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Since its founding in 1890, the Department of French and Romance Philology has been a thriving point of contact between American and European scholarship in the field of French literature and civilization. The faculty is currently comprised of twelve professors whose specialties range from medieval literature and culture to twentieth-century literature and intellectual history. Approximately fifty graduate students are currently studying French at Columbia. The Ph.D. program in French at Columbia has consistently ranked among the top five in national surveys. It is designed for a career in productive scholarship. Students undergo rigorous and comprehensive training in literary history and theory before specializing in one area of research.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program must obtain the M.A. and M.Phil. degrees along the way.  The program is designed to permit a well-prepared student to earn the M.A. degree in four semesters, the M.Phil. degree in three years, and the Ph.D. degree in five years.  Students who enter the Ph.D. program after completion of the M.A. or its equivalent elsewhere are evaluated during the second semester of residence at which time they may be granted up to two Residence Units (equivalent to the Residence Unit requirement for the M.A.) and appropriate exemptions from certain requirements.

Fellowships are awarded to students in the Ph.D. program in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success.  Teaching and research experience are considered an important aspect of the training of graduate students.  Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship.

Our student body is remarkably international: in addition to the U.S. and Canada, recent students have come from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Romania, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Switzerland.

Students in the department have the special benefit of The Maison Francaise of Columbia University.  The Maison Francaise is the oldest French cultural center established on an American university campus.  With its library and cuisine, it is the social center of the department.  Its rich program of lectures, conferences, movie showings, and informal discussions make the Maison a meeting place for students, scholars, business leaders, policy-makers and all persons seeking a better understanding of the French-speaking world.

Recent graduates of the Ph.D. program have secured teaching positions at the British Institute in Paris, Princeton University, Ohio State University, Reed College, Spelman College, Barnard College, George Washington University, the University of Chicago, the University of California at Irvine, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington.

In addition to the requirements listed below, all students must submit 1 official transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a Statement of Academic Purpose, a writing sample (a course paper, term paper, etc.) and 3 letters of evaluation from academic sources. All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English, must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS. For more information, refer to our Admissions Information and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Skill in reading, writing, and speaking French; a general knowledge of the literature of the French speaking world; ability to write clear and literate English; training in Latin; and preparation in another Romance language are recommended for applicants to both the Ph.D. and the free-standing M.A. programs.

*One in English, and one in French