THE IFS Ph.D. PROGRAMS

The Joint Ph.D. in French Studies and Anthropology

The Joint Ph.D. in French Studies and French Literature

The Joint Ph.D. in French Studies and History

The Joint Ph.D. in French Studies and Politics

Most IFS doctoral candidates are admitted directly into the Ph.D. program of their choice, though it is possible to continue on to the Ph.D. after completing the M.A. degree.

Students interested in the joint Ph.D. in French studies and anthropology are first admitted to the Ph.D. program in French Studies. In the second year, they petition to enter the joint program with anthropology.

Incoming students admitted directly to doctoral programs must fulfill all of the requirements for the M.A. in French Studies as part of their preparation of the Ph.D.

COURSE WORK (72 points)

In the first year, you will take most of your courses at the IFS, including the two required courses in French history. Joint degree candidates should also take at least one of the basic courses required by the partner department. You may find it helpful to take one or two courses offered through "NYU in Paris" during the summer after the first year.

In the second year, you will continue to take courses at the Institute in preparation for the IFS M.A. exam, and, if possible, you should complete the remainder of the required courses in your disciplinary department. Some of the partner departments have second-year qualifying exams, either as part of or in addition to the IFS M.A. exam. You should prepare in the second year for that qualifying exam as well. All course work should provide both a wide background in the major field and an in-depth knowledge of the particular area of the planned dissertation research.

In the third year, all Ph.D. candidates are encouraged to spend one or two semesters studying in France at one of our partner institutions: the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po), and the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS). Students interested in taking courses abroad should first consult with their advisor to determine how such course work would fit into their particular program of study.

THE SECOND YEAR STATEMENT

By the end of the third semester in residence, Ph.D. candidates are required to prepare a short statement of purpose of approximately five pages that identifies your research interests and the steps you plan to take to pursue them. You should prepare this petition in close consultation with the faculty member whom you would like to serve as your doctoral supervisor.

Copies of the statement should be submitted to your supervisor, to the IFS Director of Graduate Studies, and to relevant faculty in the partner department.

THE LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

Because all students at the Institute must have a working knowledge of French as a condition of admission, they will have satisfied the doctoral language requirement of the Graduate School of Arts and Science at the time of enrollment. Although students may need to add at least a reading knowledge of a second language to help in their research and future professional activity, such language training is not a degree requirement.

THE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL

During the semester before taking the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, you should submit a formal dissertation proposal to a committee of three faculty members chosen in consultation with the thesis supervisor. In some cases, students will not submit the dissertation proposal until after passing the qualifying exam. The thesis supervisor should tentatively approve the proposal before you submit it to the committee, whose members will then schedule a formal discussion of this text. Ideally, it should be submitted to the committee prior to the deadlines for external funding agencies so it can be revised, if necessary, in time for competitions for external funds. Based on this discussion, the committee may give final approval of the dissertation topic, or may ask for revisions and a second discussion.

THE Ph.D. QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

You must complete an official form, the Application for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (appendix 5), six weeks before the expected exam date.

All course work (72 points) must be completed before the examination, which cannot be administered until all incompletes are cleared.

On the application form, you declare

• your choice of exam fields,

• the title of the dissertation proposal,

• the members of the Ph.D. exam committee.

The specific contents of the Qualifying Exam differ according to the degree in question and are outlined below.

THE M. Phil. DEGREE

After successfully completing all requirements for the Ph.D. degree except the dissertation, you are eligible for the Master of Philosophy degree. The degree serves as a placeholder on the c.v. until the Ph.D. is awarded. Students should file a diploma application for the M.Phil. during the semester prior to the Ph.D. exams.

ORAL DEFENSE OF THE DISSERTATION

Graduate School of Arts and Science regulations govern the form of the oral defense of the Ph.D. thesis. For details see the 2001-03 GSAS Bulletin, "Degree Requirements." The oral lasts two hours. Grades assigned are: Pass with Distinction, Pass, Pass with Revisions, and Fail.

THE Ph.D. IN FRENCH CIVILIZATION

Students pursuing the doctorate in French Civilization can concentrate on a variety of areas within the broad field of French society and culture.

As an interdisciplinary field, French Civilization draws on the approaches represented by several departments at NYU, especially Anthropology, French, History, Politics, and Sociology. Students with a particular interest in one of these fields should seriously consider the joint Ph.D. in French Studies and the discipline in question rather than the Ph.D. in French Civilization.

After completing all course work, candidates for the Ph.D. in French Civilization take a qualifying examination that comprises three fields:
Two required fields :
History (Field I)
Dissertation Area (Field V).
One chosen from :
Society (Field II)
Politics and the Economy (Field III)
Culture in Society (Field IV)

Please note that, at the Ph.D. level, Field I involves a deeper knowledge of French history and greater familiarity with monographic studies than is required at the master's level. Students prepare this field through course work and independent reading chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Students prepare their elected field (II, III, or IV) with course work beyond the M.A. and independent reading selected in consultation with an advisor.

Candidates may change exam fields between the M.A. and the Ph.D.

You will choose the Dissertation Area (Field V) in consultation with an advisor. This field defines the general research area within which the dissertation project lies. This area is prepared through course work and extensive independent readings.

Field Bibliographies: At least three months before the examination, students should submit bibliographies for each of the three examination fields to members of the examination committee. These bibliographies, subject to approval by the committee and revision by the student, define the scope of the examination.

THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION

This portion of the Qualifying Examination consists of three take-home examination essays on

· a question in Field I;
· a question in Field II, II, or IV;
· a question in the dissertation area.

The purpose of this third essay is to demonstrate mastery of the larger literature and broad issues that define the terrain in which the dissertation will lie.

The examination committee, which grades both written and oral parts, consists of four faculty members. The committee's membership is determined by the thesis advisor in consultation with the student. The final grade combines grades received on both written and oral parts. Grades assigned are: Distinction, High Pass, Pass, and Fail. A passing grade qualifies the student to proceed to the research and writing of a dissertation. If students fail the exam, they may take it a second and final time. Students who fail the exam twice must withdraw from the Institute.