Overview of Graduate Programs
The Department offers the M.A. degree and the Ph.D. with a concentration in French, Italian, or Spanish.
The program for the MA degree is open to students holding the Bachelor of Arts degree or the equivalent, and whose major field of undergraduate study was normally a Romance language and literature. Students are expected to have proficiency in the Romance language and in English upon admission to the program. MA candidates must complete 30 semester hours, of which 6 hrs. are in required courses: ROML 700 (Methodology, 3 hrs.) and Thesis credit (3 hrs.). The remaining 24 hours are elective course work.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered with concentration in French, Italian, Spanish or Spanish American Languages and Literatures, or Medieval and Early Modern Romance Languages. The doctoral program focuses primarily on literature and literary criticism and requires a minimum of 24 credit hours beyond the M.A., which includes 18 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of dissertation. Should any questions arise regarding the acceptability of any courses taken prior to admission to the PhD program, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Advisory Committee, will review the students dossier and determine which courses will be acceptable.
Grading for graduate students in courses is as follows: H (High Pass), P (Pass), L (Low Pass), and F (Failure). For written comprehensive exams the grades are S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory), but in exceptional cases, graders may award an H (High Pass). Students who receive one U on a written exam question may repeat the period or area question after an interval of at least three months. Students who fail more than one area must wait until the nex semester's exam period.
The following policies apply to the Ph.D. program:
(1) Should any questions arise regarding the acceptability of any courses taken prior to admission to the PhD program, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Advisory Committee, will review the students dossier and determine which courses will be acceptable.
(2) Upon consultation with the Graduate Advisor in their section, doctoral students may decide to take additional courses beyond the required number of courses, the purpose of which should be to strengthen preparation for the written comprehensive examination, to lay the groundwork for the dissertation, or to develop a wider range of teaching fields. Since interdisciplinary studies may be appropriate to some research projects and career plans, additional courses or even a minor, may be recommended.
(3) All doctoral students are required to have proficiency in one additional foreign language. For students in Medieval and/or Early Modern Studies, this language must be Latin.
(4) Teaching experience is an essential part of professional training. Therefore, teaching at least three contact hours a week for two semesters, or until teaching competence is acquired, is required of all doctoral candidates.
(5) No students will be admitted to either the MA or the PhD program in Romance Languages for part-time study.
The Graduate Student Services Manager’s office houses a selection of current imprints on how to do research and how to write a thesis or dissertation for you to consult (David Sternberg's How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation, Miller and Taylor's The Thesis Writer's Handbook; Writing and Defending a Thesis or Dissertation in Psychology and Education, and Harman and Montague's The Thesis and the Book). Some of these offer good advice though not all is pertinent to a literary thesis. In all matters of format, the Graduate School's Guide to Theses and Dissertations Paper Submissions or Guide to Theses and Dissertations Electronic Submissions take precedence.
