Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applications must be submitted through the secure School of Graduate Studies online application website. Their dossier must include the following documents: one copy of the official transcript from each university attended (sent by the Registrar directly to the Department in a sealed envelope), two academic letters of recommendation (sent by referees from a secure link sent by email to them), a sample of written work in French completed as part of the applicant’s bachelor's or master's program in French Literature / Linguistics as appropriate, and a copy of the applicant’s up-to-date curriculum vitae.

This written work should preferably be a copy of the M.A. thesis, if available. Applicants holding a master's degree must submit a statement of purpose in French (maximum 500 words) which clearly outlines the area in which the applicant intends to pursue research in French literature or linguistics.

  • Admission to the PhD program is available via one of two routes:
    • an appropriate bachelor's degree with high academic standing from a recognized university, that includes at least seven (7.0) full-course equivalents in French language and literature / Linguistics, with an average grade of at least an A– in the overall program. Admission is limited to exceptionally qualified applicants.
    • an appropriate master's degree in French Literature/Linguistics with high academic standing from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least an A– in the applicant's overall program.
  • An A– average does not automatically lead to admission. Each dossier is studied by the departmental Graduate Admissions Committee, where all the elements of each application are taken into account.
  • Applicants must demonstrate to the Department that they are capable of independent research in French Literature/Linguistics at an advanced level.

Program Requirements

A PhD student shall pursue a program of study and research in French Literature/Linguistics approved by the Department. The timetable of the PhD program and the nature of the Field Examination are as follows:

1. Course work

  • A student admitted on the basis of a bachelor's degree must complete 4.0 full-course equivalents during the first year of the PhD program and 3.5 additional full-course equivalents during the second year. In exceptional circumstances only, and with the permission of the Associate Chair, Graduate & Coordinator, Graduate Admissions and Funding, the student may take up to one full-course (1.0 FCE) equivalent outside the Department in each of the two years of courses. Any student wishing to take a course outside the Department must make an appointment with the Associate Chair, Graduate & Coordinator, Graduate Admissions and Funding to discuss this matter in person. Students in literature take FRE1202H, FRE1203H, FRE1204H and FRE1201H as part of their PhD program; students in linguistics take FRE1103H, FRE1104H, FRE1141H, and FRE1201H as part of their PhD program. To remain in good academic standing and to continue in the PhD program, a student must complete 4.0 full-course equivalents, with an average grade of at least an A–, by the end of the first year of the PhD program and complete the remaining 3.5 full-course equivalents by the end of the second year, while maintaining an average of at least an A–.
  • A student admitted on the basis of a master's degree must complete 3.5 full-course equivalents during the first year of the PhD program. In exceptional circumstances only, and with the permission of the Associate Chair, Graduate & Coordinator, Graduate Admissions and Funding, the student may take up to one full-course (1.0 FCE) equivalent outside the Department. Any student wishing to take a course outside the Department must make an appointment with the Associate Chair, Graduate & Coordinator, Graduate Admissions and Funding, to discuss this matter in person. Students in literature take FRE1202H, FRE1203H, FRE1204H, unless these courses or their equivalents have already been completed, and FRE1201H as part of their PhD program; students in linguistics take FRE1103H, FRE1104H, and FRE1141H unless these courses or their equivalents have already been completed, and FRE1201H as part of their PhD program. To remain in good academic standing and to continue in the PhD program, a student must complete 3.5 full-course equivalents by the end of the first year of the PhD program with an average grade of at least an A–. Essays for half-courses are to be between 3,500 and 5,000 words in length.

2. Constitution of the Thesis Committee

By June 15 of the first year of registration, in the case of a student admitted to the program on the basis of a master’s degree, otherwise by June 15 of the second year in the case of a student admitted to the PhD program on the basis of an appropriate bachelor's degree, each PhD student must submit a completed Thesis Committee Form indicating the members of his/her supervisory  committee and the provisional title of the thesis. The Thesis Committee Form must be signed by the faculty member who has agreed to act as the primary supervisor for the thesis and by the two other faculty members who will serve on the student’s supervisory committee.

