A recognized Honours BA (or equivalent) with at least an overall B average and a minimum average of B in French (see section: Academic Regulations - Admission Requirements.) The application deadline for students wishing to be considered for financial support is February 1. Students who apply after February 1 and are offered admission may receive financial support (teaching and research assistantships, and/or scholarships), subject to availability.
Prior to graduation, students will indicate to the Department that they possess a reasonable general knowledge of the literature of France and of French Canada, and a good command of the French language.
There are three routes to the MA in French. A student receiving more than one course grade below 70 (B-) may be asked to withdraw from the program. These routes are:
A minimum of eight one-term (0.50 unit weight) courses are required. Courses must be approved by the Graduate Officer, and may be completed successfully in three terms.
A minimum of six one-term (0.50 unit weight) courses plus the Master's Research Paper (Mémoire) is required.
The MA Research Paper (Mémoire), written in French, is a research paper (mémoire) of about 50 typewritten pages on a subject approved by the Graduate Committee of the Department. Students are automatically enrolled in the master's research paper (mémoire) during their first term in the MA program. It must be read and approved by a Reading Committee of two professors, one of whom may be proposed by the student. The student will normally be notified in writing within two weeks of submission of the Research Paper (Mémoire) of its approval/rejection by the Reading Committee. In the case of rejection, the student will be granted no more than one additional academic term to rewrite and resubmit the MA Research Paper (Mémoire). For the Fall Convocation the completed and approved paper must be submitted to the Departmental Graduate Officer no later than September 1. The submission deadline for the Spring Convocation is March 1.
In exceptional cases, to be determined by the Department, a student may pursue the thesis route. A minimum of four one-term courses is required. A student receiving one course grade below B+ (78) will be asked to revert to the "course route" or the "research paper route". A thesis of a minimum of about 20,000 words or 100 typewritten pages and involving original research will be written in French, on a topic approved by the Department under the direction of an advisor who is a member of the Department. The thesis must be approved by two readers other than the advisor, and must be defended orally before a committee of three faculty members. Normally, a student asking to pursue the thesis route must first satisfy the following conditions: 1.complete satisfactorily two one-term courses at the graduate level; 2.submit to the Department a prospectus of 1-5 pages outlining the proposed thesis project. The prospectus must be written in French and demonstrate a reasonable command of the language. The Department will determine whether the student will then be permitted to pursue the thesis route and to complete the Department requirements as set down in paragraphs 1 and 2 above. Individual courses will be assigned numbers falling into the following ranges. Consult the Department at the beginning of term for specific course and number.