French (BA)

Program Description

The Department of French Literature, Thought, and Culture welcomes students with no previous knowledge of French as well as students who have already studied French in secondary school or at another university and wish to maintain their language skills and/or study the literature, cultures, or thought traditions of France and the Francophone world. Advanced courses are also suitable for native speakers or heritage speakers of the language. With its emphasis on the diversity of the French-speaking world and on urgent questions such as gender, race, and the environment, the department’s course offerings are constantly evolving. The department offers a variety of majors and minors, all of which complement a wide variety of other majors, including but not limited to Art History, Comparative Literature, Economics, History, International Relations, Journalism, Music, and Psychology. Departmental majors and minors are strongly encouraged to study away at NYU Paris, located in the heart of the historic Latin Quarter.

After graduation, French majors follow a wide range of career paths. Among recent graduates are: a diplomatic policy advisor for the United Nations, an editorial project manager, a fashion journalist, an international development consultant, a manager in an international real estate firm, and others who work in the US Foreign Service, art museums, and NGOs. Other popular post-graduation pathways include graduate school (French, art history, linguistics, etc.), medical school, and law school.

At the Maison Française, students can attend films, lectures, concerts, and Café et Conversation events, as well as other undergraduate events throughout the academic year. The Department of French Literature, Thought, and Culture hosts a chapter of Pi Delta Phi, the national French honor society. The NYU French Club, run by and for our undergraduates, fosters camaraderie and increases interest in French language and Francophone cultures within the NYU community.

Honors Program

Eligibility

A student must spend a minimum of three full semesters in residence at the College of Arts and Science. Attendance at NYU Paris counts toward such residence. The student must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.65 and a major GPA of 3.65 or higher. Students who wish to pursue honors should apply to the departmental director of honors during their junior year.

Requirements for Honors

In addition to completion of all major requirements including one FREN-UA 991 Senior Seminar or FREN-UA 992 Senior Seminar, candidates for French honors must also enroll in a 6-credit course sequence: FREN-UA 995 Honors Thesis, a 2-credit course taken in the fall semester of the senior year, and in two 2-credit independent studies (FREN-UA 997 Independent Study, FREN-UA 998 Independent Study) in the fall and in the spring of senior year under the supervision of a thesis adviser. This honors thesis course sequence cannot count toward completion of the credit requirements for the French major.

The Honors Thesis

A work of scholarship and/or criticism in the field of French or Francophone literature or culture. The thesis is ordinarily written in French (25 pages minimum) or in English (40 to 60 pages). The seminar professor and the thesis adviser determine, based on this work and an oral defense, whether to recommend the student for an honors degree. A grade of at least A- is required for the award of honors in French.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

The major consists of 36 FREN-UA credits (in any combination of 2- and 4-credit FREN-UA courses) completed with a C or better as outlined below.

¹

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

²

Focused on acquiring linguistic and general cultural knowledge; all courses conducted in French. Students may count an internship at NYU Paris in this category.

³

Must be taken no later than the semester preceding the Senior Seminar.

⁴

Focused on specific aspects of France and the French-speaking world. Eight credits must be taken at the New York campus; courses may be conducted in French or English. Students may also count First-Year Seminars and College Core Curriculum courses taught by departmental faculty toward this category.

Sample Plan of Study

Note: Students may choose the "extensive" sequence of FREN-UA 1, 2, 3, and 4 in lieu of the "intensive" sequence of FREN-UA 10 and 20, and graduate with the minimum 128 credits.

¹

Prerequisite for entering the major; does not count toward major requirements.

²

All Foundations courses must be conducted in French.

³

May be conducted in either French or English.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

1. Oral and written proficiency in French that enables them to communicate clearly and effectively in a wide variety of settings with French speakers from around the globe.
2. Skills and knowledge necessary for the study of literary and cultural texts, such as close-reading, sociohistorical contextualization, research techniques, and an understanding of major literary, cultural, and historical traditions and trends.
3. Modes of analysis, as well as critical, interpretive, and creative thinking skills, that can be applied in a variety of real-life situations and in a wide range of career paths.
4. Intercultural competence that will allow them to negotiate and appreciate differences between their own languages and cultures and those of the Francophone world.
5. An understanding of the potential connections between their French studies and other disciplines, such as cinema, philosophy, history, linguistics, etc.

Policies

Policies Applying to the Major

The prerequisite for admission to the major is completion of FREN-UA 12 Intermediate French II or FREN-UA 20 Intens Intermed French with a grade of B- or better (or an equivalent or higher course or exam, such as the AP French Language and Culture exam). All students who wish to major in French must declare with the department and consult a departmental adviser prior to any registration.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies assigns each major a permanent faculty adviser within the department. Majors must meet with their adviser at least once per semester to obtain clearance for the following semester as well as advising on the progress of their major. When students are abroad, advising takes place virtually.

No grade lower than C may be counted toward the major (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count). The overall GPA in all French courses must be 2.0 or above.

Students in Global Liberal Studies pursuing a major in French may count the French Senior Seminar toward their GLS Senior Seminar requirement.  In addition, any French or Francophone literature course with substantive transnational content in the French department counts as meeting the GLS Advanced Global Cultures course requirement.

Students in Steinhardt’s program in Media, Culture, and Communication (MCC) who are also pursuing a major in French may count one 4-credit discovery course taken for the French major as simultaneously fulfilling 4 credits toward the 12-credit restricted elective requirement for the MCC major. In addition, students double-majoring in MCC and French will be able to count up to three discovery courses taken at NYU Paris toward the French major (as opposed to two).

Transfer students must complete at least 20 credits of the 36 FREN-UA credits required for the French major at the College of Arts and Science and/or at NYU Paris.

For all questions about the French major, please email frenchinfo@nyu.edu.

Advanced Standing in French

A student who receives a score of 4 or 5 on the French Language and Culture Advanced Placement examination has completed the equivalent of French Grammar and Composition (FREN-UA 30). The student’s CAS adviser will work with the student to award transfer credit for FREN-UA 30, making the student eligible for upper level FREN-UA courses. The student receives 4 credits and is exempted from the CAS language requirement. A student with such a score who is interested in continuing to study French should enroll in Written Contemporary French (FREN-UA 105) and visit the French department for advising. Please note that if a student with a score of 4 or 5 on the French Language and Culture AP exam enrolls in FREN-UA 30 (or a lower-level FREN-UA course), the credits awarded for the AP exam score will be lost. Students with creditable International Baccalaureate or Advanced Level results in French should consult the tables in the admission section of this Bulletin, or consult their CAS adviser.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.