• A Master’s degree (project or thesis-based) can help future, new and experienced teachers of French to broaden and deepen their knowledge of French grammar and francophone literature and cultures. It gives them an opportunity to make the transition into teaching or to refine their instructional skills.
• Graduate students may be offered positions as teaching or research assistants to professors of French who are recipients of research grants, and their work may lead to collaboration on joint publications. Those professors will become their mentors and will help them to become successful members of the French Studies research community.
• A Master’s degree (project or thesis-based) can provide teachers with advancement and increased salary opportunities. Educators who hold a Masters’ degree might pursue later careers as school administrators or educational policy planners for Saskatchewan’s French, Public, and Catholic School Boards.
• A Master’s degree (project or thesis-based) may provide students with a background useful to other career paths such as: translation, Canadian and international politics, journalism, communications, education, or professional positions with international companies, to name only a few.
• A Master’s degree (thesis-based) is usually required for entry into a doctoral or Ph.D. program in most Canadian universities. One of its objectives is therefore to prepare students for a doctoral degree.

(a) M.A. in French - thesis-based 

Students in the French M.A. thesis-based program must take FREN 990.0 and 15 CU of master’s level courses. They must write a thesis and make a presentation pertaining to their field of research during the semester preceding their thesis defense, as one of the requirements for FREN 990.0. The thesis, written in French, should be between 75 and 95 pages in length and conform to the requirements of the MLA Handbook. Upon submission, it should be accompanied by an abstract in French and in English.

(b) M.A. in French - project-based

Students in the French M.A. project-based program must take FREN 992.0 and 18 CU of master's level courses. They must write a project pertaining to their field of research. The project, written in French, should be between 25 and 30 pages in length and conform to the requirements of the MLA Handbook. Upon submission, it should be accompanied by an abstract in French and in English.

 All M.A. graduate students (thesis-based and project-based) must also take GPS 960.0, and one of the following:

• GPS 961.0 if research involves human subjects.
• GPS 962.0 if research involves animal subjects.

The program requirements must be completed within five years of the date of registration in the program. However, a period of two years is the normal length of time required to complete a thesis-based M.A. program, and one year for a project-based M.A. program. Most graduate student funding is usually limited to the first two years of the M.A.

The student and his/her thesis or project supervisor need to be aware that, all course requirements having been fulfilled, the thesis or project must be submitted by September 18 in order for the student to graduate in the fall without having to pay the fall fees, and by April 10 in order for the student to graduate in the spring without having to pay the spring fees.

Each new French M.A. student’s course selection should be approved by the Graduate Student Committee before online registration in July and August, or at the latest by December 1 of the first year of study, or by April 1 if the student begins study in January.

• Students who start their M.A. in September should identify a willing thesis or project supervisor among the French faculty, preferably by the end of the first year for the thesis-based M.A., and by the end of the first term for the project-based M.A.

• Students who begin their studies in January should find a supervisor by December 1 of the same year for the thesis-based M.A, and by May 1 of the same year for the project-based M.A.

• Students in a thesis-based M.A. must submit a formal thesis proposal to the French Graduate Chair by June 30 of the first year of study or by January 31 if they began their program in January.

The French Graduate Studies Committee may suggest or require that revisions be made to the proposal. Students registered in a project-based M.A. only need to submit a proposal to their supervisor.

The following information only applies to students registered in a thesis-based M.A.:

The French Graduate Studies Committee will act as an advisory committee for students in the M.A. program until the thesis proposal has been approved. This advisory committee provides the student with information on the following topics:

1. How to select a thesis subject and supervisor;
2. How to submit a thesis proposal to the French section;
3. How to prepare a conference paper abstract;
4. How and when to communicate results or other aspects of the thesis to the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Cultural Studies
5. Suitable conference venues for presentation of student's research
6. Appropriate scholarly journals or venues for publication of student's papers
7. How to apply for funding from the SSHRC and other agencies.