PhD Comprehensive Examinations

    Regulations for Comprehensive PhD Examinations (effective September 23, 2024)

    A. Comprehensive Examinations — Major Field

    1. This exam is set by the appropriate program (Czech & Slovak; Polish; Russian; South Slavic; Ukrainian) and tests students’ knowledge of their major field. Typically, the exam consists of two parts, taken one week apart. Each part lasts two to three hours and includes two to three sections. Students must choose one question from each section and answer it in essay form. Students take the major field exam at the beginning of the fall semester in the third year of doctoral study. Exceptions must be approved by the department.

    2. Each student will choose a thesis supervisor several months prior to taking the major field exam.

    3. In consultation with the supervisor and with reference to the field-specific reading list posted online, each student will compile an individual reading list for the major field exam. The list must be approved by the thesis supervisor and submitted to the Associate Chair—Graduate at least two weeks prior to the student’s major field exam. The field-specific reading lists posted online are for consultation purposes only: students may choose for their individual reading lists sources not included in the posted lists.

    4. The individual reading list will correspond to the chronological segmentation of the major field exam (see paragraph 6 below). The list will include both primary and secondary sources. The sources must represent all chronological periods covered by the exam. The number of sources on the list shall not exceed 100. For the purposes of this list, a poem or a short story are treated as part of the verse collection or story cycle in which they originally appeared. Only the entire collection or cycle will count as a source.

    5. Students are responsible for the thorough knowledge of the primary and secondary sources from the individual reading list. Major field exam questions are based on the list, testing one’s knowledge of the included sources and of the issues in literary, intellectual, and cultural history relevant to these sources.

    6. Considering regional variations in Slavic cultural history, each program determines the chronological breakdown of its major field exam. Students specializing in Czech & Slovak, Polish, South Slavic, and Ukrainian literatures and cultures must consult with the faculty in charge of these programs for details concerning their major field exam. The chronological breakdown of the Russian exam is as follows:

    • Part I (three sections)
      • Pre-1700
      • The longer 18th century
      • 1815-1856
    • Part II (three sections)
      • 1856-1895
      • 1895-1956
      • 1956 to the present
    1. Should a student be interested in writing a comparative thesis that brings together different Slavic areas, the individual reading list for the general field exam will reflect the comparative nature of the proposed thesis and will be compiled in consultation with the student’s supervisor(s). Since the general field exam is based on the individual reading list, exam questions will address different Slavic fields
       
    2. A student who fails the major field exam may attempt to pass it one more time in the following term. The doctoral candidate must pass the major field exam in order to go on to the special field examination.

    B. Comprehensive Examinations — Special Field

    1. Immediately after the major field exam, the candidate and the thesis supervisor will assemble a committee usually consisting of three members (including the supervisor).

    2. Within a month following the major field exam, the candidate will submit a draft of the doctoral thesis proposal consisting of a statement of topic, a summary of secondary literature, and a description of methodology. This proposal and the reading list associated with it will be no longer than 2500 words.

    3. The supervisor and, in most cases, the committee will respond to the proposal.

    4. The candidate will submit the final draft of the proposal and the related bibliography of primary and secondary sources within a month after receiving response to the first draft. The final draft will contain a provisional outline of the dissertation and will be no longer than 5000 words.

    5. Within ten days of this submission, the committee will conduct an oral special field exam, accepting or rejecting the proposal. If the proposal is rejected, the candidate will be asked to submit another proposal within a month.

    PDF iconRegulations for Qualifying Doctoral Exams.pdf

    Reading Lists