PHD IN FRENCH
The Ph.D. program in French prepares students to teach in all areas of French and Francophone literature, stressing both breadth and depth through research seminars and qualifying exams. Ph.D. students in French will complete coursework in all seven fields--Medieval, Renaissance, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, and 20th century and Francophone literatures--as well as a proseminar in textual analysis. The program also trains students to be outstanding researchers and important contributors in the field which best speaks to their intellectual passions.
Students in the French track are allowed to take on an interdisciplinary approach to their studies that will enable them to conjoin the study of literature with cinema, fine arts, music or with the social and human sciences (history, linguistics, politics, sociology, anthropology). Students design a course of doctoral study that reflects their special interests and takes advantage of the exceptionally rich resources of New York University (Institute of French Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Dramatic Literature, Theatre History, Cinema Studies, etc.). Interested students should meet with the Director of Graduate Studies to discuss their desired track.
JOINT PHD IN FRENCH STUDIES AND FRENCH
The Institute of French Studies (IFS) at NYU is an interdisciplinary program devoted to the study of modern and contemporary France and francophone countries. The Department of French Literature, Thought and Culture and the IFS offer a joint Ph.D. in French Studies and French that is designed for students interested in developing research expertise in the history and analysis of literary texts closely linked to their social, cultural, and political contexts. It prepares students to teach both literature and civilization in French departments, and gives them the scholarly expertise to integrate the two. The Joint program combines strong training in literary analysis with substantial exposure to the study of France, Europe, and the Francophone world, offered by historians and social scientists. The program covers 19th and 20th-Century France and French literature, although students ordinarily develop a narrower research specialty within this time period.
The specific focus--and challenge--of the joint degree is the marrying of a social science research approach with a literary one. Students applying to the program should have a background both in French literature and in history and the social sciences. Admission to the joint Ph.D. program must be granted by both the IFS and the Department of French Literature, Thought and Culture.
M.A. in French Literature
The course of studies leading to the M.A. in French Literature is comprehensive in that candidates are expected to acquire a broad knowledge of all areas of French literature. The program of study includes satisfactory completion of graduate studies totaling at least 32 points and a Comprehensive Examination. Students in French Literature are expected to acquire a solid background in critical practice and a broad knowledge of all periods of French literature by completing at least one course each in six of seven areas (Middle Ages; Renaissance; 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries; Francophone).
BA/MA in French Literature, Thought and Culture
If you are an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Science (CAS) who is interested in French literature and culture, you may be eligible to earn credit towards a Master's degree while still pursuing your Bachelor's. These graduate credits cannot double-count towards any requirement (major, minor, Core, total credits) for your Bachelor's degree - they need to be reserved for your Master's degree. Undergraduates begin taking graduate courses in their junior or senior year and then fulfill remaining requirements after obtaining their B.A. degree.
French Literature Department Students are Eligible to Apply for Certificates in:
Poetics and Theory: (MA and PhD)
Public Humanities: (PhD)
Museum Studies: (MA and PhD)
Management and Leadership of Public Service Organizations: (PhD)
Certificate of Achievement in French Studies: (PhD)