French and Francophone Studies

The Master of Arts in the field of French and Francophone Studies is a 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time degree.

Overview

French is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world and nearly half of all French speakers live in Africa. The department of French and Francophone Studies at Wits reflects this transcultural diversity in its offerings which are articulated around two main thrusts. The first aims to develop communicative language competence in students, to enable them to become independent users of the French language in a variety of social and professional contexts. The second aims to equip students with intercultural skills and knowledge in order to engage in critical current debates on society and postcoloniality, through the study of seminal Francophone literary texts. These aims are informed by a student-centered, communicative pedagogical approach that encourages independent learning and thinking.

Masters is offered by dissertation only. Research topics are chosen in conjunction with the department and its areas of expertise.

Entry Requirements

  • A bachelors degree with honours from Wits or another university with a 65% total mark aggregate
  • A supervisor from The department of French and Francophone Studies must be identified and approached prior to application.

The department reserves the right to assess the applicant’s suitability to complete the degree. Research topics are chosen in conjunction with the supervisor and their areas of expertise

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.