Degree Requirements

 Degree Requirements
     Please see the Graduate Handbook for the most complete & current version of these requirements.

The Master of Arts

Whether an end in itself, or a preparation for the Ph.D, the M.A. is a broad and general degree, drawing upon the materials and methods of French (and closely allied) studies to extend and deepen the candidate's humanistic background and competencies. The program's prime goals thus include the following: broad knowledge and understanding of French culture from its origins to the present; effective teaching skills built through training and experience; tools of intellectual inquiry necessary for further study, including abstract thinking and research skills; mastery of the French language.

Requirements for the Master of Arts

Please see the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts worksheet.

Course Requirements:

Thirty credit hours (usually ten courses) are required for the M.A.degree. A minimum of twenty-four credits (usually eight courses) must be taken in the department. Nine credits (three courses) must focus on Field A; nine on Field B (see below). Six of the thirty credits may be taken in other departments. The Proseminar is required (as a Field A or a Field B course, with instructor permission, or as an elective). Students may petition for exemption from Proseminar, but such exemption will stand as a decision not to pursue doctoral work in our department. With the permission of the DGS, a literary theory course offered outside the Department may replace FREN 700 (Proseminar) and may count as a Departmental course for Field A or Field B or elective credit; in this case, the student will still be allowed to take two courses outside the Department. All courses are selected in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and with the student's faculty advisor. We also offer the opportunity to work with individual faculty directors on a research thesis at the M.A. level.

Satisfactory Progress:

A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 (B) in each semester. Students in their first year of the M.A. or the Ph.D. program must earn letter grades in a minimum of 2 3-credit-hour courses per semester by the end of the grading period for each semester. Incompletes do not count toward maintaining Satisfactory Progress. (Effective January 1, 2006.)

Comprehensive Examination (updated 12/04):

The M.A. exam consists of a two-part written and a two-part oral, covering a broad chronological spectrum of French and Francophone Studies from the Middle Ages to the present: Field A (Pre-1800) and Field B (Post-1750). These exams are typically taken at the end of the student's second year in the program. Each candidate must choose one field (A or B) for his or her written examination and the other for the oral examination.

All MA written examinations are administered during a one-week period in mid March; oral examinations are scheduled two weeks after the written examinations. It is the responsibility of the candidate to notify the M.A. exam coordinator, by the end of January, of the intent to sit for the M.A. examinations and of the periods (Field A or B) selected for the written and oral segments. All parts of the examination must be passed; in case of failure, any part of the comprehensive examination may be retaken only once, normally at a make-up session held no later than the first week of May of that same year. No student passes whose French and English are not deemed by the examining committee to be sufficiently fluent and correct.

Part One of the written examination (Field A or Field B) is a 2-hour textual commentary based on the close reading of a passage distributed to exam candidates 72 hours prior to the examination date. Part Two is a 4-hour written exam, based upon the same reading list elected for the textual commentary. Questions will be distributed on Monday afternoon. The examination is to be completed and returned by Wednesday afternoon at 5 P.M. Either Part One or one of the essays for Part Two must be in English; the other parts must be in French.

The 75-minute oral examination covers the field not examined in the written. It includes two parts, one of which will be conducted in French and one in English, as chosen by the student: (1) a twenty-minute oral presentation, based either on a course paper or on independent research, followed by discussion of that paper, and (2) general questions on the reading list elected for this examination.

Optional Thesis:

Up to six credits for thesis preparation may be substituted for six credits of coursework among the thirty credits required.

Time Limit:

The M.A. degree is normally completed in four semesters. The Graduate Studies Committee must be petitioned for any extension. By Graduate School regulations, the absolute time limit for completion
of the degree is five years.

Review and Permission to Take Further Course Work:

At the end of the first year, individual progress is reviewed and a second-year calendar prepared by the director of graduate studies in consultation with the candidate. The director submits to the faculty a report and evidence of insufficient progress, if the need arises.

Permission to Proceed:

Candidates who wish to take further course work must petition the Director of Graduate Studies for consideration by the faculty.  Such candidates will submit to the Director of Graduate Studies, no later than April 15, the following documents:

1. a one-page statement of purpose for their doctoral studies;

2. the Permission to Proceed form. (click link to download form)

Beginning in the third semester of their M.A. program, candidates are expected to consult with faculty in their field(s) of interest in order to draft the statement of purpose.

In deciding whether or not to admit a candidate to the Ph.D. program, the faculty consider grades, M.A. examination results, and faculty reports. Prior to admission to the Ph.D. program, appointment to a graduate teaching assistantship does not entail, nor should it be construed as implying, such admission. Continuance is conditional upon satisfactory progress toward completion of the doctoral program; permission to take further course work does not entail admission to candidacy for the degree of Ph.D., which follows upon successful completion of the Ph.D. preliminary examinations.

Upon receiving conditional permission to proceed from the faculty, candidates are responsible for securing both the agreement of a faculty member in the Department to serve as their Advisory Board Director and this person's signature on the candidate's statement of purpose, revised if necessary.  Candidates will submit the statement with signature to the DGS no later than one week after notification that they have received conditional permission to proceed.  These two steps complete admission to the Ph.D. program. (Effective Fall 2008)

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Please see the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy worksheet.

The Ph.D. is a closely supervised research degree, emphasizing (1) extensive advanced work in at least two related fields of French studies; (2) a high degree of sophistication in appropriate aspects of theory and methods; and (3) proficiency in the expository, investigative and linguistic skills required in the chief modes of professional writing.

Admission:

To begin doctoral course work, the prospective candidate will normally hold the University of Virginia M.A. degree in French and have permission to take further course work or will hold an equivalent degree.

