Program structure
In consultation with the Supervisor of Graduate Studies, graduate students can select from one of two program options :
- A Thesis Program option, usually completed in two years of full-time graduate studies;
- A Research Essay Program option, which may take less than two full years to complete;
For full program regulations, please refer to the Graduate Calendar.
For additional details, download Le guide de l’étudiant.
Areas of research in French and Francophone Studies
Graduate students can focus their research on various areas of French and francophone studies, in either literature or linguistics. A comprehensive research methodology seminar provides all students with a strong foundation on which to build their individual program of research and study. Seminars cover a wide range of research focus:
- Literature
- literatures from Québec (including New France), France, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East
- Renaissance to contemporary
- literature and history
- identity narratives
- postcolonial, globalization and transnational theory, migrant and diaspora writing
- translation studies
- theatre
- women’s writing
Linguistics
- French of the Americas
- French in Africa
- morphosyntax
- phonology (theory, description & analysis, historical, dialect comparisons, second language)
- applied linguistics
- second language learning and teaching
- identity & language learning
- second language writing
- professional and academic biliteracy
- sociolinguistics (linguistic variation, language & nationalism, colonialism, social inequalities)
- critical discourse analysis
- history of the language
For current course listings, please consult the Séminaires page.
Admission Requirement
- An Honours bachelor’s degree in French with a minimum B+ average or better;
- Without an Honours bachelor’s degree, you can still be considered for admission by completing a qualifying year in which you take the equivalent of 5 credits coursework at the 4000-level. You may then proceed to apply to the MA if an average of B+ is achieved.
Application and Deadlines
- Applications: Please consult the Admission Process web page.
Statement of Intent
- Your Statement of Intent allows you to explain your personal interest in the program to which you are applying.
- It should reference the kind of knowledge you expect to gain from the program and should define the reasons why you chose the program and how it can satisfy your own interests.
- Your Statement of Intent must be uploaded within your application or as a PDF document in Carleton Central.
When applying to the Masters program, students should be as specific as possible in their Statement of Intent about the area of French and Francophone Studies they wish to pursue. This will help the Supervisor of Graduate studies and the Committee to determine potential/suitable supervisors.
International Applicants
- Please consult the Required Documents web page.
Financial Assistance
We offer substantial financial assistance in the form of teaching assistantships and scholarships based on academic excellence. There is an opportunity to teach a first-year language course for those students wishing to gain teaching experience. These positions are awarded on a competitive basis. Applications received before February 1st will automatically be considered for financial assistance; no separate application is required. For more information, please consult the Financement section of this site or visit the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA) Awards and Funding page.