This free-standing program terminates at the Master’s degree. The requirements can be fulfilled in one academic year assuming full-time study. Students also have the option to pursue the degree part time. The MA in French provides students with a foundation in French literature, culture, and history.
MA Program FAQs
Our students take courses on a wide array of literary, theoretical, historical and sociological topics relating to France and the Francophone world. Coursework explores different historical periods, world regions and disciplinary methodologies. For current courses, see the Columbia University Directory of Classes site.
Our students are inspired by their enthusiasm for Francophone literature and culture and the history of the French-speaking world, but they are also training for a future career. Many are planning to apply later on to PhD programs. Others are building careers in other fields, e.g. translation, diplomacy, arts administration, secondary education, the non-profit sector, and business.
The MA degree consists of (a minimum of) 24 credits—usually 8 graduate-level courses—and a 25-40 page thesis, typically written in French. The MA degree can be completed on a full-time basis in one year or on a part-time basis in up to four years. Students who select the one-year option often write their thesis over the summer.
The freestanding MA program is completed in 1-2 years whereas the PhD program is a 5-6 year commitment (PhD students receive their MA as the first stage of their doctorate). Students who do not wish to commit to a PhD or who feel that they need more training before they apply to PhD programs should consider applying to a freestanding MA program.
Unlike PhD students, MA students at Columbia do not have teaching obligations.
Unlike the PhD program, the MA program does not include a tuition waiver package or a stipend to cover living expenses. The French Department is able to offer partial financial aid to qualified applicants.
Admissions requirements
Advanced skill in reading, writing, and speaking French; a general knowledge of the literature of the French speaking world; ability to write clear and literate English.
All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS.
An application comprises the following:
Statement of Academic Purpose
The statement should explain your motivations for applying to the MA program, connecting them to previous studies or other relevant life experience. You should try to identify a few questions/areas of study that are of interest to you.
Personal Statement
A wide diversity of experiences and perspectives in the graduate student body enhances Columbia’s academic life: Graduate students work closely with the faculty, constitute the classroom context for their peers, and make substantive contributions to the University's pedagogical and research enterprise.
We ask that you provide a statement of between 500-1,000 words that explains how your personal experiences and history will allow you to contribute to the wealth of perspectives in the entering class of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and in the Columbia community at large.
3 letters of evaluation, ideally all from academic sources
We prefer that your letters come from current or former professors who know your academic abilities well. It is also a firm requirement of Columbia’s Graduate school that at least two of your letters come from academic institutions.
CV or résumé
2 writing samples (one in English and one in French, 10 to 15 pages)
One of the samples should be in English, the other in French. Each submission should be 10-15 pages long. Please choose work that reflects your analytical and interpretative strengths. Work that is relevant to the MA in French is preferred, but we will also consider writing in other fields that demonstrates your ability to conduct research and present an argument. It is fine to send an excerpt from a longer piece of work, e.g. a section of a senior or master’s thesis. The samples should contain different content (i.e., one should not be a translated version of the other).
Apply on-line: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences