The University of Michigan Ph.D. programs in French, Italian, and Spanish provide great flexibility for highly motivated students wanting to chart individual paths of intellectual development while acquiring a solid grounding in literary study by working with a broad range of faculty in the department and university.

While most of our students work primarily in one of the Romance languages, our practice of strong cooperation across section lines makes the department an excellent choice for students interested in comparative Romance Studies.

The French, Italian, and Spanish Ph.D. programs begin in the Fall term only. Application materials must be received by January 1. For a list of application requirements, click here. For standardized test information, click here.

If accepted, you will be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. While a Master's degree can be earned during the course of study towards a Ph.D., admission is granted only for the pursuit of a Ph.D. degree.

If you enter the the doctoral program with a relevant M.A. from another institution, you will follow the same track as the rest of your cohort through the fourth-term review, after which point, having completed the required coursework, you will proceed to the preparation of preliminary examinations.

The following guidelines summarize the formal steps to be completed in the course of our Ph.D. programs: