M.A. Programs in French Studies

Joint M.A. in French Studies and Journalism

Dual M.A. in French Studies and Law

Dual M. A. in French Studies and Business

M.A. in FRENCH STUDIES

The M.A. in French Studies is intended to prepare students for careers in international business and banking, the media, government, and cultural organizations, or for teaching French civilization in secondary schools or two-year colleges.

The M.A. offered by the Institute can complement work done toward a graduate degree in French language and literature. The M.A. credits are counted toward the Ph.D.

Full-time students typically complete the M.A. in one calendar year, which includes two courses in our summer program in Paris. Those who do not participate in the summer program complete their M.A. requirements in three semesters of study at NYU. Part-time students normally take two years to meet the course requirements.

STUDY ABROAD

IFS offers two graduate courses in Paris during the NYU in Paris summer term, which typically runs from late-June through early August. The courses meet at the NUY in Paris facilities and are taught by faculty appointed by the IFS.

Students who take the two IFS courses in Paris can complete the M.A. degree in French Studies by taking their comprehensive exams in early September following the summer term.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The French Studies M.A. degree requires the successful completion of 8 courses (32 points), including at least 7 IFS courses, with an average grade of B or better. You must also pass a comprehensive M.A. exam. A normal full-time course load is three courses per semester. Full-time students can complete the degree in one calendar year by taking the IFS summer school course offered at NYU in Paris, together with a second NYU in Paris course, and sitting for the M.A. exam the following September.

COURSE WORK

Course work prepares you for the M.A. Comprehensive Examination, which students take within one semester after completing their course requirements. IFS courses, like the MA Comprehensive Exam, are grouped into four fields:

Field I History
Field II Society
Field III Politics and the Economy
Field IV Culture in Society

Please note that some courses are useful for preparation in more than one field.

All students are required to take at least 4 of the Institute's core courses, including the 2 required history courses on 19th and 20th-Century France (G46.1610 and G46.1620). With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, course work done elsewhere may be substituted for one or more of the core courses.

The remaining courses may be selected from the Institute's core courses and its more specialized offerings. Students can choose one course toward their M.A. from another department. The choice of courses is made in consultation with an advisor on the basis of your interest, previous training, and professional needs. One IFS course is offered each summer at NYU in Paris.

THE MASTER'S ESSAY

Students submit a Master's Essay on the day they take the written part of the M.A. Comprehensive Examination. Normally this essay is a course term paper which has been given a grade of B+ or better. It may be revised -but not expanded in length- before submission.

THE M.A. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

M.A. candidates will be examined on three of the IFS's four fields. You must prepare in :

Field I History
Field II Society
Field III Politics and the Economy OR Field IV Culture in Society

Students prepare for the examination through course work and supplemental reading. Students are expected to develop their own supplemental reading lists, drawing principally from the IFS collection of course syllabi. They may also find it useful to consult the collection of past IFS MA exam questions.

Eligibility for the M.A. Comprehensive Examination
Students are eligible to take the M.A. examination only after all eight courses have been completed with at least a B average.

Examination Dates
The Comprehensive Examination is offered in

• early September,
• mid-January,
• early May.

Students should complete the form Application for the M.A. Comprehensive Examination no later than

• May 1st for the September examination,
• October 31st for the January examination,
• March 15th for the May examination.

The Examination
Students take a four-hour written classroom examination on

• Field I (History)
• Field II (Society)
• Field III (Politics and the Economy) or
• Field IV (Culture in Society).

A choice of essay questions is offered for each of the three fields examined.

The Examiners and the Final Grade
The Examination Committee consists of two faculty members; the final grade they assign is based on the written examination. The following grades assigned are awarded: Distinction, High Pass, Pass, and Fail. Students who do not pass the examination may take it a second and final time.