About PhD Program,
The first two years of study are devoted to intensive seminar work and culminate in a portfolio of twelve or more research papers. Rather than on comprehensive exams, admission to the PhD is based on this portfolio and on the preparation and defense of the dissertation prospectus (ABD). This model enables students to fully investigate questions of disciplinary and interdisciplinary within French studies and to develop the tools of criticism appropriate to their project. These range from literary history, poetics, and discourse analysis to cultural and political theory and genetic criticism. Interested students may also subscribe to a Graduate Certificate in Film and Media, in conjunction with the department’s Media Literacy subsection and the Center for Advanced Media Studies.
Following the ABD defense, students are funded to pursue dissertation research abroad through our graduate student exchange with the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, or through doctoral internships with francophone universities. Other research opportunities, such as residences for students of early modern studies at Oxford University and the University of Warwick, are available, and students may receive funding to attend institutes, residential seminars, and other programs for scholarly enrichment, language study, and archival research.
As they supervise doctoral research, faculty mentors familiarize their advisees with the norms of the profession and train them to shape their findings for presentation in an international frame. Every other fall, students independently conceive and organize the French Graduate Conference. Themes of recent conferences include “Effects and Affects of the ‘In-Between’” (2017), “Authority and Authorship” (2015), “Entre amis et ennemis” (2013), “Normes et formes” (2011), and “Littérature et animalité” (2010).
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The graduate admissions cycle begins in the fall of the year prior to the applicant’s anticipated entry date. Applicants must complete and submit the online application and the supplemental application materials to the Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office no later than January 15. Admissions decisions are mailed by early March, with the requirement that admitted applicants accept or decline on or before April 15.
The GRE is not required to apply to these programs.
PhD Funding Coverage,
All applicants who are admitted to our programs are admitted fully funded up to five years. This means that the department covers the cost of full-time tuition and a fellowship for the academic year (September through May).
The department may cover the one-time matriculation fee of $500 and the cost of health insurance coverage during the student’s five years (health insurance is required and students will not be permitted to register without proof of health insurance coverage).
Each year, the Italian section of the department admits one student on a Singleton Fellowship. This fellowship covers full tuition and a stipend for the student’s first year in the program. The student on the Singleton Fellowship receives $3,000 additional funding for summer research-related travel expenses.
Application Requirement,
Online application form
Statement of purpose (1-2 pages, double-spaced is preferred)
Three letters of recommendation
Transcripts from each college or university attended*
TOEFL scores for international students
Writing sample*
Application fee
Application Deadline,
Jan 15, 2025
Application Fee,
A non-refundable fee of $75.00 is required for each application to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Payment may be made via Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.