3. Thesis topic

By September 15 of the second year of registration, in the case of a student admitted to the PhD program on the basis of a master’s degree, otherwise by September 15 of the third year of registration, each student must register a thesis topic with the Department and file a completed Thesis Subject Form. The Thesis Subject Form must be signed by the faculty member who has agreed to act as the primary supervisor for the thesis and by the two other faculty members who will serve on the student’s supervisory committee.

4. Field Examination

This schedule represents the progress of a student admitted to the PhD program on the basis of a master’s degree. In the case of students admitted on the basis of a bachelor’s degree, for “first year” read “second year”, for “second year” read “third year”, etc.
 

The dates given below represent the latest a given requirement must be completed. Students are encouraged to undertake earlier completion, provided that the supervisory committee concurs.

The Field Examination is designed to demonstrate that the student is sufficiently familiar with the primary and secondary works in his/her field to be able to proceed to original research and preparation of the doctoral thesis.

No later than the second session of the second year of registration in the PhD program, in the case of a student admitted on the basis of a master’s degree, otherwise no later than the second session of the third year of registration, each student must pass the two parts of the Field Examination: a written part to be taken by March 1 and an oral part taken by April 30.

In the Second Year:

Each PhD student is responsible for choosing a thesis topic for which the Department of French is able to provide adequate supervision.

Each student is also responsible for selecting his/her primary supervisor.

The student must submit by September 15 of the second year of the doctoral program, his/her Thesis Subject Form indicating the aims, the general framework and issues, the methodology and the corpus of the doctoral thesis. The Thesis Subject Form must also contain the names and signatures of the thesis primary supervisor(s) and members of the supervisory committee. The student's thesis topic must then be approved by the Curriculum Committee and will be announced to the General Assembly of the Graduate section of the Department of French. Once the thesis subject is approved, the student will then meet at least once with the full supervisory committee to clarify and specify the thesis topic.

Outline of the Major Area (by November 15)

By November 15 of the second year of the PhD program, literature students will produce a written document of approximately 10 to 15 pages (double-spaced) outlining the major area – the literary corpus, the methodological and theoretical perspectives and approaches – from which the thesis will be derived, together with a thematically organized bibliography indicating the primary and secondary works relevant to this area that the student is expected to know in detail. Members of the supervisory committee may be consulted by the student during the preparation of this document. The “Outline of the Major Area” will form the basis for the written part of the Field Examination (to be submitted by March 1) and will be assessed Pass/Fail. The primary supervisor will certify to the Department that the Outline of the Major Area is satisfactory by signing a copy, which is to be kept in the Department. The student will then distribute a copy of the document to all the other members of the supervisory committee.

By November 15 of the second year of the doctoral program, linguistics students will submit a text of 20 to 25 pages (double-spaced) in article or thesis chapter format, which outlines the state of the art of current research in the primary domain of the dissertation. Members of the supervisory committee may be consulted by the student during the preparation of this document. This text will form the basis of the short article (to be submitted by March 1) and will be assessed Pass/Fail. The thesis supervisor will certify to the Department that the short article is satisfactory by signing a copy which is to be kept in the Department. The student will then distribute a copy of the document to all the other members of the supervisory committee.

The written part of the Field Examination (by March 1)

The written part of the Field Examination for literature students is a take-home examination to be completed by March 1of the second year of the PhD program. The goal of this examination is to evaluate the student’s familiarity with the general area of expertise within which the specific thesis topic will subsequently be located. It is not specific to the proposed thesis topic.

