The M.A. program in French shares Vanderbilt University's reputation for excellence in research and teaching and the advantages of its relatively small size. The M.A. degree, completed in two years (four semesters), provides students with broad understanding of French and Francophone literature and culture. Successful performance on a written exam, taken early in the fourth semester, is required to complete the M.A. degree.
The online application for graduate study is free of charge.
Degree Requirements
36 hours of course work All courses may be taken in the Department of French & Italian. Courses may be taken outside the Department and a minor may be completed with the consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Of the 36 hours of course work, 6 hours are required: French 300 (Introduction to Research) and French 310 (Foreign Language Teaching: Theory and Practice).
Diagnostic Language Examination A diagnostic language examination will be given to all incoming graduate students. This exam, coordinated by the Department Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies, includes a 30-minute "free-write" and a 15-minute oral interview. The results of this test will serve to plan the student's program of study and will not be part of the permanent file.
Comprehensive Examination The examination is based on an approved reading list. It must be taken no later than the second week of the student's fourth semester, normally in January of the second year. The format will be an overnight, take-home, open-book examination to test the student's ability to read and interpret specific textual passages and to teach literature though thinking about works in a global fashion.
M.A. READING LIST
The examination will be evaluated by a standing M.A. committee according to two separate criteria: (1) quality of argument, creative use of background knowledge, and analytic skills; and (2) linguistic competence and eloquence.
The graduate faculty of the Department must approve the evaluation by the standing M.A. committee before notifying the student of the outcome of the examination. Should the examination result be unsatisfactory, the student may retake it once before the end of the fourth semester.
Comprehensive Final Review. If a student has successfuly completed the M.A. examination and wishes to enter the Ph.D. program, the standing M.A. committee will make a comprehensive review of the individual's academic work, based on the following evidence: examination results and a dossier of seminar papers completed during the M.A. program. The graduate faculty will review the evaluation of the committee and make a decision regarding the student's admission to the Ph.D. program.
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