Information for Prospective Graduate Students

Updated June, 2006

 Important Information at a Glance

Inquiries about graduate programs in French should be sent to Professor Amy Ogden, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of French, P.O. Box 400770, 302 Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Tel.: (434) 924-1393; E-Mail: avo2n@virginia.edu; Fax: (434) 924-7157.

Applications must be submitted directly to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, 437 Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903. All parts of the application must be submitted or postmarked by December 1 to be considered for admission the following fall. Please notify the Director of Graduate Studies by E-mail once you have submitted your application to the Graduate School.

Please note that the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are required of all applicants, and that early November (at a Computer-Based Testing Site) is the final opportunity to take GRE's before the December application deadline. It is the applicant's responsibility to be certain that the application is complete by the deadline.

Candidates coming from abroad are advised to contact the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (437 Cabell Hall) to request current information on special rules for admission of foreign students. The present rules require admission of foreign students by April 15 preceding registration. Application for student visas and presentation of financial guarantees may require extra time. Foreign applicants are reminded that the Graduate School requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and that they should be sure to submit their scores in timely fashion.

Tuition and fees for full-time study in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences can be found here:
http://www.virginia.edu/studentaccounts/

Substantial financial aid is available (see part VIII).

 The Degrees

Consistently ranked among the top graduate programs in the nation over the past twenty years, the Department of French Language and Literature at the University of Virginia has granted the Ph.D. since 1905 and the M.A. since the 1820s

The Master's degree (usually completed in two academic years) is suitable either as a first professional degree or as a preparation for doctoral work. The Ph.D. allows specialization in a period of French literature, in African and New World literatures and cultures, in French civilization/culture, and in specific critical approaches to literature. The programs leading to these degrees have been carefully designed by the entire faculty to meet specific practical and intellectual goals.

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 statement of purpose for their doctoral studies;
2. a declaration designating their Advisory Board Director;
3. the "Permission to Proceed" form.

Before submitting these documents, students are responsible for securing both the agreement of a faculty member in the Department to serve as their Advisory Board Director and his or her approval of the statement of purpose. (Effective 1 January 2006)

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.

Adopted by the Graduate Faculty of the department September 9, 2005.

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.

Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

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.).

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.

Dissertation and final oral examination ("defense"):

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 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. Within
three months after admission to candidacy, the student will present a prospectus of his or her dissertation to the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate Studies Committee for discussion, approval, and possible amendment by both bodies. 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.

 General Requirements for Admission

Grade Point Average:

We require a minimum of B overall and B in the major; grades earned
in advanced literature courses and during the final two years of undergraduate
study will receive special attention.

Graduate Record Examination Scores:

We normally require minimum scores of 500 in the Verbal and 4.5 in the Analytical Writing Measure, but the typical mean scores for students who are accepted are significantly higher.

Courses in French:

Our Master's level courses presuppose some acquaintance with major texts in French literature, and with basic critical vocabulary in French. Applicants to the M.A. program must present at least five undergraduate courses in French literature and/or civilization/cultural studies. Applicants to the Ph.D. program must present at least eight graduate courses in French. Since Fall transcripts are necessarily incomplete, we urge applicants to notify us of the courses in French they are taking (or intend to take) in the year of application.

Recommendations:

Two letters of recommendation are required from persons who are familiar with the applicant's work, preferably in advanced literature or civilization.

Writing Sample:

Each applicant must submit a writing sample as part of the application. The essay, preferably in French, may be an unedited copy of a course paper that best reflects your interests and work.

Personal Statement:

The Statement of Purpose included in the application is of considerable importance. It should contain information on the applicant's intellectual interests and the experiences leading to the formation of those interests. No one knows ahead of time where graduate study may lead, and the statement is not binding in any way, but it is essential for the admissions committee to know an applicant's motivation for undertaking study in literature and civilization.

Online Survey :

(This survey is for applicants to the Ph.D. program who have either already obtained their M.A. degree, or are in the process of completing the M.A. at another institution.)

Please complete the following online survey, to be added to your application dossier. The survey can be submitted electronically - it will arrive in our administrative office via e-mail.

http://www.virginia.edu/french/grads/survey/grad_survey.htm

 Graduate Students and the Profession

We note with pride that graduate students in the Department have a long-standing tradition of successful participation in professional activities in their respective fields of specialization. Current students have recently published articles in The French Review, Nineteenth-Century French Studies, Neophilologus, and WIFStudies (Women in French). They also regularly read scholarly papers at conferences and professional meetings. Many of our graduates have received awards and fellowships such as the Phi Beta Kappa Mary Isabel Sibley Award, the Camargo Foundation Resident Fellowship, and the Chateaubriand Fellowship.

Recent graduates have obtained tenure-track positions at:

• Colby College
• Longwood University
• Michigan State University
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro and at Wilmington
• Randolph- Macon College
• San José State University
• Smith College
• Wake Forest University
• Washington and Lee University
• Yale University

Virginia graduates hold tenured positions at:

• Boston University
• Gallaudet University
• University of Georgia
• Knox College
• University of Maryland
• Millsaps College
• Mississippi State University
• University of Nebraska
• Northern Illinois University
• University of South Carolina
• West Virginia University

 Examples of Courses Recently Offered

The Scandal of Realism
Proust
Montaigne
Francophone African Writers
Medieval Saint's Lives
Cinema & Literature
France's Mission to Civilize
Antiamericanism in France: An Intellectual History
Rhetorics of Dissent in Sixteenth-Century Literature
Lingua Franca: Language & Nation in Modern France
Twentieth-Century Theater
Mallarmé: The Poetics of Fashion
Marguerite de Navarre & Her Circle
Comparative Caribbean Literature
Literature of the Twentieth-Century
Baudelaire & Modernity
Renaissance Lyon, 1530-1550
Problems in French Phonetics & Phonology
Literature of the Seventeenth-Century: The Modern Mask
Introduction to New World Francophone Literature

For more courses and their descriptions please visit our graduate course offerings page.

