Prospective graduate students

General Information

Faculty members in the Department of French have wide-ranging research and teaching interests in French, Quebec, French-Canadian, African and Caribbean literatures, culture and cinema, as well as in linguistics and applied linguistics.

Degrees and Specializations

The Department of French offers a program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in French (Literature, Language and Culture). It also welcomes, advises, and supports students wishing to enroll in interdisciplinary programs. Exceptionally, the department can arrange for a PhD cursus. General courses provide methodology and background. With the advice of his/her supervisor or of the graduate advisor, each student selects a domain of specialization for a research project.

Facilities

The university library holdings provide a solid basis for graduate research in all areas of French, Canadian, and Francophone Studies. A highly efficient interlibrary loan service offers rapid access to modern materials not available locally. The department ensures office space and computer facilities to its graduate students. A reading room equipped with reference materials is at their disposal, as well as web space for information and socialization online.

Opportunities

Several research collectives are open to graduate students who wish to get more involved in any domain of research. The Faculty of Humanities is dedicated to Digital Humanities and leads initiatives of excellence and innovation with new technologies and new media. The library Special Collections provide extensive and exceptional resources for original and pluridisciplinary research, including Publishing Studies and Book Culture.

Experience

Students in the master’s program are introduced to research and teaching. Each student is involved in professional development from the outset. This comprises (not exclusively): the organization of a yearly national conference, training in grant application writing, academic papers in national conferences, and participation in the intellectual life of the department (lectures, special events etc.). The department supports academic travel for its students.

National and International Exchanges

The graduate program in the Department of French has close connections with several graduate programs in Quebec and France (Universities of Laval, Montpellier 3, Nantes, Paris 3-Sorbonne, etc.). Dual diplomas may be considered.

Flexibility and Commitment

Graduate studies are a matter of commitment and self-discovery. Students choose their rhythm and pattern of studies (a thesis option is offered; the length of the program is variable): individual counsel by the advisor, the supervisor, and a research committee ensures that students can meet their potential. Since each student is unique, each cursus is unique!

Co-operative Education (Co-op)

On selection, students can take part in our excellent co-operative education program allowing participants to alternate training, classes and professional experience. For more information, visit the UVic co-op website.

Deadlines

Applications are considered year-round. Entry points to the program are September, January and May; however, for practical and pedagogical reasons, the department strongly encourages students to start in September.

Financial Assistance

All students are considered for financial aid upon receipt of applications for admission. The department guarantees each registered full-time student a minimum of $5000.00 over the first twelve months. More information on our two fellowships (max. $13,000), our teaching and research assistantships (between $3,000 and $12,000) and our custom-designed arrangements may be found on the page Funding. All eligible students are encouraged to apply for funding from external sources, such as the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship ($17,500). The department organizes counsel, workshops, and individual help for these applications.