• UNM Catalog 2019-2020
• >Colleges
• >College of Arts and Sciences
• >Foreign Languages and Literatures
• >French

French

Stephen Bishop, Ortega Hall 323C
sbishop@unm.edu

Pamela Cheek, Ortega Hall 327B
pcheek@unm.edu

Pim Higginson, Ortega Hall 349B
fhigginson@unm.edu 

Marina Peters-Newell, Ortega Hall 319B
mpnewell@unm.edu

Rajeshwari Vallury, Ortega Hall 319C
rvallury@unm.edu

Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Advisor
Stephen Bishop, Ortega Hall 323C
sbishop@unm.edu

College of Arts and Sciences and French Major Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

• Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
• Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

• Completion of General Education Curriculum: Communication.
• Completion of General Education Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics.
• Completion of General Education Curriculum: Second Language.

Completion of French major admission coursework with grades of "C" or better:

• FREN 1120.
• 101 in ARAB; or 1110 in CHIN, FREN, GREK, GRMN, ITAL, JAPN, LATN, NAVA, PORT, RUSS, or SPAN.

Degree Offered

• Bachelor of Arts in French (B.A.)

Major Study Requirements

Thirty credit hours in French courses numbered above 300, including 301, 302, 305, 310, 315, 415, and 485. One content-appropriate Comparative Literature course may be counted, but no more than two courses in translation are permissible.

Second Major Study Requirements

Students who present two majors (French and another field) are required to take 24 credit hours in French courses numbered above 300, including 301, 302, and 305. One content-appropriate Comparative Literature course may be counted, but no more than two courses in translation are permissible. Students wishing to present an honors thesis with their second major must consult the French advisor to ensure an appropriate selection of courses.

Minor Study Requirements

Fifteen credit hours of French courses numbered above 300, including 301 and 302.

Lower-Division and Upper-Division French

All beginning students should enroll in FREN 1110 or FREN 1150, which provides a foundation in reading, writing, listening and speaking for all subsequent courses.

Students who have taken French previously should consult with the lower-division coordinator for accurate placement. The department offers an intensive language sequence (FREN 1150–2140) for 6 credit hours per semester. At the end of two semesters, students have completed the equivalent of FREN 1110, 1120, 2110 and 2120 and are prepared to enter the third-year speaking, composition, and pronunciation sequence (301, 302, and 305). This advanced language sequence prepares students to take introductory literature and culture courses (310 and 315), after which they may take advanced seminars in French (385, 415, and 485).

Undergraduate Prerequisites

Prerequisites may be waived by permission of the instructor. Students who do not have the prerequisites for a course he or she wishes to take may contact the instructor and/or the Undergraduate Advisor of French. The Advisor will evaluate the student's case and counsel him or her appropriately.

Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Stephen Bishop, Ortega Hall 323C
sbishop@unm.edu

Degrees Offered

• Master of Arts in French (M.A.)
• Doctor of Philosophy in French Studies (Ph.D.)

Master of Arts in French

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in French provides an interdisciplinary foundation designed to prepare students for work in pertinent fields including secondary school teaching, translation and for entrance to doctoral programs in French. A background in French equivalent to that of an undergraduate major is required for entering candidates. M.A. candidates choose between two plans: under Plan I, they complete 24 credit hours of coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis; under Plan II, they complete 32 credit hours of coursework without thesis. The comprehensive exams involve a more extensive written component for Plan II. Core requirements are a theory course (3 credit hours) and a professional development colloquium (1 credit hour). Students must demonstrate proficiency in another language through a four-semester sequence of coursework, a proficiency examination, or proof of equivalent knowledge acquired elsewhere. Contact the graduate advisor or the department for specific information.

Doctor of Philosophy in French Studies

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in French Studies. Students are admitted on the basis of their past records and future promise for scholarship. The admissions committee also takes into consideration the expressed field of research with an eye to suitable faculty guidance and direction. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Department for more individual advisement.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program are expected to have completed a Master’s Degree in French or its equivalent. The University of New Mexico students who wish to pursue doctoral studies must submit a written plan. All applicants are expected to have taken at least one course in critical theory.

In addition to the general requirements for all Ph.D. degrees, the department specifies the following:

1. Each student must complete a minimum total of 54 credit hours of coursework for the Ph.D. including transfer credit but exclusive of dissertation credit hours. Normally, a minimum of 24 credit hours of this total is taken after the M.A. is completed.
   
   
2. A student may declare a minor in another discipline after approval from the committee on studies. Students with a declared minor must complete 48 credit hours of coursework in French Studies and 12 credit hours in the minor.
   
   
3. Each student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two other languages besides French and English.
   
   
4. Each student must assemble a committee on studies composed of three University of New Mexico faculty members before the end of the second semester of the Ph.D. program. The committee meets regularly with the student to develop a program suited to his or her own needs and interests. The committee holds authority over each student’s program and may require specific courses dictated by a student’s scholarly interest and goals. The committee on studies guides the candidate in forming an appropriate committee to administer comprehensive examinations as well as to plan and carry out the dissertation.
   
   
5. All Ph.D. candidates in French Studies are advised to gain teaching experience as well as experience in a French-speaking environment as part of their professional training.