Requirements for the Ph.D.
All graduate students are candidates for the Ph.D. There is no separate M.A. program. The M.A. may be awarded as an incidental degree for students continuing to the Ph.D. or as a terminal degree for those leaving the program after the general exam. For M.A. requirements click here.
The departmental requirements for the Ph.D. fall into six categories, listed below and described in more detail on the pages listed on the menu at left:
• Seminars: Normally students must take from 12 to 14 in their first two to three years (10 to 12 in the first two years, for those entering before 2007).
• Research seminars: Students attend a year-long weekly research seminar in their main field every year.
• Writing: Students write at least three research papers in their seminars, including at least one in the first year, and all students are required to write an article-length directed research paper (“591 paper”) in their second year.
• General examination: Students complete the General Examination in three fields, usually by October of their third year. They have the option to satisfy one of these fields by taking a sequence of seminars.
• Teaching: Each student leads nine precepts (or discussion sections) attached to faculty-taught undergraduate courses during their five years of enrollment, normally after passing the General Examination.
• Dissertation: Research and writing of the dissertation normally begins during the third year, after a prospectus has been accepted. When the dissertation has been approved by the student’s advisers, the student must pass a final public oral examination.