About PhD Program,
The PhD in French trains scholars in the literature, culture, and history of France and the Francophone world. If you have any questions about the application process, please read the PhD program FAQs below. If you have further questions, feel free to contact the Director of Graduate Studies.
The Department of French is committed to admissions that are free from bias and discrimination. We welcome applications from talented, passionate individuals from all backgrounds and strive to build a community that is diverse and inclusive. Our admissions committee approaches each application holistically, taking into consideration factors that may have had an impact on an applicant’s academic history. Admissions are not a one-size-fits-all process in which we look for a single applicant profile – rather we embrace the fact that applicants bring different skills and life experiences to the study of French and Francophone literature, history, and culture. Successful candidates come from many different national and educational backgrounds but generally have strong written and oral skills in both French and English and a record of excellence in the study of French and Francophone literature, culture, thought or history or in an adjacent academic field.
Financial hardship should never be a barrier to applying to our program. If you are unable to pay Columbia’s application fee, you may apply for a fee waiver (Application Fee Waivers).
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
54 points
16 graduate-level courses (48 points + 6 point MA Essay written en route to PhD)
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.
PhD Funding Coverage,
PhD students, through fellowship, receive five years of guaranteed funding that includes tuition, health fees, an annual stipend, and summer support. Please consult: Fellowship Information for Doctoral Students.
The fellowship information provided here applies only to Arts and Sciences doctoral programs. Doctoral programs in the Schools of Architecture, Business, Engineering, Journalism, Nursing, Public Health, Social Work; the College of Physicians and Surgeons; and Teachers College are administered and funded through the dean’s office of each respective school. Doctoral students in these programs should consult the dean’s office of their individual school to learn about the policies and resources that apply to them.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, through individual departments, awards fellowships solely on the basis of demonstrated academic merit in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Students admitted to an Arts and Sciences doctoral program receive a guarantee of multiyear support as indicated in the official letter of admission from the Dean. Detailed financial breakdowns of this fellowship support may be viewed on the following pages:
Application Requirement,
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé
- Statement of Academic Purpose
- The statement should explain your motivations for applying to the PhD program, connecting them to previous studies or other relevant life experience. You do not have to outline a future dissertation project, but you should identify a few questions/areas of study that are of interest to you. It is important to explain why you are applying to Columbia specifically and to show that you are familiar with our program and the areas of expertise of the faculty.
- Three letters of evaluation
- 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.
- Two writing samples
- 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 PhD 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.
- Toefl/IELTS scores
- All international students whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country where the official language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS.
- Please note that we do not require GRE scores as part of our application process. You may submit GRE scores if you wish, but there is no requirement to do so.
Application Deadline,
Jan 04, 2025
Application Fee,
A nonrefundable fee of $120 will be required for the 2025 online application.