The written part of the Field Examination will contain four questions divided into two sections: two questions will deal with the primary works or corpus presented in the Outline of the Major Area, and two questions will deal with relevant theoretical and methodological issues indicated in that document; the student must answer one question in each section. The student must pick up and sign for the questions at the Department of French one week before the date for submitting the written part of the Field Examination to the Department. All questions and answers must be in French, and the length of each answer should be between 3,000 and 4,500 words. The written part of the Field Examination is evaluated by the full voting members of the supervisory committee, solely on the basis of content (Pass/Fail). A simple majority (two positive votes out of three) is required for successful completion.

By March 1 of Year 2, Linguistics Students must successfully complete a document in the format of a short article which represents a pilot study or a theoretical puzzle in the field of study driven by data gathered by the student. The written part of the Field Examination is evaluated by the full voting members of the supervisory committee solely, on the basis of content (Pass/Fail). A simple majority (two positive votes out of three) is required for successful completion.

A student may not proceed to the oral part of the Field Examination until the written part has successfully been completed. In the case of a failure, the full supervisory committee will meet with the student in order to discuss the weaknesses that caused the failure and to make specific recommendations concerning the student's program. The committee may recommend that the written part of the Field Examination be retaken in whole or in part within a specific period of time; it may also recommend termination of the student's program.

The student may retake the written part of the Field Examination once only. Retaking it will modify neither the general time limits for completion of the doctoral dissertation, nor the period of time funding is provided to the student by the Department of French.

The Thesis Proposal and the oral part of the Field Examination (by April 30)

The oral part of the Field Examination is to be taken by April 30 of the second year of the PhD program. It is based on a 15-20 page (double-spaced) “Thesis Proposal” accompanied by an appropriate bibliography. Members of the supervisory committee may be consulted by the student during the preparation of the Thesis Proposal.

Students must submit the Thesis Proposal to each member of the supervisory committee and to the Department of French at least one week before the date of the oral part of the Field Examination. The examination will be chaired by an officer of the Graduate section of the Department of French, or delegate, who does not vote on the student's performance.

The oral part of the Field Examination will be conducted in French. Exceptions may be made only for extra-departmental members of the supervisory committee.The student will make a 20-minute oral presentation, followed by questions from the committee. Evaluation of the oral part of the Field Examination takes the form of one of the four following grades – Fail/Pass/Pass with Distinction/Pass with High Distinction – and takes into account both the Thesis Proposal and the oral examination. A simple majority (two positive votes out of three) is required for successful completion. The Thesis Proposal and its accompanying bibliography must be filed by the student with the Department of French once the oral part of the Field Examination is completed.

In the case of a failure, the full supervisory committee will make specific recommendations concerning the student's program. The committee may recommend that the oral part of the Field Examination be retaken within a specific period of time; it may also recommend termination of the student's program.

The student may retake the oral part of the Field Examination once only. Retaking it will modify neither the general time limits for completion of the doctoral dissertation, nor the period of time funding is provided to the student by the Department of French.

Results in the written and oral parts of the Field Examination shall be communicated to the officers of the Department by the Supervisory Committee, normally via the primary supervisor; the Department of French will then communicate the results to the student.

STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT OF APPEAL WITHIN AND BEYOND THE DEPARTMENT.

5. After the Completion of the Field Examination

Between the completion of the Field Examination components and the final oral examination of the thesis, the student will meet with the supervisory committee at least once a year, and more frequently if required.

6. Thesis and Oral Examination on the Thesis

Periodically, the Department of French organizes a workshop on how to prepare for the thesis defence.

Failure to satisfy and complete the above requirements in a manner consistent with the Department's timeline for completion of the PhD degree will result in loss of good academic standing and guaranteed funding.

Program by Year

The recommended completion time for the PhD program is four years:

Year One                 

  • Coursework

Year Two

  • Field Examination to be completed by end of second term

Years Two,Three & Four     

  • Thesis undertaken

Year Five

  • Thesis completed
You can find general use forms, such as those used for Course Addition/Removal, Reading Courses, Extension and Leave requests, on the School of Graduate Studies website.