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Requirements for PhD, All students starting fall semester 2009

1. 72 hours, 48 in residence
2. Classes and evaluations
3. Language requirement
4. Comprehensive Exam
5. Prospectus Defense
6. Dissertation

For a list of Latin American texts, click here.

For a list of Peninsular texts, click here.

1. Hours

Seventy-two (72) units of graduate work, 48 of which must be taken in residence at Washington University.

2. Classes and Evaluation

At the end of the first year, all students will be reviewed on the basis of their performance in developing a comprehensive knowledge of Hispanic literature, culture and language, to be shown by superior performance in course work and the writing of papers. Should that performance not meet the standards of the program, the student will be placed on probation during the third semester with the understanding that if performance does not improve, an invitation to take the 50 text master's exam will be extended at the end of the fourth semester. Upon successful completion of that exam as well as a sufficient number of courses, the student may leave the program with a master's degree.

All students will receive a yearly evaluation of their progress in the program.

3. Language Requirement

Option A. Reading knowledge of two languages other than Spanish or English, and which pertains to the proposed area of research for the dissertation. To demonstrate competence, the student may take either the ETS examination administered through the Graduate School office with a score of 650 or better, or an examination prepared by the department which would be two hours in length: one hour of translation without a dictionary from a book approved by the examiner and previously read by the student, and one hour with a dictionary of an unfamiliar passage of some 800 words in length.

Option B. A competence in one language other than Spanish or English which must be demonstrated by taking two 400-level literature courses in that language (which will count towards the 72 units).

Note: Specialists in Latin America must use Portuguese as one of the two languages in Option A, Specialists in Medieval or Golden Age must use Latin as one of the two languages.

4. Comprehensive Exam

In the sixth semester (fourth semester for students entering with an MA), students will take an exam based on the following list that spans 3 days, with 4 of 5 questions answered each day (8 hours per day). Questions will cover issues of literary history, cultural-historical contexts, relations to theoretical issues and leading critical debates, and can include transatlantic or trans-period topics. Successful answers will incorporate a clear understanding of the literary, historical and cultural context of the literature on the list as well as a deep familiarity with cultural and literary theory and criticism. Written exams will be followed by an oral exam of 60-90 minutes in which students defend their written answers as well as address questions that come from the list. Possible grades include pass, low pass and fail and will be based on an evaluation of their performance in the written and oral portions of the exam. Students may answer in the language they prefer, though they must answer at least one question each day in the other language (ie, if 3 questions are answered in English, one must be answered in Spanish).

Should a student be found deficient in one area, s/he will be allowed a retake the following semester in which they spend one day of 8 hours answering 4 of 5 questions dealing with the particular period in its entirety. Students who receive a low pass will receive a Master’s degree based on classes taken and will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students that fail more than one area in the initial exam will not be allowed to continue in the program.

5. Prospectus defense

In the eighth semester (ninth for certificate students) for students entering without an MA (6th for those entering with an MA) students who received a pass on their comprehensive exams will submit an extended prospectus of 15-20 pages and a draft of a chapter. The student will then defend the prospectus and the chapter to a committee of 4 faculty members in a one-hour oral exam. The faculty members will include the thesis director, 2 members of the thesis committee, the director of graduate studies. Should there be overlap between the DGS and the thesis committee, another faculty member will participate to maintain the committee of 4. Prospectus defense will be in the language of the dissertation.

6. Dissertation

Customarily 12 of the 72 units are devoted to the dissertation. The student has a dissertation committee to be determined by mutual agreement consisting of a professor in charge and two other members. The following steps must be completed:

The dissertation proposal to the department needs to be signed by the three faculty members in the student's dissertation committee;

The dissertation is submitted to the advisor chapter by chapter;

Once approved by the advisor, chapters should be submitted to two other members of the committee.

As soon as the dissertation begins to take shape, the student must file a "Scope of Dissertation" with the Graduate School office (no later than six months before the granting of the degree). When a near-final draft of the dissertation has been approved by the three members of the committee, the student must carefully prepare the typescript according to the rules of the Graduate School (a copy of which can be obtained in the Graduate School office). The department usually recommends following the MLA Style Sheet for footnotes and bibliography. The student will prepare a curriculum vitae and an abstract of the dissertation, which must be turned in to the Graduate School two weeks before the defense. There is no time limit on the defense, but it usually lasts no more than two hours. The committee often requests corrections before the dissertation is finally turned in. (See Statement for Doctoral Candidates Writing Theses.)

For more information on the dissertation schedule and dissertation fellowship, please consult the pertinent segments of the Graduate Studies website.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is no longer accepting paper copies of the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). Please click here for a link to the new Dissertation guide.