French and Italian Graduate Program

The Department of French and Italian's intellectual vibrancy is embodied by its graduate programs, which welcome every year exceptional students in French, Italian, or French and Italian. All students admitted to these Ph.D. programs receive 5 years of 12-month funding. This financial support is provided through a combination of fellowship stipend and tuition, and research and teaching assistantships. Additional funding is provided to support academic and research expenses.

Students accepted to the Ph.D. program with an M.A. or equivalent can transfer up to 45 credits towards the completion of required coursework, upon submission of their transcripts. They recieve a thorough training in literary criticism, literary history, critical theory and are offered extensive teaching experience as well as certification in the teaching of foreign languages.

Doctor of Philosophy in French

Our French program offers a robust and rigorous training in literary criticism and theory, literary and political history, the digital humanities, and the study of French and Francophone literatures and cultures from the medieval period through contemporary times. In addition to their respective expertise in specific historical periods, our faculty's work embrace the field of literature and philosophy, cognitive studies, the digital humanities, Francophone and Global studies, Feminist and Gender studies, film studies, humanities medicine, political discourse analysis and catstrophe studies among others. The many faculty and affiliated scholars who work in French, Francophone and/or Italian studies across the University or visit from all over the world yearly are also a tremendous resource for collaborative research and advising. 

Over the years, our graduate students have worked on plurilinguism in Maghrebi literature and cinema, Marcel Proust's literary work in light of rational choice theories, feminist travel literature, trauma literature and narrative unselfing in Global French literature, evolutionary theory in 19th century popular literature and culture, rhetorical efficacy and pitfalls in Religious Wars literature, or the origin of the apprehensive self in 16th century French literature.

Our graduate students have pursued successful careers in a variety of professions, including within academia with tenure-track positions at Ivy league universities, four-year colleges, liberal arts colleges, or in digital education. Others have become screenwriters, artists, business managers in startups in Francophone markets, or worked in artificial intelligence. Our alumni live and work all over the world, from the United States to France, England, Germany, Switzerland and Romania.

Doctor of Philosophy in Italian

Similarly, the Italian Ph.D. program offers a robust training in the history of literary studies and theory, as well as all periods of Italian literature and culture. It is flexible and interdisciplinary in nature. Intellectually, we encourage students to begin with a strong foundation to then develop their specific intellectual interests, if need be with courses beyond our department, in Comparative Literature, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Art History, or any other relevant field that might help them break new ground and forge new paths in the academy and beyond.

Doctor of Philosophy in French and Italian

The French section provides students with the opportunity to pursue course work at all levels in French language, literature, cultural and intellectual history, theory, film, and Francophone studies. It understands the domain of French Studies as encompassing the complex of cultural, political, social, scientific, commercial, and intellectual phenomena associated with French-speaking parts of the world, from France and Belgium to Canada, Africa, and the Caribbean.

The Italian section offers graduate and programs in Italian language, literature, culture, and intellectual history. Course offerings range from small, specialized graduate seminars to general courses open to all students on authors such as Dante, Boccaccio, and Machiavelli.

Interdisciplinarity and Resources in the DLCL

The Department of French and Italian encourages interdisciplinary research. It is part of the vibrant intellectual community of the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, where scholars, faculty, and graduate students work at the crossroads of different national cultures and disciplines through a variety of research groups hosted by the Research Unit.

In addition, graduate students can take advantage of the resources available in Stanford's Center for Teaching and Learning. Their highly qualified staff provide support and training in public speaking and presentations, dissertation writing, effective teaching, remote learning strategies, and many other areas of professional life that are crucial to any profession. The DLCL graduate programs offer early professionalization for careers within and outside of academia, in the form of dedicated courses, a Job Market Workshop, individual career counseling, advising, networking, and internships.

For more detailed information on our program, please see the corresponding pages in the Stanford Bulletin:

• Master of Arts in French
• Doctor of Philosophy in French
• Doctor of Philosophy in Italian
• Doctor of Philosophy French and Italian

Graduate Program Application Details