phd and ma

BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD - what do they all mean?

BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD (and more) are abbreviations of British degrees.

They reflect the specific level and discipline of a qualification achieved at university.

While most courses are conducted on a full-time basis, there are options for part-time, distance learning and other flexible learning arrangements.

Here is a breakdown of some of the most common qualifications and ones that Aberystwyth University offers.

BA = Bachelor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences;
BSc = Bachelor of Sciences;
BENG = Bachelor of Engineering (Software, Robotics and Physics);
LLB = Bachelor of Law.

Achieved after 3 to 4 years of study. The extra year (for a 4 year course) can be from a year studying abroad or a year working in industry.

Integrated-Masters:

MARTS = Masters of Arts;
MBIOL = Masters of Biology;
MCOMP = Masters of Computer Science;
MENG = Masters of Engineering;
MMATH = Masters of Mathematics;
MPHYS = Masters of Physics;
MSCI = Masters of Sciences and Humanities.

4 years course (3-year Bachelors, 1 year Masters) that enables you to secure a loan for the full duration rather than having to fund a Masters degree separately.

MA = Masters of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences;
MSc = Masters of Sciences;
MBA = Masters of Business Administration;
MPhil = Masters of Philosophy: Advanced research Masters degree;
MRes = Masters of Research: Contains some taught and research elements;
LLM = Masters of Law.

Achieved after graduation from Bachelors level, usually 1-2 years duration.

PhD = Doctor of Philosophy: for a range of disciplines.

Achieved after graduating from Masters level, usually 3-8 years duration.

A wide range of Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Further-Research courses – across the Arts and Sciences – are available at Aberystwyth.

The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey

What Does BA, MA & PhD Mean in Degrees?

How to Get a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree at Once

Are you ready move ahead in your education, but not entirely sure which degree is right for your future career? Depending upon your focus and what education you've already earned, you can earn a degree in just a few years.

Many employers depending upon the level of the job require employees to have obtained a bachelors degree. For individuals hoping to advance their career or even to receive higher compensation, a masters degree is required. In some positions of leadership, it's not only necessary to have a doctorate degree, but a requirement.

A B.A., Bachelor of Arts, M.A., Master of Arts, or PhD, Doctor of Philosophy are nationally recognized degree programs that will give you the knowledge you need to succeed.

B.A.: Bachelor of Arts

Typically a four-year degree program within a specified departmental major, B.A. degrees are undergraduate degrees conferred upon completion of a Bachelor of Arts program or by transferring credits from an associate degree program toward the completion of a bachelor's degree program and finishing the required courses at the four-year school. Bachelor of Arts degrees emphasize education in the liberal arts. It's often required to complete course credits in fields such as humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics and foreign language. Some schools may also require additional categories of course work, such as multicultural studies. To complete a B.A. degree, you must also declare a major field of concentration for the degree. The major concentration is normally associated with the humanities or social sciences.

M.A.: Master of Arts

An M.A. is a Master of Arts degree. Master of Arts degrees are graduate degree programs within a concentrated specialization pursued after the completion of a bachelor's degree. Students often pursue master's degrees to gain promotion in their current careers or to advance to a new career within their field. A Master of Arts degrees gives you the opportunity to really focus on the subject in which you will earn your degree. The type of work typically involved includes, more in-depth reading and writing papers based on your analysis of a specific subject. As you near the completion of the degree, you will most likely be required to participate in a lecture, exam, final project or a thesis. It all depends on the intensity of the program. If you intend on furthering your education even more to obtain a doctoral degree, you must complete a master's degree program first.

Ph.D.: Doctor of Philosophy

A Ph.D. means Doctor of Philosophy and is the highest academic degree you can earn within a field of study. Students who complete a Ph.D. receive the prestigious title of doctor. A doctoral degree requires extensive research, often leading to the completion of a dissertation. Ph.D. recipients can progress toward careers as college professors, researchers or other professional positions related to their field.