A student entering with an M.A. degree (or the equivalent) from another institution shall be considered for permission to take further course work after completion of all requirements for the University of Virginia M.A. in French not satisfied by courses taken (or proficiency achieved) elsewhere. A student admitted without deficiency shall be considered for permission to take further course work after one semester (nine hours) of doctoral courses completed in this department.

Advisory Board:

Students with an M.A. from outside UVA will be appointed a faculty advisor for their first semester at UVA; they will secure the agreement of a faculty member in the Department to serve as their Advisory Board Director by the end of that semester.

All students entering the Ph.D. program (with an M.A. from UVA or elsewhere) will select an Advisory Board, which must be approved by their Advisory Board Director, by the end of their first semester of doctoral coursework. At that time, they are required to complete an Advisory Board Declaration Form and to return it to Cabell 302, where it will be kept on file. (Effective Sept. 1, 2006)

The Advisory Board will consist of two or three members of the Graduate Faculty in French or officially affiliated faculty in other Departments. Faculty members who are not officially affiliated with the Department may serve on an Advisory Board with the consent of the Advisory Board Director.

Experience tells us that members of the advisory boards have played an important part in guiding and challenging students outside of the formal confines of the classroom. As mentors, they help students focus on their academic and intellectual goals from the start.

Course Requirements:

A minimum of eight (8) courses beyond the M.A., including Proseminar, (up to three courses may be taken in other departments) chosen in consultation with the Student's Advisory Board. (By Graduate School rule, students entering with the M.A. degree from another institution must complete ten courses for the Ph.D.). Recommended courses:

Language and professional development courses as appropriate; a course in French civilization, African literature, New World literature, or all three; a foundation course in Philosophy.

Satisfactory Progress:

A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 (B) in each semester. Students in their first year of the M.A. or the Ph.D. program must earn letter grades in a minimum of 2 3-credit-hour courses per semester by the end of the grading period for each semester. Incompletes do not count toward maintaining Satisfactory Progress. (Effective January 1, 2006.)

Total Credits:

By rule of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, total time in the Ph.D. program after the B.A. must be at least three sessions (academic years) and total credit hours of graduate study (excluding non-topical research, but including independent study) must be at least 54 hours (eighteen three-hour courses).

Please note: Ph.D. students are normally required to serve as graduate instructors and may therefore expect to take the one-hour practicum, FREN 704, "Theories and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching," which is required of all TA's in the first semester of teaching.

The Language Requirement:

To fulfill the general reading knowledge requirements of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the student pursuing the Ph.D. in French may not present that language, but should present another Romance language or German, or any other language approved by the Students' Advisory Board.

The Preliminary Examination:

After the student has completed course work and language requirements, his or her Advisory Board will determine readiness for the preliminary examination, successful completion of which will admit the student to candidacy for the Ph.D. The examination consists of one six-hour written exam on a single (major) field, and one three-hour written exam in a second (adjunct) field, followed by a two-hour oral examination.

The Dissertation:

Upon completion of preliminary examinations, the Advisory Board is replaced by the departmental Dissertation Committee consisting of the prospective dissertation director and a colleague, both chosen by the candidate. After admission to candidacy, the student will present a proposal of his or her dissertation to the Dissertation Committee for discussion, approval, and possible amendment. As the dissertation progresses, the Dissertation Committee will be joined by a third reader from the Department and a dean's representative for the final examination, an oral defense.

Special Programs:

In addition to concentrations in all areas of French literature, the Department offers the following options:

The Doctorate in French Civilization

In response to increasing demand for culture-content courses in colleges and universities, the Ph.D. concentration in civilization is designed to give students a solid foundation in cultural history from the Middle Ages to the present. It pays attention not only to fundamental, classical literary texts and artistic products but also to studies and documents that illustrate and analyze geographical, social, economic, political and institutional components of dominant cultural "mentalités" throughout the history of France. A second, and equally important, aspect of the program consists in preparing students to address questions pertaining to French society today. Whereas the historical approach should enable the students to identify deeply-rooted cultural structures and manifestations of continuity in today's France, the emphasis on present-day institutions and cultural comportments should equip the future teacher/scholar to deal with the cultural issues as they emerge. Students are encouraged to work with specialists in the departments of Anthropology, History, Government (Political Science) and Sociology, who have expressed interest in collaborating with the faculty in the French Department in the expansion and advancement of its civilization curriculum.

The Doctorate in African Literatures and Cultures; New World Literatures and Cultures; New World Studies

Now that most speakers of French live outside Europe, the study of French is being rapidly globalized. Teaching at all levels from high school to university assumes the historical and cultural knowledge requisite to the understanding of non-French societies. The Department offers major and adjunct concentrations on the doctorate level in the language, literature, and cultures of Africa (south of the Sahara, Maghreb), or the New World (Canada, the Caribbean). Job opportunities in this area have expanded rapidly, both for specialists and for teachers who can present non-European Francophone Studies as a second concentration ("adjunct field"). Caribbean or Canadian specialists in Francophone Studies may also prepare a Certificate in New World Studies administered by an interdisciplinary committee in conjunction with the Department. Courses and seminars in Anthropology, English, History, Spanish or Portuguese may be presented under the adjunct field rubric toward the Ph.D. Certificate in New World Studies, which is designed to expand the opportunities open to our graduates.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities include, but are not limited to: Comparative Literature; Medieval and Early Modern Studies; Studies in Women and Gender; Film and Media Studies.

The existence of the adjunct field for the Ph.D. makes it possible for the student to design, with the guidance of the Advisory Board, an individualized concentration in a number of different fields related to the area of specialization in French.

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