Applicable only to students admitted during the 2012-2013 academic year.

French and Francophone Studies

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of French and Francophone Studies offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in French and Francophone Studies.

Admission

Program Name

French and Francophone Studies

Address

212 Royce Hall
Box 951550
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1550 

Phone

(310) 825-1147 

Email

allen@humnet.ucla.edu  

Leading to the degree of

M.A., Ph.D.

The French and Francophone Studies department admits only applicants whose objective is the Ph.D. 

Admission Limited to

Fall 

Deadline to apply

December 15th 

GRE (General and/or Subject)

GRE: General 

Letters of Recommendation 

3 

Other Requirements

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit a statement of purpose and a writing sample. The writing sample must be in French.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program must hold at least a bachelor's degree in French or the equivalent. 

Master's Degree

Advising

See under Doctoral Degree.

Areas of Study

French and Francophone Literatures.

Foreign Language Requirement

During the first two years of study students are expected to make satisfactory progress toward fulfillment of the first foreign language requirement for the doctoral degree (listed under Doctoral Degree). Students who decide not to pursue the doctoral degree and to leave the graduate program must have completed the first foreign language requirement in order to receive the M.A. degree.

Course Requirements

During the first two years of study toward the doctoral degree, students must complete a total of 12 courses taken for a letter grade in the department, including French and Francophone Studies 200 which should be taken as early as possible. These 12 courses fulfill the course requirements for the master's degree. Nine of the 12 courses must be at the graduate level. No courses in the 500 series may be applied toward the course requirements for the master's degree.

Students are required to consult with the graduate adviser to ensure full historical coverage of French literature. More information on course requirements is listed under Doctoral Degree.

Although all students are admitted directly into the doctoral program, those who decide not to pursue the doctoral degree and to leave the graduate program must have completed the 12-course requirement above in order to receive the M.A. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

The comprehensive examination requirement is met through two reviews, assessing academic performance and other evidence of professional promise. The first review, taken in the third quarter, is meant to be advisory in nature. Students are evaluated by the faculty whose courses they have taken and are provided with suggestions through a follow-up departmental written evaluation. The second review is taken in the sixth quarter and is conducted by a departmental review committee. The second review is based on the following four components:

(1) A submission of three papers written for courses taken during the six quarters and their respective evaluations.
(2) An expanded version of one of the three papers provided by the student prior to the review.
(3) A two- to three-page, single-spaced self-statement outlining the student's progress and direction of future study.
(4) An oral examination.

Following the second review, students are provided with the committee's written evaluation which may include a recommendation for continuation and suggestions for future work toward the Ph.D. degree. Students who decide not to pursue the doctoral degree and to leave the graduate program must contact the graduate adviser and make arrangements for the M.A. degree as early as possible but no later than the second week of the sixth quarter. Students will receive the M.A. degree if they have passed the sixth quarter review and have satisfactorily completed the course, language, and residency requirements as outlined above.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

See under Doctoral Degree.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The department is concerned that students receive advising that is directed toward their individual needs and interests. Students are strongly encouraged to take full advantage of the available guidance and to participate in the department's intellectual life.

The Director of Graduate Studies is the principal contact person who advises graduate students in the planning of their individual courses of study and in the completion of degree requirements in a timely fashion. At the beginning of each quarter, all graduate students who have not yet formed a doctoral guidance committee (discussed under Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations) are required to consult with the Director before enrolling in courses.

Students who have established a doctoral guidance committee are advised by the chair of their committee. All students are required to meet with their adviser each quarter to have their program of study approved.

Matriculating students first enter the two-year phase of the doctoral program. Following the sixth-quarter review, a faculty review committee decides on whether to recommend students for admission into the second phase of the doctoral program.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

French and Francophone Literatures.

Foreign Language Requirement

Doctoral candidates are expected to satisfy two language/interdisciplinary requirements relevant to their dissertation research. Methods of fulfillment must be discussed beforehand with the Director of Graduate Studies. The two requirements are outlined as follows:

(1) The first requirement is a foreign language, other than French, in which the student demonstrates an advanced level of proficiency by passing, with a grade of B or better, at least two upper-division or graduate courses offered by another language department. Such courses must require the use of texts in the original language. These two upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade.
(2) The second requirement may be fulfilled by: (a) taking three courses in an intellectual discipline pertinent to the dissertation project, of which at least two must be graduate courses in another department  and one may be an upper division course (these two courses do not necessarily have to be taken within one department or program); (b) demonstrating a reading knowledge of an additional foreign language by passing language courses (through level 3) or graduate reading courses (courses designated 2G) that are offered by some departments.

Students must complete the language/interdisciplinary requirements before nominating a doctoral committee and taking the qualifying examinations.

Course Requirements

Coursework required for the first two years of doctoral study is listed under Master's Degree. For the third and fourth years of study, students are expected to complete the following course requirements: a minimum of three graduate courses in the department taken for a letter grade; additional courses in the department if recommended by the adviser; and two or more graduate courses outside of the department as recommended by the adviser (these courses may be used to fulfill the language/interdisciplinary requirement).

Teaching Experience

Although teaching experience is not required, the department provides all graduate students with the opportunity to teach language courses. All teaching assistants are required to complete French and Francophone Studies 495.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

Students select a doctoral guidance committee no later than the eighth quarter of study. The guidance committee is composed of a chair, generally in the proposed period of specialization, and at least one other faculty member in the department. The committee directs the student up to the doctoral qualifying examinations. Once established, the doctoral guidance committee holds a meeting during which the student proposes a general topic for the dissertation. The student follows the guidance committee's suggestions for possible additional coursework.

Doctoral qualifying examinations take place in two stages:

Stage 1: By the ninth quarters of study, students must consult with their doctoral guidance committee on the preparation of the written qualifying examination, which takes place in the 11th quarter of study. The written qualifying examination consists of two parts. The first part covers the literary history related to the proposed dissertation topic. The second part consists of critical theory relevant to the proposed dissertation topic. Each examination is based on an individual reading list of approximately 15 works, established by the examiner and the candidate. These two four-hour examinations are to be taken within one week and are administered by the guidance committee. A student may attempt one or both parts of this examination a maximum of two times.

Stage 2: The University Oral Qualifying Examination, which takes place in the quarter following the written examination or in the 12th quarter of study, may be taken only after completion of course and language requirements, successful passing of the written examinations, and submission of a dissertation proposal. Prior to this examination, two more members are added to the guidance committee, one from the department, and one from another department. This nominated committee is then submitted to the Graduate Division for formal appointment and becomes the doctoral committee that administers the examination.

Prior to taking the University Oral Qualifying Examination, students submit a dissertation prospectus to every member of the doctoral committee. The prospectus is a descriptive text of approximately 20-30 pages outlining the nature, scope, and significance of the proposed dissertation topic, plus a bibliography. For the preparation of the prospectus, students work in close consultation with the doctoral committee chair. Students are responsible for submitting the prospectus to the committee members within a time frame that is satisfactory to the committee for administering the examination. This two-hour oral examination includes a review and discussion of the dissertation prospectus.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

The following norms and maximums, including time to degree for the M.A. degree, are enforced by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Policy Committee:

Degree Progress	Norm	Maximum
M.A.	Six quarters	Seven quarters
Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination	Nine quarters	12 quarters
Ph.D. Dissertation	18 quarters	27 quarters
Total Graduate Study	18 quarters	27 quarters

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for termination is made by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Policy Committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the departmental chair.