 Resources and Opportunities

As French Department TAs ("Graduate Instructors"), graduate students teach entire sections of elementary, intermediate, and, sometimes, advanced French, taking full responsibility for lesson plans and grading. They gain valuable administrative experience by chairing exam committees and courses, and they play an active role in textbook selection and policy decisions regarding the courses they teach.

The Department offers education and support to TAs beginning with an intensive orientation workshop, run by the Language Program Director (Professor Cheryl Krueger). This program includes interactive lectures and discussions, demonstrations, and practice teaching. New TAs also take "French 704: Theories and Methods of Language Teaching." The Language Program Director consults with TAs one-on-one, in staff meetings, and via the electronic mailing list frenchta_talk@virginia.edu. Among the numerous print, audio- visual, and electronic resources available to TAs is the website French Teaching and Learning Resources.

The professional preparation of graduate students in the Department is reinforced by programs of the university-wide Teaching Resource Center, which offers semi-annual general teaching workshops, specific workshops, and seminars.

Exchange Programs in France:The Department strongly encourages its graduate students to spend a year studying in France under one of its teaching exchange programs. These currently include exchanges with the Universities of Aix-en-Provence, Nice, and Lyon II. The University of Virginia also sponsors a one-year research exchange with the Ecole Normale Supériéure in Paris. Graduate students from those institutions teach in the Department and participate in graduate student activities. Exchange students in France receive generous teaching stipends, full health insurance and benefits, and have ample time to pursue research interests.

Alderman Library, the University's main research library, has over two million books, over six thousand periodicals, and some six million rare books and manuscripts. The Douglas H. Gordon Collection of French Books, one of the great American collections of French books dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, provides an incomparable source of primary material for doctoral students writing dissertations in literature of the French Renaissance and later periods.

Dissertation Fellowships: The department offers Ph.D. students the chance to compete for departmental dissertation fellowships. Usually given in the final year of Ph.D. study, these fellowships help support a period of concentration on research and writing. Applicants may receive the department's endorsement for the Dissertation Year Fellowships offered by the Graduate School. Several of these highly competitive awards have gone to our Ph.D. candidates in recent years. Advanced students are also encouraged to apply for such extra mural awards as the Chateaubriand Fellowship, the Javits Fellowship, the Camargo Foundation Residential Grant, or the Phi Beta Kappa Sibley Fellowship.

The Maison Française serves as a central point for most cultural activities in the department, such as lectures and small conferences. In addition to housing thirty-two undergraduates, it also includes a seminar room used for classes and lectures. Graduate students in the department and native speakers of French serve as resident assistants and help to maintain the use of French in a congenial atmosphere.

 Housing

Besides university housing, both apartments and houses are available in the immediate area and in the surrounding countryside. Current graduate students are occupying two-bedroom apartments ($600-$650/month), one-bedroom and studio apartments ($350-$700/month), multiple-occupancy houses ($250-$375/month), and the dependencies of local estates and farms. Prices and included utilities may vary. Questions regarding housing can be directed to housing@virginia.edu.

 Funding

Financial support for graduate studies -- in the form of fellowships or graduate instructorships -- is awarded to a limited number of entering students on the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee. There is no special application procedure or form for financial aid. Every applicant is automatically considered, but decisions are made early: the completed application must reach the department by December 3 to be considered for Graduate school-wide fellowships and admission the following fall, or by December 15 to be considered for department financial aid and admission the following fall. Please notify the Director of Graduate Studies by E-mail once you have submitted your application to the Graduate School. The deadline for applying for admission to our graduate program without financial aid consideration is April 1.

Applicants to the program are considered for a number of fellowships (President's, Dupont), one of which is for Virginia residents only (the Governor's). Stipend amounts approximately cover tuition and basic living expenses. After the first year, students in good standing may be considered for part-time teaching (three to six hours per semester) as Graduate Instructors. Tuition is waived entirely (on a semester-by-semester basis) for graduate instructors who teach full six-hour loads. These waivers apply only to courses taken to fulfill degree requirements. The department offers competitive fellowships to Ph.D. candidates in the final year, to permit a period of work on the dissertation without teaching responsibilities. A limited number of teaching appointments are also available during the summer session. Financial aid, including teaching appointments, is granted and reviewed annually and based on demonstrated teaching competence. Aid beyond the offer tendered with the letter of acceptance to the program is not guaranteed; its availability in a given semester depends on allocations from the central administration of the University.

Financial aid in other forms (such as student loans and work-study programs) is available from sources outside the department. For information on loans and grants not administered by the department, please contact the university's
Financial Aid Office, P.O. Box 400207,University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4207 phone: (434) 982-6000 E-mail: faid@virginia.edu.