Italian, PhD
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Italian
The Department of French and Italian offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees in French and in Italian. Candidates for the master's degree may specialize in French Studies, French Linguistics, French Language Learning, or Italian. Candidates for the doctoral degree in French may choose one of three specializations: French Studies, French Linguistics, or Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE).
The following minors and certificates may be pursued: Cinema Studies, Gender & Women's Studies, Translation Studies, Criticism and Interpretive Theory
Admission
French
Students considering admission to the master's program should usually have had a college major in French. Applicants should apply online and submit an academic statement of purpose (maximum 1000 words), a personal statement (maximum 500 words), three letters of recommendation, and two writing samples (5-10 pages each), at least one of which must be in French. Original transcripts showing all undergraduate and graduate work completed should be sent to SLCL Graduate Student Services. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required of all domestic applicants and should be submitted to institution code 1836. International applicants who have taken the GRE are encouraged to submit their scores as well. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 79 on the internet-based test (iBT); they must also pass the speaking sub-section of the iBT with a minimum score of 24. Admission for the spring semester is rare. Students seeking admission to the Ph.D. program with a Master of Arts degree earned elsewhere are expected to have a minimum 3.5 grade point average in graduate coursework. The master's degree should be in French literature, French studies, or French linguistics. Candidates seeking admission to the Ph.D. specialization in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education may hold a Master of Arts in Teaching degree instead.
See our website for more information about how to apply. Application questions may be directed to SLCL Graduate Student Services.
Italian
The normal prerequisite for a graduate major is an undergraduate major in Italian or consent of the department. Students doing graduate work for any advanced degree in Italian must possess a command of the language. Applicants should apply online and submit an academic statement of purpose (maximum 1000 words), a personal statement (maximum 500 words), three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample of approximately 10-20 pages in the form of one or two papers. Original transcripts (with English translations if applicable) showing all undergraduate and graduate work completed should also be uploaded. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required of all domestic applicants and should be submitted to institution code 1836. International applicants who have taken the GRE are encouraged to submit their scores as well. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 79 on the internet-based test (iBT); they must also pass the speaking sub-section of the iBT with a minimum score of 24. Applications are accepted for fall admission only. Application questions may be directed to SLCL Graduate Student Services.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, the department requires Ph.D. candidates to do some teaching as part of their academic work because such experience is considered a vital part of graduate training and professionalization. Non-native English speakers must first pass a test of their oral English ability.
Teaching Assistants in French and Italian are required to take FR 505 or ITAL 505 respectively (4 hours) as part of their contractual obligation. The course does not count toward the graduate degrees.
Faculty Research Interests
Our faculty possess strengths in literary interpretation, critical theory, the study of civilization, cinema, theoretical and applied linguistics, and computer-assisted teaching. Members of the faculty have received national and international recognition; graduates serve on the faculties of numerous colleges and universities both in this country and abroad. See also the faculty's areas of research.
Centers, Programs, and Institutes
Our faculty hold appointments with the Departments of African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Linguistics, Media and Cinema Studies, as well as the European Union Center and the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the Program in Comparative and World Literature, the Program in Jewish Culture and Society, the Program in Medieval Studies, and the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, broadening opportunities for interdisciplinary work.
Facilities and Resources
A language learning lab provides computer-based access to resources and audio-video services. The phonetics lab contains state-of-the-art equipment available to graduate student researchers. The Kolb-Proust Archive for Research, a unit of the Library, houses a wealth of information about Marcel Proust and his time, including the important collection of notes and materials assembled by Philip Kolb, who was a professor in the Department. Documents from the collection are accessible on the World-Wide Web through a searchable SGML-encoded Virtual Archive.
Financial Aid
All students who apply for admission are considered for financial aid. Subject to budgetary conditions, and assuming satisfactory academic and teaching performance, the Department offers two years of financial aid toward the M.A. degree and an additional four years of support toward completion of the Ph.D.
Teaching Assistantships are the most common form of graduate student support. The usual appointment requires teaching three courses during the academic year.
Research Assistantships require the recipient to assist with a faculty member's research for a specific number of hours per week. A research assistantship may be combined with a teaching assistantship.
Fellowships are offered for new and continuing students. No separate application form is required.
Tuition and Fee Waivers are included in waiver-generating fellowship, teaching assistantship, and research assistantship awards.
Graduate students in French may spend the academic year abroad under exchange agreements with universities in France, Belgium, and Canada, employed as teaching assistants.
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Italian
Areas of specialization offered in Italian are literary and cultural studies, Italian linguistics, and Romance linguistics.
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's guidelines for graduate students and the Graduate College Handbook.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework selected in consultation with advisor | ||
| Language Requirement: Students in all programs except SLATE must demonstrate reading proficiency in two languages besides the foreign language of specialization (not including English). | ||
| ITAL 599 | Thesis Research | 32 |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Other Requirements
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 16 |
| Masters Degree Required for Admission to PhD? | Yes |
| Qualifying Exam Required | No |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Italian
- Language: mastery of spoken and written Italian in all its registers; mastery of academic English, particularly in writing, but also spoken; ability to summarize and explain major issues in language teaching and learning.
- Critical Theory: demonstrates ability to synthesize knowledge of major fields of theoretical inquiry current in the discipline, such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, feminism / queer studies, post-colonialism, biopolitics, environmental humanities and ecocriticism, and others. Ability to identify current trends and issues in critical theory of interest to the field, as well as capacity to critically evaluate different theoretical approaches, and defend one’s own approach.
- Italian Studies: demonstrates an ability to evaluate the field of Italian Studies, assess the major issues of concern within the field, and evaluate different approaches to those issues.
- Teaching: ability to teach Italian language at all levels, as well as a wide range of literary and cultural topics; to design syllabi, exams, written assignments, and lectures. Ability to identify and assess successful classroom strategies; familiarity with current trends in pedagogy for literature and culture.
- The Profession: mastery of professional skills, including ability to formulate academic talks, generate syllabi, rewrite seminar papers as articles, construct book reviews and fellowship applications; preparation for academic job market in literary and cultural studies and other allied fields, including ability to identify successful strategies and evaluate different types of institutions and their teaching and research needs.
Graduate Degree Programs in French & Italian
- French, MA
- concentration:
- Medieval Studies
- French, PhD
- Italian, MA
- concentration:
- Medieval Studies
- Italian, PhD
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Italian
Department of French and Italian
Head of Department: Zsuzsanna Fagyal
Director of Graduate Studies: François Proulx
French and Italian Department website
2090 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2020
French and Italian email
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website
Admissions
Overview of Italian Admissions & Requirements
Graduate College Admissions & Requirements