Admission to Graduate Studies

Admission Requirements

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy. 

• Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.  

• English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required. 

Admission to the M.A. Program in French

In addition to the general admission requirements from the Office of Graduate Studies, applicants should have the equivalent of a major in French at the B.A. level, with a minimum of 9 hours of advanced undergraduate course work in French literature.

Required Supplemental Documents

Additional Required Supplemental Documents*

*For applicants who want to be considered for the Haitian Creole Studentship

• A sample essay or research paper in Haitian Creole
  • A written work to demonstrate your writing skills and basic research capacity in Haitian Creole.  For the M.A. program, submit a 5-7 page writing sample.  For the Ph.D. program, submit a minimum 10-page writing sample. 
• For applicants whose native language is not Haitian Creole
  • Upload an mp3 audio file on which you will speak extemporaneously (do not use a prepared script) for approximately five minutes in Haitian Creole, giving an account of background, training, and interests.

Submit your graduate application online. 

For any questions regarding the application process, department-specific deadlines, or required supplemental documentation, please contact the department's Graduate Program Coordinator, Aley Pennington, aleypennington@ku.edu.

M.A. Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
FREN 704	Methods in Foreign Language Instruction	3
FREN 720	Introduction to Graduate Studies in French	3
FREN 610	Theme et Version	3
Select one of the following:		6
FREN 900	Seminar in French: _____ (2 seminars of 3 hours each)
FREN 899	M.A. Thesis (6 hours of enrollment total over 2 semesters)
A maximum of two graduate-level courses outside the department to be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies or 6 additional hours of department electives from list below		6
FREN 795	Investigation and Conference (Maximum of 3 hours)	3
Electives		6
FREN 500	Advanced French Phonetics
FREN 530	Studies in Film: _____
FREN 700	Old French
FREN 703	Structure of Modern French
FREN 705	Colloquium in Methods of Teaching French Language
FREN 732	Francophone Studies
FREN 799	Masters Seminar
FREN 800	Studies in: _____
FREN 848	Studies in Medieval French Literature: _____
FREN 858	Studies in Sixteenth Century French Literature: _____
FREN 878	Studies in Eighteenth Century French Literature: _____
FREN 898	Studies in Twentieth Century French Literature: _____
FREN 995	Investigation and Conference
One semester of a second Romance language, Latin, Greek, German, Arabic, or another language pertinent to the student’s career path and approved by the DGS*		5
Total Hours		35

In the event that a required course cannot be offered during the time when the student completes coursework, the student will take a substitute course in consultation with the DGS.

*Students must earn a grade of ‘B’ or higher in any course taken to fulfill the language requirement. If students prefer to take a regular language course (not a reading knowledge course), then they must take the accelerated version, if one is available (e.g. SPAN 111). Proficiency may be demonstrated by completion of the first-semester course (or equivalent) or by examination

Comprehensive written and oral examinations

• Students are expected to complete their M.A. written and oral examinations in the fourth semester of their studies. The written examination is based on a reading list covering all periods of French and Francophone literature and includes: identifications and both short and long essay questions. The examination is graded as follows: “Strong pass,” “Pass,” “Weak pass,” or “Fail.” Once the candidate’s exam has been read and graded, the DGS confers with the graduate faculty to discuss and confirm the evaluations, and then informs the student of the results.
• After the written examination is passed, an oral exam will be scheduled, with a committee of 3 faculty members. The oral exam consists of (a) the candidate’s commentaire de texte, followed by discussion, and (b) questions covering all areas of French and Francophone literature. One week before the oral examination, the candidate, in consultation with the graduate director, will choose the author for the commentaire de texte. The Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the members of the examination committee, will choose the short text or passage to be analyzed and will give a copy of the text to the student 2 hours prior to the examination. The commentaire de texte must be given in French. In the discussion and question period that follows, the candidate should expect to speak both French and English and normally should answer in the language in which a question is asked. The examination is graded as follows: “Honors,” “Pass,” or “Fail.”                                                                                                                                                                                                              

At least 50% of coursework for the master’s degree must be taken at the 700 level or above. 

Handbook for Graduate Students

A detailed presentation of departmental processes and regulations is included in the department’s Graduate Student Handbook.

Summer Language Institute in Paris

The department conducts a 6-week summer institute in Paris focusing on French language and culture. Students take courses in intermediate and advanced French language at L’Etoile, a private language institute in the center of Paris. Before the stay in Paris, students spend 10 days to 2 weeks touring regions such as Normandy, Brittany, and the château country along the Loire River. Some scholarship aid is available. Consult the department or the Office of Study Abroad for information.