Ph.D. PROGRAM
Ph.D. Requirements Checklist (for a detailed plan, see Link)
1. Consult with Major Advisor about courses to be taken
2. Complete 24 credits of Coursework, including at least one pre-1800 course
3. In third semester, submit Plan of Study in triplicate to the Graduate School
4. Fulfill Language Requirement before end of coursework
5. Complete Doctoral Examinations
6. Complete Dissertation Prospectus and pass Prospectus Defense
7. Write Dissertation
8. Defend Dissertation; notify UConn Advance of defense date two weeks in advance
9. File Application for Degree in final semester
The English Ph.D. at UConn: A Five-Year Plan
Year 1: 2006-07
Fall ’06: Complete two seminars (6 credits)
Teach one section of English 110/111
Begin establishing ties with advisory committee members
Spring ’07: Complete two seminars (6 credits)
Teach one section of English 110/111
Present first conference paper
Continue building advisory committee
Summer ’07: Complete Foreign Language Requirement
Year 2: 2007-08
Fall ’07: Complete two seminars (6 credits)
Teach one section of English 110/111
File Paperwork to establish advisory committee
Begin creating PhD examination lists
Begin early planning of dissertation
Spring ’08: Complete two seminars (6 credits)
Teach one section of English 110/111
Submit Examination lists for approval
Begin reading Chronicle of Higher Education regularly
Summer ’08: Study for PhD Examinations
Near end of summer, schedule exams
Year 3: 2008-09
Fall ’08: Teach one section of English 110/111
Pass PhD Exams (ideally before November)
Begin drafting dissertation prospectus
Spring ’09: Teach one section of English 110/111
Submit Prospectus and Pass Prospectus Defense
Begin writing dissertation (think in terms of two chapters per Summer and one each semester)
Summer ’09: Write Dissertation
Year 4: 2009-2010
Fall ’09: Teach 1 section Literature/Advanced Rhetoric
Write Dissertation
Submit article for publication
Begin conferencing dissertation topic
Attend job-placement information meetings
Apply for Predoctoral Fellowship
Apply for University Dissertation Fellowship
Spring ’10: Teach 2 sections Literature/Advanced Rhetoric
Write Dissertation
Apply for Summer Research Fellowship
Submit best dissertation chapter for publication
Summer ’10: Write Dissertation
Begin drafting job application
Schedule Fall Dissertation Defense
Year 5: 2010-2011
Fall 2010: Teach 1 section Literature/Advanced Rhetoric
Apply for tenure-track jobs
Defend Dissertation
Winter 2010: Interview at MLA
Spring 2011: Teach 2 sections Literature/Advanced Rhetoric
Complete Dissertation Revisions
Graduate (health benefits continue until September 1)
Time Limit and Residence Requirement
Requirements for the Doctoral degree should be completed in four to five years, though the Graduate School sets a seven-year maximum on completion from the date of initial matriculation. Students normally enroll in coursework for two years beyond the MA and then register to take examinations. Please see LINK for the Ph.D. Time-to-Completion Plan recommended by the current Director of Graduate Studies. At least one year (two consecutive semesters) of graduate work must be spent in full-time study (“residence”) at Storrs. Doctoral students normally fulfill this requirement while taking course work. Students must maintain continuous registration throughout the graduate program.
Advisory Committee
All Ph.D. students are assigned a Major Advisor upon matriculation. Only certain members of the Graduate School Faculty can serve as Major Advisors of doctoral students. Associate Advisors may be members of any university department.
Courses to be taken and all additional program policies should be discussed with the Major Advisor. Students may change Major or Associate advisors at any time (for example, when selecting an appropriate examination committee). Forms to change Advisory Committee members are available in the Graduate English Office and online at www.grad.uconn.edu/forms.
