Graduate Program: French (MA)

The French MA Program provides an advanced education in French, which integrates the language, linguistics, literature and culture of France, the literatures and cultures of the French-speaking world, and the latest methodologies in the teaching of French.  The MA in French prepares students for a variety of public and private careers, including academic positions, and provides them a foundation to continue their education at the doctoral level. Our graduates have gone on to teach at public and private high schools and in community colleges and universities; others are pursuing careers in business and government agencies.

Working together with the Director of Graduate Studies, their Faculty Mentors, and other professors, students have the flexibility to construct a Plan of Study that suits their individual needs and interests. The Plan of Study may include, but is not limited to, one of the following emphases:

I: French Literature and Culture: Provides students a comprehensive overview of French literature and culture and prepares them to pursue work at the Ph.D. level in French.

II: French Linguistics and Second Language Learning & Teaching: Prepares students for a career in teaching, or for continued studies at the doctoral level in interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs, such as the UA's Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching.

III: Francophone Studies: Offers three areas of emphasis (Near Eastern, African, or Caribbean), as well as the opportunity to take classes in a related discipline, such as Near Eastern Studies, Anthropology, Gender and Women’s Studies, History, or Political Science.

IV: Secondary Teaching Certification: Prepares students for teaching careers in high schools, includes the certification required by secondary schools.

Accelerated Master's Program: Offers highly qualified undergraduates at the UA the option of beginning coursework toward the M.A. during their last year of undergraduate studies, and completing the Master of Arts in their fifth year at the University.

In addition, the Professional MA in French is a course of study that that combines the professional skills of the Business, Journalism, and Political Sciences disciplines with the skills of the Humanities. It allows students to complete an emphasis in one of the following areas by taking three courses in Eller College of Management, the School of Journalism, or the School of Government and Public Policy:

1. Business Administration
2. Management Information Systems
3. Marketing
4. Journalism
5. Collaborative Governance

Students normally complete the program in four semesters. Graduate Teaching Assistantships are available (except for Professional M.A. candidates who are not eligible for them) and awarded on a competitive basis, they are renewable for one year contingent on budget, satisfactory academic progress and teaching performance. GATs normally teach two courses per semester; all GATships include non-resident tuition waivers. Summer teaching positions are available at the UA and with the Arizona in Paris program. We also have a year-long exchange with Paris VII.

The graduate program offers courses on French and Francophone literatures and cultures in all major areas of the French tradition as well as from the Maghreb, Near East, West and Central Africa, and the Caribbean. The department’s courses on French and Francophone literatures and cultures 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. 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, M.A. candidates with a GATship also undergo formal training as teachers.

While the recommended deadline for Fall admission is January 15 (March 15 for the Professional M.A.), we will continue to review applications until all openings are filled.