Selecting the Right Degree

If you're wishing to pursue higher education degrees, you should consider your career goals and the objectives you hope to accomplish. You should research the career you intend to pursue and determine the level of education needed to acquire the position. You should speak to academic and enrollment counselors at the prospective institutions where you wish to study before making final decisions about your education. Some careers require only a bachelor's degree, while others prefer graduate degrees in the form of a master's or doctoral degree.

How to Obtain Your Master's Degree Plus 45 Credits in Education

Can I Still Get Financial Aid If I'm Getting a Second Associate's ...

Difference in an Undergraduate & Postgraduate Diploma

How to Get a Master's Degree in One Year

Which north carolina universities offer dba.

Political Science Vs. Criminal Justice Degree

What Do You Hope to Gain by Going to College?

How to Calculate Semester Hours

Columbia College: Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
Penn State University: B.A. Degree Requirements
Purdue University: Notes on the PhD Degree
The Princeton Review: Master's vs PhD Programs
Thomas Edison State College: Bachelor of Arts

Heather Dennull has been active in the education field since 2003. She teaches developmental English and introductory courses in humanities and philosophy at the college level. She has a master's degree in education and is working toward a doctorate in educational leadership.

What is the difference between a postgraduate taught master’s and a postgraduate research master’s?

Pgce, mres, ma, msc or phd if you’re considering postgraduate study, use this guide to learn the difference between the kinds of postgraduate degrees on offer.

Richard Carruthers

Postgraduate courses come in many formats, ranging from vocational diplomas and certificates through to master’s and doctoral qualifications.

The two most common categories of postgraduate study are postgraduate taught (PGT) courses and postgraduate research (PGR) courses.

As you shop around potential postgraduate courses, you may also come across the PGCE, the LLM, the MRes, the MPhil and the PhD.

But what is the difference between all these acronyms?

Below is a guide explaining the differences between all the postgraduate degrees on offer, including how the application process varies between them.

Postgraduate taught (PGT) courses

Postgraduate taught courses are sometimes called level 7 qualifications and are one of the most common kinds of master’s degrees. When people refer to master’s courses, they usually mean a postgraduate taught course.

These courses are typically one year in duration if studied full-time, or two years if studying part-time.

The course will usually comprise several months of taught classes, much like undergraduate study, followed by an intensive independent research project for the final few months.

These courses have highly specialised content, making them great launchpads for careers where specialist knowledge is required. They are also often used as a stepping stone to more advanced research degrees.

What’s the difference between an MSc and an MA?

Postgraduate taught courses will usually lead to either an MSc or an MA qualification, depending on the subject you choose.

An MSc stands for a “master of science” and will focus on advancing a particular aspect of scientific research across the sciences, engineering, mathematics or a similar field that involves logic, scientific research or numbers.

An MA refers to a “master of arts”, and covers postgraduate taught degrees in the arts and humanities, such as literature, languages, history, cultural studies and some social sciences.

Applying for a postgraduate taught course

To apply for a postgraduate taught course, you will normally be asked to provide transcripts showing your academic performance on your undergraduate degree, a personal statement and a CV.

Your CV should focus on your educational achievements and interests and discuss any project work that shows you have the technical and academic skills needed to be a successful and independent postgraduate student.

Your personal statement can be tackled in a similar way to a cover letter, where you introduce yourself and convey your interest, enthusiasm and motivation to study the subject. It is also advisable to tailor your statement to each course you apply for and to explain your interest in some of the modules offered by that specific course.

It can also be beneficial to demonstrate some thought around where the course will lead you in the future, whether that’s into a new career or towards further study.

With postgraduate taught courses, you often won’t have to submit a research proposal for your research project as part of your application, as the taught elements of the course are meant to help inform your research proposal.

However, some postgraduate master’s courses may ask for you to submit a research proposal or at least have an idea of the topic you want to do your master’s dissertation on, even if this changes later.

Applying to master’s courses is generally done through a decentralised system, meaning you apply individually to each course and university. Each institution will set different entrance and application requirements. Check the exact requirements your course is looking for, and get in touch with the institution’s postgraduate admissions office with any questions.