Coursework Requirements
The English Department requires 24 credits of course work for the Ph.D., up to six credits of which can be transferred from another program or department. The usual course load for a full-time student in each semester is six credits, (if the student is a teaching assistant), as approved by the Major Advisor. At least one course must be focused on a pre-1800 literary period or author, though ideally, students will enroll in more than one such course. The Graduate Executive Committee recommends that students take no more than six credits of Independent Study. All Independent Studies taken to fulfill specific requirements must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Six credits of 200-level English courses may be taken for graduate credit in the Ph.D. programs if the courses are not open to sophomores. In practice, this applies only to courses not ordinarily given on the graduate level. Finally, the Graduate Executive Committee strongly discourages incompletes. According to the rules of the Graduate School, a student who has four incompletes cannot be a teaching assistant and must get special permission to register for courses. Students with four or more incompletes may be dropped from the program after review by the Graduate Executive Committee.
Plan of Study
The Plan of Study for the Ph.D. degree must be signed by all members of the Advisory Committee and submitted in triplicate to the Graduate School when approximately half of the expected course work for the degree has been completed. Forms are available in the Graduate English Office and online at www.grad.uconn.edu/forms. Students must indicate which courses have been taken and are to be taken in fulfillment of requirements, how the language requirement has been or will be fulfilled, and what the dissertation topic will be. Any changes—in courses submitted, language requirement plans—must be submitted to the Graduate School on a “Request for Changes in Plan of Graduate Study” form. PLEASE NOTE: A course taken during the M.A. that is not part of the M.A. Plan of Study can be applied to the Ph.D. However, this causes Ph.D.-time to start at the point that the course was taken, not at the time of the first actual Ph.D. course. Obviously, this will reduce the amount of time students have to complete the doctorate.
Language Requirement
The English Department expects its doctoral students to know at least one foreign language, preferably one of demonstrable utility in their intended area of specialization. Students specializing in certain areas—Medieval or Renaissance, for example—will probably need to acquire additional language skills. The various ways to demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language are described in detail in the current Graduate School Bulletin (Catalogue). A plan to fulfill the language requirement should be worked out early in the student’s program in consultation with the Major Advisor; the Graduate Executive Committee recommends that students complete the requirement prior to the final year of coursework. Forms for the language requirement are online (www.grad.uconn.edu); they must be completed and signed in triplicate and then submitted to the Graduate School.
The Doctoral Examination (revisions approved 5/30/07)
The Doctoral Examination consists of two parts, a Field and a Specialist exam. The purpose of the Field Examination is to test the student's knowledge of the selected major field (Medieval, Renaissance, Theory, Rhetoric, etc.). The Specialist Examination focuses on the primary and secondary materials that will inform the dissertation.
The Graduate Executive Committee recommends the following timeline for completion of the Doctoral Examination:
1) In consultation with the Advisory Committee, create Exam lists in the spring semester of the second year.
2) Submit Exam lists and the Doctoral Examination Cover Form to the Graduate Office for approval by April 25 th in the second year.
3) Submit Plan of Study to the Graduate School in summer or early fall semester in the third year.
4) Take the Doctoral Examination no later than March 1 st in the third year.
5) Submit dissertation prospectus and pass oral prospectus exam no later than May 1 st in the third year.
Creation and Submission of Examination Lists: Reading lists are to be drawn up by
the candidate in consultation with his or her dissertation Advisory Committee. Students are encouraged, though not required, to meet with the Advisory Committee as a whole to discuss the creation of the lists. Each list should be accompanied by a brief statement (1-2 paragraphs maximum), known as a “rationale,” which explains their content. There should be no overlap of texts from the Field List to the Specialist List. The candidate is responsible for making copies of his/her lists and rationales and depositing them, along with the completed Doctoral Examination Cover Form, in the Graduate English Office no later than April 25 th in the second year of Ph.D. study. All reading lists will then be referred to the Graduate Executive Committee for approval. Students and Advisors should note that the Graduate Executive Committee will not approve lists that fail to
meet the basic guidelines recommended below.
