French, MA

Location(s): Main Campus

The Romance Languages and Literatures Department provides instruction in the French language, literature and culture leading to Master of Arts (MA) in French A candidate for the MA is expected to acquire oral and written proficiency in French, sound knowledge of the principal aspects of the literature and culture in the language, and familiarity with various methods of scholarship and criticism.

Students pursuing the MA may choose either a final project option (Plan A) or to complete a Masters thesis (Plan B).

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the MA in French must complete 36 credits (nine courses) at the graduate level for either Plan A or Plan B, which includes:

Six courses related to French language, literature, and culture (24 credits)
One Independent Study course to prepare for exams (4 credits)
Two elective courses in related fields (8 credits)

Elective courses should be closely related to the general framework of the master’s degree program and must be tailored to suit the student’s professional interests (such as translation, pedagogy or literary and cultural studies).

Comprehensive Exam

Once coursework is completed, all students are required to take comprehensive examinations in French language/literature/culture. These exams are offered at the end of each semester. These examinations, based on reading lists as well as coursework, test the candidate’s familiarity with core works of literature/culture/linguistics, knowledge of the general historical development of those works, and ability to use the language correctly.

Plan A Final Project

Students following Plan A review a list of works in their language’s literary, linguistic and cultural traditions (included in the core reading list) and focus on areas of special interest, including linguistics and cinema (addressed in the field-specific reading lists). The exams can be taken on two different days. Exams are taken at the Romance Languages and Literatures Department, with a time limit of two hours per question. Students answer the questions in writing and will have access to dictionaries only (depending on the nature of the questions, Spanish MA students might have access to primary sources as well).

Plan B Thesis

In addition to taking comprehensive exams, students following Plan B are required to produce a thesis. The student fulfills this requirement by submitting a thesis, presented through the respective advisors to the chairperson of the departmental graduate committee, at least eight weeks before the last day of classes of the semester in which the degree is to be granted. During this time, the student may be required to make corrections, additions or other alterations to bring the work up to the standard required for thesis credit.

Additional Information About the Program

For more information on the French MA program, please refer to the Romance Languages and Literatures website for more information. To apply to the French MA program, please visit the University Admissions website.