Graduate applicants seeking advanced training in French and Francophone studies have until January 15, 2027, to apply for admission and accompanying teaching assistantships at the University of Illinois Chicago. The Master of Arts program offers an intensive academic community housed within Chicago, combining small cohort sizes with individualized faculty mentorship.
Faculty Teach Graduate Courses Exclusively in French
The program stands out as one of a select few departments across the United States where faculty teach exclusively in French at the graduate level. Scholars in the department examine numerous geographic locations and time periods through scholarship such as Ellen McClure’s The Logic of Idolatry in Seventeenth-Century French Literature, Yann Robert’s The Last Judgment of Kings, and John Ireland’s Theater, War, and Memory in Crisis: Vichy, Algeria, the Aftermath. Professors have recently earned a Rising Star Award, a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, a Mellon Foundation fellowship, and several university teaching honors.
Graduate course offerings reflect this broad disciplinary reach. Recent seminars have explored subjects ranging from Vigilantes, Brigands, and Terrorists: Justice in a Time of Revolution to The World According to Molière, The Algerian War and its Cultural Heritage in France, and Détour, Beauté et Violence dans la production culturelle de la Caraïbe et de la Louisiane.
| Academic Component | Program Detail |
|---|---|
| Application Deadline | January 15, 2027 |
| Primary Funding | Teaching assistantships with tuition waiver and stipend |
| Notable Past Events | Biennale de la langue française (2019), Society for Interdisciplinary French Seventeenth-Century Studies (2024) |
| Key Partnerships | MICEFA Paris exchange, Newberry Library, French Consulate |
Funding and Professional Development
The great majority of enrolled graduate students receive teaching assistantships. These positions include a generous financial stipend alongside a full tuition waiver. Working alongside experienced instructors and staff at the Language and Culture Learning Center, teaching assistants train in contemporary pedagogical techniques while instructing courses featuring substantial online components.
Beyond classroom instruction, the university’s Institute for the Humanities—directed by Ellen McClure—sponsors regular lectures, colloquia, and seminars. Master of Arts students frequently collaborate across interdisciplinary programs, including Gender and Women’s Studies, Moving Image Arts, and Black Studies. The School of Literatures, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics also hosts an annual conference featuring nationally recognized keynote speakers where graduate students present their ongoing research.
Internships and Exchange Programs Build Professional Bridges
Students build professional bridges outside the campus through targeted local internships. Recent placements include positions at the Consulate General of France in Chicago, the Chicago French-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Newberry Library, where students regularly present research at the annual Center for Renaissance Studies Graduate Student Conference. Enrolled students also have the opportunity to take part in Paris through a graduate-level exchange with the Mission Interuniversitaire de Coordination des Echanges Franco-Américains.
Alumni of the program routinely secure admissions into doctoral programs across the country. Doctorate-seeking alumni have recently matriculated at Princeton University, the University of Colorado-Boulder, the University of Texas at Austin, Emory University, Brown University, New York University, Duke University, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago. Other graduates enter education, from the elementary to the post-secondary level, or apply their advanced language training to careers in law, architecture, and business.
