phd title in french

Scholarship

Current students.

• Graduate Studies
• General Information
• Graduate Degrees
• Graduate Seminars
• Recent Tenure-Track Placements
• Other Recent Placements
• Recent Dissertations
• Dissertations in Progress
• Recent Presentations at National and International Conferences
• Recent Awards and Prizes
• Graduate Handbook
• How to Apply
• Undergraduate Studies

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.

• Prospective Students
• Majors and Minors
• Learning Outcomes: French Major
• Career Enrichment Network
• Recent Courses
• Schreyer Honors College/Paterno Fellows
• Honors Thesis Guidelines  
• Education Abroad
• Basic Language Program
• Le Cercle Francais

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:

Ph.d. program in french and francophone studies, program description.

The Department of French and Francophone Studies offers a Ph.D. degree with specializations in culture & society and literature as well as dual degrees in French and Francophone Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, in French and Francophone Studies and African Studies and in French and Francophone Studies and Visual Studies. Graduate students accepted into the Department’s Ph.D. program are expected to acquire a broad factual and theoretical background in French Studies, advanced proficiency in oral and writing skills, and a thorough grasp of research and teaching methodologies. Students select one specialization and may add other subspecialties.  Many of our graduate students also pursue Minors, such as the  Social Thought  minor.

Admission Requirements

Students interested in the Ph.D. program in French may apply for admission directly into one of the two specializations (Culture & Society or Literature) or under general status with the specialization to be determined after arrival at Penn State. No admissions preference is given to either category of students; all prospective students are judged according to the admissions criteria outlined in the handbook the student receives when he or she begins graduate studies in French at Penn State.

Requirements for All Specializations

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements stated in the  DEGREE REQUIREMENTS  section of the  Graduate Bulletin .

Students must earn a minimum of 33 to 36 credits (or equivalent) beyond the Master’s degree in French.

The Ph.D. degree prepares candidates for careers in teaching and research at the college or university level. Between 33 and 36 credits beyond the M.A. in French (or equivalent) is required in course work at the 400, 500, 600, or 800 level.  Candidates who have not taken these courses while completing their M.A. at Penn State must take FR 571 French Literacy Theory and Criticism (3), FR 580 Approaches to French Civilization (3), FR 581 Theory and Techniques of Teaching French (1-6), FR 501A Pro-Seminar in French Studies I (1.5), and FR 501B Pro-Seminar in French Studies II (1.5). Credits must be distributed in one of two areas of specialization: culture & society or literature.

A maximum of 12 credits may be earned in teaching methodology (French 581) and in supervised teaching (French 602). Such credits are supplementary to the 33 to 36 credits required for a doctoral specialization, except in applied linguistics where FR 581 is required for the specialization.

Occasionally, the acceleration of course work is possible where a student has a significant academic background in a designated area. Acceleration should be requested by the student’s advisor in consultation with the student’s graduate committee. Acceleration requires the approval of the director of graduate studies and the department head.   Candidates whose prior training does not include courses prerequisite to one of the doctoral specializations are required to complete such courses.

The Chair of the Committee responsible for the specialization, in consultation with other members of the Graduate Faculty and the Department Head, evaluates the graduate training and teaching experience completed at other institutions. A record of any credit to be transferred or of course equivalencies is placed in the candidate’s file, with a copy to the candidate. Waiver of any coursework can only be granted with the approval of the advisor, the instructor of the course being waived, and the Department Head.

All students are required to take the Pro-Seminars in French Studies, FR 501A and FR 501B, within the first two years of entering the program whether at the M.A. or the Ph.D. level.  (The Pro-Seminar is offered every other year.)  Doctoral students who are preparing for the job market are required to take the Pro-Seminar a second time.

Ph.D. Committee and Examinations

All doctoral students must pass a  Candidacy  examination and a  Comprehensive  examination.

Examinations will be written and defended in French.  Exceptions are occasionally made for dual-title Ph.D.s, if serious efforts to find outside members who can read and comprehend French fail, and the DGS, Head and advisor are convinced the student does not need to prove their ability to write or speak French.  If outside members know only some French, the exam will be written in French but the oral exam will be bilingual.  Every effort should be made to locate outside and special members with some knowledge of French.

The Ph.D. Thesis

The thesis (also called “Ph.D. or Doctoral Dissertation”) is a formal demonstration of a student’s ability to conduct high-quality research that poses significant questions and proposes new approaches, implications, and insights. It should represent the culmination of work as a student and, at the same time, demonstrate a student’s expertise to colleagues and peers.

Chapters of the thesis should be submitted to the advisor as they are written. Committee members may prefer to read the thesis chapter by chapter or they may wish to review only the full draft version. This should be decided in consultation between the student and the committee members, preferably at a meeting with the full committee. Both the thesis advisor and the student are responsible for ensuring the completion of a draft of the thesis and for adequate consultation with all committee members well in advance of the oral examination.

Each member of the committee will make any suggestions he or she may have within two weeks of receiving the completed draft. If, at the end of these two weeks, no committee members request major revisions to the thesis (editing suggestions do not qualify), the final oral examination date may be set. The request for examination must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for approval  at least three weeks prior to the date of the exam.

The Thesis Guide

Students should consult the Graduate School  Thesis Guide  for the thesis format. This guide, available online, through the Thesis Office or in Pattee Library, contains complete and updated information regarding the thesis format, preparation, appendices, etc. The Graduate School also provides special thesis formatting templates for use on word-processing systems:  https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/french-francophone-studies/ .

Normally, the thesis defense may not be scheduled until at least three months have elapsed after the completion of the Comprehensive Examination, although the dean of the Graduate School may grant a waiver in some cases.

The final oral exam must take place ten weeks before the end of the Semester. Please check the calendar of deadlines posted every semester by the Graduate School.

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

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

Department of French

Graduate Program

Introduction

Yale’s graduate program in French literature offers both a rigorous grounding in French Literature and an interdisciplinary approach to French theory, thought, and culture.  The graduate curriculum covers the Middle Ages to the present, and the literatures of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Maghreb.  

Our faculty are involved in programs outside the department, including African and African-American Studies , Comparative Literature , Film and Media Studies , Middle East Studies , Judaic Studies , Medieval Studies , and Renaissance Studies . These institutional affiliations provide bridges to related disciplines around the campus. 

Students have at their fingertips the holdings of one of the best research libraries in the world, the Sterling Memorial Library .  The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is an incomparable resource for scholars in French, holding treasures ranging from medieval illuminated manuscripts of the Roman de la Rose , to the holograph manuscript of Camus’s Myth of Sisyphus and selections from Proust’s correspondence. 

The Program

The French Ph.D. degree normally takes five or six years.   The first two years are devoted to course work, including one required course in Old French.  Students are required to take at least two and up to four courses outside the department in departments such as Comparative Literature, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, History of Science and Medicine, History of Art, and Film.  Students must also fulfill the language requirement by the end of the second year.  

Read what current students have to say about our courses

In the third year, students take their oral qualifying exam and prepare their dissertation prospectus. Students typically teach one course per semester during two of their years of graduate study, beginning in the third year.  They receive training in language teaching methodology and teach two semesters of French language. Opportunities also exist to be teaching assistants in advanced undergraduate literature courses.

Hear students talk about their teaching experiences

In the fourth or fifth year, most students choose to pursue dissertation research in France or a francophone country.  Many students partake in the exchange program with the Ecole Normale Supérieure, rue d’Ulm, in Paris.

Students complete their dissertation in the fifth or sixth year. 

To recognize expertise in a particular area of study outside French literature, Yale offers several certificates of concentration    Students may also apply to the combined Ph.D. programs with the Department of African American Studies , the Program in Film and Media Studies , and Renaissance Studies .

[click here for the calendar of progress through the program]

All Yale students receive full financial support (tuition plus full stipend, including health insurance coverage) for five years of graduate study. This includes two years of coursework without teaching, two years of teaching, and a dissertation fellowship year.  Students in the French Department who choose  to pursue dissertation research in France or a francophone country receive an additional year of support without having to teach.

Basic Program Requirements  

• Fourteen term courses during the first two years of study. These must include Old French and at least two graduate-level term courses taken outside the department. French 670, Methods and Techniques in the French Language Classroom, is also required in the second year of study.
• Proficiency (defined as one year of college study) in any two languages (beyond English and French) that are relevant to the student’s research interests, to be approved by the DGS. For details, see the Rules document.
• At least one year of teaching experience.
• The qualifying oral examination, to be taken no later than the end of the sixth term.
• The dissertation prospectus, prepared in consultation with the student’s adviser and approved by the faculty.
• The doctoral dissertation, prepared in close consultation with the adviser, approved by the faculty and Graduate School, and completed by the end of the sixth year of study.

For details see the Program Guidelines for Graduate Studies in French (in the left sidebar.)

Policies of the Graduate School can be found at the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Programs and Policies Bulletin.

Job Placement

Students in their last year of study take a seminar with the Director of Graduate Studies to prepare for the job market.  Although the market remains challenging, our students have fared remarkably well [ click here for a list of recent placements ].

• 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 .

After his or her first year in the program, a student should make a request to the Graduate Chair to receive credit for graduate courses taken at another institution. Such students may follow an accelerated schedule with respect to course work, exams, and dissertation preparation. The number of credits to be received by an incoming student for work done in another institution will be determined on an ad hoc basis, but will not exceed three course units. The fulfillment of requirements listed in items 1-3 above must be taken into consideration when awarding credit to a student for courses taken elsewhere. That is, a student may receive credit for graduate course work done at another institution in the terms specified by the Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania; but the above departmental requirements must be satisfied either by courses taken previously, by course work pursued at the University of Pennsylvania, or by a combination thereof.

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.

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] .

© 2024 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania

Penn WebLogin

• Skip to Main

Structure of the Ph.D. in French

• Climate and Diversity
• Graduate Student Profiles
• Department Administration
• In Memoriam
• Our Visiting Professors
• Ten Reasons to Study French
• French Undergraduate Advising
• French Tutoring Schedule
• French Language Placement
• Prizes and Internships
• Major in French
• Minor in French
• Course Offerings
• Honors Program
• Spotlight on Alumni
• NYU Paris Hebdo
• NYU French Club
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Graduate Student Handbook
• Job Placements
• Dissertations in Progress
• Fellowship and Award Opportunities
• Course Offerings for 2023-2024
• Certificate Programs
• JOINT PHD IN FRENCH STUDIES AND FRENCH
• Course Offerings for 2024-2025
• Public Events
• Student Events
• Fall 2023 Conference NYU Paris - Freaks : trouble dans le corps
• Annual NYU/AATF Workshop for Teachers of French
• Thinking with Bourdieu Today: Interdisciplinary and Transnational Approaches
• Department of French Office Hours
• L’ARC: Department Magazine
• Faculty Resources

I. Structure of the Ph.D. in French

The Department’s Ph.D. program in French prepares students to teach in all areas of French and Francophone literature, thought and culture, stressing both breadth and depth through research seminars and qualifying exams. The program also trains students to be outstanding researchers and important contributors in the field that best speaks to their intellectual passions. Students have the opportunity of studying with about a dozen faculty members as well as with many visiting faculty from France. A regular program of lectures, seminars, and workshops at La Maison Française puts students in touch with the most prestigious thinkers and innovative ideas in the fields of French and Francophone studies, be they literary, philosophical, political, or cultural. In addition, there are many ways of taking advantage of the NYU Paris site, including taking IFS courses or participating in the Global Research Initiative.

Students who have successfully completed the first-year requirements in French at New York University are normally admitted to the doctoral program on the basis of their performance in courses. Admission may be refused on the grounds of a student's inadequate performance in overall coursework.

A. Funding and Time to Degree

Admission to the PhD program in French comprises a full package of financial aid. Every doctoral student in the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University is awarded a Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship which carries guaranteed financial aid for five years with annual renewal contingent on good academic standing. The minimum package for the year 2022-23 consists of a $32,000 nine-month stipend; remission of tuition, service, and registration fees; full coverage of mandatory NYU student health insurance; a $1,000 Dean’s supplementary fellowship for start-up costs; and additional summer funding in their first, second, and third year (conditional upon satisfactory completion of the preceding year’s work). Students are also expected to teach for four semesters. The teaching load is one course each semester, with all teaching salaried independently for approximately $8,064 per course. Other teaching opportunities may include preceptorships in core humanities courses; summer courses (in English); introductory literary surveys and civilization; courses offered at NYU, Paris.

Students who have completed the PhD qualifying examination may apply for dissertation fellowships in both departmental and university-wide competitions. Students are also encouraged to compete for fellowships such as the French Government Chateaubriand Fellowships or the Lurcy Fellowship. (For more information on departmental, university, and external fellowships, see the department website.)

The French PhD program is designed to be completed within the term of the MacCracken award (5 years). The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sets a limit of ten years to complete the Ph.D., or seven years for students who have transferred 24 credits or more. (For more on time limits, see section 3.I.)

B. Course work 

Students in French Literature are expected to acquire a solid background in critical practice and a broad knowledge in all periods of French literature by completing, along with the proseminar, at least three courses that focus primarily on a historical period prior to 1800, and at least three courses on a period after 1800. Students must also take the proseminar in their first semester, for which they will receive a grade of “pass” or “fail.” Students will take a total of 18 courses or 72 credits for their work in the PhD program. (See “roadmap”)

The course work of PhD candidates should be drawn mainly from the department's diverse offerings in French and Francophone literature, literary theory, and civilization studies, but students are also encouraged to take courses in other departments or through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium.

C. First-year Review

On or around May 15, students should submit to the Graduate Assistant a portfolio containing: 1) 200-300 word abstracts of each of their seminar papers for the year, and 2) a written document (1000-1500 words, in French or English) discussing how their first year of coursework has reshaped or recontextualized the intellectual problems and questions that matter most to them.

This document should be carefully edited and well-structured, as it will be the basis of a 30-minute conversation with the DGS (and first-year advisor or other faculty, as available) during the third or fourth week of May. The document should make connections among courses, identify particularly surprising or thought-provoking readings, and point out places where the student would like to acquire greater knowledge or more thorough training (a historical period or theoretical field not yet explored, an additional language to be learned, etc.). Students may also wish to discuss what they have gleaned from attending departmental and university talks, conferences, film series, and so on, with the understanding that their graduate education and professional training takes place both within the classroom and outside it.

First-year candidates must maintain an average of B or better in order to be allowed to present themselves as candidates for the First-year Review. Any exceptions to the date of the review may only be made through petition to the Director of Graduate Studies.

d. Inter-University Doctoral Consortium

A consortial arrangement allows graduate students from NYU to take courses at any of the member schools. Decisions to do so should be made in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies or the student’s PhD advisor. This program is open to doctoral students from participating schools who have completed at least one year of full-time study toward the PhD. Participating schools include: Columbia University, CUNY Graduate Center, Fordham University, The New School, NYU, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Stony Brook University. For further information and registration procedures, please check the NYU website at <http://gsas.nyu.edu/academics/inter-university-doctoralconsortium.html>

E. Language Requirements

NYU PhD students are expected to have or acquire native or near-native command of French.

Knowledge of a second foreign language is required by the French Department for the doctorate in French. Proficiency must be demonstrated by the end of the fourth year of study, and preferably by the start of the third year. This may be satisfied in a number of ways, for example:

1) By completing (or having completed not more than two years before matriculation into the graduate

program) an intermediate-level college course or graduate level reading course in the language with a grade of B or better; this includes graduate level coursework in literatures besides French.

2) By taking an exemption exam and receiving a qualifying score. The exam is now administered by the College of Arts and Science (CAS). Students can sign up for their exam online at the link below. Please note that students must be registered for the exam by the deadline listed on the CAS website.

http://cas.nyu.edu/academic-programs/academic-support-services/placementexams.html#flp

Native speakers of languages other than French and English may be exempted from the requirement.

The Director of Graduate Studies must approve any foreign language course work taken in lieu of the proficiency exam to meet the second language requirement. Undergraduate language courses taken to fulfill this requirement (“skills courses”) are eligible for full tuition remission; however, these courses will not count toward the 72 point residency requirement.

F. Advising & Independent Study

All new first-year entering students are assigned to the First-year advisor. At the end of their second semester they choose a field advisor with whom they begin to plan for their qualifying exams, and with whom they may complete an independent study (guided reading) in their second year. Students are encouraged to discuss professional societies and development with their chosen advisor. Students may also contact the graduate administrative assistant for lists of suggested professional affiliations.

2nd year students may opt to enroll in an independent study course, either during the first or the second semester, under the direction of a chosen professor in a field of interest, in order to explore a series of texts and questions which will bring them closer to the formulation of a dissertation topic. For this variable credit course, meeting times will be worked out with the independent study supervisor. At the end of the class students should hand in a paper comparable in length and scope to the kind of work they would submit for a seminar.

The second-year review takes place in the spring semester of the second year. Each student meets with the DGS and their current advisor. In addition to reviewing the student's academic record, they advise about remaining courses and preparation for the Qualifying Exam; at this point a change in field advisor may be made. All third, fourth, and fifth-year students should meet during the spring term with their field advisor to review their progress toward the doctoral degree.

G. Certificates of Achievement

Candidates for the PhD may obtain an Advanced Certificate of Achievement in French Studies by taking any four courses at the Institute of French Studies, one of which may be cross-listed with the French Department. (See Section III.4. for more information about the certificate) Students must apply directly to the Institute of French Studies for admission into this Advanced Certificate program; the Department cannot register on behalf of the student. GSAS will pay the tuition for up to two extra courses to fulfill the requirements for the Certificate.

Advanced Certificates in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (5 courses), Poetic s (5 courses), Public Humanities (3 courses), and Calamegs (Comparative Approaches to the Literatures of Africa, the Middle East, and the Global South, 5 courses) are also viable options.

H. Policy on Incompletes

Coursework must be completed by the end of the semester during which the course is taken. An unresolved grade, “I,” reverts to “F” one year after the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken unless an extension of the incomplete grade has been approved by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA). An unresolved grade, “NR,” reverts to “F” one year after the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken and no extension will be allowed.

I. PhD Qualifying Examination

The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to prepare students to write the best possible dissertation as quickly and effectively as possible, and to equip them with the advanced knowledge and skills for the job market in their chosen field. It can be taken either in French or in English.

In the course of their second year, and certainly by their second-year review, students should identify their future research field, make progress with formulating their research topic (or problématique), and select a secondary field on which they intend to focus as a teaching field. They should also have decided on a transversal list that will complement their research topic (for example, from the perspective of literary history, cross-cultural comparison, or methodology).

Compilation of reading lists for these fields should be in hand. Students should consult a faculty member about each of their three lists; these three faculty will be the examiners of the Qualifying Exam and subsequently constitute the student’s provisional PhD committee. Each list should comprise primary and secondary works and be approximately 35-40 works in length.

The research topic list . When designing this list, students should address questions or problems posed by the area of inquiry they plan to pursue in their eventual dissertation. Some of the work involved in compiling this list may be done in a course of Independent Study. Sample special field topics include Literature of the Algerian War; Theorizing the Exotic; Préciosité.

The teaching field list might cover a wider historical range, for example: the Lyric "I" (Middle Ages/Renaissance), Women's Writing (17th/18th), Ecological Thought (18th/19th), Politics and the Novel (19th/20th), Literature and Theory of the African Diaspora (20th/Francophone), etc. This list need not necessarily include the same historical period as the research field.

The transversal list is to be envisaged as contextualizing the research topic from one of a number of standpoints—historical, methodological, or theoretical/critical. For some students, it will be most useful to undertake a transversal study of their chosen topic across several centuries (e.g. literary scenes of listening from the Middle Ages to the present). For others, a broadly methodological or theoretical course of reading will prove most useful (e.g. environmental humanities; feminist and queer theory). For yet others, the most fruitful topic might be one that offers a comparative purchase on their research topic, e.g. the literature of another culture or another art form in the same period. It might be helpful to think of this third list as a means of situating or contextualizing the main research field.

During the summer before their third year students should finalize their lists with the help of their three committee members. All three lists should be approved by their committee and submitted to the DGS by Sept. 1. The lists may be appended up until six weeks before the oral examination.

The written part of the examination is to be submitted during the January term of the student’s third year and the oral follows within a window of three weeks following submission. Students unable to take the exam at the prescribed time may petition the DGS for a deferment.

The written exam consists of EITHER: three written essays of about 12 pages each, elaborated in response to questions from each of the three committee members, and reflecting a thorough engagement with the problems central to each list. Students opting to write three essays do so over a period of ten days (that is, a period of 10 times 24 hours, typically extending over 9 full and 2 partial calendar days).

OR: two written essays of about 12 pages each for the research and transversal lists, written over a period of 5 days, and a syllabus for the teaching list. As with the first option, the essays are to be elaborated in response to questions from the committee members directing the research and transversal lists.

The syllabus , due 48 hours before the scheduled oral exam, should be polished (and enticing to prospective students) and include a catchy course title, 1-2 paragraphs describing the course and its goals, and a list of readings and assignments, based on a 14-week semester. Each week (or unit) should also include a short description of the key questions or problems to be explored. (Essentially, it should resemble the sort of syllabus one would submit as part of an academic job application, if asked to do so.) A compelling syllabus will not simply be a shortened version of the teaching list, but involves careful selection, curation, and conceptual reframing of the topic at hand.

The oral exam . The examiners will examine the student on their written answers and on the wider reading lists, as well as on the teaching list syllabus they have devised. Students will be expected to demonstrate extensive and precise knowledge of primary texts and significant secondary literature on their three lists, and to be at ease thinking about the issues which they raise.

Students may receive a grade of pass, honors, or fail on the Qualifying Examination. Students failing all or part of the exam may take it a second, and final, time.

J. Dissertation prospectus

A dissertation prospectus presents in outline the subject of the dissertation, its rationale, and its likely contents. It may be formatted in a number of ways but should include the following (the Graduate Program Assistant can provide sample prospectuses upon request):

1. A short description of the project (10 pages or so), to include an explanation of its topic, of its originality and relevance for the field, the questions which it raises, and the principal materials (e.g. the primary and secondary texts) with which it will engage. The approach or methodology to be deployed should also be indicated.

2. A fairly detailed (5 pages or so) outline of the proposed work plan leading to completion of the dissertation.

3. A core bibliography (5 pages or so).

Normally the topic is the outcome of the research field of the student’s Qualifying Exam, and aspects of its rationale will have been covered in one or more of the two other fields, especially the third list. The student is therefore not starting from scratch and the prospectus should be presented for discussion by the end of the semester following the Qualifying Exam (generally the spring semester of the third year). Extension beyond this date will require a special petition to the DGS.

Dissertation Prospectus Discussion:

The prospectus discussion should be conceived of as an opportunity for the feasibility and desirability of the student’s project to be assessed by their dissertation committee. During the discussion, they will ask questions and contribute ideas; they may suggest both points to include and some to avoid.

The discussion consists of a one-hour oral discussion of the prospectus by the student's dissertation committee. This committee, which is likely to have already taken shape in the Qualifying Exam, consists of a director and two primary readers. The dissertation committee serves as a resource for the student during the elaboration of the dissertation, both before and after the prospectus discussion.

Upon successful completion of the Dissertation Prospectus discussion, the student then registers the title of the thesis (along with the names of the director and two principal readers) with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Assistant.

Alternatively, the committee may refer the prospectus back to the student for reworking before they are allowed to continue to the dissertation. The committee might want to discuss the revised prospectus but they might be willing to approve a paper submission.

K. Degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

To remain in academic good standing, doctoral students must achieve doctoral candidacy within 4 years of initial enrollment. Candidacy is reached when the student earns the Master of Philosophy, M.Phil., degree, indicating that all requirements for the Ph.D. have been met other than the dissertation. Students who have completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation (including all 72 credits of coursework, qualifying exams, prospectus defense, and language proficiency) should contact the Graduate Program Assistant, who puts students forward for the degree of MPhil.

I. Writing the dissertation

While no single approach or format is prescribed, the dissertation will be evaluated according to criteria of scholarly rigor as well as originality and methodological innovation. Dissertations are usually around 200-300 pages long. They may be written in either English or French. Students whose native language is English are encouraged to write in that language.

Writing the dissertation usually takes two to three years, during which a student should be in regular contact with their director who follows the progress to completion, chapter by chapter. The dissertation director will inform the student of the positive evaluations as well as the objections and critiques her or his work might elicit. The director should not offer the student any work external to the direct advancement of the dissertation, including editorial projects, translations, and conference organization.

More detailed information regarding the submission and formatting requirements for the dissertation can be found on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website at <http://gsas.nyu.edu/academics/submitting-your-dissertation.html>

M. DISSERTATION defense

When the student is completing their dissertation, the dissertation director invites two additional readers to join the committee (for a total of five) for the thesis defense. With the Director of Graduate Studies’ approval, the Graduate Assistant will organize a date for the defense.

At least three of the committee members must be full-time faculty members in the Faculty of Arts and Science but up to two readers from other institutions may be included. The dissertation director should formally invite any outside readers to the committee as a matter of courtesy; the department does not reimburse travel expenses for outside readers.

Should one of the readers be unable to be present at the defense, he or she may also participate via video conference. In exceptional cases, a written “absentee” report on the thesis may be submitted with prior approval from the thesis director.

A student should give a copy of the completed dissertation to each of the five readers at least one month before the defense date. At the defense, lasting approximately 2 hours, the student will give a short oral presentation of the thesis before being questioned by the committee members.

Further revisions may be requested before approval, or the dissertation may be approved as it stands, with a mention of “pass” or, exceptionally, with “honors” (a departmental distinction), and the student is recommended for the doctoral degree.

For additional information about dissertation submission procedures, please refer to Section III. Administrative Information, J. Conferral of Degrees.

This Guide is provided by the Department of French to describe the graduate program in French Literature and the Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures (with an emphasis in French). It serves as a summary of the requirements and regulations (both divisional and departmental) pertaining to the various degrees. Questions about any aspect of the procedures outlined here may be addressed to the Graduate Advisors or the  Graduate Student Advisor  in French. This version of the Guide is intended for those students who were admitted Fall 2024 and after. Students admitted Fall 2022 and before may consult the Guide to Higher Degrees in French HERE . Students admitted Fall 2023 may consult the Guide to Higher Degrees in French HERE . Students admitted Fall 2024 may consult the Guide to Higher Degrees in French HERE .

Program Information: Ph.D. in French

Purpose of the Ph.D. in French . The purpose of the Ph.D. is to enable students to undertake original research, to engage in scholarly and critical writing in the field, and to prepare for careers in college/university-level teaching and various professional industries. The M.A. is the first phase of the French Department’s graduate program for students entering with a bachelor’s degree. It is thus assumed that students continuing in the Ph.D. program after completing the M.A. phase will have acquired a broad knowledge of the most important works of French from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century, including knowledge of Old French. Students arriving with an M.A. degree or equivalent from another institution will be asked to validate the comprehensiveness of their knowledge of French literature and language in ways to be determined in consultation with the Head Graduate Advisor; they may be asked to take the M.A. examination, to undertake additional coursework, or a combination of the two. Students who enter the program with a master’s degree should take their Ph.D. Qualifying Exams before or during their fifth semester in the program (sixth semester for those entering without a master’s degree). Overview of the Ph.D. in French. To a large extent, students design their own programs of study, within guidelines set out by the Department and with the advice and assistance of faculty members. The guidelines are meant to ensure the necessary professional specialization in a field within French studies, to point toward the area of an eventual dissertation, and to prepare the student in a general way for research in that area. Throughout the program, each student will explore and develop a clear understanding of three areas of study within or relating to French literature. Each of the areas, while related to the others, obliges the student to view the discipline from a different perspective. The areas of study for the Ph.D. in French are: 1. a historical period in French literature; 2. an open list; and 3. a question of interest extending over a period of three centuries.

Students outline their proposed program of study in these three areas by submitting a Ph.D. Program Proposal (see “Ph.D. Program Proposal” below). Study Abroad. Graduate students in French are encouraged to spend time studying in France or in another francophone region or country and may apply to participate in the Department’s exchange programs with the École Normale Supérieure, the Université Paris Cité or the Université de Tours. It is expected that during this time they will pursue their program of advanced study or research. Course Requirements . Students are expected to plan, with the aid of their Graduate Advisors and any other appropriate members of the faculty, courses of study which enable them to accomplish the goals and requirements of the Ph.D. program. All entering graduate students enroll in a 1-unit Proseminar course (French 200A) in their first year at Berkeley, regardless of whether the student has previously earned an M.A. from another institution. Students taking the M.A. are also required to take a second 1-unit Proseminar course (French 200B) in their first year at Berkeley. The Proseminar is designed to give new graduate students a broad view of the Department’s faculty, the courses they teach, and their fields of research, as well as institutional resources. In addition, it introduces students to practical aspects of the graduate career, issues that pertain to certain fields of research, and current debates across the profession.

Ph.D. candidates will be expected to complete at least 10 courses apart from the French 200A Proseminar and, where relevant, the French 200B Proseminar—for a letter grade—at Berkeley prior to advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. (Advancement to Candidacy occurs with the constitution of a dissertation committee follo wing the passing of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations). At least 8 of the 10 courses are to be taken at the graduate level (above 200), with the student taking at least six graduate courses in the first three semesters of the program (see also “Course Requirements for the M.A. phase”). On petition to the Head Graduate Advisor and if circumstances warrant, students may be granted permission to have an extra undergraduate course count toward the 10, for a total of 3. The 10-course requirement may be modified for students admitted with an M.A. from another university, depending on the Graduate Committee’s assessment of the work done elsewhere. It is Department policy to count a maximum of five courses from previous M.A. work toward the 10-course requirement. Five of the required 10 courses will be devoted to fulfilling a requirement of historical comprehensiveness. Comprehensive knowledge of French literature will be demonstrated by taking one course at the graduate level (above 200) from the Middle Ages; two courses at the graduate level from among the following four options: 16th-century, 17th-century, 18th-century, early modern studies; and two courses at the graduate level from among the following four options: 19th-century, 20th-century, Francophone studies, modern studies. A course satisfies the historical comprehensiveness requirement if it dwells centrally on various works of literature falling substantially within the given period. Courses centering on one author’s works count for this requirement. The French Ph.D. Program Requirements sheet provides a checklist of what students must complete during their time in the program.  Please note that the historical distribution requirements are provisional and will be confirmed before admissions opens in Fall 2024. M.A. students must take French 270 (Literary Criticism: Recent Work in French) or 274 (Traditions of Critical Thought: French Theory) as part of the M.A. degreerequirements. Students who come with an M.A. degree are also expected to take French 270 or 274 before their Qualifying Exams. French 201 (History of the FrenchLanguage) is also a degree requirement and may be completed at any time before the Qualifying Exams. Upper division or graduate courses in another language may count in satisfaction of the 10-course requirement, whether or not they are also used to fulfill part of the foreign language requirement. Courses numbered in the 300 or the 600 series will not count toward the total. All students who wish to request an exception to the Department’s degree requirements must submit that request in writing to the Head Graduate Advisor (with a copy to the Graduate Student Advisor). The request is not officially granted until the Head Graduate Advisor assents to the request in writing and has filed that approval with the Graduate Student Advisor. Students are responsible for making sure the request has been officially granted before proceeding ahead with their course of study. Please note also that if any student is dealing with extenuating health issues, they should consult with the Disabled Students Program to inquire if they are eligible for any academic accommodations. Students admitted to the Ph.D. in French Literature must fulfill the residence requirement of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate (registration for four semesters, with a minimum of 4 units each semester in a l00- or 200-level course) while enrolled in at least 12 units each semester (to be considered full-time). M.A. Phase of the Doctoral Program .  During the first three semesters of the graduate program (M.A. phase), students complete a minimum of six courses—for a letter grade—at Berkeley, of which five must be undertaken at the graduate level (above 200). In addition, one of the six courses must be from the series French 270A B or French 274. (French 298, individual investigation under the supervision of a faculty member, does not count toward the course total.) These six courses all count for the 10-course requirement for the Ph.D. M.A. Examination.  In order to complete the M.A. phase, and for the M.A. degree to be conferred, students must complete the coursework outlined above with at least a 3.5 GPA and also successfully complete a written M.A. Exam by the end of the third semester of graduate study. (The M.A. is not offered on the Graduate Division’s thesis plan.)

The M.A. Examination emphasizes understanding and analysis of texts from the M.A. reading list. The answers to the M.A. Exam should be well written in French. In writing their M.A. Exams, students are expected to show both a knowledge of the texts on the M.A. reading list and an ability to use that knowledge toward the cogent articulation of a critical perspective on issues raised by the exam questions. Students are encouraged to consult the following reference works as they prepare for the exam, some of which are available in the Department’s Library of French Thought: The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism  (available online through the Library) Dictionnaire de rhétorique et de poétique by Michèle Aquien and Georges Molinié A Short History of French Literature by Sarah Kay, Malcolm Bowie, and Terence Cave La Littérature française (tomes 1-2) by Jean-Yves Tadié (dir.) A New History of French Literature by Denis Hollier (ed.) French Global: A New Approach to Literary History by Susan Suleiman The Cambridge Companion to French Literature by John Lyons

La Philosophie en France au vingtième siècle by Frédéric Worms

·          10 Selected Works that the student chooses.

