Doctor of Philosophy

All courses counted toward the 135-unit requirement for the Ph.D. must be at the graduate level. Students must complete at least one course with each faculty member in the department by the end of year two. 

Required Year 1 and 2  Enrollment in GERMAN397 (Graduate Studies Colloquium) is mandatory for all students in years 1 and 2. Students in years 3 and above are also strongly encouraged to participate, with or without enrollment.

Qualifying Examination. 

At the end of the Spring quarter, all first- year Ph.D. students must take their Qualifying Examination. This examination is designed to cover the full range of German literary history. It is based on the German Studies reading list and builds on the core courses GERMAN 330, GERMAN 331, and GERMAN 332. Students who fail the Qualifying Examination are provided a second attempt before October 15. Failure to pass the Qualifying Exam on the second attempt results in dismissal from the Ph.D. program. See the DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information.

Qualifying Paper 

Students who succeed in the Qualifying Examination proceed to the next milestone. Students are required to submit a Qualifying Paper and conduct an oral defense by the end of Autumn quarter. Graduate students whose Qualifying Paper does not meet approval may revise and resubmit it by February 15. If the rewrite of the Qualifying Paper is deemed unacceptable, it will result in dismissal from the Ph.D. program at the end of the academic year. See the DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information. 

Dissertation Proposal Submission. 

During Spring quarter of year 2, the student will submit a brief dissertation proposal (roughly 1500 words) and selected bibliography (20-40 items) and coordinate a meeting with their dissertation committee to discuss this proposal as the blueprint for a projected dissertation. See the DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information. 

Dissertation Chapter Defense. 

Based on work in the Spring and Summer quarters of the second year, a draft chapter is submitted to the advisor by the beginning of the Autumn quarter. See DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information.

Although teaching is not a requirement for the degree, students may teach as part of the financial support commitment and their professional training.

The Candidacy File must be submitted to the SSM at the beginning of the Spring quarter of the second year. It comprises all seminar papers completed in the first and second year (at least five papers), the Dissertation Proposal (roughly 1500 words), and the Qualifying Paper. 

Admission to candidacy is an important decision by the department based on the department faculty’s overall assessment of a student’s ability to complete the Ph.D. program. Students are expected to follow department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of the second year in residence. In reviewing a student for admission to candidacy, the faculty considers a student’s academic progress, including but not limited to: 

• Advanced language proficiency

• Performance in courses and completion of required coursework

• Performance on departmental examinations and milestones

• Completion of at least three units of work with each of the faculty members in German

In addition to successfully completing departmental requirements for years one and two a student is only admitted to candidacy if the faculty makes the judgment that the student has the potential to complete the degree program requirements successfully. Candidacy is determined by faculty vote. Failure to be admitted to candidacy results in the student’s dismissal from the Ph.D. program.

The Department conducts Annual Reviews of each student’s academic performance at the end of spring quarter. All students are given feedback from the Department Director, helping them identify areas of strength and potential weakness. In most cases, students are simply given constructive feedback. However, if it is determined that a student is failing to make satisfactory progress, the Department Director will communicate a set of requirements the student must meet within three months, at which point, the student's progress is again reviewed. If the student has not met these requirements, the student will be dismissed from the program.

The University Oral Examination in German Studies involves a defense of a substantial portion of the dissertation, normally at least three draft chapters, and takes place no later than the end of Autumn quarter of the fifth year. 

All Ph.D. students are strongly encouraged to give a public lecture on their dissertation topic. This lecture may be scheduled after the successful completion of the University Oral Examination. 

See the DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information.

The standard format in our field is a monograph comprising five chapters, including the introduction and dissertation. Depending on the topic and approach, other structures may be considered and should be discussed with the advisor as the project develops. In consultation with their advisor, students may submit a collection of three to four published or publishable articles, together with an introduction as a dissertation. Students are expected to submit the dissertation by the end of their fifth year in the program. See the DLCL Graduate Handbook for more information.

A reading knowledge of a language other than English and German is not universally required. Depending on the student’s course of study, however, such knowledge may be recommended or even necessary. For example, students in Medieval Studies must also have an intermediate-level reading knowledge of Latin. In this case, reading knowledge is assessed by an examination administered by the Classics Department or by successful completion of a second-year Latin language course or graduate seminar in which Latin texts are read in the original. This language requirement must be satisfied as soon as possible, but no later than the end of year three. Students should consult with their advisors about language acquisition beyond English and German.

Upon entering the program, students must contact the Language Center and arrange to take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to determine their fluency in the target language.