The Field list consists of 60-80 primary works in the selected major field. Students whose dissertations cross periods or fields may be permitted to combine works from 2 fields, such as nineteenth-century American Literature and Children's Literature, or twentieth-century American and twentieth-century British literatures. A primary “work” refers to a play, a long poem or prose piece, a selection of multiple poems, short stories, or essays, a novella, or a novel; generally speaking, excerpts are not permissible, though standard excerpts of exceedingly long or multi-volume works may be permitted with the approval of the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Studies Committee. In assembling selections of poems, essays, excerpts, etc., candidates should not use undergraduate-oriented anthologies such as the Norton or Bedford anthologies; instead, candidates should research and choose an authoritative scholarly edition that surveys adequately—for a Ph.D.-level exam—each author's writings. All items should be numbered clearly, and lists should be arranged chronologically or in some other systematic fashion.
The Specialist list consists of 35-45 primary and secondary works focused on a concentrated topic that will inform the dissertation. A secondary “work” can refer to a book, a long essay, or a group of short essays. The candidate's list will reflect both breadth and depth of reading and a sense of the history of criticism throughout the specialty field as well as contemporary critical approaches to the works. The Graduate Executive Committee expects that the Specialist list will be focused mainly on secondary work. It is intended that this list will help the candidate to move toward the writing of the dissertation prospectus. Students whose ideas about the dissertation continue to change during the reading period may, of course, update their lists with the approval of the Advisory Committee.
Scheduling the Examination: After Examination lists are approved, students in consultation with their Advisory Committees need to agree upon specific dates on which their exams are to be administered and to complete the Graduate Doctoral Examination Sign-up form, which is available in the Graduate English Office. The Graduate Office should be notified of the planned date so that a room in CLAS can be designated. The deadline by which all students must take their Examination is March 1 st in the third year of Ph.D. study, though the Graduate Executive Committee encourages students to take exams in the fall semester or early in the spring semester.
Understanding Deadlines and Time Limits: The current Ph.D. Examination was devised in part to facilitate students' timely completion of the doctoral degree, and so the Graduate Executive Committee requires that students meet all official deadlines. Students incapable of meeting an Examination deadline, for whatever reason, must apply for a time extension from the Graduate Director by submitting a written request, signed by the student and his/her Major Advisor, at least one month in advance of the deadline. The letter must state the specific reasons for the time delay and also designate the specific amount of extra time requested. The Graduate Director, in consultation with the Graduate Executive Committee, will determine an appropriate response to the request, which will be communicated to the candidate by the Graduate Director. The Committee's response will specify new deadlines by which the exam should be taken or the Prospectus Exam passed. Students repeatedly failing to show progress towards the degree will be required to meet with the Major Advisor and Graduate Director to determine an appropriate solution to the problem.
Taking the Examination: Examination questions are to be drafted by the candidate's
Committee and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, but the Major Advisor is
responsible for overseeing the exam. All examinations will be taken in a designated
room of the CLAS building.
The questions in the Field Examination are organized into two distinct sections. The first
requires students to demonstrate a broad general knowledge of the field; the second
section is designed to test the candidate's analytical and interpretative skills and may
focus on a more specific aspect of the major field.
The Specialist Examination is designed to test the candidate's mastery of the historical,
theoretical, and critical texts defining the specialist topic. The candidate should discuss
with his/her Advisory Committee the written format of the Specialist exam.
These open-book examinations both last four hours and must be taken within a two-week
period. Though basic notes are permitted in the examination room, pre-written essays
and computer files are strictly forbidden. The dissertation Advisory Committee and one
outside reader will grade the examination. Students will receive a grade of “Pass,”
“Fail,” or “Honors.” Students who fail either the Field or Specialist examination will be required to meet with the Advisory Committee to determine an appropriate time and plan
for retaking it. Students failing the examination more than one time must meet with the
Advisory Committee and Director of Graduate Studies to determine an appropriate
course of action. Exam results will be communicated to the candidate by the Major
Advisor within two weeks of the exams. Advisors are strongly encouraged to
communicate to the candidate the strengths and weaknesses of the exam, whether in
writing or orally, and to discuss how the exam can be used to begin writing the
Dissertation Prospectus. Students are encouraged, though not required, to meet with the
Advisory Committee as a whole to discuss the exam and future research plans.
