NYU undergraduates can earn both a B.A. (in any department) and the M.A. in French Studies in a shortened period of study, typically five years. Undergraduates begin taking graduate courses in their junior or senior year and then fulfill remaining requirements after obtaining their B.A. degree. All students accepted into the B.A./M.A. program are eligible for a tuition scholarship equal to half the cost of the fifth year of study. Students thus earn both degrees at the cost of 4 1/2 years of study.
Recent recipients of the B.A./M.A. in French Studies work at the Perseus Books Group, the Washington D.C. public schools system, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Lycée français de New York. Others have gone on to graduate studies in law, library and information sciences, interethnic relations, and government.
Requirements
• The B.A. degree requires a total of 128 credits
• The M.A. degree entails eight courses
o 19th Century French History (IFST-GA 1610, Fall only)
o seven electives
While still undergraduates, students enrolled in the B.A./M.A. program must take a minimum of two (2) IFS graduate courses towards the M.A. degree. Students take those courses in addition to their normal undergraduate requirements. They must fulfill these requirements (128 points) and must take the two (2) IFS graduate courses (8 points) minimum before matriculating into GSAS for completion of the M.A. program.
Students often take some of these courses during the summers after their third and fourth years. Summer undergraduate courses can be taken either at the Washington Square campus or through NYU in Paris. Summer graduate courses can be taken only through NYU in Paris (the IFS offers no summer courses in New York). Students must take at least a quarter of their M.A. courses as undergraduates.
Students then take additional graduate courses required for the M.A. in French studies during their fifth year. Depending on the number of courses a student matriculates into the program with, their normal course load as a graduate student could be a combination of either: three courses in the fall semester and two in the spring semester, two courses in the fall semester, two courses in the spring semester and two courses in the summer semester in France, or three courses in the fall semester and three in the spring semester. Students receive the M.A. degree after passing the masters examination.
Who is eligible?
The B.A./M.A. program is open to undergraduate students from NYU's College of Arts and Sciences. Global Liberal Studies undergraduate students may also apply to the B.A./M.A. and obtain the one-semester tuition remission.
Students are permitted to apply up to the end of the third year as long as there is at least a year of studies left. Students must also have a GPA of 3.0 or above and have completed FREN-UA 30 (Conversation and Composition) or the equivalent, as well as two advanced language courses.
B.A./M.A. candidates will most likely choose as their undergraduate major Anthropology, European Studies, French, History, Politics, Sociology, or other fields.
Application Procedures
Prior to applying, students must first meet with a Bachelor's-Master's advisor to confirm eligibility. Information on how to schedule this appointment, as well as further application instructions and deadlines, can be found on the CAS website. After eligibility has been confirmed, students will fill out the online application and submit their personal statement (about 1-1/2 pages), two letters of recommendation, and an Albert copy of their unofficial transcript. The completed application will be processed at CAS and then forwarded to us.
The applications dossier must include:
• Two letters of recommendation
• A personal statement (about 1-1/2 pages)
• An Albert Copy of unofficial transcript
Though the GRE requirement is waived, potential applicants must consult with a Bachelor’s-Master’s advisor (during walk-in hours, or write to cas-gsas-group@nyu.edu if abroad) to discuss their academic plan and to ensure their eligibility to apply. Students must also consult the Accelerated Bachelor's-Master's Programs overview page on the CAS website.
For further questions, please contact:
Brendan M. Sullivan
Associate Director, Juniors and Inter-School Programs
NYU College of Arts and Science Advising Center
Room 901
New York, NY 10003
(p) 212.998.8160
(f) 212.995.4378
brendan.m.sullivan@nyu.edu
CAS informs students of the department's admission decision. Please note that the Graduate School is not involved in admissions at this time.