Graduate

The tradition of graduate education at Vanderbilt is distinguished: in 1879, the university granted a Ph.D. in Chemistry and MA degrees in English, Greek, and Latin. Today, graduate students come to the College of Arts and Science from all over the world to undertake advanced research in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. Our graduate students benefit from resources unique to the College of Arts and Science, including interdisciplinary centers such as the Bandy Center for Baudelaire Studies, the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities; and graduate programs that link Arts and Science to the Vanderbilt Medical Center, the Peabody College of Education, and top-ranked programs in law, business, and engineering. Our French Ph.D. Program is a #1 ranked program for French & Francophone Studies in the United States. (NRC Rankings)

The graduate program in French offers course work and research supervision in French, Francophone literature and applied linguistics. Our relatively small program affords students individualized attention in small seminars with the graduate faculty in French. Students work with various faculty members to get training in teaching both French language and literature.

In addition, students have unique opportunities to work with various affiliated programs and centers, including the Program in African American & Diaspora Studies, the Jewish Studies program, the program for Women’s and Gender Studies, the Center for Medicine, Health & Society, Center for Latin American Studies, and the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities. In addition, students may choose to focus on Québec and Canadian Studies.

The Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies offers many resources for students interested in research in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

All accepted students receive 100% funding for five years of study. Tuition and health care are covered and student receive a stipend for living expenses.  Students also have an opportunity to spend a year in either Paris or Aix-en-Provence during their graduate work. All students who have earned a B.A. degree (or equivalent) should apply to the Ph.D. program in French. The M.A. degree is earned as a stage in the doctoral program.