Admissions to the French Studies: French Studies Summer Institute, MFS have been suspended as of summer 2022 and will be discontinued as of fall 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the department.

This is a named option in the French Studies MFS.

The Professional French Studies Summer Institute program teaches interdisciplinary skills needed to operate in professional French settings around the world—this is particularly important to teachers, who collaborate with each other in the program as they hone their connections to those cultures and practices. Teachers intern in all fields, not just education, and are among the most connected colleagues in their schools to the "real world" using their French.

The Summer Studies Institute program is the Professional French Masters Program's part-time pathway to the degree, for working French teachers. Our program is a part-time hybrid program with online and face-to-face components. You will update your sense of current events in the French-speaking world, improve your speaking and writing, solidify your grammar and style, and intern in French in a professional setting—in a personalized internship in the final summer.

Admissions to the French Studies: French Studies Summer Institute, MFS have been suspended as of summer 2022 and will be discontinued as of fall 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the department.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Fall Deadline April 20*
Spring Deadline November 1
Summer Deadline April 20
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Required.
English Proficiency Test Every applicant whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English must provide an English proficiency test score and meet the Graduate School minimum requirements (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/#english-proficiency).
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required 3
*

Early acceptance deadline or if applying to live at the French HouseJanuary 15
Regular application deadline: April 20

  • STEP 1: GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION

  • Graduate School Application (online)
    Note: For this program, select “French Studies, MFS,” not “French MA.”
    Note:  the application will ask you to list 3 people who will write letters of recommendation for you.  At least one of the letters should address your overall proficiency, creativity, and style of expression in the French language. These may be professors, instructors, supervisors, or anyone who is familiar with your work and may give us a sense of your readiness for our program.
    Note: the CV you submit must be in English.  You may also submit a French-language version, but this is not required.
  • Application fee (waived for current and former TAPIF participants)
  • GRE Scores  UW-Madison’s institution code is 1846.
  • For international students whose native language is not English: IELTS or TOEFL scores.  (All international applicants must also pay a one-time processing fee.)

STEP 2: PROGRAM INFORMATION

As you are filling out your Graduate School Application, you will be asked to complete a “Supplemental Application.”  This allows you to upload information required specifically by the Professional French Masters Program:

A writing sample in French (i.e., a graded undergraduate term paper) Your statement of purpose (1 page, in French).
What is your chosen concentration area, and how do you expect it, and the French Studies MFS in general, to position you for a more satisfying professional life? If you have experience working or studying in your chosen concentration area, please elaborate; otherwise, tell us why you would like to move in this direction now. Although you may use dictionaries and other resources, we trust that this statement will be written without assistance. NOTE:  in most cases, we will schedule an oral interview in French, either in person or by telephone.

Questions?

Contact Ritt Deitz, Director: (608) 262-4090 or mdeitz@wisc.edu.

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
No No No Yes Yes

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Credit Requirement 30 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 16 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 15 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Details can be found in the Graduate School’s Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) policy (https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244).
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
This program follows the Graduate School's GPA Requirement policy (https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203).
Other Grade Requirements B or better in FRENCH 615.
Assessments and Examinations Internship, oral examination, and professional portfolio.
Language Requirements No additional language requirements.

Required COURSES

FRENCH 615 Advanced Grammar3
FRENCH 616 Social Responsibility in Contemporary French-Language Professional Writing3
FRENCH 617 Contemporary Skill Set Literature in French3
FRENCH 618 Career Strategies for the French-Speaking World2
FRENCH 623 Oral Communication3
FRENCH 642 Culture and Societies3
FRENCH 793 Professional French Masters Program Internship3
FRENCH 799 Independent Study (Portfolio)4
FRENCH/​ITALIAN  821 Issues in Methods of Teaching French and Italian (SLA Concepts)3
FRENCH 901 Seminar-Materials and Methods of Research (Curricular Design and Assessment)3
Total Credits30

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Work from Other Institutions

No graduate coursework from other institutions is allowed to count towards the degree.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval, University Special students enrolled in the capstone certificate "French Studies for Teachers" may count up to 9 credits of coursework taken while they are capstone students toward the MFS degree.

Probation

Students are reviewed annually by program leadership and may be placed on probation if they are not making satisfactory progress on program requirements.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

Students are advised by the PFMP Director, and their master's project is assessed by a three-person master's committee.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

13 credits

Time Limits

Students who have allowed a session to "lapse" without enrolling during that session, and without approval to take a leave of absence, must reapply to the program if they desire to continue. See program "Requirements and Policies" document for more details.

Leaves of absence are viable for one semester only.

grievances and appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

Students should contact the department chair or program director with questions about grievances. They may also contact the L&S Academic Divisional Associate Deans, the L&S Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration, or the L&S Director of Human Resources.

Other

French Studies, MFS and certificate students may not be simultaneously enrolled in other UW-Madison graduate programs, nor are they eligible for project assistantships, teaching assistantships, or other forms of graduate support that provide tuition remission. French Studies students are automatically eligible for selected small scholarships.

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

French Faculty and Academic Staff

Professor Gilles Bousquet

PFMP Director Ritt Deitz