The graduate program offers courses on French and Francophone literatures in all major areas of the French tradition as well as literature in French from the Maghreb, Lebanon, West and Central Africa and the Caribbean. The department's courses on French and Francophone literatures deal with current debates on topics that include identity, canon formation, the discipline and its history, and Francophonie, while presenting the classics in their historical and cultural contexts. The faculty employs a range of methods drawing on feminism, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, history and postcolonial theory among others. Likewise, students are encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary approaches and often enroll in courses in related fields such as Women's studies, English and Anthropology to name just a few of the options. Faculty in the department also offer graduate courses on second language acquisition, pedagogy and linguistics and contribute to the M.A. program in French and to the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Second-Language Acquisition and Teaching.

Through course work and research in French and in related disciplines students gain an extensive knowledge of literary and cultural texts; a thorough understanding of field-specific and field-related methods, criticism, and theories; and the ability to integrate that knowledge into their own research. In addition to being trained as independent critics and scholars, Ph.D. candidates in French also undergo formal training as college teachers and acquire, by the time they graduate, the substantial teaching experience that will enable them to be highly competitive on the job market.