Dissertation Prospectus
The Dissertation Prospectus, which must contain an accurate title and concise account of the proposed dissertation, must be submitted in triplicate to the Graduate School before the actual writing of the dissertation has begun. The school’s form can be found online at www.grad.uconn.edu. The prospectus should be approximately ten-pages long, excluding the bibliography (Please see LINK to view a sample proposal). The Prospectus must be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee and reviewed by at least two departmental reviewers outside the committee, who are appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies.
Prospectus Defense (aka Proposal Colloquium).
The Dissertation Prospectus Defense is a pass-fail opportunity for the student to defend the thesis topic before the Advisory Committee and at least two additional faculty members chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies. The defense should take place before the actual writing begins on the dissertation. The Advisory Committee expects to be presented with a Prospectus sufficiently far along in its development for a judgment to be made on its scholarly validity and potential as a fully developed dissertation. The student and Major Advisor should inform the Director of Graduate Studies at least one month in advance of the day and time of this exam/evaluation.
Upon completion of the Prospectus Defense and all other requirements, the student officially becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree (ABD), and should devote full time to completion of the dissertation. A letter of candidacy is sent to all students from the Graduate School successfully completing all requirements for the degree except the dissertation.
Note: ABD status grants students the right to be considered for upper-level English
and/or literature teaching assignments. Because of changes made by the Graduate School
in fall semester, 2006, students will not be permitted to teach such classes prior to
completing the dissertation proposal.
Dissertation Chapter Advisory Conference
The Dissertation Chapter Advisory Conference is a non-graded opportunity for new ABD students to discuss with their advisory committees the strengths and weaknesses of a complete draft of a dissertation chapter. The conference is designed to serve three basic purposes: 1) to facilitate the transition of ABDs into the process of researching and writing the doctoral dissertation; 2) to encourage early communication between students and their committee members, and between primary and secondary advisors; 3) to encourange discussion of a future plan for the completion of toher dissertation chapters/parts. The Graduate Executive Committee requires every Ph.D. student to submit a complete draft of a chapter to the advisory committee, within 3 months but no later than 6 months after the date of the Dissertation Prospectus Defense. By "complete," the Committee wishes to emphasize that the intellectual integrity of the submitted chapter must not be compromised by any omitted material (such as notes, bibliography, etc.), by significant stylistic weaknesses, grammatical errors, etc. After the Conference, students must turn into the Gradaute office an Advisory Conference Approval Form, which must be signed by all advisory committee members.
Dissertation Defense
A Dissertation Defense is required of every student by the Graduate School. The student’s Advisory Committee and 2 Departmental Representatives are required to attend; members of the department and the University community are invited to attend. It is less an examination in the formal sense (though serious questions can be expected) than an appropriate forum for the candidate to comment on the scope and significance of the research. As a result of the Dissertation Defense, the student’s Advisory Committee may require revisions and corrections to the dissertation.
The student initiates scheduling of the Defense by consulting first with members of the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Office. At least five members of the faculty (including the members of the student’s Advisory Committee) must participate. Only members of the Advisory Committee, however, may actually recommend passing or failing the student. Students must schedule the Dissertation Defense with the Graduate Office and Advisory Committee at least three months ahead of time. Complete, clean copies of the dissertation should be distributed at least three weeks prior to the defense: two copies to the Graduate Office, one copy to the main English office (208), and copies to each Advisory Committee member. The student must also fulfill procedures set by the Graduate School at least four weeks before the planned defense, as well as notify the UCONN Advance.
Job Training and Professional Development
In the semester prior to submitting applications for a job, contact the Graduate Director to announce your intentions to go on the job market. The department runs annual meetings on CV and cover letter writing, teaching portfolio workshops, MLA and campus interviewing, etc. The Executive Committee recommends that Ph.D. students attend all of them.
Application to Receive the Degree
An application to receive the Ph.D. degree must be filed in the Graduate Records Office. Check the current Graduate Bulletin for the deadline for submitting this application. Check the current Graduate Bulletin (www.grad.uconn.edu) for the deadline for submitting this application.
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