Program of Study (CAS Bulletin)

French (2022 - 2024)

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 points 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.

Major in French: General Information

The prerequisite for admission to the major is completion of Intermediate French Two (FREN-UA 12) or Intensive Intermediate French (FREN-UA 20) with a grade of B- or better (or an equivalent or higher course or exam, such as AP French). 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. 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 four-credit discovery course taken for the French major as simultaneously fulfilling 4 points toward the 12-point 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 points of the 36 FREN-UA points 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.

Major in French: Requirements

The major consists of 36 FREN-UA points (in any combination of 2- and 4- point FREN-UA courses), distributed as follows:

  • Foundations courses, focused on acquiring linguistic and general cultural knowledge (16 points in FREN-UA, all courses conducted in French). French Grammar and Composition (FREN-UA 30) is required and must be the first course taken in the foundations category. Written Contemporary French (FREN-UA 105) or Advanced Composition (FREN-UA 9106) is also required and must be taken no later than the semester preceding the Senior Seminar. Students may count an internship at NYU Paris in this category.
  • Discovery courses, focused on specific aspects of France and the French-speaking world (16 points in FREN-UA, 8 of which must be taken at the New York campus; courses may be conducted in French or English). With permission, students may also count First-Year Seminars and College Core Curriculum courses taught by departmental faculty toward this category.
  • The Inquiry course, a capstone experience focused on individual student research (4 points). This is the Senior Seminar (FREN-UA 991 or 992). Prerequisite: Written Contemporary French (FREN-UA 105) or Advanced Composition (FREN-UA 9106).

Major in French and Linguistics

This joint major requires a total of 36 points (usually nine 4-point courses) completed with a C or better. Pass/Fail courses do not count.

The French part of this major is satisfied by taking 16 FREN-UA points as follows:

  • One advanced language course chosen from the following:
    • Spoken Contemporary French (FREN-UA 101)
    • Advanced French Conversation (FREN-UA 102)
    • French Phonetics (FREN-UA 103)
    • French Translation (FREN-UA 107)
    • French: Advanced Techniques of Translation (FREN-UA 108)
    • Acting French (FREN-UA 109)
    • Business French (FREN-UA 110)
    • Creative Writing in French (FREN-UA 111)
    • French for International Relations (FREN-UA 113; formerly FREN-UA 112)
  • One course in advanced written French (usually Written Contemporary French, FREN-UA 105)
  • Eight points from the FREN-UA discovery category, in any approved combination of 2- and 4-point courses, to be determined in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of French.

The linguistics part of this major is satisfied by taking the following five 4-point courses (20 points):

  • Either Language (LING-UA 1) or Language and Mind (LING-UA 3)
  • Sound and Language (LING-UA 11)
  • Grammatical Analysis (LING-UA 13)
  • A total of two additional courses from two different fields of linguistics, chosen from the following:
    • Historical linguistics (LING-UA 14)
    • Sociolinguistics (LING-UA 15, LING-UA 18, LING-UA 30, LING-UA 38, LING-UA 57)
    • Phonology (LING-UA 12)
    • Semantics (LING-UA 4)
    • Computational linguistics (LING-UA 6, LING-UA 7)
    • Psycholinguistics (LING-UA 5, LING-UA 43, LING-UA 54, LING-UA 59)
    • Structure of a modern language (LING-UA 10, LING-UA 42, LING-UA 44, LING-UA 9032)

Major in Romance Languages

See the Romance languages section of this Bulletin for details and requirements.

Minors in French: General Information

All students who wish to minor in the Department of French must contact the department to declare and must consult a departmental adviser prior to any registration. No grade lower than a C counts toward any minor (Pass/Fail does not count). Students may choose one of four programs of study. 

Minor in French

Consists of 16 points (in any combination of 2- or 4-point FREN-UA courses) above the intermediate level. French Grammar and Composition (FREN-UA 30) is required (an equivalent course or exemption via examination is accepted). Students must take at least 4 points of foundations or discovery courses focusing on literature, thought, or culture (linguistics, history, philosophy, visual culture, food studies, fashion, gender studies, politics); this requirement may be taught in French or English.

Minor in Francophone Studies

For students with an interest in French-language literature and culture outside of France (e.g., in Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, the U.S., or the Far East). Consists of 16 points (in any combination of 2- or 4-point FREN-UA courses) above the intermediate level. French Grammar and Composition (FREN-UA 30) is required (an equivalent course or exemption via examination is accepted), as is French: Approaches to Francophone Literature (FREN-UA 145). With permission of the French department, a course taught in English can be counted toward this minor if the coursework is completed in French.

Minor in French Studies in English Translation

For students who have an interest in French culture but do not have the linguistic preparation to read in French. Consists of 16 points (in any combination of 2- or 4-point FREN-UA courses) taught in English that focus on French culture. The courses are to be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Minor in Literature in Translation

For students who have an interest in the literature of several different countries and/or cultures and wish to explore that literature through English translation. Consists of four courses (16 points) taught in English with a focus on foreign (i.e., not originally written in English) literature offered by participating CAS disciplines (classics, comparative literature, dramatic literature, East Asian studies, English, French, German, Hebrew and Judaic studies, Italian, Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, Russian and Slavic studies, and Spanish and Portuguese). A student majoring in a specific language cannot take courses in his or her home department for this minor. In addition, a student must take courses from at least two different departments for this minor, with no more than two courses from the same department.

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 Senior Seminar (FREN-UA 991 or 992), candidates for French honors must also enroll in a 6-point course sequence: French Research Lab (FREN-UA 995), a 2-point course taken in the fall semester of the senior year, and in two 2-point independent studies (FREN-UA 997, 998) in the fall and in the spring of senior year under the supervision of a thesis advisor. 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.

Accelerated B.A./M.A. Program in French or French Studies

The Department of French and the Institute of French Studies offer qualified students the opportunity to earn the B.A. and M.A. degrees in a shortened period of study and at reduced cost. While still undergraduates, students enrolled in the program may earn up to 12 points toward the M.A. by completing three graduate courses in the Department of French or at the Institute of French Studies. To earn advanced standing, these points may not be counted toward an undergraduate degree, and must be in excess of the 128 points required for the B.A. Admission to the program is open to students who have completed between 48 and 96 credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the major. Application to the program can be made through the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of French. Final acceptance into the graduate sequence of the program is contingent on successful completion of the B.A., formal admission into the Graduate School of Arts and Science, and acceptance of the student's application. For more information on the B.A./M.A. in French studies, please consult: https://as.nyu.edu/ifs.html.

NYU Paris

For NYU Paris, see information in the study away section of this Bulletin. Please note that not all classes offered at NYU Paris can be counted toward the department’s minors and majors; normally only FREN-UA courses can be accepted, however students can petition to have other courses taught in French count towards the minor. Please consult with the director of undergraduate studies (frenchinfo@nyu.edu) for up-to-date information.

Internships

In addition to the basic requirements for the major, students also have the opportunity to participate in internships sponsored by the department. Recent internships have been completed at the French cultural services office, the French music office, and the French film office. For more information, please contact the undergraduate administrative aide (frenchinfo@nyu.edu).