Please note that while classes are held remotely, students are still able to discuss and declare the major and minor in French.
For questions regarding the major, contact Prof. John Moran or Prof. Katie LaPorta
For the minor, contact Indigo Rancourt.
The prerequisite for admission to the major is completion of Intermediate French Two (FREN-UA 12) or Intensive Intermediate French (FREN-UA 20) with a grade of B-minus or better (or an equivalent course or exam, such as AP French). All students who wish to major in the Department of French must declare with the department and consult a departmental adviser prior to any registration.
The director of undergraduate studies assigns each major a permanent faculty adviser within the department. Majors must meet with their adviser at least once per semester to obtain clearance for the following semester. When students are abroad, the process takes place via email.
No grade lower than C may be counted toward the major (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count). The overall GPA in all French courses must be 2.0 or above.
Students in Global Liberal Studies pursuing a major in French may count the French Senior Seminar toward one of their their GLS Senior Seminar requirements. Students will nonetheless be expected to complete one GLS senior seminar at minimum; in addition, any French or Francophone literature course with substantive transnational content in the French Department will also count as meeting the GLS Advanced Global Cultures course requirement.
Transfer students must complete at least 20 points of the 36 FREN-UA points required for the French major at the College of Arts and Science or at NYU Paris.
To declare the major, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Language Program (john.moran@nyu.edu) via NYU Connect
The major consists of 36 FREN-UA points (in any combination of 2- and 4- point FREN-UA courses), distributed as follows:
See the Romance languages section of this Bulletin for details and requirements.
This joint major requires a total of nine 4-point courses (36 points) completed with a C or better.
The French part of this major is satisfied by taking four 4-point FREN-UA courses (16 points) as follows:
The linguistics part of this major is satisfied by taking the following five 4-point courses (20 points):
Eligibility: A student must spend a minimum of three full semesters in residence at the College of Arts and Science. Attendance at NYU Paris counts toward such residence. The student must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.65 and a major average of 3.65 or higher. Students who wish to pursue honors should apply to the departmental director of honors during their junior year.
Requirements for honors: In addition to completion of all major requirements including a Senior Seminar (FREN-UA 991, 992), candidates for French honors must also enroll in a 6-points course sequence: French Research Lab (FREN-UA 995), a 2-point course taken in fall semester of the senior year and in two 2-points independent studies (FREN-UA 997, 998) in the fall and in the spring under the supervision of a thesis advisor. This Honors Thesis course sequence cannot count toward completion of the credit requirements for the French major.
The Honors Thesis: A work of scholarship and/or criticism in the field of French or Francophone literature or culture. The thesis is ordinarily written in French (25 pages minimum) or in English (40 to 60 pages). The seminar professor and the thesis adviser determine based on this work and an oral defense whether to recommend the student for an honors degree. A grade of at least A-minus is required for the award of Honors in French.
The Department of French and the Institute of French Studies offer qualified students the opportunity to earn the B.A. and M.A. degrees in a shortened period of study and at reduced cost. While still undergraduates, students enrolled in the program may earn up to 12 points toward the M.A. by completing three graduate courses in the Department of French or at the Institute of French Studies. To earn advanced standing, these points may not be counted toward an undergraduate degree, and must be in excess of the 128 points required for the B.A. Admission to the program is open to students who have completed between 48 and 96 credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the major. Application to the program can be made through the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of French. Final acceptance into the graduate sequence of the program is contingent on successful completion of the B.A., formal admission into the Graduate School of Arts and Science, and acceptance of the student's application. For more information on the B.A./M.A. in French studies, please consult: http://ifs.as.nyu.edu/object/ifs.bama.
For NYU Paris, see information in the study away section of this Bulletin. Please note that not all classes offered at NYU Paris can be counted toward the Department’s minors and majors; only FREN-UA courses can be accepted. For GLS students who wish to double major in French, an exception can be made: please consult with the director of undergraduate studies for up-to-date information.
In addition to the basic requirements for the major, students also have the opportunity to participate in internships sponsored by the department. Recent internships have been completed at the French cultural services office, the French music office, and the French film office.