French 2024-2025 Program Updates

Core Courses: During the first two years of the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework in French (FR) courses. The precise nature of the courses will vary depending on the needs of the individual student and must be approved in consultation with the Graduate Adviser.

FR 398T Supervised Teaching in French: This course is typically offered every other year within the Department. This is an additional graduate program requirement as graduate students must have satisfactorily completed one semester of a 398T course to be appointed as an Assistant Instructor. To waive taking 398T, please contact the Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Advisor.

Courses Outside the Department: University rules require that at least two graduate courses be taken outside the Department of French and Italian.

In the first two years of the program, students should acquire a broad knowledge of a wide variety of periods, genres, linguistics, and approaches to French; in the third, they are encouraged to deepen their exploration of the area (period, genre, linguistics, and theoretical approach) in which they hope to specialize. Students joining the program with an MA in French may count previous graduate coursework toward this requirement and could request taking fewer required courses during their first two years. This must be done in consultation with the Graduate Advisor.

PhD Coursework Byond the MA: In the final year of course work, students will need to take a minimum of 18 hours, or full-time enrollment in two long semesters, including a minimum of at least one French (FR) graduate course each semester.

Students are encouraged to use their extra-departmental course requirements, or any graduate courses takes outside of the department (outside of FR), to further explore and deepen their interdisciplinary knowledge and should look at taking courses related to their area of specialization and/or courses from faculty listed as affiliates to our French PhD program.

Admission to continue in the PhD and Final MA requirements for those who do not already have an MA in French:  Students entering the program with an MA are admitted directly into the PhD program. Students entering with a BA will complete their first two years of graduate coursework in French, demonstrating their competency to continue into the PhD program through satisfactory progress in coursework and research. In the fourth semester of their program, typically in early March during the Spring semester of their second year, students will submit an official written request to be considered for admission to the doctoral program to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. In addition, the applicant will submit one revised 10–12-page scholarly paper from a completed French graduate course which can be written in either French or English. This paper will be submitted to a vetting committee appointed by the Graduate Studies Committee Chair in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, approximately one month before papers are due for consideration by the entire GSC. In evaluating the student’s request, the GSC Committee will consider the student's progress, defined in part by overall academic performance (i.e., classroom performance, finals papers) and will also take into consideration input from faculty members in the student’s area as well as input provided by the student’s own performance report. If approved, the students will have the option to apply for the MA in French and will be eligible to continue in the PhD. For questions about this process, students should consult with the Graduate Adviser. If the paper does not receive a Pass, the student will receive a terminal MA degree.

Students must demonstrate competency in Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, or any other modern language approved by the Graduate Advisor. Competency can be demonstrated in various ways. It is strongly advised that students acquire the language skills necessary to fulfill the Language Competency Requirements early in the program or before beginning graduate study at UT. The language requirement must be fulfilled before the student undertakes the Comprehensive Exams.

Option 1: Coursework.  A student may demonstrate competence through coursework in a language equivalent to the 4th semester (~12 credit) level. When relevant, the language requirement may be satisfied with two semesters of Latin (~6 credits). Note that lower-division language courses will not count toward the degree requirements and will slow the student down in completion of requirements. Students typically take language coursework during the summer.

Option 2: Placement examination. A student may demonstrate competence by passing a departmental placement examination or a foreign language placement exam administered through Testing and Evaluation Services. Students are advised that these exams may only be offered at specific intervals throughout the year, and they should plan accordingly.

Option 3:  Graduate reading course. A student may demonstrate competence by passing an intensive graduate reading course in another language (e.g., GER380C, ITL380C).

Option 4: The translation exam. In lieu of coursework, a student may fulfill the language requirement by completing a translation exam. The candidate must demonstrate an adequate knowledge of the selected language and a thorough understanding of the technical vocabulary in their field. This knowledge will be tested by a written examination consisting of a translation of a passage of about 500 words on a subject appropriate to the student’s major field of interest. The passage will be chosen by members of the GSC in the candidate’s area. If the student wishes to be tested in a language that is not spoken or signed by members of the GSC, the passage will be chosen in consultation with an external faculty member who speaks or signs the language to be tested. The process will be administered by the Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Coordinator.

The Comprehensive Exams confirm the graduate student’s ability to pursue original research that meets disciplinary standards. Students complete this milestone by submitting two research papers based on problems proposed and approved by members of the Comprehensive Exams Committee. One paper will be related to a broader comprehensive reading or main area of research, whereas the second will be a secondary and supporting topic. The precise focus of each paper will be determined by the members of the graduate student’s Comprehensive Exams Committee. Students must:

