The Romance Languages - French MA program is part of the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, offering advanced two-year training in French and Francophone Language, Literature, and Culture, as well as in linguistics and language teaching. Most MA students are funded through a teaching assistantship, which allows for a substantial tuition reduction and a monthly stipend.
Graduate students have the possibility to apply for a summer assistantship at the study-abroad program in Reims, France. Students who have completed the MA program have been admitted to top Ph.D. programs across the United States. Others have gone on to teach in high school, work in government administration, or succeed in international companies.
The French MA Program at Texas Tech maintains a focus on literary studies and pedagogy while integrating a large scope of cultural material and a variety of theoretical frameworks. Courses are taught in the following areas: Medieval literature; 16th-, 17th-, 18th, 19th-, 20th- and 21st-Century literatures; French Civilization; Cinema; Literary Theory; Teaching Methods and Francophone literatures (African, Caribbean, Quebecois and French “Immigrant” literatures). It is a vibrant program that benefits from an experienced team of cross-disciplinary professors. Faculty members encourage intellectual inquiry and critical thinking through several collaborative endeavors.
The French Program at Texas Tech offers an intensive, hand-on, practical teaching Methods course to our Graduate Part-Time Instructors and Teaching Assistants, thus assuring solid, communicative-based instruction in our undergraduate courses. It assures that all new instructors in our department receive training and practice in effective teaching.
MA students in French receive thorough training and constant guided supervision in their own teaching of lower-level French courses, thus assuring a high quality of instruction and practice. All applicants to the MA are encouraged to apply for a teaching assistantship and funding, which is allocated on a competitive basis.
The graduate advisor formulates a degree plan with respect to the interests of the student and availability of French faculty. MA students have the possibility to do a master's thesis in the following periods and areas: Medieval Studies, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century, Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, Francophone Literature, Literary Theory, and Cinema.
Career Development
Graduates of our MA Program leave with solid training in French Literature, Culture, Film and Linguistics, skills useful to any career field. In addition, our graduate students are provided a valuable opportunity to gain experience in communicative language teaching and are provided with careful training and supervision to assure their success in the classroom. Our graduates' training and experiences make them highly competitive candidates for jobs in government, business and education or for graduate study beyond the MA level.
September 2025
College of Arts and Sciences
Texas Tech University,
LUBBOCK,
Texas,
79409, United States
The applicant must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or its equivalent from a foreign institution.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - The minimum TOEFL score required is 79.
International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) - The minimum IELTS required score is an overall band score of 6.5 on the Academic version.
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - The minimum required PTE Academic score is 60.
Cambridge C2 Proficiency Test (Cambridge CPE) - The minimum required Cambridge CPE grade is a score of 180 or above.
Cambridge C1 Advanced Proficiency Test (Cambridge CAE) - The minimum required Cambridge CAE grade is a score of 175 or above.
Recommended deadlines for international students are as follows:
January 15 for Fall and Summer semesters
July 15 for Spring semesters
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.