The 10 Selected Works, all originally produced in French, can come (a) from seminars that students have taken in their first three semesters in the program, (b) from works that reflect their own interests in French studies (e.g., from works discovered through the French 200A Proseminar course), and/or (c) from within the student’s desired coverage upon consultation with the Head Graduate Advisor. Alongside poetry, short stories, plays, and novels, students are able—but are not required— to include works from other media and genres such as philosophy and film. Students will be given guidance on the selection of the 10 works in the French 200B Advanced Proseminar course and students will submit the list of works to the Chair of the M.A. Committee (with copies to the Head Graduate Advisor and French Graduate Student Advisor) for approval in the third week of instruction of their third semester in the program. The Chair of the M.A. Committee will confirm the approval of the selected works within one week. The M.A. Exam is a 5-hour written closed-book exam taken remotely in which students write two essays in French. The M.A. Committee will write and submit the questions for the M.A. Exam by the eighth week of the semester during the semester of examination. Students will be given two pairs of questions—one oriented toward the earlier periods and one toward the later periods—and will answer one question from each pair. M.A. Exams are administered during the ninth week of instruction. The M.A. reading list is available in the French Graduate Office and on the bCourses site for French Graduate Students. Timing and Repetition of Exams .  Students are allowed two attempts at the examination. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, the student may take the exam a second time, but this must be done by the end of the immediately following semester. If a student fails the second attempt at the exam, this constitutes failure to pass the requirements for the master’s degree, thus the student will not be permitted to continue in the graduate program. Permission to Proceed to the Ph.D.  At the end of the semester in which the student completes all the requirements of the M.A. phase, the Graduate Committee reviews the student’s entire graduate record. In addition to faculty evaluations of seminar work, the Graduate Committee considers the written report of the M.A. Committee, which addresses the student’s performance on the examination. On the basis of this review, the Graduate Committee will decide whether or not to grant the student permission to proceed to the Ph.D. program in French. Appeals Procedures. The Department’s appeals procedure is consistent with that of the Graduate Division and affords graduate students in the Department an opportunity to resolve complaints about dismissal from graduate standing, placement on probationary status, denial of readmission, joint-authorship matters, and other departmental decisions which terminate or limit participation in the degree program. Questions regarding this procedure should be addressed to the Graduate Student Advisor. Foreign Language Requirement.  The Ph.D. in French requires the acquisition of a language other than French or English. Beginning in fall 2009, students may fulfill the foreign language requirement through either Option I or Option II, as specified by the Graduate Division. Option I Option I requires students to demonstrate reading knowledge of two languages. This can be done by either passing a translation exam in both languages or passing a translation exam in one language and completing coursework in the second language. Option I translation exams consist of at least a 300-word passage translated into English, with the use of a dictionary, in 90 minutes. Students who choose to demonstrate reading knowledge of their second language through coursework may either (a) complete a four-semester course sequence with an average grade of B or better or (b) complete (with a grade of B or better) an upper division foreign language course that requires a four-semester course sequence as a prerequisite. Option II Option II requires students to demonstrate an exceptionally thorough reading knowledge and an adequate knowledge of the grammatical structure of one language. Students can demonstrate such knowledge in one of two ways: (a) by passing a translation exam in which the student translates a passage of about 1,000 words into English, without the use of a dictionary, in three hours or (b) by earning a B or better in two upper-division foreign language courses in which the material is read in the original language. 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 would be advisable to choose Latin, or perhaps Italian. For students interested in modern philosophy or critical theory, German might be wise. Arabic might be a more useful choice for students interested in Francophone writers from North Africa. 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. The foreign language requirement should be completed by the end of the third year in the Ph.D. program (second year, in the case of students entering with an M.A.), and the Graduate Division requires that it be completed before the student may attempt the Ph.D. Qualifying Exams. Please note also that if the student is dealing with extenuating health issues, they should consult with the Disabled Students Program to inquire if they are eligible for any academic accommodations. Ph. D. Program Proposal In the semester following the successful completion of the MA exam (or, for students who enter with an M.A., during their third semester in the program), students submit the Ph.D. Program Proposal. In the Proposal, the student specifies choices for the three fields of study for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations (period, question of interest, open list—see the following section for details). The Program Proposal (a) provides a list of 35 titles to be read in the historical period specified; (b) includes a description of the question of interest extending over a period of three centuries, and provides a reading list of 35 works by different authors representing the stages of its historical development and up to 5 secondary texts relevant to the subject; and (c) provides a short description of the topic for the open list which explains its relevance to French studies, and provides a list of 12-15 works to be read for that topic.

Timeline for the Submission of the Proposal

By the start of the fourth week of the Program Proposal submission semester, the graduate student should:

• ask a faculty member to serve as Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Proposal Director and as provisional Dissertation Director. In many cases the program Proposal Director will go on to become the Dissertation Director; however, this need not always be the case. The final decision about a Dissertation Director is made at the time of Advancement to Candidacy, after the successful completion of the Qualifying Examinations. If a student’s interests have evolved in the meantime, it is perfectly reasonable to select a different faculty member as Dissertation Director at this point. The Director will be working most intensively with the student to craft a coherent, helpful, and rigorous proposal for the Qualifying Examinations, and it is the Proposal Director who is ultimately responsible for approving the document.
• consult with the Proposal Director concerning members of the exam committee and communicate with those members to ensure their availability and willingness to serve.
• submit a form indicating the preliminary choice of Proposal Director and members of the exam committee.

By the start of the eighth week of the Program Proposal submission semester, the student should:

• consult with the Proposal Director and other committee members concerning the proposal statement exam lists.
• submit the working draft of the proposal to the Proposal Director and all members of the committee.
• schedule a 1-hour meeting (in person or on Zoom) with the program proposal committee to take place in week ten to discuss the student’s program proposal. The student’s external committee member (Academic Senate Representative) is not required to attend this meeting although it is advisable that they do so if they are advising the student on the Open Choice list. If the meeting is to be held in person, speak with the Graduate Student Advisor to schedule a space at least one week in advance of the meeting.

By the start of week ten of the Proposal submission semester, the student should

• Meet with the student’s program proposal committee to discuss the student’s program proposal and reading lists.

By the start of the twelfth week of the Program Proposal submission, the student should:

• Write a synopsis of the meeting and make any necessary revisions to the proposal. Distribute both of these to the committee for comment.
• Submit final version of proposal, completed signature page and synopsis to the Graduate Student Advisor.

By the start of the fifteenth week of the Program Proposal submission semester:

• students will be notified when the exam committee has accepted the proposal. In some cases, the committee may request specific changes before final approval.
• Submit final version of proposal to the Head Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Student Advisor by no later than the final day of the fall or spring semester.

During the semester in which the Qualifying Exam is to be taken, the Graduate Committee will finalize the Qualifying Exam committee according to the requests of the student, unless there is some reason why a substitution is deemed necessary (e.g., leaves of absence). In this case, the Graduate Committee will inform the student of this change and the reason for it.

The Program Proposal is a concise explanation of the three fields of study that the student has selected to prepare for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. Although the Program Proposal is not a Dissertation Prospectus, there is often a connection between the Program Proposal and the Dissertation, especially through the Question of Interest. Reference copies of previously approved Ph.D. Program Proposals are on the bCourses site for French Graduate Students. Please note that the structure and form of the Program Proposal changed when the New Qualifying Examination was introduced for students entering from Fall 2025. It is to the student’s advantage to carefully consider their options for study while they are working with faculty members on formalizing their Program Proposal, so as to avoid major shifts of emphasis and consequent delays in preparation for the Qualifying Exam. Evolution in the description of the Question of Interest is considered a normal and intellectually healthy part of the Proposal process; however, no changes should be made in the Program Proposal after filing the departmental “Application for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations” at the start of the semester of the exams. Any major change in the Ph.D. Program Proposal must, in all cases, be approved by the student’s Program Proposal Director (see “Qualifying Examination Procedures”).

Learning goals for the Qualifying Examinations.  The Graduate Division at Berkeley explains the purpose of the Qualifying Examinations as follows: “The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated. Some degree granting programs (departments, Schools, Graduate Groups) expect students to present a topic for the dissertation as part of the preliminaries for the Qualifying Examination, but the examination must not be narrowly limited to the dissertation topic. The examiners should satisfy themselves, by unanimous vote, that the student demonstrated sufficient command of the three subject areas.” The learning outcomes of the Qualifying Examination in the French Ph.D. program are as follows: The qualifying exam assesses the breadth and depth of candidates’ preparation for doctoral research. It provides an opportunity for candidates to synthesize and think relationally about their three reading lists and to show their readiness to undertake a major independent research and writing project. The various components of the QE assess candidates’ 1) ability to write clearly and persuasively about a question/topic of interest; 2) ability to respond to and incorporate iterative feedback on a piece of scholarly writing; 3) ability to analyze and synthesize materials on the three QE areas; 4) articulate research methods relevant to their research interests. Areas of Study for the Qualifying Examinations. The following is a schematic presentation of the three parts of the Qualifying Examination Program Proposal. Detailed instructions about the format of the proposal follow below. 1) A historical period in French literature. In consultation with the Program Proposal Director, the student selects a coherent period of significance to the student’s program of study. Students’ knowledge of their historical period should include a knowledge of the general cultural history of the period, including but not limited to knowledge of all literary genres in the period. As part of the Ph.D. Program Proposal, students submit a list of approximately 35 titles to be read (novels, theatre, poetry, critical prose, etc.) and viewed (films, if applicable) as part of the preparation for the historical period. The length of the historical period may, in the case of a medieval author, extend for two centuries, or in the case of a contemporary writer, encompass only one or two generations. The following are examples of periods of study chosen by students who were interested in the works of a particular author:

• For Chrétien: literary history of the period 1090-1300
• For Villon: 1300-1500
• For Lafayette: 1600-1690
• For Voltaire: 1727-1778
• For Baudelaire: 1820 (date of Les Méditations poétiques) to 1875 (last version of Les Illuminations)
• For Sartre: 1920-present
• For Assia Djebar: 1945-present
• For Marie NDiaye: 1970s-present

2) A Question of Interest which lends itself to being studied throughout the periods of French literary history appropriate to the topic. The Question of Interest should cover at least three of the six historical periods; in most cases, it intersects with the Open Choice topic, but need not. In the Ph.D. Program Proposal, the student defines this area of their program of study in consultation with their Program Proposal Director. The description of the Question of Interest should be a concise explanation of the issues to be studied, including a rationale for the inclusion of the texts and media on the reading list. The reading list contains 35 primary works by different authors representing the stages in the historical development of the chosen genre, theme, or Question of Interest, as well as up to five secondary (critical/theoretical) texts relevant to the subject. Recent topics selected for the equivalent section of the previous version of the Qualifying Examinations have included:

• ‘Les enfants passibles’: Racialized Youth from Rousseau to #Adama
• ‘Gestures’: Body Language and Expression from Louis XIV to Today
• Knowing Climates (major author: Proust);
• Social, Cultural and Political representations of Paris from the 17th to the 19th century;
• Sacrifice and Martyrdom in French writing from the 16th to the 20th century;
• Querelles des Femmes in Pre-Revolutionary France (major author: Christine de Pizan);
• Poetry and Subjectivity: the Pléiade and the Modern Tradition (19th- 20th centuries)
• Works by each author must be specified. Single brief poems cannot be counted as “works”; rather, a group of such texts by a single author may constitute an item on the list.

3) An Open Choice topic which the student selects in consultation with their Program Proposal Director. The Open Choice topic might directly focus on French literature (e.g., “The works of Annie Ernaux”) but does not have to. Students may use this list to draw on their knowledge of a related field (e.g., “Film Studies”) or literary and cultural tradition (e.g., “Italian Renaissance Literature”). However, the Open Choice topic does have to be connected to the student’s program of study in French and Francophone Literature and Culture. The candidate will need to explain that connection in the part of the program proposal which describes the Open Choice topic. The Program Proposal Director has the final say on the acceptability of the topic and list. The Open Choice list should contain between 12 and 15 works such as novels, plays, films, or works of critical theory.

• The works of a single author writing in French with the term ‘author’ understood in its broadest possible sense as literary author, filmmaker, philosopher, etc.
• A field with a strong interdisciplinary connection to French such as Social Theory or Feminism
• A literary or cultural tradition that is related to French and Francophone Literature and Culture such as Renaissance Italian Literature, German Romanticism, or North African and Middle Eastern Cinema (including works in languages other than French)

Formatting the program proposal. The program proposal should be submitted as a text or PDF document which contains the following:

• Name and date
• A 5-7-page single-spaced description of the Question of Interest
• A 1-page single-spaced description of the Open Choice topic which, where relevant, must articulate its connection to the Question of Interest and the student’s overall program of study
• Reading lists for all three areas. Please note that it is not possible for a given work to appear on more than one list.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Procedures Students who enter the program with a master’s degree from another institution should take their Ph.D. Qualifying Exams before or during their fifth semester in the program (sixth semester for those completing the master’s degree in the Berkeley French Department). By the end of the second week of classes of the semester in which students intend to take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations, they file the Department’s “Application for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations” with the French Graduate Student Advisor, along with a copy of the Ph.D. Program Proposal. Qualifying Papers are due in the sixth week of classes (six weeks before the oral exam which will take place in week 12), and the student must be registered at full-time status (12 units) during any semester in which Qualifying Examinations are attempted. Students must remove any Incomplete grades by the beginning of the semester in which they take the Qualifying Exams, as well as satisfy program language requirements by the end of the semester in which they attempt the Qualifying Examinations. The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Committee comprises five members in total. Four committee members are from the French Department who examine the candidate on the Historical Period and Question of Interest. A fifth member is typically from outside the Department, serving as the Academic Senate Representative. In exceptional circumstances and with approval, the Academic Senate Representative can also be from the French Department. The student can be examined by either the outside member or by another member of the French department on the Open Choice list. The Chair and the four members of the Qualifying Examination Committee must be members of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate. The Chair of the Qualifying Exam may not subsequently become the Dissertation Director. In preparing for their Qualifying Exams, students are encouraged to frequently consult with their Program Proposal Director as well as other proposed members of the Committee for the examination. The Program Proposal Director of the Qualifying Examinations (not to be confused with the Chair of the Qualifying Exam Committee) may serve as the student’s Dissertation Chair upon successful completion of the examination. Ph.D. Qualifying Exams are given in two parts: written and oral. The student must pass the written exam before proceeding to the oral exam, which is scheduled six weeks after submitting the Qualifying Paper. The Ph.D. Examinations test the student’s mastery of the three fields of study presented in their Program Proposal; the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations are not intended as a prospectus exam for a dissertation; however, students may use their Program Proposal as a stepping stone toward their dissertation research. The candidate’s knowledge of their chosen fields of study is expected to be both extensive and intensive. The Written Qualifying Examination in the French Department is a Qualifying Paper on the Question of Interest. The Qualifying Paper is intended to be a development of the Program Proposal and should reflect the student’s thinking on the Question of Interest in light of the works on the student’s reading list and discussions with members of their committee. The paper can be written in English or in French and the student is encouraged to seek guidance from their Program Proposal Director on the choice of language. The paper should be between 4000 and 5000 words in length, including footnotes but excluding the bibliography. The student should submit the paper electronically to the five committee members and the Graduate Student Advisor by the start of the sixth week of the Semester. If a student submits the Qualifying Paper any more than one week late, the oral exam will need to be rescheduled.

Students should meet with their Committee members often from the semester in which they write the Program Proposal onwards. These discussions are an important part of students’ preparation for the Qualifying Examinations in general and they directly inform the writing of the Qualifying Paper.

The Qualifying Paper will be graded pass/fail based on the following criteria:

• The writing is clear and the argument is persuasive
• The paper demonstrates the student’s depth of knowledge by integrating sustained analysis of 3 of the works on the Question of Interest reading list
• The paper demonstrates the student’s breadth of knowledge by referring to at least 5 other works on the Question of Interest reading list
• The paper represents a deepening of the Program Proposal, showing evidence of the student’s ability to undertake independent research and writing projects and incorporate feedback
• The works analyzed and referenced reflect the historical evolution of the Question of Interest.

The Chair of the Qualifying Committee will notify students whether they have passed or failed the Qualifying Paper. Students are encouraged to meet with the members of their committee after finding out the result to get more detailed feedback on the paper before the oral exam. The oral exam will take place in week 12 of the semester. In accordance with Graduate Division directives, the oral examination, which covers the student’s entire program of study, is addressed primarily to ascertain the candidate’s ability to synthesize the knowledge acquired. All three portions of the student’s program of study are examined in the oral exam. The oral exam lasts from two to three hours; it must in all cases be of sufficient length for the student to demonstrate mastery of the three areas of study while engaged with the Committee members. Please note also that if students are dealing with extenuating health issues, they should consult with the Disabled Students Program to inquire if they are eligible for any academic accommodations. Timing and Repetition of Exams. Students are allowed two attempts at the Qualifying Paper. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, the student may submit the paper a second time, but this must be done in the immediately following semester. If a student fails the second attempt at the Qualifying Paper, this constitutes failure to pass the requirements for the doctoral degree, and the student will be dismissed from the graduate program. In the case of a failed oral examination, the committee may elect not to recommend a re-examination. Doctoral students should be Advanced to Candidacy as soon as possible following successful completion of the Qualifying Examinations (see “Academic Progress and the Normative Time Program”).

