Combined BA/MA Program

Yale College undergraduate students of distinguished ability and extraordinary commitment who are interested in pursuing advanced research in French and Francophone literatures may undertake graduate work for the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Interested students should secure the permission of the Department, the Director of Academic and Educational Affairs in Yale College, and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Graduate School. To start the process, please reach out to the French DUS (thomas.c.connolly@yale.edu).

The online application must be completed no later than the last day of classes on the student’s fifth term of enrollment in Yale College, and the proposal should provide evidence of eligibility, reasons for pursuing the simultaneous degree, and plans for completing the program requirements. To be eligible, students must have achieved, by the end of their fifth term, at least an A- in two-thirds of all their course credits as well as in all of the course credits directly relating to their major.

Requirements Specific to the French Department

Students in the Class of 2025 and beyond must take seven graduate-level French seminars to complete the Master’s degree requirements.

The French department allows up to two graduate-level courses to count toward both French Bachelor’s degree and the French Master’s degree. Please note that there is also a rule at Yale governing the overlapping of courses in general (more information here).

For the French Bachelor’s degree, students may enroll in either a one-term or two-term senior essay. For the Master’s degree, a master’s thesis is not required.