French studies cuts masters, doctoral degree programs

By Joey Capparella     4/8/10 7:00pm

As a result of university-wide budget cuts, masters and doctoral degrees in French studies will no longer be offered for incoming graduate students, effective next semester. The decision was made last semester by Provost Eugene Levy. With this decision, the University of Texas-Austin will be the only university in Texas to still have doctoral program in French studies. Additionally, the end of the French studies masters and doctoral programs marks the end of the only remaining graduate foreign language programs at Rice. Graduate students in all departments are free to take undergraduate language classes, however.

"The decision to cut the program was incredibly complex, but one important contributing factor was the current state of the job market," Professor of Humanities Deborah Nelson-Campbell said. "Everyone is cutting back. There are fewer jobs for Ph.D.'s in French, and, thus, fewer people who want to get Ph.D.'s in French."

Those who complete the doctoral program often go on to work at universities, but with staff hiring freezes in many universities because of the economic recession, it has been especially difficult for program participants to find a job.

---

---

Nelson-Campbell said this decision would affect neither the undergraduate program at Rice nor current graduate students.

"We continue to have a thriving undergraduate program with lots of French majors, and we will also allow the current graduate students to finish their degree at Rice," Nelson-Campbell said.

The 11 current French studies graduate students will be provided with the necessary resources to complete their studies, though no new graduate students will be accepted into the department.

Nelson-Campbell said the program typically involves two years of coursework, a year of studying for various exams and a year to write a dissertation.

"People often say it's faster to get a medical degree than to get a doctoral degree in French studies," Nelson-Campbell said.

None of the current undergraduate French studies courses have been cut.

However, Christopher Tanguay, a French studies doctoral student in his fourth year in the department, said the university communicated well with current graduate students about the cuts.

"We were given the assurance that we would be supported in finishing our degrees at Rice," Tanguay said.

Lisa Blomquist, a French studies graduate student, said she is disappointed with the cut.

"It's sad when any department undergoes cuts, but it is especially disappointing when languages don't receive funding." Blomquist said. "We have some amazing professors at Rice and it is a shame that future generations of French graduate students won't benefit from their teaching.

---