MA degree requirements
30 points
8 graduate-level courses (24 points)
25-page (minimum) thesis in French or English (6 points)
The minimum for good standing is a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 derived from all courses in which a student has registered and received a grade.
Registration at the Graduate School is a two-part process that consists of registering for individual courses and registering for Residence at the University. All students must complete BOTH parts of the registration process.
- Students in all degree programs are required to register in each fall and spring semester until all degree requirements have been completed or until the time-to-degree limit has been reached.
- Enrollment is the completion of the registration process and affords the full rights and privileges of student status.
Students must petition for Transfer Credit within their first semester of registration.
The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) will consider, in consultation with other faculty, transfer credit awards for graduate courses taken previously at Columbia. Students will submit the Application for Transfer Credit and relevant materials to the department’s DGS.
Degree requirements
The department’s ‘French Lecture Series’ (GR 6020) (Fall & Spring)
Theory of Literature I (GU 4000) in the first semester.
Up to two courses counted for degree credit may be taken in other departments.
One language course at the 3000-level or above may be counted toward the MA degree.
One course, taught in the Department of French, must be about material from before 1800.
The MA thesis is a paper of approximately 25 pages, either developing a paper written for a class or presenting new research. It can take many different forms, e.g., original textual/ historical research, close reading and/or intervention in a critical/theoretical debate. Students choose a sponsor and consult regularly with this adviser.
- The MA thesis gives students practice in carrying out a research project that, while limited in length and in scope presents a problem treated in more depth than in a term paper. They compile a bibliography, choose the appropriate methodological approach, organize the material, and present it in a scholarly and readable form.
- The thesis should follow the MLA Style Sheet or the Chicago Manual of Style and must be approved by the sponsor. At the student’s request, the thesis can be defended orally before a committee consisting of the sponsor and one other member of the faculty.
To receive credit and a letter grade for the MA thesis, students must register for FREN G8092 MA Essay Direction. They should register for this class in the semester before they intend to do the majority of the writing (students who wish to complete the degree in one year + one summer should register for this course in the spring).
The MA degree is awarded in October, February, and May. Please consult with the Graduate Coordinator, Benita Dace, for all questions concerning deadlines for applying. All requirements for the MA degree must be completed by the end of the second year (four years for students attending part-time).
Available for download: MA Requirements Checklist.