Advancement to Candidacy, the Dissertation Prospectus, Writing the Dissertation

Advancement to Candidacy.  After completing the written and oral Qualifying Examinations, the student chooses a dissertation topic and forms the dissertation committee consisting of a director and two other committee members. At this point, the student initiates and completes the “Application for Advancement to Candidacy for the Ph.D.” eForm through CalCentral, normally, by the end of the semester in which the Qualifying Exam is taken. (The French Department Ph.D. is under Plan B.) This eForm is routed through required advisors and ultimately submitted to the Graduate Division for review and approval. The Dissertation Director must be a Berkeley faculty member. Of the two other committee members, one must be a Berkeley faculty member from a department other than French, otherwise identified as the Academic Senate Representative (ASR). In exceptional circumstances, the ASR can also be from the French Department. The professor who served as Chair of the Qualifying Exam Committee cannot direct the dissertation. Following advancement to candidacy, the dissertation should be completed within four semesters. The Dissertation Prospectus  consists of an 8-10-page essay, accompanied by a bibliography of approximately five pages. It is developed in consultation with the Dissertation Director and must be approved by the Director prior to submission to the Dissertation Committee. The prospectus is due by the end of the 12th week of classes of the spring semester. The Prospectus sets forth the nature of the research project, its relation to existing scholarship and criticism on the subject, and its anticipated value. The essay serves as an introductory “working paper” that articulates the issues to be addressed in the dissertation, the approach and methodology the candidate expects to adopt, and an outline indicating how the candidate plans to structure the dissertation. The accompanying bibliography represents a preliminary survey of the pertinent primary and secondary literature. Dissertation prospectuses from prior years are available to view on bCourses. Once the Dissertation Prospectus has been approved by the Director, a 1-hour prospectus conference is scheduled with all the members of the dissertation committee, taking place no later than the last week of classes in the same semester of the Prospectus submission. At the prospectus conference, the committee explores with the candidate the issues outlined in the prospectus. This conference enables the candidate to begin working on the dissertation having benefited from a full and detailed discussion with all the dissertation committee members present. Immediately after the prospectus conference, the candidate writes a memorandum summarizing the discussion and submits copies to each member of the dissertation committee. The candidate should plan to meet with at least two members of the committee during the year following the prospectus meeting, and annually thereafter. Such meetings are mandated by the Graduate Division, which requires an annual report of progress toward completion of the dissertation. The prospectus conference memorandum serves as a baseline of expectations and will be useful as a point of reference during these meetings. Writing the Dissertation.  The subject of the dissertation normally falls in the general area focused on in the student’s Qualifying Examinations, although neither the approach nor the scope need be limited by the fields of the Qualifying Examinations. The study should represent a contribution to knowledge of enough importance and originality to warrant publication, at least potentially, either in whole or in part. The members of the dissertation committee can be changed, if necessary, during the course of the student’s work on the project; students contemplating a change in committee membership should contact the Graduate Student Advisor. The French Department follows the Graduate Division’s Plan B for granting of the doctoral degree. The dissertation is considered accepted when the members of the candidate’s dissertation committee approve it in its final form. There is no formal oral examination or defense of the dissertation. A .pdf of the dissertation is uploaded to ProQuest/UMI while the approval page and accompanying materials are submitted to the Graduate Division. Students must be registered in the semester they file their dissertation (unless they are on approved filing fee status). Doctoral degrees are awarded in December and May. Well before students plan to file, they should review the Graduate Division Dissertation Writing and Filing guidelines . Dissertations in a Language Other than English.  Approval from the Graduate Division, acting for the Graduate Council, is required for submission of a dissertation in a language other than English. If approval is given, an abstract in English must be included with the finished work.

Academic Progress, Advising, Mentoring

Length of Time in Candidacy: Normative Time Program for Ph.D. candidates in French Academic Progress.  The timetable for completion of degree requirements is as follows: the M.A. phase is completed in three semesters or less. Within one semester after being granted permission to proceed in the doctoral program (or, for students entering with an M.A. in French, within three semesters after entering the graduate program) students submit the Ph.D. Program Proposal. Over the course of the following semester, students prepare for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations which they then take the next semester (i.e., one year after writing the Program Proposal). In the same semester that they pass the Qualifying Examinations, students apply for advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Doctoral candidacy lasts for two years after advancement, although students are eligible for an additional two-year grace period before candidacy lapses (see “Length of Time in Advanced-to-Candidacy Status”). Formal Reviews of Academic Progress and Mentoring.  A review of each student’s work and progress is conducted by the Graduate Committee after the first semester in the program and also annually, and each student is informed by the Committee of the results of this review. In addition, students’ records are reviewed before the Graduate Committee determines whether or not to issue invitations to proceed to the Ph.D. program after completion of the M.A. phase (see “Permission to Proceed”). After a student has advanced to candidacy, the annual review of progress is conducted with the student’s Dissertation Director as part of the online Doctoral Candidacy Review. Students are encouraged to meet regularly with the Head Graduate Advisor to discuss their progress in all phases of the program. In addition to consulting with the Head Graduate Advisor, students will be assigned a faculty mentor for their first year upon entry into the graduate program. While program requirements, course choices, and the other official aspects pertaining to satisfactory progress in the program are discussed during regular meetings with the Head Graduate Advisor, the faculty mentor provides a more informal introduction to the department’s professional culture by attending to the student’s intellectual guidance. Normative Time to Degree (NTD) refers to the elapsed time that students would need to complete all requirements for the doctorate, assuming that they are engaged in full-time study and making satisfactory progress toward their degrees. NTD has two components: (1) time from the beginning of the student’s graduate work to advancement to doctoral candidacy, and (2) time in candidacy until the dissertation is filed.

Normative time to advance to doctoral candidacy is eight semesters, unless a student enters the graduate program with a master’s degree, in which case normative time to advance to doctoral candidacy is six semesters. For normative time in candidacy, see “Length of Time in Advanced-to-Candidacy Status.”

Students may be eligible for an extension of normative time in certain circumstances, such as when the student has a letter of accommodation from the Disabled Students Program or when a student has withdrawn from Berkeley for medical reasons. Consult with the Head Graduate Advisor or with the Graduate Student Advisor for more information on normative time extensions. Doctoral Completion Fellowships (DCF).  Students who advance to doctoral candidacy are eligible for the DCF from the Graduate Division, which provides a stipend of $30,000 and covers all fees for two semesters. Students are highly encouraged to apply for the DCF. Students who—for reasons relating to their professional training—would like to teach for one semester during their DCF year need the permission of their dissertation advisor and the Head Graduate Advisor.

The DCF must be used within Normative Time to Degree plus one year. NTD is the amount of time set for each program from first enrollment to filing the dissertation. NTD for French and for Romance Languages & Literature (RLL) is 12 semesters. For those entering the French doctoral program with an M.A. in French, NTD is 10 semesters. Students who are within their 12-semester teaching limit may continue as Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) at Berkeley. Students who have taken the DCF may also be considered for Continuing Fellowship and the Graduate Student Research (GSR) Library position. Flexibility in Qualifying Exams Deadlines for Graduate Student Parents.  According to Graduate Division policy , graduate students who have taken time to accommodate childbirth or other serious parental demands may receive an extension of up to one extra year for passing the Qualifying Exam. Following the Qualifying Exams, an extension of one extra year toward NTD completion may also be granted. The total additional time granted by this policy may not exceed two years, regardless of the number of children involved.  Expectations Regarding the “Dissertation Phase” of the Program.  The department holds these expectations of advanced students who are writing their dissertations: — We expect that, barring rare special circumstances, students will advance to candidacy (that is, complete the PhD Qualifying Exam and file the paperwork establishing their dissertation committee) in normative time. Normative time to candidacy is three years for those arriving with a master’s degree and four years for those arriving without a master’s degree. — We expect that students will complete a dissertation prospectus and meet with their committee to discuss it within a semester of passing the Qualifying Examinations. More specifically, the dissertation prospectus (which consists of an 8-10-page essay, accompanied by a bibliography of approximately five pages and is developed in consultation with the Dissertation Director) is due by the end of the 12th week of classes in the semester following that in which the student passed the Qualifying Examinations. — We expect that students will produce a complete draft of at least one dissertation chapter within a year of advancing to candidacy and produce at least two more chapter drafts in the year following. — We expect that students in the dissertation phase who are in residence will be meeting with their Dissertation Director(s) roughly once a month (at a minimum) to discuss their work. We expect students who are away from campus to be in touch with their directors (via e-mail and Zoom) with similar frequency. — We encourage students to present their work at professional conferences during their graduate career, but not too many. Two or three conference presentations may well suffice, and we strongly suggest that no more than one of those conferences be a graduate student organized conference. — We encourage students to submit written work for publication. We recommend one or two submissions over a student’s time in the graduate program. In the majority of cases, the work submitted will be from the dissertation, although sometimes faculty members may suggest rewriting a seminar paper for publication. Students should be proactive about consulting with faculty members about publication, but should remember that neither publication nor attendance at conferences should slow progress on the dissertation. Note that the department’s proseminar addresses fundamentals on graduate-level writing, how to create and publish research, and engaging in professional socialization (e.g., conferences) and conferences for graduate students. All graduate students are welcome to attend these sessions as many times as they wish. — The department organizes at least six works-in-progress meetings throughout the year, hosted by the Head Graduate Advisor. These meeting are primarily intended to provide a forum for graduate students in the dissertation phase to present their work. They may also feature the work of faculty or graduate students at an earlier phase in the program. — The department organizes annual or biannual writing town halls for dissertation students and those at earlier stages of the program to develop daily writing practices, address writing blocks, and discuss writing in different genres (e.g., abstracts, dissertation chapters, and articles). — The department circulates the biannual National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) 14-day writing challenge in Spring and Fall. This free online resource to UC Berkeley students helps to jumpstart the writing process and develop daily writing habits. All graduate students are encouraged to sign up for this challenge at least once, and as many times as they can. — The Head Graduate Advisor and Graduate Student Advisor are available to discuss time management and writing strategies. Length of Time in Advanced-to-Candidacy Status.  The University limits graduate degree candidates’ time in Advanced-to-Candidacy status for the doctoral degree. French Department students are maintained in candidacy for up to two years after advancement and may be eligible for an additional two-year grace period before candidacy lapses. In the case of a Ph.D. candidate whose candidacy has been lapsed, a completed, near-final draft of the dissertation must be received from the student, and the Dissertation Committee Chair must confirm its impending approval before the Graduate Division reviews a Departmental request that candidacy for the Ph.D. be reinstated. Students may be asked to revalidate the comprehensiveness of their knowledge of French language and literature by examination, by additional coursework, or by a combination of the two. Once Ph.D. candidacy is reinstated, the student pays full registration fees (and non-resident tuition fees, where applicable) in order to file the dissertation. If no request is made for reinstatement within two years of the lapsing of doctoral candidacy status, the student’s candidacy is terminated. Graduate Division policy states that, once terminated, a student’s candidacy may be reinstated only by the student’s retaking the Qualifying Examination and being advanced to candidacy again. The Graduate Division places a four-year limit on the application of coursework toward M.A. degree requirements. In addition, a lapse of five years since completion of any Ph.D. program requirement, including the Qualifying Examination, can necessitate revalidation of the student’s candidacy before a dissertation can be filed. Appeals Procedures.  The Department’s appeals procedure is consistent with that of the Graduate Division and affords graduate students in the Department an opportunity to resolve complaints about dismissal from graduate standing, placement on probationary status, denial of readmission, joint-authorship matters, and other departmental decisions which terminate or limit participation in the degree program. Questions regarding this procedure should be addressed to the Graduate Student Advisor. Disabilities and Accommodations.   The Berkeley campus has an active Disabled Students Program (DSP) . One of its important responsibilities is to arrange accommodations for students whose disabilities interfere with their ability to function optimally within usual program customs. The important thing to remember is that all requests for accommodation must come to the Department by way of the DSP, not from the student directly. Students who would like to request an accommodation must first visit the DSP, so that their request can be evaluated and formally presented to the Department.

Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures

The Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL) is a doctorate in three Romance languages and literatures taught in the Departments of French, Italian, and Spanish and Portuguese, prepared with emphasis in one of the three. Students have furthermore the choice of a sub-emphasis in literature (“Literature track”) or in linguistics (“Linguistics track”).

The mission of the RLL program is:

— To take a multilingual approach to language and literature

— To combine literary and linguistic study

— To offer flexibility in the design of students’ programs: the unity of a common heritage and common evolution of the Romance family allows diversity in topics and approaches

— To train Romance scholars of linguistics, literature and culture who can take jobs in Romance language departments, single language departments, or linguistics departments.

Overview of Course of Study:

Students present a combination of courses and personal study to satisfy the requirements of the particular track to which they have been admitted. Although there are some explicit requirements (see below), there is no minimum number of courses required to sit for the Qualifying Examination. Instead, each student’s precise course of study is developed in close consultation with the RLL Graduate Advisor for French.

In the Literature track, students will gain a detailed knowledge of French literature generally. They will also develop sufficient familiarity with Italian literature and a literature taught in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese so as to allow them to do the focused comparative work necessary for the preparation of the Qualifying Examination. Moreover, students will develop both historical and practical expertise in both Latin and in two Romance languages other than French.

In the Linguistics track, students will gain in-depth knowledge of the structure and history (internal and external) of French. They will also develop expertise in the linguistics of two other Romance languages and specialize in an area of general or applied linguistics. This, together with some basic training in Latin, will prepare them for the comparative Romance linguistic work that is required for the Qualifying Examination.

Requirement for Admission, emphasis French:

Literature Track:  B.A. degree or equivalent with studies in French approximately corresponding to the undergraduate major at Berkeley. In addition, we expect of applicants to the Literature track either a) advanced competency in two of the languages the applicant intends to study in the RLL doctoral program, or b) advanced competency in one such language and reasonable preparation in two others. By reasonable preparation we mean either one year’s study of Latin or two years’ study of a modern language. By advanced competency we mean ability to participate fully in a graduate seminar conducted in the modern language in question. Writing samples will be requested of languages in which advanced competency is claimed, and a telephone interview may also be required. Transcripts will provide evidence of reasonable preparation. Linguistics Track  : B.A. degree or equivalent with studies in French or Linguistics approximately corresponding to the undergraduate major at Berkeley. In addition, we expect of applicants to the Linguistics track either a) advanced competency in French and in linguistics or b) advanced competency in French, reasonable preparation in linguistics and in one other Romance language. Note that for the purposes of admission to the linguistics track, this other Romance language may be one of the languages represented by the departments of Italian, and Spanish and Portuguese, or it may come from the broader Romance family (e.g., Catalan, Sardinian, Rumanian, Latin etc.). By advanced competency in linguistics we mean ability to participate fully in a graduate seminar in the linguistics department. By reasonable preparation we mean either one year’s study of Latin or linguistics, or two years’ study of a modern Romance language. Writing samples will be requested of areas in which advanced competency is claimed, and a telephone interview may also be required. Transcripts will provide evidence of reasonable preparation. .

General Requirements and Study Program (both tracks):

1) Screening Interview.  Early in their first semester of enrollment, students will meet with the RLL Executive Committee to evaluate their previous preparation, to familiarize themselves with the program, and to determine an appropriate plan of study for completion of the degree requirements. The Committee will then prepare a brief record of the interview for delivery to the RLL Graduate Advisor for French, indicating any special provisions or studies that must be completed before the student’s admission to the Qualifying Examination.

2) Advanced Language Competency Timetable.  Because of the nature of the RLL program, students are required to achieve language competency above and beyond that attested by passing the standard Graduate Division language requirements (see section 3, below). The following timetables will assure that students will be able to do advanced work in the three Romance Languages. Note that most entering students will fulfill some if not all of these requirements upon arrival. The timeline represents the last possible date by which languages must be acquired.

Literature Track: — By the end of semester 5 the student will have finished 1 year of Latin and will have the necessary competency to participate fully in graduate seminars taught in French, Spanish, or Italian. The student will have made substantial progress towards acquiring competency in their remaining Romance Language, Spansih or Italian. This will be established by the 5th semester review (see section 5 below). — By the end of semester 7, the student will either have taken two upper division undergraduate courses in their last Romance Language, or will have taken a graduate seminar covering literature that the student reads in the original language (although the seminar does not need to be taught in the language in question.) Linguistics Track: — By the end of semester 5 the student will have finished 1 year of Latin and will have the necessary competency to participate fully in graduate seminars taught in French and in linguistics. In addition, the student will have made good progress in another Romance language and begun study of a third. Again, these can be any member of the wider family of Romance languages including for example Occitan, Sardinian and Neo-Latin. By good progress we mean good reading knowledge and this is to be established at the 5th semester review (see section 5 below). — By semester 7, the student will have acquired sufficient knowledge of the first Romance language in order to use it for graduate-level linguistic analysis. This may be done as part of a graduate seminar in a language department, as an independent study with a faculty member, or by making significant use of the language in a linguistics seminar. (Please note that analyzing the language in the RLL C201/202 seminar will not be considered sufficient.) The student will also have attained good reading knowledge in the second Romance language by this point, that is, sufficient for graduate-level linguistic analysis by the time of the qualifying exam.

3) Foreign Language Requirements.  The Graduate Divison requires that foreign language skills be demonstrated in one of two ways. (RLL students may choose which of their Romance Languages they would like to use for the completion of this requirement. The language requirements of the RLL program exceed that of the Graduate Division.) The requirements should be satisfied as early as possible in the student’s doctoral career, following first registration, and must be completed prior to the term proposed for the Qualifying Examination. All language courses taken to fulfill a language requirement must be taken for a letter grade.

Option I Option I requires students to demonstrate reading knowledge of two languages. This can be done be either passing a translation exam in both languages or passing a translation exam in one language and completing coursework in the second language. Option I translation exams consist of at least a 300-word passage translated into English with the use of a dictionary. Students who choose to demonstrate reading knowledge of their second language through coursework may either (a) complete a four-semester (or six-quarter) course sequence with an average grade of B or better or (b) complete (with a grade of B or better) an upper division foreign language course that requires a four-semester (or six-quarter) course sequence as a prerequisite. Option II Option II requires students to demonstrate an exceptionally thorough reading knowledge and an adequate knowledge of the grammatical structure of one language. Students can demonstrate such knowledge in one of two ways: (1) By passing a translation exam in which the student translates a passage of about 1,000 words into English without the use of a dictionary; (2) By earning a B or better in two upper-division foreign language courses in which the material is read in the original language.

4) Core courses.  All RLL students must pass, with a grade of B or better, two core courses: 1) Linguistic History of Romance Languages (RLL C201/202); and 2) Comparative Studies in Romance Literatures and Cultures (RLL C203). Students should satisfy these requirements as early as possible in their doctoral career, bearing in mind that they are unlikely to be offered every year.

5) Progress Report.  Early in the fifth semester, the Executive Committee will evaluate the student’s progress and advise him/her regarding future courses, preparation for the Qualifying Exam, and possible composition of the Qualifying Exam Committee. Students will prepare the following for the progress report meeting:

a) A three-page self-review of the first two years (courses taken, requirements completed, papers written, new areas explored, etc.); b) A statement of developing research interests; c) A major research paper, preferably written in English.

6) Qualifying Examination Fields, Topics, and Reading Lists.  Following the 5th semester review, students should start meeting with the anticipated members of the Qualifying Examination Committee in order to define the fields and topics they wish to cover on their Exam. In the course of these meetings, students will develop field and topic statements and reading lists, which must be submitted to the Executive Committee no later than the twelfth week of the sixth semester.

7) Qualifying Examination.  When the student and his/her advisor agree that preparation is sufficient for the Qualifying Examination, the advisor and the Graduate Student Services Advisor of the department concerned, with suggestions from the student, will determine the Qualifying Examination Committee and inform the Chair of the RLL Executive Committee of its formation.

The Qualifying Examination committee is composed of five members: three representing the main field of focus, a designated “outside” member representing a Romance language besides French (and who may also be a member of the Romance Languages and Literature program), and one other member appropriate to the topics on the exam. All five members of the Qualifying Examination committee must be present and voting at the oral examination. All members of the committee, including the chair and Academic Senate Representative (the person who represents the Graduate Dean and Graduate Council) must be Academic Senate members.

The Qualifying Examination has a written and an oral component. The written section, normally administered in the tenth week of the eighth semester, consists of three 8-hour exams. Please consult  RLL website  for more details.

Literature track: One exam will cover a major field in Romance Literatures and involve at least two languages. (Examples might be: the development of the novel; the lyric tradition; literary modernism; etc.) The other two exams should be on topics individually formulated by each student. The combined reading lists for these two topics should cover all three languages in the student’s program. This structure leaves open the possibility that one topic might be focused on a single literature. (Examples of topics might be the work of a single major author; literary relations between France and Latin America in the twentieth century; immigrant literature; baroque theater.) Historical coverage is highly recommended.

Linguistics track: One exam will cover a major field in Romance Linguistics and involve three languages. (Examples might be word order in Romance, sound change in Romance, or the classification of the Romance languages). A second exam will cover an area in general linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics), applied linguistics (second language acquisition, the application of linguistics to literature, translation studies), or an appropriate topic in Romance philology. A third exam will cover a specialized topic involving one, two, or three languages (e.g., borrowing from Latin into French in the late Middle Ages, the tu and vous address forms in contemporary French, regional variation in contemporary Italian). The three examination fields and topics should fit together coherently, will display emphasis on French, and will very preferably contain a historical component.

8) Dissertation.  Once the Qualifying Examination is successfully completed, the student will arrange with a faculty member to direct the dissertation and, by consultation with him/her, propose the remaining members. The Chair and designated “outside” member (representing a Romance language other than French) must be members of the Academic Senate. The dissertation will embody the results of original research on a subject chosen in consultation with the director. The Chair of the Qualifying Examination Committee cannot direct the dissertation.

After obtaining the dissertation director’s approval of the proposed topic, the student completes the eForm “Application for Advancement to Candidacy for the Ph.D.” on CalCentral for approval by the Graduate Division on behalf of the Graduate Council. Doctoral students should bear in mind that it is to their advantage to be “Advanced to Candidacy” as soon as possible following completion of the Qualifying Examination (see Normal Progress Schedule).

Prospectus: Students are required to complete a fifteen- to twenty-page dissertation prospectus (including bibliography), to be presented to the student’s dissertation committee by the end of Week 12 of the semester following that in which the QE takes place.

It should be remembered that the prospectus is not intended to be a dissertation in miniature, so that there is normally no compelling reason why its completion should be delayed beyond the appointed deadline. Rather, it should be a concise (15-18 pages) preliminary description of the dissertation project, including: the primary materials to be investigated; the descriptive or analytical approach to be taken to those materials; the project’s relation to existing scholarly work. The prospectus should be accompanied by references and/or bibliography.

Should the need for a change in membership of the committee arise, students should speak both with their dissertation director and the Head Graduate Advisor in their Department. To effect a change, the student must initiate the eForm on CalCentral: “Request for Change in Higher Degree Committee”. This eForm is routed through required advisors and ultimately submitted to the Graduate Division for review and approval.

9) Dissertations in a Language other than English.  Special approval from the Graduate Division, acting for the Graduate Council, is required to submit a dissertation in a language other than English. If approval is given, an abstract in English must be included with the finished work.

10) Academic Progress (both tracks).  The timetable for completion of degree requirements is as follows: By the end of the sixth semester, students will have submitted field and topic statements and reading lists for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations. Over the course of the next two semesters, students prepare for and take the Qualifying Examinations and apply for advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree. (Note as well that all languages requirements must be fulfilled before the beginning of the semester in which the Qualifying Examinations are taken.) Doctoral candidacy lasts for two years after advancement, although students are eligible for an additional two year grace period before candidacy lapses (see Length of Time in Advanced-to-Candidacy Status).

Fellowships for Continuing Students

Graduate students are guaranteed five years of funding, as communicated in their funding package during the admissions phase. For more information on funding opportunities (including some extramural fellowships), visit bCourses and the Graduate Division website .

Doctoral Completion Fellowships (DCF).  Students who advance to doctoral candidacy are eligible for the DCF from the Graduate Division, which provides a stipend of $30,000 and covers all fees for two semesters. Students are highly encouraged to apply for the DCF. Students who—for reasons relating to their professional training—would like to teach for one semester during their DCF year need the permission of their Dissertation Director and the Head Graduate Advisor. The DCF must be used within Normative Time to Degree plus one year. NTD is the amount of time set for each program from first enrollment to filing the dissertation. NTD for French and for Romance Languages & Literature (RLL) is 12 semesters. For those entering the French doctoral program with an M.A. in French, NTD is 10 semesters. Students who are within their 12-semester teaching limit may continue as Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) at Berkeley. Students who have taken the DCF may also be considered for Continuing Fellowship and the Graduate Student Research (GSR) Library position. Continuing Student Fellowships.  Departmental awards are made on the basis of students’ overall academic achievement and evidence of substantial progress in their degree programs. Eligible students include those prior to the Qualifying Examinations stage and those who are completing the dissertation who have taken the DCF. Students currently eligible for a DCF will not be considered for Continuing Fellowship. For students at the dissertation stage, priority will go to those who have applied for other sources of funding (e.g., Townsend, Chateaubriand, Lurcy, and other outside fellowships such as those listed on the French Department’s Graduate Students’ bCourses page, accessible to admitted students.) Applicants should outline their academic goals and progress in the doctoral program, and describe the importance of fellowship support at this juncture in their studies. In addition, students at the dissertation stage should demonstrate clarity about the direction of the proposed research project, the current state of the project, the progress expected during the fellowship year, and the project’s significance within the discipline. ENS Fellowships.  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. Students who have already utilized the DCF will not be eligible for the ENS fellowship. Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships.  FLAS Fellowships enable students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents to acquire a high level of competence in one or more foreign languages. Fellowships are awarded to students in modern foreign language and area studies and are available for the study of languages in eight world areas: Africa, East Asia, East Europe, Latin America, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Europe. Lowest consideration will be given to students who are taking the first 12 semester hours or the equivalent in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Students may apply for FLAS fellowships for the academic year and summer. Maintaining an Accurate Financial Record with Financial Aid and Scholarships Office (FASO).  It is vital that the student update their financial information with FASO every time there is a change in their financial situation, such as when they accept a reader position, they receive a stipend to travel to a conference, and so on. Unreported changes to the student’s financial record can have very negative consequences on their fellowship or student loans.

Teaching Assistantship in French

Application and Appointment.  A Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointment is a half time appointment for lower division instruction available to qualified, registered graduate students in French or related departments (such as Comparative Literature, English, the School of Education, Linguistics, or Spanish and Portuguese). These appointments are made by the Department Chair in consultation with the Graduate Committee of the Department and with the Director of the Lower Division. To be eligible to hold a GSI position, the student must be enrolled in regular graduate status at UC Berkeley. A minimum 3.0 grade point average in the preceding two years of studies is required by the Graduate Division for all GSIs, but the Department generally requires a higher GPA and will, of course, select the most qualified applicants for these positions. Appointments of graduate students from related departments, when available, are normally limited to three years. Applications for GSI positions are available to French Graduate Students and are due in the spring semester.

The GSI working title series at Berkeley comprises three "steps," with different salary levels. Beginning GSIs serve two semesters under the payroll title of Teaching Assistant (TA) 1, and are eligible for advancement to TA 2, then to TA 3 after having taught four semesters at UC Berkeley.

GSI positions are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University of California and the UAW. GSIs are entitled to a GSHIP premium remission, an educational and registration fee remission, and other applicable benefits as set forth in the Agreement. The Agreement sets forth the specific eligibility requirements and amount of each remission. The  full text of the Agreement  is available online. In accordance with the Agreement, GSIs’ names and departmental addresses are released by the University to UAW Local 2865 in each term of employment in the bargaining unit. Academic Progress Requirements for GSIs. Effective Fall 2007, the Graduate Division requires all students, including GSIs, to enroll in at least 12 units per semester. In addition, to retain eligibility for GSI positions, the student must have no more than two incompletes on record. Appointment as a GSI requires that the student’s time be devoted wholly to the pursuit of studies and instruction within the University; no other appointment in the University or elsewhere is permitted Duties and Stipend.  GSIs are normally assigned by the Director of the French Language Program to teach language courses, which include five hours of classroom instruction, correction (outside the classroom) of all written exercises in the textbook and workbook; correction of written compositions and laboratory exercises and regular attendance at a pilot section for new GSIs. Other duties include holding office hours and assisting in the preparation of quizzes and exams. These activities are carried out under the active direction of a regular member of the faculty to whom responsibility for course instruction, students’ grades, and the performance of GSIs, is assigned. GSIs are responsible for reporting any anticipated absences from campus (as well as any missed work), to the faculty member in charge of the course they are teaching. If the absence is for an extended period of time, a substitute teacher may be assigned. The Standing Orders of the Regents of the University of California state that no compensation shall be paid to those holding University appointments unless they are actively engaged in the service of the University. Teaching duties are complete each term when the instructor's final exams have been graded, course grades computed, and all materials turned in to and reviewed by the course director. The French Department also offers a limited number of Reading and Composition courses in English (French R1A and R1B). Students who have successfully taught French 1, 2, and 3, and have completed the pedagogical training sequence may apply to teach these courses. These courses require native or near-native competency in English and evidence of superior writing skills from the instructor. It is also not guaranteed that these courses will be offered by the French Department every semester.

The French Department also offers a limited number of Reading and Composition courses in English (French R1A and R1B) . Students who have successfully taught French 1, 2, and 3, and have completed the pedagogical training sequence may apply to teach these courses. These courses require native or near-native competency in English and evidence of superior writing skills from the instructor. It is also not guaranteed that these courses will be offered by the French Department every semester. GSIs are paid on the University's monthly payroll schedule beginning September 1 (for the fall semester) and February 1 (for the spring semester). The University requires that all GSIs be registered graduate students, and the Graduate Division verifies instructors' current registration during the course of each semester. GSI salaries are subject to all state and federal taxes. Review and Reappointment of GSIs.  The Department employs graduate students who perform well in their courses, show steady and satisfactory progress toward their graduate degrees, and are good teachers. Reappointment as a GSI is not automatic. All GSIs seeking reappointment for the following academic year should submit a GSI Application by the announced deadline.

Records considered in the reappointment of GSIs include course evaluations, the reports on classroom visits filed by members of the Lower Division Instructor Visiting Committee, GSI academic records, seminar evaluations and M.A. Exam results. The Department does its utmost to offer teaching positions to all eligible graduate students within the department.

Reappointment as a GSI may be for a full year, or for one semester, with continued reappointment contingent on the student’s fulfilling special requirements (for example, removal of Incomplete grades, completion of M.A. or Ph.D. exam or submission of a Ph.D. Program Proposal, or improvement in teaching performance). Pedagogical Training of GSIs. Training for instructors in first-year French consists of a required two-semester course sequence in methodology (French 375A and 375B) in which a pilot teacher provides GSIs with an analysis of each lesson to be presented the following week, points to be emphasized and ways to present grammatical structures simply and concretely. French 375A and 375B, (as well as the second-year methodology course, French 375C), cover Second Language Acquisition theory, general scholarship in Applied Linguistics, and look at best practices and teaching effectiveness examples not only in the Humanities, but in the Sciences as well. The use of technology for language instruction is also covered, as are other aspects of professional preparation in language instruction and writing instruction. Enrollment in French 375A/375B, and attendance at its weekly meetings with the Director of Lower Division, are required of all GSIs who are teaching French l or French 2 for the first time at Berkeley. Four units of credit are awarded each semester (graded on an S/U basis). New instructors also attend a pilot class the first time they teach French l and French 2 in the French Department at Berkeley.

Instructors teaching French 3 for the first time enroll in French 375C and attend weekly meetings with the Coordinator of the Second Year Program. In addition, the training programs for all GSIs include periodic visits to teaching assistants’ classes by the pilot teacher, the Director of the Lower Division, the Coordinator of the Second Year Program, and other members of the faculty Lower Division Instructor Visiting Committee on an annual basis. GSIs are expected to consult each faculty visitor following the visit to discuss the class observed. Eligibility for Service as GSI. Appointments as a GSI may be made for a maximum of two semesters at a time; University regulations governing the appointment of GSIs state that graduate students may hold these positions for up to four years (eight semesters). Exceptions to the four-year limit on teaching as a GSI may, in individual cases, be requested by the Department, and granted by the administration. In any case, service in these titles cannot exceed a total of six years under the terms of the University's Academic Personnel Manual 400 17. Service as a GSI on another UC campus counts toward this six-year total. Reappointment in the GSI titles is governed by the Graduate Division. GSIs must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, be enrolled in 12 units in each semester in which they hold this appointment, and have no more than 2 incompletes on the record. Outstanding TA Annual Award Program.  Under the terms of the Graduate Division GSI Teaching and Resource Center’s annual Outstanding GSI Award Program , the Department of French can nominate for this honor one GSI for every ten appointed during the current academic year. GSIs in French are considered for nomination after a minimum of two years of teaching, and are eligible to receive Outstanding GSI honors only once. In selecting each year’s Outstanding GSI nominee, the Director of the French Language Program and the Coordinator of Second-Year French review eligible candidates’ Lower Division Visiting Committee evaluations, as well as student evaluation ratings for the two most recent semesters taught. The GSI Teaching & Resource Center hosts a reception near the end of the Spring term to honor recipients, and sponsors a Teaching Effectiveness Award program to which recipients may submit applications. Summer Session Teaching Appointments.  The Department operates a small Summer Session program. The Department Chair, in consultation with the Director of the French Language Program, and the Graduate Committee, appoints GSIs for this program based on the following criteria:

1. Only French Department graduate student GSIs enrolled during the preceding Spring or following Fall semester are eligible. 2. First year GSIs, and graduate students who will not be continuing in the graduate program in French, are not normally eligible for on-campus Summer Session appointments. 3. The candidacies of GSIs who have never taught in Summer Session are given priority over those who already have taught. 4. Successful applicant(s) for Summer Session appointment will (a) possess a record of prior teaching competence, as evidenced in annual classroom visit reports and student evaluations, which will be reviewed by those making the Summer Session appointments and (b) be making reasonable academic progress toward their degrees.

Application forms for 8-week Summer Session GSIs are distributed during the fall semester every year. Courses offered in the 8-week Summer Session usually include Elementary French 1 and 2; Intermediate French 3 and 4; and affiliated Reading and Composition courses (R1A and/or R1B) . The French Department also offers an intensive travel study course “Paris, France: Language, Literature and the Arts” in the Summer Session. Students may apply to any programs for which they are eligible. Eligibility requirements for the Paris travel study course are the same as for other on-campus summer teaching. An interview will be required of those students being considered for an appointment with the travel study program. The department’s priority will be to staff all the on-campus courses on its summer schedule with qualified instructors. This priority will necessarily take precedence over any preferences applicants may have regarding teaching assignments. The travel study program may involve the appointment of instructors other than GSIs.

• 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

Study at Cambridge

About the university, research at cambridge.

• Undergraduate courses
• Events and open days
• Fees and finance
• Postgraduate courses
• How to apply
• Postgraduate events
• Fees and funding
• International students
• Continuing education
• Executive and professional education
• Courses in education
• How the University and Colleges work
• Term dates and calendars
• Visiting the University
• Annual reports
• Equality and diversity
• A global university
• Public engagement
• Give to Cambridge
• For Cambridge students
• For our researchers
• Business and enterprise
• Colleges & departments
• Email & phone search
• Museums & collections
• Course Directory

PhD in French

Postgraduate Study

• Why Cambridge overview
• Chat with our students
• Cambridge explained overview
• The supervision system
• Student life overview
• In and around Cambridge
• Leisure activities
• Student unions
• Music awards
• Student support overview
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Disabled students
• Accommodation
• Language tuition
• Skills training
• Support for refugees
• Courses overview
• Department directory
• Qualification types
• Funded studentships
• Part-time study
• Research degrees
• Visiting students
• Finance overview
• Fees overview
• What is my fee status?
• Part-time fees
• Application fee
• Living costs
• Funding overview
• Funding search
• How to apply for funding
• University funding overview
• Research Councils (UKRI)
• External funding and loans overview
• Funding searches
• External scholarships
• Charities and the voluntary sector
• Funding for disabled students
• Widening participation in funding
• Colleges overview
• What is a College?
• Choosing a College
• Applying overview
• Before you apply
• Entry requirements
• Application deadlines
• How do I apply? overview
• Application fee overview
• Application fee waiver
• Life Science courses
• Terms and conditions
• Continuing students
• Disabled applicants
• Supporting documents overview
• Academic documents
• Finance documents
• Evidence of competence in English
• AI and postgraduate applications
• Terms and Conditions
• Applicant portal and self-service
• After you apply overview
• Confirmation of admission
• Student registry
• Previous criminal convictions
• Deferring an application
• Updating your personal details
• Appeals and Complaints
• Widening participation
• Postgraduate admissions fraud
• International overview
• Immigration overview
• ATAS overview
• Applying for an ATAS certificate
• Current Cambridge students
• International qualifications
• Competence in English overview
• What tests are accepted?
• International events
• International student views overview
• Akhila’s story
• Alex’s story
• Huijie’s story
• Kelsey’s story
• Nilesh’s story
• Get in touch!
• Events overview
• Upcoming events
• Postgraduate Open Days overview
• Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD Study webinars
• Virtual tour
• Research Internships
• How we use participant data
• Postgraduate Newsletter

Primary tabs

• Overview (active tab)
• Requirements
• How To Apply
• Testimonials

The French Section offers PhD supervision in an exceptional range of areas of French and francophone studies. 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 given field, which helps to broaden the PhD student’s approach to and understanding of his or her 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 in French 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, or 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 who is able to offer advice whenever needed. In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a programme of professional training 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:

• 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; and
• 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 PhD, the minimum academic standard is an overall distinction in the MPhil.

For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Thesis to 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 Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

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:, lent 2024 (closed).

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

Michaelmas 2024 (Closed)

Funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

Similar Courses

• European, Latin American and Comparative Literatures and Cultures by thesis MPhil
• European, Latin American and Comparative Literatures and Cultures by Advanced Study MPhil
• English Studies MPhil
• English PhD
• Education (Education, Globalisation and International Development) MPhil

Postgraduate Admissions Office

• Admissions Statistics
• Start an Application
• Applicant Self-Service

At a glance

• Bringing a family
• Current Postgraduates
• Cambridge Students' Union (SU)

University Policy and Guidelines

Privacy Policy

Information compliance

Equality and Diversity

Terms of Study

About this site

About our website

Privacy policy

© 2024 University of Cambridge

• Contact the University
• Accessibility
• Freedom of information
• Privacy policy and cookies
• Statement on Modern Slavery
• University A-Z
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Research news
• About research at Cambridge
• Spotlight on...

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Programs
• Our Community
• Request Info

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 2023 and note that close date for applications is February 1 st , 2023.

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 2023-2024

• FRENCH 6DD3 / La littérature à l’épreuve de l’animal
• FRENCH 6Y03 / Topics in 20th Century French Literature
• FRENCH 705 / Introduction to Literary and Critical Theory
• FRENCH 730 / Lectures Dirigées
• FRENCH 722 / De l’anticipation à l’utopie : la science-fiction canadienne-française et québécoise
• FRENCH 724 / La littérature et les arts : cultures contemporaines en France et en Europe
• FRENCH 732 / Eighteenth-Century Theatre

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

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.

• An unforgettable adventure
• Educational excellence in France
• Study at the heart of Europe
• Enjoy numerous benefits
• Industrial dynamism and French innovation
• The art of living à la française

• French system
• Higher education institutions
• French degrees, LMD system and equivalences
• Cost of studies
• Quality of degrees and institutions
• Online or distance programme
• Scholarships programmes
• Scholarships for French students or students living in France
• Welcoming of students and researchers in exile

• Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC)
• Reception services in your city
• Prepare your budget
• Bank account
• Working while studying in France
• Learning French
• Finding a student sponsor
• Organising your stay as a scholarship holder
• Being a student with a disability in France

• French regions
• French language
• Getting around
• Join the France Alumni network
• Finding work in France
• How to start a company in France

• Le séjour de recherche
• The role of Campus France
• The tools of Campus France for international researchers
• Research Labs
• Mapping French research
• Outstanding French researchers
• Overview of French research by field
• Excellence of French research in videos
• Accueil des étudiants et des chercheurs en exil

• What is involved in a Doctorate in France?
• Doctoral Schools directory
• PhD subjects
• Pre-Doctorate programmes
• How to enrol in a Doctorate
• How to finance your Doctorat (PhD)
• Use the "Research" portal
• FAQ – Doing my Doctorate in France

• Study in a Post-Doctorate in France
• Join a summer school
• Come to France with the status of invited professor

• Reception programmes and doctoral student associations
• Apply for your visa / Validate your residence permit
• Prepare for your arrival in France
• Finding accommodation in France
• Social Security for doctoral students and researchers
• Living in France

• Programs with Sub-Saharan Africa countries
• Programs with Asian countries
• Programs with European countries
• Programs with Oceania countries
• Programs with American countries

• Campus France missions
• Campus France organisation
• Campus France activities by geographic area
• Events organised by Campus France
• Public procurement
• Mobile applications

• Operation and governance
• Joining the Forum
• Member benefits
• Committees and workshops
• Updating your information online

• France Alumni network
• European projects
• Choose France, La stratégie d'attractivité des étudiants internationaux
• The French+Sciences program

• Campus France expertise
• Make Our Planet Great again
• Le programme « Partenariats avec l’enseignement supérieur africain »
• Le programme de bourses IsDB-France
• Scholarships program for Syrian students in exile in France
• Pakistan: Higher Education Commission scholarships programmes
• Les bourses pour les étudiants français ou résidant en France

• L'accueil des étudiants internationaux
• Label Bienvenue en France
• Nos événements
• Le réseau des responsables de l'accueil
• L'accueil des étudiants réfugiés et en exil
• L'accueil des étudiants en situation de handicap
• Les mémos de Campus France
• Afrique du Sud
• Burkina Faso
• Congo - Brazzaville
• Côte d'Ivoire
• République Démocratique du Congo
• Corée du Sud
• Ouzbékistan
• Philippines
• Territoire de Taïwan
• Biélorussie
• République tchèque
• Royaume-Uni
• Arabie Saoudite
• Émirats arabes unis
• République dominicaine
• Resources center

What is involved in a Doctorate in France

The Doctorate involves training through research, in a research laboratory, and is organised by one of the 270 doctoral schools. The work is completed with a viva voce of a thesis in front of a jury.

Doctorate or Thesis?

In French, the word "thesis" ( thèse ) is often mixed up with the word "Doctorate" ( doctorat ).

The Doctorate is the name of the degree that you obtain. It is the highest degree awarded by the universities and internationally recognised. In French, the period spent preparing the Doctorate is often called the " thèse "; people talk about enrolling for a " thèse ", which means enrolling for a Doctorate.

The thesis refers to the document that you have to write and present before a jury to obtain your doctoral degree. There is a tendency to say " faire une thèse " (doing a thesis) instead of doing a Doctorate, as the thesis is the biggest part!

And you have to do your Doctorate under the supervision of a "Thesis Supervisor", who will guide you throughout your Doctorate. You must have selected a thesis supervisor, who must accept to supervise you, before you start your Doctorate.

Where to do your Doctorate

A Doctorate can be done in all of the universities as well as in most engineering, management and even art Grandes Ecoles, which are generally associated with a university. The Doctorate is the highest international degree and is awarded after 3 years (in the natural and technological sciences) to a maximum of 6 years (in social sciences and the humanities).

In a research laboratory, with a thesis supervisor

The Doctorate in the natural and technological sciences takes place full time in a research laboratory, in daily conjunction with your colleagues.

In the arts and humanities, the work is often more individual, and does not require a daily presence in a research laboratory. You will often be working from home, but will be able to meet your thesis supervisor on a regular basis and work in the university or school library.

Nearly 15,000 Doctorates are conferred in France each year: 46% in science and technology, 20% in Biology-Medicine, 20% in the humanities and 14% in the social sciences.

The Doctoral schools

The Doctorate is organised by "Doctoral schools". There are 270 Doctoral schools attached to 2,500 public research laboratories throughout the entire country. Each Doctoral School has several research laboratories.

The Doctoral Schools organise and supervise the doctoral students, in particular with additional classes in methodology, communication, writing scientific papers, starting a company, intellectual property, etc. These additional classes correspond to approximately 150 hrs of classes spread over the total duration of the Doctorate.

The Doctoral schools also organise your enrolment in a Doctorate, and, in collaboration with your thesis supervisor, monitor your progress.

You will find the list of Doctoral schools in our directory.

Writing and defending your thesis

In addition to experiments and studying, you will have to write a thesis, which is a document at least 200 pages long. In your thesis, you can also include articles that you have published in technical journals. Writing it proves that you have acquired a certain number of skills: deductive reasoning, critical ability, scholarship, etc.

Once the thesis is finished, it must be approved by 2 examiners, and you will then have the right to "defend" your thesis, meaning that you will have to present it orally before a jury. In this oral examination you present your research method and results before debating them with the members of the jury. The viva voce examination, or thesis defence, is generally public.

The viva voce, and the thesis itself, will be published by the university and on the site www.theses.fr .

The different types of Doctorates

The single doctorate.

This is the most common way of doing a Doctorate, involving 3 to 6 years in the same research laboratory. At the end, you will obtain a French degree. Enrolment and the viva voce take place in a single establishment, and the thesis is written under the direction of a single supervisor.  

The co-supervised Doctorate

The co-supervised Doctorate means that you have 2 thesis supervisors. One thesis supervisor in the main laboratory, in the establishment in which you are enrolled, and one other thesis supervisor, generally in another establishment, in France or in another country.

You enrol and have the viva voce only in the main thesis supervisor's institute, which means that you will be awarded the degree by this university.

It is an interesting and easy approach that lets you do your Doctorate in the framework of international collaboration.  

The joint Doctorate

The joint Doctorate is a co-supervised Doctorate that means you receive a degree from each of the universities of the 2 thesis supervisors.

It is done within a French establishment and a foreign establishment, and results in two degrees conferred by each establishment (and sometimes a single joint degree, with the name of the 2 establishments).

You enrol in both establishments through a degree proposal establishing how the joint Doctorate will function.

Everything must be stated in this document: in which of the two establishments will the viva voce take place? Who will pay the jury's travelling expenses?

Each year, the doctoral student must enrol in both establishments, but only pays in one. This must also be stated in the joint Doctorate document.  

The in-company Doctorate (CIFRE)

Doing a Doctorate in a company is an excellent opportunity to enter the world of employment. The CIFRE ( Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche - the Industrial Agreement for Training through Research) lets you do your Doctorate in a company, in conjunction with a public university. In this case, a bit like with co-supervision, you will have a thesis supervisor, a university professor, and a supervisor from the company. You are employed by the company, which receives a grant from the State, and you receive a degree from the university.

Some subsidies for nationals of other countries, such as India and Morocco, and some specific programmes like EIT Digital encourage the in-company Doctorate.  

The European Joint Doctorate

The European Joint Doctorate was established in Horizon 2020 , a 2014-2020 European Union programme for financing research and innovation, as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

It is open to all foreign students, and lets them obtain a 3-year Doctorate. The Doctorate is done at 3 European establishments in 3 different countries.

Doing a Doctorate in English

In the natural and technological sciences, you will not be required to have a particular level of French when doing a Doctorate. Discussions with the research supervisor take place in English. The doctoral student can take French classes while in France, but the thesis can be written and defended just in English. Only the abstract must be translated into French.

In the social sciences and humanities, a good level of French is often required (generally level B1 or B2). As for commerce, marketing, political science, communication and law, it is sometimes also possible to write your thesis in English, but that depends on the institute.

Related contents

Recommended items

Follow the main steps to come study in France

• Interesting for you
• My settings

Everything you need to know about studying a PhD in French Studies

Part of social sciences, what is french studies.

French Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that explores France's language, culture, history, and literature. The discipline provides a broad understanding of French-speaking communities, their influence, and their global interconnections.

French Studies Specialisations

French Studies opens the doors to various specialisations. The most common specialisation in French Studies include:

• French Literature,
• French History,
• French Linguistics,
• French Culture and Society.

These subjects are common to both Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes, and they serve to deepen understanding of the French sphere.

What will you learn during a French Studies programme?

Embarking on a French Studies programme means immersing yourself in the heart of French-speaking societies. French Studies is a good degree choice for students interested in gaining a broad perspective of the French language, history, literature, and culture. Here's a taste of what you'll learn:

• mastery of the French language,
• deep understanding of French history and its influence on world events,
• in-depth knowledge of French literature, from classics to contemporary works,
• insight into French social, political, and cultural nuances.

Some of the popular courses you’ll most likely take during a French studies degree are:

• French Language and Grammar: Focuses on developing proficiency in the French language, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
• French Literature: Explores major works of French literature from different periods, including novels, poetry, and plays.
• French Culture and Civilization: Examines the history, art, music, cinema, and cultural traditions of French-speaking countries.
• French Phonetics and Pronunciation: Helps improve pronunciation and fluency in spoken French by focusing on phonetic rules, accent reduction, and oral communication skills.
• French Translation and Interpretation: Develops skills in translating written texts and interpreting spoken language between French and another language, with an emphasis on accuracy and cultural nuances.
• Francophone Literature: Explores the literature of French-speaking countries outside of France, such as Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada. It examines themes of identity, colonialism, and postcolonialism.

The skills you get from French Studies courses are plentiful, from analytical and critical thinking to cultural awareness and linguistic prowess. These are all highly transferable skills in today's globalised world.

Skills required for a degree in French Studies

The French Studies degree requirements revolve around certain key skills. Proficiency in the French language is crucial, as is a passion for cultural exploration. Other important skills include critical thinking, analysis, and a keen interest in history and literature. A good understanding of global affairs can also be beneficial.

What can you do with a French Studies degree?

A degree in French Studies equips you with the tools to pursue diverse career paths. The jobs you can get with a French Studies degree are diverse and rewarding, such as:

• Translator or Interpreter,
• French Teacher,
• International Relations Specialist,
• Cultural Advisor or Diplomat,

With a Bachelor's in French Studies, roles in education, translation, and international business are common. A Master's degree in French Studies can lead to more specialised roles in academia, research, or diplomatic services. So, is a French Studies degree worth it? Absolutely! The career after the most common specialisation in French Studies is rich with opportunities in academia, government, and the private sector alike.

View all PhDs in French Studies . Keep in mind you can also study an online PhDs in French Studies .

Interesting programmes for you

Specialisations within the field of social sciences.

• Area & Cultural Studies
• Archaeology
• Communication Studies
• Anthropology
• Ethnic Studies
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• International Relations
• International Development
• Organisational Behaviour
• Econometrics
• American and Australasian Studies
• Cognitive Science
• Criminology
• European Studies
• Public Policy
• Political Science
• Terrorism & Security
• Counselling Psychology
• Childhood Studies
• Community Development
• Social Policy
• Italian Studies
• Forensic Psychology
• Asian Studies
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Slavic Studies
• Art Therapy
• African Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• French Studies
• German and Scandinavian Studies
• Iberian Studies
• British Studies

Go to your profile page to get personalised recommendations!

• Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Location Location
• Contact Contact
• Colleges and Schools
• Arts and Sciences

Graduate Studies in French

The French Program at the University of South Carolina trains students to teach and carry out research in French and various related fields. The expertise of the French faculty ranges from the literatures and cultures of the French Renaissance to those of present-day France and the Francophone world. Faculty in French possess expertise in applied linguistics, Atlantic and Caribbean studies, children's literature, cultural history, digital humanities, film studies, historical linguistics, linguistics, literary theory, sociolinguistics, theatre, translation studies, travel literature and women’s and gender studies.

MA in French | MAT in French   |   PhD in Comparative Literature   |   PhD in Linguistics

Graduate programs lead to the MA in French and the MAT in French, the PhD in Comparative Literature with a concentration in French and the PhD in Linguistics with a concentration in French linguistics. Financial support is available in the form of teaching assistantships. Further financial support is available to qualified applicants to support study abroad in France and the Francophone world.

Financial Support

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures offers graduate teaching assistantships depending on teaching experience, plus full tuition abatement. Students who apply for admission to a graduate degree program will automatically be considered for these awards. Normally, students will be eligible for an assistantship in their first year of study. Renewal of the award is at the discretion of the graduate committee, but in general students in good standing can expect support for two years in the MA Program and four additional years in the PhD Program. All graduate teaching assistants undergo both theoretical and practical training in the teaching of French. Normally they teach in the beginning French language program. In addition to limited teaching duties, less experienced TAs are given assignments related to language teaching or extra-curricular language learning activities for undergraduates. Additional information on assistantships is to be found under  Graduate Assistantships .

Detailed information on the application procedure is available at   Admission Procedures .

Please complete this form for more information on the Graduate Program in Comparative Literature . 

For further information contact:   Prof. Jeanne Garane, Graduate Advisor in French and Comparative Literature,   [email protected] .

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

How to use the PhD title and all the little doctorate “rules”

There are many conventions in the academic world that can make it difficult to navigate the PhD title. The PhD title is awarded to those who have completed a doctoral degree but, not many people know how to use it once they have it.

This article will go through everything you need to know about using the PhD title and when you can start using it.

The “rules” are relatively simple and can be broken as they are not officially set in stone – other than when you can officially call yourself a doctor.

There is no one correct answer but it may be misleading if you use the PhD title incorrectly. Here are the recommendations for effective communication.

It very much depends on the setting. Here are some examples of how I would use my PhD titles awarded to me after my PhD degree.

How do you Write PhD correctly after a name? Is it ph d or phd?

It can be confusing to know exactly how to write PhD after your name. Which bits are capitalised? Is there a ‘.’ In the middle?

When writing a name with a PhD after it, the correct way to do so is to use “PhD” or “Ph.D. or Ph.D”

Depending on the preference of the individual, either form can be used.

However, if the individual has a business card that states their degree in full, then the more formal “Doctor of Philosophy” should be used.

It is important to note that using “PhD” without any periods is incorrect; this abbreviation should only be used in informal contexts such as emails or text messages. I tend to use PhD in my YouTube videos and some people have pointed out that this is incorrect…

Following the individual’s preferred format will ensure that their name and credentials are properly represented.

Should you use Dr as well as PhD?

Some people like to use Dr and PhD in their official titles. There are a couple of important points that you need to know about markers and academic titles.

• A person can have more than one marker in their name. For example my full title is Dr Andrew Stapleton, PhD, MChem.
• The doctor title at the front can be used as a variant to the PhD at the end.

It can be a little bit ambiguous if I was to use Dr Andrew Stapleton, PhD as there are two markers. This could mean that I have two PhD’s, it could mean that I have a PhD and a medical doctorate, or it could just be that I want to use both the doctor and the PhD tags for the one degree.

However, in my experience, I still like to use the doctor title at the front and the PhD tag at the end of my name for official purposes.

Academics would rarely use the PhD suffix in everyday communication. They would much rather just use the doctor title.

What is the proper title for a PhD?

The proper title for a PhD is Doctor of Philosophy. However, some teachers and professors like to be referred to without their official title.

If you are not sure about how your professor, lecturer, or friend with a PhD wishes to be officially addressed you can ask them.

Most of the time, I like to refer to my colleagues with their doctor title for official purposes, but I do not include the PhD at the end of their name. That is much better suited to a business card.

Your lecture may wish to be referred to as:

• Dr [last name]
• Dr [first name]

Asking them in the early stages of your relationship is the best way to work out which one they prefer.

If in doubt, always go for the more formal name and nomenclature.

When can you start to use your PhD title after your doctorate?

When you have earned your PhD, you can start using your title immediately. Although, it can be a little bit confusing as to when you have actually passed your PhD. Is it when you have submitted your dissertation? Is it when you have received the comments back?

The University of Adelaide says that you can use it from your conferral date:

Students can be conferred on one of five dates during the year and for PhD students the conferral date will be the first available following the completion of all the academic requirements of your degree, including final thesis lodgement and the disbursement of any outstanding financial obligations to the University.

I started using my PhD title as soon as my confirmation letter arrived at my house. It was the first letter from the University that referred to me as Dr Stapleton. It was incredibly excited.

Generally, it is acceptable to use the title “Dr.” both professionally and socially but socially, people very rarely use it – at least in Australia. But you should never use it if you are a PhD student, PhD candidate or enrolled in a PhD program without a previous PhD qualification. 

I do use it in professional settings but it always makes me feel a little bit awkward.

However, there may be some restrictions for certain settings. For example, if have a research degree resulting in a doctor title and you are working in a medical setting – some institutions do not like you to use Dr as it can confuse patients into thinking that you have a medical degree. 

Instead, they ask that you use the PhD tag at the end of your name rather than the doctoral title for official and professional communications.

What is the correct way to write PhD?

When writing about someone’s PhD, the correct way is to write the term in full and capitalize each letter.

This should be done for all academic degrees, not just PhDs.

For example, it would be “Doctor of Philosophy” or “PhD” instead of “Ph.D.”, “Dr.”, or “DPhil”.

Additionally, it is common to mention the field of study in which the degree was earned if known, such as “Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics”. It is also good practice to include the institution that granted the degree if it is a recognized one.

When writing about someone’s PhD, use proper capitalization and include relevant information like field of study and institution if known to ensure accuracy.

How do you put a PhD in a title?

Putting a PhD in a title is not as complicated as it may sound.

Generally speaking, the proper way to list a PhD in an academic or professional setting is by writing “Dr.” before the name, followed by the person’s full name and the appropriate abbreviations for their degree.

For example, if John Smith has earned a doctorate in psychology, his credentials would be listed as “Dr. John Smith, Ph.D.”

In some cases, such as when addressing someone formally in speech or on a business card, it may also be acceptable to list their credentials as “John Smith, Ph.D.”

Depending on context and personal preference, some people may also choose to list their higher degrees after their names by writing out the entire degree instead of just its abbreviation.

For example, John Smith could choose to write his full title as “John Smith, Doctor of Psychology”

However, I have not seen this in real academic life.

Should the font size of Ph.D. be the same as someone’s name?

The question of whether the font size of a Ph.D. should be the same as someone’s name is an interesting one.

On one hand, it could be argued that the Ph.D. deserves to be highlighted and therefore should be given a larger font size than someone’s name to denote its importance.

On the other, it could be argued that this would not be necessary or appropriate, and that treating everyone equally regardless of their title or degree is more important.

It depends on context and usage – if both names appear in the same document then they should likely have the same font size; however, if one appears in a formal setting such as a diploma or certificate, then it may make sense to give it a larger font size than someone’s name to emphasize its importance and significance.

Ph.Ds (or PhDs) are an important academic achievement and should be respected accordingly but without going overboard by giving them overly large fonts sizes which can take away from rather than add to their importance.

Wrapping up – doctoral title rules

this article has been over everything you need to know that using the PhD title properly and effectively.

The doctor title can be used in place of the PhD and for incredibly formal communications, such as a business email or card, you can use both.

However, sometimes using both can cause confusion as to whether or not there is a reason first using both the doctor and PhD tags. Nonetheless, many people still use both.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

Thank you for visiting Academia Insider.

We are here to help you navigate Academia as painlessly as possible. We are supported by our readers and by visiting you are helping us earn a small amount through ads and affiliate revenue - Thank you!

2024 © Academia Insider

Fully Funded PhD Programs in French

Last updated May 15, 2022

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your PhD , here is a list of universities that offer fully funded PhD programs in French. A PhD in French can lead to a variety of exciting careers in academia, research, and writing.

“Full funding” is a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which is usually 3-6 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their doctoral students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

The  ProFellow database for graduate and doctoral study also spotlights external funding opportunities for graduate school, including dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, and summer work experiences.

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1000+ fully funded programs in 60 disciplines? Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

Boston University, PhD in French Language and Literature

(Boston, MA): The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Romance Studies guarantee five full years of financial support for doctoral students who maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Brown University, PhD in French and Francophone Studies

(Providence, RI): Students in the PhD program are guaranteed a competitive package of six years of academic year funding. and four summers of financial support with full tuition remission and health and dental insurance coverage. Students are also guaranteed funding each year for conference travel or other research needs.

University of Chicago, PhD in French and Francophone Studies

(Chicago, IL): Ph.D. students will be guaranteed to have funding support from the University of Chicago, external sources, or a combination of the two for the duration of their program including Full tuition coverage, an annual stipend, annual premiums for student health insurance, and Student Services Fee.

University of Colorado at Boulder, PhD in French Literature

(Boulder, CO): Financial aid for qualified Ph.D. students is available in the form of Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Part-Time Instructorships, and Graduate School Fellowships. Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Part-Time Instructorships normally include responsibility for lower-level language classes. The average stipend for this is approximately $26,000, and it carries with it a waiver of tuition costs.

Columbia University, PhD in French

(New York, NY): Doctoral students normally receive the annual prevailing stipend and appropriate tuition and health fees for five years, provided that they remain in good academic standing and, in the case of student officers, have discharged responsibly their pedagogical or research duties. For doctoral candidates in Humanities and Social Science departments, this includes five summers of support.

Johns Hopkins University, PhD in French

(Baltimore, MD):  All applicants who are admitted to our programs are admitted fully funded for up to five years. This means that the department covers the cost of full-time tuition and a fellowship for the academic year.

University of Maryland, PhD in Modern French Studies

(College Park, MD): Students are normally granted full funding for four years, with the possibility of an additional year, contingent upon the availability of funds. Annual renewal of financial support is based on satisfactory performance and progress in the program.

University of Pennsylvania, PhD in French and Francophone Studies

(Philadelphia, PA): 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 stipend of $32,255 in 2021-2022) to students who continue in good academic standing. Students will also receive summer stipends. The fellowship requires a two-year teaching assistantship as service to the department.

Princeton University, PhD in French

(Princeton, NJ): 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.

University of Texas at Austin, PhD in French Studies or French Linguistics

(Austin, TX): The University of Texas at Austin is pleased to offer 6-year scholarship packages of up to $30,000 annually for graduate study in French Studies and French Linguistics.

Tulane University, PhD in French Studies

(New Orleans, LA): The Ph.D. program is fully funded for 5 years for students entering with a BA degree. Students admitted to the program receive full tuition remission and a stipend of $26,323. They also have the opportunity to apply for competitive summer research funding, the Summer Merit Fellowship Award, and conference travel grants.

University of Virginia, PhD in French

(Charlottesville, VA): The Department of French is committed to providing full funding to all doctoral students for the duration of the Ph.D. degree. The award package, comprising a combination of graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs) and fellowships, is guaranteed for 5 years and covers tuition, fees, and comprehensive health insurance. It also includes an annual stipend of $20,000 for basic living expenses in Charlottesville, plus $4,000 in summer stipends.

University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD in French

(Madison, WI): The Department of French & Italian is committed to providing full funding to all graduate students. Students who accept our offer of admission, therefore, receive fellowships or assistantships that cover tuition and provide eligibility to enroll in excellent comprehensive health insurance and other benefits. Funding is guaranteed for a minimum of 5 years of study for students entering with a B.A., and a minimum of 4 years for those entering with an M.A.

Yale University, PhD in French

(New Haven, CT): All Yale students receive full financial support (tuition plus full stipend, including health insurance coverage) for five years of graduate study. This includes two years of coursework without teaching, two years of teaching, and a dissertation fellowship year.  Students in the French Department who choose to pursue dissertation research in France or a francophone country receive an additional year of support without having to teach.

Need some tips for the application process? See my article  How To Get Into a Fully Funded PhD Program: Contacting Potential PhD Advisors .

Also, sign up to discover and bookmark more than 1800 professional and academic fellowships in the  ProFellow database .

© Victoria Johnson 2020, all rights reserved.

Related Posts:

• Fully Funded PhD Programs in Cinema and Media Studies
• Fully Funded PhD Programs in Health Informatics
• Fully Funded Master's Programs in Chemistry
• Fully Funded PhD Programs in Mathematics
• Fully Funded PhD Programs in German and Germanic Studies

Fully Funded PhD Programs , PhD in French

5 Myths That Are Holding You Back from Pursuing a Graduate Degree

A prestigious public policy program for graduate students: the frédé..., find and win paid, competitive fellowships.

Be alerted about new fellowship calls for applications, get insider application tips, and learn about fully funded PhD and graduate programs

Fellowship Resources

• Calls for Applications
• Upcoming Fellowship Deadlines
• Fellowships Database
• Interviews with Fellows
• International Fellows Network
• Graduate Funding Directory

Fellowship Tips

• What is a Fellowship?
• Fully Funded Course
• Graduate School Funding
• Fellowship Application Tips
• Fulbright Application Tips
• Fellowship Application Guide
• Our Mission, History & Values
• ProFellow Winner Testimonials
• Fully Funded Course Testimonials
• Fellowship Industry Report
• Advertise With Us
• Terms & Privacy

ProFellow is the go-to source for information on professional and academic fellowships, created by fellows for aspiring fellows.

©2011-2024 ProFellow, LLC. All rights reserved.

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

How can one differentiate between Dr. (PhD) and Dr. (MD or DO)?

Reading the question posted here left me with a more general question:

Given the professional title and name: Dr. (First Name)(Last Name), is there some way to differentiate between the holder of a philosophical doctorate and a medical doctor? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for a PhD holder to have the title (First Name)(Last Name), PhD?

14 Answers 14

You can't immediately tell from the title, but then titles are not typically used by an individual to broadcast their occupation - we don't have variants of "Mr" for plumbers, bank managers, or rock stars - despite their very different occupations. Rather, the title is to be used by others when addressing that individual, in order to signify a degree of respect, typically for a particular level of training, qualification and responsibility, or else for a particularly respected position in society. Even the term "mister" is a meaningful sign of respect that historically would not have been as widely applied as it is today - the ratchet of etiquette has gradually eliminated everything below it.

The actual title "Doctor" means "teacher" (from Latin "doceo", "I teach"). This title is more often more relevant to PhDs than MDs, so you probably have your suggested solution backwards. That said, the solution is really neither necessary nor appropriate. Much like "Master" (from Latin "magister", in this case "teacher"), "Doctor" signifies that an individual has not only gained enough competency to practice in a particular field, but has developed enough expertise to instruct others. An individual who is sufficiently qualified to practice but not teach would historically have been known as a "journeyman", roughly equivalent to "professional".

In short "doctor" refers not to a field of expertise, but rather to a level of expertise.

Incidentally, most UK surgeons drop their title of "Dr" and revert to "Mr" after joining the Royal College of Surgeons. I've heard through a friend of at least one surgeon who reacted quite angrily at being addressed as a mere "Dr", which in such circles, due to a collision between traditional titles and modern medical training, could be unkindly translated as "trainee".

• 2 I think the Mr should be spelled out after joining the Royal College of Surgeons ie. Mr.Smith -> Dr.Smith -> Mister Smith –  user288447 Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 16:34
• 7 @user288447, do you have reference? I can't find anything on that. –  DeveloperInDevelopment Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 16:46
• 2 Unfortunately not, it may just have been convention in one hospital that I was in several years ago. –  user288447 Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 10:31

You can't. That's why there are numerous jokes in English-speaking culture about whether someone addressed as "doctor" is a "real" doctor or not. Medical doctors are supposed to be the "real" ones in the jokes.

• 30 Regarding the jokes, I recently heard introducing a speaker (MD) in a conference "and then he became a real doctor when he did his PhD in...". –  Davidmh Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 12:25
• 8 Also: 'not that kind of doctor' –  Cape Code Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 12:53
• 18 According to peoplefinders.com/search/… , there are 2 people named "Doctor Smith" in the US. Do they have PhDs or MDs? I don't know. Their first name is Doctor. –  emory Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:46
• 16 @Emory: Following the example of Major Major , they should enroll in a university and see if a computer error will summarily grant them a doctorate. –  Nate Eldredge Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 14:53
• 6 Ironically, it is neither MD's, nor PhD's that are the true, original " Doctors ", but rather DD's. Though try convincing anyone of that today ... –  RBarryYoung Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 19:15

In the United States, in spoken address, both are called "doctor."

For personal correspondence, both are addressed as "Dr." as with an invitation addressed to "Dr. and Mrs. Smith." (Or maybe "Dr. and Mr. Smith." If they both hold doctorates, it is "Drs. Smith." For a couple with different family names, use "Dr. Smith and Mr. Brown.")

For professional correspondence, both are addressed by name and degree, as "James Smith, M.D." or "Bob Brown, Ph.D."

Since the distinction is only relevant in professional interactions, there really isn't any ambiguity.

If you are speaking to a medical doctor professionally, you will know it by the setting, and you still say "doctor." If you ask for medical advice at a cocktail party because someone was introduced as "doctor" you deserve anything you get! I've been known to say, "I'm a college teacher type doctor, not a take-off-your-clothes doctor." That usually sends the message and often gets a laugh.

• 2 I am not a medical doctor, but I often work in hospital settings interacting with both patients and medical doctors so the setting is not always informative. –  StrongBad Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 11:36
• 3 I know a microbiologist and a physicist who work in a hospital. Their degrees appear on their ID badges, as do those of medical doctors. –  Bob Brown Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 11:46
• This was edited by "Anonymous" to introduce irrelevant commentary about women taking husbands' names. The commentary on the edit also incorrectly stated that more women than men earn doctorates. In the United States, at least, that is incorrect. From the 2014 SED: "Overall, women earned 46% of all doctorates in 2014." –  Bob Brown Commented Nov 29, 2016 at 14:24

I have seen the difference in the written form of their name;

One is Name Family, PhD. and other one is Name Family MD.

The same applies to the people holding Engineering doctorates such as Name Family, EngD. or holding doctorate in business such as DBA. Also, in different countries there are usually different doctorate titles ( link ) awarded.

But all of these people are called doctors .

• 1 I've seen it for dentists too. Name Family D.D.S –  jonescb Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 16:53
• @jonescb just look at the link provided in the answer, you can see more than twenty doctorate titles for different countries and different majors... –  enthu Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 16:56

A medical practitioner usually holds a MBBS or MD degree or similar and - at a reasonable level of proficiency - membership of a professional body such as the AMA ( American Medical Association) or the RCP ( Royal College of Physicians) or whatever applies in their part of the world.

A holder of an academic doctorate ( PhD, DrPh, EngD etc) has researched a topic or problem within their specific subject in sufficient depth to have generated fresh insights or made a breakthrough or contributed significant new knowledge to the existing corpus.

Both have earned the right to be addressed as 'Dr'.

However, it would appear to me that one or two posters have been watching a few too many episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' as I think the need to differentiate between the two very rarely applies except in a medical emergency.

• 1 In hospital settings where patients may be interacting with both medical doctors and academics, there is a need to differentiate. –  StrongBad Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 11:37

While both have the title of "doctor," that is identifying the fact that they both have the same education level, a doctorate.

The meaningful difference here is occupation : one might be a professor, the other a physician.

To differentiate between the two you can use the actual doctorate type or the job title:

• My professor is Dr. Jones. (or) Dr. Jones teaches my class.
• My physician is Dr. Smith.
• Indiana Jones, Ph.D.
• Joe Smith, M.D.

Of course a physician could also be a professor (who teaches in medical school?), or an M.D. might be a researcher who does not treat patients as their primary means of income (i.e. they only deal with patients during the course of medical studies). I do not think you can do much about those cases.

In Germany, it is common to denote the subject area the doctor was obtained in, such as Dr. med. for medical doctors, Dr.-Ing. for engineers, or Dr.-rer-nat. (rerum naturalium) for sciences like chemistry.

The usual practical solution is "ask them."

Doctor means you have a doctorate. Simple as that, a medic can have a doctorate in medicine and thus be a doctor, but if you do not have the degree then you are not a doctor, you can be a surgeon or a licensee of medicine but you are just referred to as doctor out of colloquial use of the title based on historical rots and customs.

There is no difference in spoken address ('Doctor'), but one is a Ph.D. and the other is an M.D.

You can tell from the context, but without the context, you can't. If the context is obviously far removed from anything clinical, such as "Dr. xyz has written a book on archaeology of early Los Angeles", then it's obviously the PhD sense. If it's a clinical setting, including emergencies and simply asking for health advice, basically when someone's health is at stake, then it's obviously the MD sense.

Things can get more ambiguous in biomedical research, because I personally know some MDs (without PhD) doing research instead of practicing medicine, including some molecular biology professors. When a research paper that uses clinical samples says something like, "Samples were obtained after resection from Dr. xyz", then it really can be either MD or PhD or both. Some people in our field have both.

Anyway, I don't make too big a deal out of it because we in California are typically on first name basis outside the clinical setting (this includes medical doctors). When we PhDs and candidates (at least in CA) say "doctor", we also usually mean medical doctors, like in, "Our postdoc health insurance is so bad that I'm terrified of seeing a doctor", where "doctor" obviously doesn't refer to ourselves. Some states, including California, have laws forbidding anyone who is not a medical doctor to advertise themselves as Dr. something in order not to confuse patients.

The confusing aspect is that doctor connotes medical treatment to most people, not a doctoral degree. Anyone smart enough to have a PhD knows the difference. I would not want a PhD doing my surgery, nor an MD teaching me philosophy.

It's not an easy question to answer. Ph.D's who are professors are just called "professor," and research assistants with a Ph.D are called "doctor" by secretaries and students. Titles are never mentioned in academic papers.

It's different with doctors: Patients and nurses call them "doctor;" if they are also professors, which they often are, the are called "professor" since professors have a higher status than mere M.D.s, and when they write papers in medical journals they put M.D. after their names. When practitioners without an M.D. refer to themselves as "doctor" they are just called "frauds."

Things are much more interesting in Germany. I was treated there by a woman doctor in a University Hospital who was also a professor of medicine. Her title was Frau Dr. Med, Dr. Professor Mueller. Some Professors have three degrees, meaning that are called Herr (or Frau) Dr. Dr. Dr. Professor.

• I have never heard medical school Professors introduce themselves to patients as Professor. In the UK holders of a Bachelors in Medical Science (BMedSci) call themselves doctor and it is not fraud. –  StrongBad Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 11:41
• Titles are never mentioned in academic papers — ...in some disciplines. In others, they are mentioned quite prominently. –  JeffE Commented Apr 25, 2015 at 3:43

In French (maybe other latin countries too), but I don't know about English, you can make a small difference by adding ès : Albert Einstein, Docteur ès Physique.

Then twice in a row you have specified that he was a scientific doctor (not a medical one) and his field of research.

• 2 Hi Rucikir, welcome to Academia.SE. Your answer does not really answer the question. Basically you are explaining how to say Albert Einstein, PhD in French, which is not what the OP is asking. –  earthling Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 10:47
• Well, I just didn't know if it could be used in English, apparently not, so it was irrelevant. Thanks for pointing it out. Sorry. But I'm not the only one to have done that, other answer about the German way. –  Antonin Décimo Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 23:53

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged phd titles medicine ..

• Featured on Meta
• We spent a sprint addressing your requests — here’s how it went
• Upcoming initiatives on Stack Overflow and across the Stack Exchange network...

Hot Network Questions

• Should you use __pc fields in all cases for Person Accounts?
• Seeing perfectly camouflaged objects
• Capture multiple errors before raising an exception
• Converting cif file with powdll, plotting cif file in excel
• Can I improve my code to extract permutation cycles from a (n,2) matrix?
• As an advisor, how can I help students with time management and procrastination?
• Can the US president legally kill at will?
• Segments of a string, doubling in length
• Do thermodynamic cycles occur only in human-made machines?
• What are the `estimates` returned by `avg_slopes()` in modelsummary?
• Minimum number of select-all/copy/paste steps for a string containing n copies of the original
• Family reunion crossword: The case of the missing letters
• How to manage talkover in meetings?
• Zener behaving strangely
• When do people say "Toiletten" in the plural?
• Confused about the output of `CosIntegral`
• Raid 0+1 Failure Cases VS. Raid 1+0
• What makes Python better suited to quant finance than Matlab / Octave, Julia, R and others?
• What is the reason for using decibels to measure sound?
• How to have hashed shaded lines in TiKZ?
• What spells can I cast while swallowed?
• Visa requirements for British passport holders going to Ghana via Brussels
• Reversing vowels in a string
• Gradual light transition

French Academic Job Titles Explained

What's the difference between a professeur des universités and a maître de conférences ? While there will be some differences university to university, here's a breakdown of the most common academic job titles used in France.

Etudiant en doctorat

The doctorat is the highest academic degree and it is required to hold French academic positions. Unlike in North America, the French doctorat is a national degree and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research fixes the requirements. It is a research-only degree that culminates in the writing of a thesis which is then orally defended to a jury. It takes three years to earn a doctorate.

Postdoc positions have started to emerge at research institutes in France in the last decade, however it is more common to do a foreign postdoc. A postdoc is a continuation of the researcher’s training that allows them to further specialize in a particular field and learn new skills and techniques. Postdoc research is usually themed or project specific. There is a 6 year limit on postdocs in France.

Attaché temporaire d’enseignement et de recherche (ATER)

This is a temporary teaching and research position at a university. Candidates usually apply to these positions during the last year of their PhD. It is a one year contract for a full or part time position that is renewable only once. The responsibilities are similar to that of non tenure track faculty in the US.  

Maître de conférences (MCF)

This is the first permanent position, equivalent to an associate professor.  In order to apply for these positions, candidates first have to enroll for the qualification at the National Council of Universities ( Conseil national des universitiés ) who facilitate the hiring process. The council will decide if the applicant is appropriately qualified to apply for a position at a French university. There are two ranks of MCF which determine their compensation: classe normale and hors classe. MCF s are civil servants, so national legislation sets their salaries.

Habilitation à diriger des recherches

In order to become a professeur des universités (PU), it is necessary to earn further qualification through either a habilitation or an agrégation . The exact qualification depends on the field. In the sciences, humanities, and social sciences, the habilitation à diriger des recherches is required. It takes three to ten years of consistent research and significant publication (a monograph or a several high impact articles) to earn the habilitation . The habilitation also allows the academic to supervise doctoral students. Once an academic has earned their habilitation , they enroll to the qualification at the National Council of Universities to apply to PU positions.

Agrégation de l’enseignement supérieur

In the fields of law, political science, economics, and management, academics must rank in a competitive exam called the agrégation . First the candidate’s teaching and publication dossier is evaluated, and if it is satisfactory the candidate then gives three lessons to a committee over several months. The Ministry of Higher Education and Research determines how many PU positions are available each year and will only rank as many agrégés as there are positions available. Some vacant professorships are also filled by professeurs des universités transferring to other universities.

Professeur des universités (PU)

This position is equivalent to a full professor. It is a permanent position. There are three ranks of PU which determine their compensation: 2e classe, 1re classe , and classe exceptionnelle . PU are civil servants, so national legislation sets their salaries.

Start your academic career today by searching all  available positions in France .

Discover related jobs

Discover similar employers

Accelerate your academic career

A Guide to English Proficiency Tests

Here is an overview of the four most widely-accepten English proficience...

Preparing for Your PhD Defence

Here are some tips to help you beat the nerves and rock your defence.

More International Researchers Means Better Science

A study in Nature shows the benefit of attracting global research talent...

UK Academic Job Titles Explained

What's the difference between a Lecturer and a Reader? Here's a breakdow...

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome is a nagging feeling of self-doubt and unworthiness th...

Should I Do a PhD?

Four questions to ask yourself before deciding to do a PhD.

Jobs by field

• Electrical Engineering 207
• Programming Languages 166
• Machine Learning 165
• Molecular Biology 157
• Artificial Intelligence 150
• Mechanical Engineering 142
• Materials Engineering 135
• Electronics 134
• Cell Biology 133
• Engineering Physics 114

Jobs by type

• Postdoc 343
• Assistant / Associate Professor 140
• Professor 105
• Researcher 103
• Engineer 92
• Research assistant 89
• Lecturer / Senior Lecturer 76
• Management / Leadership 56
• Tenure Track 36

Jobs by country

• Belgium 377
• Netherlands 168
• Switzerland 114
• Morocco 114
• Luxembourg 67

Jobs by employer

• KU Leuven 140
• Mohammed VI Polytechnic Unive... 118
• Eindhoven University of Techn... 84
• Ghent University 78
• University of Luxembourg 67
• ETH Zürich 53
• KTH Royal Institute of Techno... 51
• University of Antwerp 48
• Karolinska Institutet 41

• Computational Biology & Biomedical Informatics (PhD Program)

Computational biology and bioinformatics (CB&B) is a rapidly developing multidisciplinary field. The systematic acquisition of data made possible by genomics and proteomics technologies has created a tremendous gap between available data and their biological interpretation. Given the rate of data generation, it is well recognized that this gap will not be closed with direct individual experimentation. Computational and theoretical approaches to understanding biological systems provide an essential vehicle to help close this gap. These activities include computational modeling of biological processes, computational management of large-scale projects, database development and data mining, algorithm development, and high-performance computing, as well as statistical and mathematical analyses.

• Programs of Study
• PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
• Yale Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Mark Gerstein

Director of Graduate Studies

• [email protected]

Steven Kleinstein

Samantha Naziri

Departmental Registrar

• [email protected]

Admission Requirements

Standardized testing requirements.

GRE is not accepted.

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English. BBS requires a score of at least 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer-based exam, and 100 on the internet-based exam. Please take the test no later than November and no earlier than 24 months prior to submitting your application. Use institution code 3987 when reporting your scores; you may enter any department code.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Admission Information

The PhD program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics participates in the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) , and applicants interested in pursuing a degree in cell biology should apply to the Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics Track within BBS.

Academic Information

Program Advising Guidelines

GSAS Advising Guidelines

Academic Resources

Academic calendar.

The Graduate School's academic calendar lists important dates and deadlines related to coursework, registration, financial processes, and milestone events such as graduation.

Featured Resource

Registration Information and Dates

https://registration.yale.edu/

Students must register every term in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School. Registration for a given term takes place the semester prior, and so it's important to stay on top of your academic plan. The University Registrar's Office oversees the systems that students use to register. Instructions about how to use those systems and the dates during which registration occurs can be found on their registration website.

Financial Information

Phd stipend & funding.

PhD students at Yale are normally full-funded for a minimum of five years. During that time, our students receive a twelve-month stipend to cover living expenses and a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition and student healthcare.

• PhD Student Funding Overview
• Graduate Financial Aid Office
• PhD Stipends
• Health Award
• Tuition and Fees

Alumni Insights

Below you will find alumni placement data for our departments and programs.