The Department of French & Italian at UW-Madison welcomes applications for its MA and PhD Program in French. Graduate students in our department are able to take advantage of the following resources:
- Close working relationships with faculty comprised of internationally recognized scholars in key areas of French and Francophone Studies.
- Innovative, interdisciplinary, and wide-ranging graduate courses, seminars and research laboratories fostering individual research and professional development
- Guaranteed, competitive funding for a minimum of five years entering with a B.A., or four years entering with an MA. Grants to support conference travel and dissertation research through a variety of internal resources.
- Highly-acclaimed pedagogical training, and availability of advanced second language pedagogy coursework, a job market advantage. Teaching experience in a range of French language courses, as well as courses on French literature and culture. Opportunities to serve in leadership roles including Head Teaching Assistant.
- Top-tier library and research resources.
- Access to renowned scholars and authors via departmental conferences and events as well as via events sponsored by the UW-Madison’s Center for the Humanities, Institute for Research in the Humanities, and other interdisciplinary units on campus.
- The opportunity to participate in our international exchange programs in Aix-en-Provence and Geneva.
- A tight-knit multinational and diverse community, and a culture of mutual support fostered between professors and students and between graduate students themselves thanks to the Graduate Association of French and Italian Students (GAFIS)
- Life in vibrant Madison, WI, consistently ranked one of America’s most progressive and livable cities.
We encourage international students and students from non-traditional backgrounds to apply.
The department is also pleased to be able to offer Graduate Research Scholars (GRS) fellowships to qualifying students with a strong background in French and Francophone Studies. GRS fellowships include five years of guaranteed funding in the form of fellowships and teaching assistantships while completing the Ph.D. program in French. Students must be United States citizens or permanent residents to qualify. This funding opportunity was made possible by the College of Letters & Science and the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Feel free to contact Prof. Joshua Armstrong (jtarmstrong@wisc.edu) or our Graduate Program Manager, Shawn Ramer (ramer2@wisc.edu) with any questions regarding our program or the application process. The deadline for submission of applications to be considered for Fall 2026 admission is December 20, 2025.