1. Establish an examining committee chaired by the French professor who most likely will direct the student's dissertation research. In consultation with this Comprehensive Exams Committee Chair, students seek 2-3 other professors to serve on the examining committee (of which one may be a faculty member from another program) and obtain agreement from all participating faculty that they will serve on this committee.
2. Work with their Comprehensive Exams Committee Chair to organize an initial meeting by the fourth week of the semester at the latest. The purpose of this meeting is to arrive at a dissertation topic and the subjects of two formal exam papers that will ensure students have the knowledge and tools necessary to complete their dissertations. These topics will be confirmed in writing within 72 hours of this meeting by the Comprehensive Exams Committee Chair. 
3. Submit the papers to the committee by a two-month deadline. All papers are expected to be original, fully researched, full-length articles formatted in accordance with professional styles (APA, LSA, MLA). They must include bibliographies of the references cited; these must include primary sources.
4. Schedule a Final Oral Examination once the papers have been submitted to the committee. The final oral portion of comprehensive exams must be scheduled within three weeks of submission.
5. Meet with the committee during the scheduled Final Oral Examination to answer any questions about the comprehensive papers or to address any questions related to the dissertation research. This meeting will last no more than 60 minutes, with extra time allotted for committee deliberation.

The results of the Comprehensive Exams will be given to the student immediately following their Final Oral Examination. Students who do not successfully pass the Comprehensive Exams are eligible to retake them the following semester. Only one retake is allowed.

Students preparing to take their Comprehensive Exams will typically enroll in 9 hours of courses including Comprehensive Exams Prep courses (FR 395L), a conference course (FR 385L), and/or a regular listed graduate course during the semester they are preparing for and/or taking the Comprehensive Exams with the approval of the Graduate Advisor and of the Comprehensive Exams Committee Chair.

After passing the comprehensive exam, the student, working with the dissertation adviser, will write a dissertation prospectus (generally 15-30 pages). This is typically done the semester after having passed the Comprehensive Exams. The prospectus should be a carefully argued written presentation of the basis for the student’s dissertation research. It should explain the significance of the project in relation to work in the field, justify the research methodology or approach, set forth the texts to be examined and the critical questions to be addressed, and/or any conclusions expected. This should be followed by brief summaries of each chapter. The prospectus should demonstrate the student’s ability to undertake research on a topic within the context of current scholarship and critical methodologies and give evidence of the student’s breadth of knowledge and potential for future success as a scholar.

Typically, the dissertation prospectus will be presented in written form and orally defended to the student’s dissertation supervisor and a supervising committee comprising at least three other faculty members that would typically be the future dissertation committee (see above “Supervising Faculty” and “Dissertation Committee with regards to the French GSC”) the semester after completing the Comprehensive Exams. This process is typically complete within six months of completion of the Comprehensive Exams.

Once the prospectus is successfully defended, students will apply to be admitted to doctoral candidacy and begin working on the dissertation. Upon successful completion of the prospectus defense, student should be prepared to submit the candidacy application online which requires a list of all Dissertation Committee Members, a tentative dissertation title, and a brief (60 lines or less) description of the dissertation or proposal approved by the dissertation committee supervisor.

When the student has fulfilled all PhD coursework and foreign language requirements, has passed the Comprehensive Exams, successfully defended the prospectus, and has chosen a dissertation supervisor and a dissertation supervising committee comprising at least three other faculty members (see above “Supervising Faculty” and “Dissertation Committee with regards to the French GSC”), they will file for doctoral candidacy with the Graduate School and begin registering for the dissertation course. The student must fill out the Graduate School candidacy form online.  This requires a list of all Dissertation Committee Members, a tentative dissertation title, and a brief (60 lines or less) description of the dissertation or proposal approved by the dissertation committee supervisor. This should be done in advance of submission as the online application will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity and anything not yet submitted or saved will be lost in the online form. After the candidacy form is successfully submitted online, it will also be approved by the dissertation supervisor, the French Graduate Adviser, the French Graduate Studies Committee Chair, and the Graduate Dean.

It is expected that the dissertation will make a substantial contribution to existing scholarship in the field. The Graduate School requires that dissertations be written in English, unless special permission is granted prior to undertaking the project (see notes above. Students are expected to show dissertation progress or provide frequent samples of work to their dissertation supervisor once they are in candidacy and until they have scheduled their defense in collaboration with their dissertation committee. The dissertation must be completed and defended within a total of 2.5 years after admission to candidacy. If it is not, the Graduate Studies Committee will review the student’s case to determine if an extension will be granted.

A pre-defense meeting will gather the candidate and the full dissertation committee, at a date to be determined in consultation with the dissertation supervisor. It should take place within one year, or two long semesters, of the prospectus defense. The purpose of the pre-defense meeting is to enhance the intellectual exchange between all parties concerned, provide students with an opportunity to generate enthusiasm for the project, allow for concerted advice and generally diffuse the stress that often accompanies the defense itself.

The dissertation committee is responsible for approving the dissertation, which the student defends in an oral examination between one and two hours in length. This examination is conducted by the committee and is open to the university community. The defense covers the dissertation, the general field of the dissertation, and other parts of the student's program, as determined by the dissertation committee. Forms are available from the Graduate School both to request the official scheduling of the defense (called the "Final Oral") and to request graduating with or receiving the PhD during the semester they defend their dissertation. The dissertation committee should be given at least one month to read the dissertation before the “Final Oral.” The student should arrange with the Graduate Coordinator to arrange a date, time, and place to conduct the defense.