French, PhD
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in French
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 French
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's graduate programs and the Graduate College Handbook.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework should be selected in consultation with advisor. | 32 | |
| Language Requirement: depends on specialization area | ||
| FR 599 | Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree) | 32 |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Other Requirements
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| 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: | 2.75 |
Specialization in French Studies
The doctoral program in French Studies is designed to prepare specialists in literature and culture. Candidates are required to include courses in textual criticism, linguistics or linguistically oriented textual theory, and French/Francophone literature and culture. Students are expected to demonstrate reading proficiency in one modern foreign language (other than French or English). They may fulfill this requirement by passing a fourth-semester reading course with a grade of B or better or by demonstrating an equivalent ability by examination. Students may choose to complete a minor in Cinema Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, or to obtain a certificate in Medieval Studies, Translation Studies or in Criticism, and Interpretive Theory.
Specialization in French Linguistics
The Ph.D. curriculum in linguistics offers training in French and Romance linguistics in cooperation with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department of Linguistics. Candidates selecting this option are required to complete course work in linguistic theory, advanced study of French language and culture, and French and Romance linguistics beyond the requirements of the M.A. in French Linguistics. Advanced course work related to the candidate’s research area is chosen from courses offered by participating departments in consultation with the advisors in French and Romance Linguistics. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in at least one other Romance language and may select a concentration in Romance Linguistics.
Specialization in French Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE)
This Ph.D. curriculum in French SLATE combines advanced studies in French with a research focus on some aspect of second language learning and teaching. It is an inter-disciplinary Ph.D. concentration that offers training in a wide range of disciplines related to second language learning and teaching, with a focus on bilingualism, foreign, second, and heritage language teaching and learning. Courses are offered in collaboration with multiple departments and units in the School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Education. Candidates in French selecting this option are required to complete course work in theories of language teaching and acquisition, linguistic theory, and French language and culture beyond the requirements of the M.A. in Language Learning. Advanced course work related to the candidate’s research area is chosen in consultation with the French SLATE advisor.
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in French
French Studies Concentration
- Language: Near native written and oral proficiency in French. Mastery of written and spoken academic French and English.
- French Studies: Acquisition of broad knowledge of French and francophone literature and cultures across the centuries, with particular expertise in one area or more. Ability to evaluate the field of French Studies, assess the major issues of concern within the field, and evaluate different approaches to those issues. Familiarity with major contemporary works of history, philosophy and/or cultural theory in French.
- Training in theory and methodologies: Strong command of a variety of methodologies and theoretical approaches to texts and their interpretation in English and in French.
- Teaching: Ability to teach French language, literature and culture in a wide variety of undergraduate courses, from beginning to advanced, with broad historical, cultural and linguistic understanding. Effective communication in French to groups of students with various abilities in the language. Work with faculty to design syllabi and appropriate assessment tools.
- The Profession: mastery of professional skills, including ability to write and deliver academic conference presentations, generate syllabi, rework and submit seminar papers for publication as articles, write book reviews and fellowship applications; readiness for academic job market in French studies, including ability to identify successful strategies and evaluate different types of institutions and their teaching and research needs.
French Linguistics Concentration
- Language: Students display an Advanced High to Superior proficiency, as well as native likeness in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in both French and English (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) guidelines.
- French Linguistics: Students can recall, relate, explain, discuss, and utilize theories in the field of French Linguistics to generate research. They acquire broad specialized knowledge in their subfield of specialization.
- Research theories and methods: Students can understand, recall, relate, and explain in English and in French advanced research theories and methodologies used in the field of linguistics.
- Teaching: Students are able to expertly teach a variety of French language and content courses in their field, grounded in principles of proficiency-oriented curriculum and assessment design, as well as in programmatic sequencing.
- Professionalism: Students demonstrate knowledge and application of ethical and professional skills relevant to research, teaching, and learning in the field of applied linguistics, including communicative skills for the profession, collegiate demeanor, participation in professional organizations or events, evaluation of standards, issues, and resources used in the field, readiness for the job market, research publications, and presentations at nationally and internationally recognized research conferences.
Second Language Acquisition Concentration
- Language: Students display an Advanced High to Superior proficiency, as well as native likeness in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in both French and English (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) guidelines.
- Expert knowledge in applied linguistics: Students can recall, relate, explain, discuss, and utilize theories in the field of applied linguistics to generate research.
- Research theories and methodologies: Students can understand, relate, explain, discuss, and defend their use of advanced and updated research theories and methodologies consistent with research in the field of applied linguistics.
- Teaching: Students are able to expertly teach a variety of French language and content courses, aligning with a communicative approach to teaching and learning, as well as with the specificity of a major in French, grounded in principles of proficiency-oriented curriculum and assessment design, as well as in programmatic sequencing.
- Professionalism: Students demonstrate knowledge and application of ethical and professional skills relevant to research, teaching, and learning in the field of applied linguistics, including communicative skills for the profession, collegiate demeanor, participation in professional organizations or events, evaluation of standards, issues, and resources used in the field, readiness for the job market, research publications, and presentations at nationally and internationally recognized research conferences.
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 French
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 French Admissions & Requirements
Graduate College Admissions & Requirements