Undergraduate Tulane Students who major in French are eligible to apply for the 5-year combined B.A. and M.A. program in French if they maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0.
Students may apply to enter the program anytime during their junior or senior year.
The M.A. requires 30 credit hours at the graduate level (6000-level courses and up). An M.A. project will count as 6 credit hours and will comprise either a research paper or a portfolio of written pieces related to the student’s vocational use of French (e.g. in industry or education).
Students enrolled in the 4+1 M.A. program will complete the normal undergraduate French major comprising 33 hours (15 hours of core courses and 18 hours of advanced courses). In their senior year (4th year), students are expected to take at least 6 credits in French (two 6000-level classes or one 6000-level plus one 7000-level seminar). These 6 or more credits will then also be counted towards the 30 hours required for the M.A. in French. In appropriate circumstances and with the approval of the DGS, students may be permitted to take fewer than 2 graduate courses in their final B.A. year in order to take more courses in their fifth M.A. year.
In their fifth year, students will normally take 3 courses in the Fall semester and 3 courses in the Spring semester. All course work should be taken within the Department of French and Italian.
For all questions regarding the 4+1 program in French, please email Professor Chelsea Stieber (cstieber@tulane.edu).
Opportunities for work experience in a French-speaking context in New Orleans
In their fifth year, students may choose to embark on a work placement in a business or educational establishment in the New Orleans area in order to gain experience of the professional use of French. While this will not lead to credit, students will be supported in finding placements by faculty in the French and Italian Department, drawing on a wide professional network in the New Orleans area.
The M.A. project
Students will write and defend an original research paper written under supervision of a faculty member and a second reader. It may be an expanded version of a course paper, and in its final form should be from 20 to 30 pages in length. At least one member of the M.A. committee must be a tenure-line faculty member. In the event that neither of the first two readers is a tenure-line faculty member, a third, tenure-line faculty member will be added to the committee. In all cases the first reader will be a faculty member whose institutional appointment includes the expectation of research. The revised paper is to be submitted to the first reader by March 1st. The defense must take place no later than the first week of April. The supervising professor and a second faculty reader will participate with the student in an oral defense of the paper. The defense will be open to the departmental faculty.
Alternatively, students may choose to write a portfolio of shorter pieces in French related to the area of professional expertise they wish to develop. It will include reflections on personal experience and independent reading carried out by the student. This portfolio will total 20-30 pages and will be written under supervision of a faculty member and a second reader. At least one member of the M.A. committee must be a tenure-line faculty member. In the event that neither of the first two readers is a tenure-line faculty member, a third, tenure-line faculty member will be added to the committee. The revised portfolio is to be submitted to the first reader by March 1st. The defense must take place no later than the first week of April. The supervising professor and a second faculty reader will participate with the student in an oral defense of the project. The defense will be open to the departmental faculty.
Language Requirement
Before the end of the Spring semester of their fifth year, all students in the combined B.A. and M.A. program will be expected to demonstrate reading competence in one of the following languages: Arabic, Creole, Spanish, Italian, Latin, German, or Old Occitan. The department will consider students’ petitions to have other languages accepted, but acceptance will depend upon the student making a case for the usefulness of this language to his or her research or career objectives.
Filing for the Degree
Students must inform the School of Liberal Arts of their desire to participate in graduate ceremonies. The Graduate Director will be asked to confirm, by audit, that candidates have completed their degree requirements. Students must also complete a departmental form available from the Graduate Director, called the 4+1 M.A. Checklist (see Graduate Handbook appendix).
Interested students must complete an online application form available through the Office of Graduate Programs of Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts. They must also submit a statement of purpose and one letter of recommendation.