academic advisers. The suite of selected courses should have an integrated, intellectual thrust that probes thematic, national, or regional issues and be complementary to the student’s specialty in French and Francophone Studies.

Please note that this is a basic outline of the major steps leading to the award of a dual-title Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies and African Studies.  For more details and information, please see the  Graduate Handbook .

Ph.D. Minor in French

Guidelines and coursework certification, general requirements.

• A Ph.D. minor in French consists of four courses (12 units) in French/Francophone language, literatures, and cultures. 
• Up to six units of graduate credit for courses (taught in French or in English) may be transferred from a graduate degree program in French (at the University of Arizona or any other accredited institution). 
• Ph.D. minors in French must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in French and the Head of the Department of French and Italian. 

Examinations

• At the University of Arizona, Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations consist of two examinations (written and oral). 
• Ph.D. minors in French are tested on coursework (i.e. on the syllabi of up to four courses in French/Francophone language, literatures, and cultures). 
• The written part of the examination consists of a take-home essay of 10-12 pages, in French, to be completed within three weeks. 
• The oral part focuses on the topic treated in the essay, as well as on the works on the students course syllabi. 

To download the Ph.D. Minor in French form, click here*.

Any questions or inquiries about the program can be sent to the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Phyllis Taoua at [email protected] . 

DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH AND ITALIAN

• Faculty Hiring

Assistant Professor or Associate Professor of Francophone African Literature

Northwestern University’s Department of French and Italian seeks a full-time tenure-line Assistant Professor or tenured Associate Professor of sub-Saharan Francophone African literatures and cultures. (Any appointment with tenure will be contingent upon a positive tenure review). The country/region and period of specialization are open, but we seek candidates with a background in literary studies enhanced by interdisciplinary strengths in, for example, cinema and media studies; critical approaches to race; cultural studies; environmental humanities; gender and sexuality studies; performance studies; or world literature.

We seek a teacher-scholar with a Ph.D. degree in French and Francophone studies (or a closely related field) by the start of the appointment (September 1, 2025). Candidates must have an active research profile as well as experience with or knowledge of planning and executing courses of their own design in French and in English. The teaching load is four courses per year at the graduate and undergraduate level.

The department fosters an atmosphere of collegiality, equity, and inclusivity and has a strong mentoring culture to support Assistant Professors in advancing their research and visibility in their field. A vibrantly interdisciplinary community, we regularly collaborate with such programs as African Studies, Comparative Literary Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. Northwestern is home to the oldest Program of African Studies in the country and to the world-renowned Herskovits Library of African Studies.

Applications received by November 1st will receive full consideration. All applications should include the following: 1) a cover letter, including a statement of teaching and research interests; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) an article or chapter-length writing sample (in French or in English); and 4) three letters of reference. First-round interviews will be held via Zoom.

Materials should be submitted through our application portal:

https://facultyrecruiting.northwestern.edu/apply/MjE5OQ==  

  Questions and inquiries may be addressed to our Business Administrator Elizabeth Murray ( [email protected] ) or to the Chair of the search committee, Professor Nasrin Qader ( [email protected] ).

This is an Assistant or Associate Professor search. The expected base pay based on rank is as follows:

Assistant Professor: $90,000 - $115,000

Associate Professor: $115,000 - $140,000

This base pay range is for a nine-month academic appointment, does not include summer salary, and is subject to negotiation. Northwestern University has provided a pay range representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for the position. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree, training, and field or discipline; departmental budget availability; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at  https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html  to learn more.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on  EEO is the Law.

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• Faculty & Staff

French (MA)

Specialize in literature, linguistics, or francophone culture.

Why choose this program?

Earn your MA in French with courses in the areas of French and francophone literatures and cultures, French and general linguistics, and second-language studies.

Graduates can pursue teaching careers in high schools and colleges, the private sector including travel and hospitality, federal and provincial administration, and roles where bilingualism is a must.

Possible careers include:

Private Sector 

Tourism, Travel and Hospitality

Administration 

Admission requirements

You'll need to meet the  Faculty of Graduate Studies minimum requirements  as well as any program-specific admissions requirements before you can apply.

Financial information

At Dalhousie, we want our students to focus on their studies, rather than worry about their personal finances. We offer competitive tuition rates and funding programs to support graduate students in almost all of our degree programs.

Program options

Thesis : Pursue independent and original research guided by a supervisor to develop and defend your thesis.  

Course-based : Build your skills and knowledge in a course-based program.

Standard program duration:

16 months or longer

Enrolment options:

Delivery format:.

All graduate programs at Dalhousie are collaboratively delivered by a home Faculty and the  Faculty of Graduate Studies .

Contact an admissions advisor

GRADUATE COORDINATOR

Kenneth Harvie

Email: [email protected]

I'm ready to apply!

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy on this page, in the event of a discrepancy,  Dalhousie's Academic Calendars  are the official reference.

• Programs and Courses

Introductory French Studies II

An undergraduate course offered by the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics .

• Code FREN1102
• Unit Value 6 units
• Offered by School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics
• ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
• Course subject French
• Areas of interest Contemporary Europe, European Languages, European Studies, Language Studies
• Academic career UGRD
• Dr Solene Inceoglu
• Mode of delivery In Person
• Offered in Second Semester 2025 See Future Offerings

• Introduction

Learning Outcomes

Indicative assessment, requisite and incompatibility, prescribed texts.

• Offerings and Dates

This introductory course continues to cover the fundamental aspects of the French language and Francophone cultures. It delves deeper into essential aspects of the language such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structure. By blending classroom instruction with enhanced autonomous learning strategies, it aims to advance students’ reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills to the upper-beginner level.

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

• communicate in more complex basic French, including understanding and producing spoken and written French
• understand and implement more complex basic concepts of French grammar and pronunciation
• discuss more complex aspects of the world in French with classmates and teacher; and
• demonstrate general expertise in critical thinking and reflective learning through an awareness, identification, and appreciation of differences between their own language/culture and French-speaking cultures.
• In-class Test 1 (50 minutes) (15) [LO 1,2,4]
• In-class composition (300-350 words, 50 minutes) (20) [LO 1,2,4]
• In-class Test 2 (50 minutes) (20) [LO 1,2,4]
• Oral assessment (online, 5 minutes) (15) [LO 1,2,4]
• Homework (20) [LO 1,2,4]
• Participation and engagement (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:

a) 48 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 4 hours of class per week, and

b) 82 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Information will be posted on the Course Summary prior to the course commencement.

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees . 

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place  or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at  Fees .

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage .

Second Semester

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions