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Mar 12, 2026
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2026-2027 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog
French, MA
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 Return to: College of Liberal Arts Departments and Degree Programs
The Master’s program in French is designed to provide a broad knowledge of the French language, literature and culture. Students may elect to focus on France exclusively or on the Francophone world, with France as a primary area, as well as Francophone Europe, Quebec, Acadia, Louisiana, the Antilles and Haiti, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Maghreb, and the Mediterranean. Both thesis and non-thesis tracks are available.
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Admission
To be considered for admission to the M.A. program, a student must have earned a minimum of 24 semester hours in French beyond the elementary level. Students must demonstrate oral and written proficiency in French by submitting a sample of written work in French (two research papers or a thesis) as well as a sound recording demonstrating their oral proficiency. Transcripts of previous studies are required for admission into the Graduate School. Deficiencies in prerequisites and language proficiency must be made up during the first year of graduate studies. The GRE is not required for admission. Required Courses
The following courses or their equivalents are required: Advising
Initially, the graduate coordinator acts as advisor to all M.A. students. By the end of the first year, the student sets up a graduate committee (normally including three or four graduate faculty members). At least three members must be professors with graduate faculty status in the student’s own department. This committee serves as the student’s source for advice and academic planning through completion of the M.A., serving as the student’s comprehensive examination and thesis committee as appropriate. Requirements
M.A. students must complete a total of 36 hours of graduate-level coursework. 30 hours of coursework must be in French and Francophone Studies, with the prefix FREN. 18 hours must be taken in courses limited to graduate students. All students are required to take: Graduate Assistants
All students who hold graduate assistantships are required to take: Thesis and Non-Thesis Options
In consultation with their advisor and professors, students may elect to write a thesis. Students in the thesis option take 30 hours of coursework in French and Francophone Studies (with the prefix FREN) and 6 hours of FREN 599. They must complete their comprehensive exams in their third semester. Students in the non-thesis option may take 6 hours for courses in a related field approved by the Graduate Faculty in French. They must complete their comprehensive exams in their last semester. Examinations
Each student must successfully complete comprehensive written and oral examinations in three selected areas of concentration based on the student’s coursework and the department’s reading list. On the basis of performance on these examinations, the student will be (1) passed unconditionally, (2) required to take additional written examinations in areas found to be deficient, or (3) dropped from the program. Students dropped from the program may appeal to the Francophone Studies Graduate Faculty for reconsideration. Successful written examinations will be followed by an oral examination which will focus on the three selected areas of concentration and which may also cover other areas of the reading list. Students may retake these examinations only once. If an M.A. student writes a thesis, the thesis committee will conduct an oral examination after the thesis is completed. This examination will be a defense of the thesis. Graduate Language Requirement
In addition to a command of French and English, students must demonstrate intermediate reading knowledge of one other language. This requirement can be satisfied by passing the Graduate Language Requirement Exam - Intermediate Reading Knowledge in the language or by successfully completing a course in the language at the 202 level or its equivalent. |
Return to: College of Liberal Arts Departments and Degree Programs
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