What are MRes and MPhil degrees?

The MPhil stands for “master of philosophy”. The MRes course option, which is relatively new but has grown in popularity in recent years, stands for a “master of research”.

Much like postgraduate taught courses, both the MPhil and the MRes are technically classified as level 7 qualifications, and typically take one year to complete.

The main difference between an MRes or MPhil and a postgraduate taught course is that MRes and MPhil courses place much more focus on individual research, with as much as 60 per cent to 100 per cent of either degree consisting of a personal research project.

Given the heavy research focus, MRes and MPhil courses tend to contain fewer taught classes, but you will usually receive training in research techniques. As a result of the research focus, an MRes or an MPhil may help prepare a student for a doctoral programme (PGR) or a career that requires specific research skills and techniques.

Applying for an MRes or MPhil course is very similar to applying for a postgraduate taught course, but you may be asked to submit a research proposal as part of your application, so it’s important to have an idea of the kind of research project you would like to pursue.

Doctorate courses

Postgraduate research (PGR) courses are sometimes called level 8 qualifications and usually refer to doctorate courses.

These courses take about three to four years of full-time study to complete, but the exact duration of a doctorate course depends on whether you get involved in teaching, how long your research takes to complete and how long it takes you to write your doctorate thesis.

Successful PhD candidates are awarded doctoral qualifications such as doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of engineering (EngD), depending on their field of research.

Research is the core component of a PhD programme, and you will be expected to produce original work on a specific subject topic, usually in the form of a thesis.

Doctorate qualifications are often a prerequisite for a career as a university academic, researcher or scientist in industry.

Applying for a doctorate (PhD) programme

To apply for a doctorate degree, you’ll need to submit a personal statement and a CV, both providing evidence of your academic experiences and passion for the subject.

Some PhD programmes will expect you to have already completed a postgraduate taught programme, but this isn’t always essential.

For a PhD, you may also be asked to submit a detailed research proposal outlining a specific research question you would like to address, the subject area you will work in, and the approach you would take to solving this.

Your proposal should demonstrate your current knowledge and discuss how your research idea could develop or challenge existing knowledge. You should also mention the potential significance of your research and why it would be a useful contribution to your chosen field.

Usually, you will be expected to apply individually to each PhD programme you’re interested in. Places will usually be dependent on your academic achievements, but also on the funding available in your chosen university department and whether the university can provide an appropriate supervisor.

If you’re considering applying for a PhD, it may be worth contacting academics individually to discuss whether they’d be interested in supervising you and asking about any funding opportunities.

.css-185owts{overflow:hidden;max-height:54px;text-indent:0px;} Is it possible to do a three-year PhD as an international student?

Samiul Hossain

What is a PhD? Advice for PhD students

How do I choose a master's?

Charlie Pullen

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Master’s vs PhD — These are the Main Differences

Updated: July 18, 2022

Published: October 31, 2019

Master’s-vs-PhD---These-are-the-Main-Differences-

The consideration between earning a master’s vs PhD is not always an easy choice. While many careers and personal aspirations may be complete with just an undergraduate degree (Associate’s or Bachelor’s), a lot of people continue their higher education to obtain graduate degrees. These include a master’s and/or a PhD.

Neither a master’s degree nor a PhD is considered to be a walk in the park. Therefore, it’s useful to understand why you would earn either and then decide how far to go.

Photo by Good Free Photos on Unsplash

Definitions: master’s vs phd.

Bost a master’s and PhD are defined as postgraduate degrees, but they require different commitments and styles of learning.

1. Master’s Degree:

Mostly all master’s degrees will require the completion of an undergraduate bachelor’s degree to enroll. They generally all share the same common requirement for a thesis or dissertation to graduate.

Earning a master’s degree through a taught program will result in the completion of a Master of Art (MA), Master of Science (MS), or Master of Philosophy (MPhil). For those who earn their master’s degree through research, they will earn a Master of Research (Mre), in a tailored field of study. There are also degree-specific master’s programs like Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Education (M.Ed).

After earning a master’s degree, the next step is a PhD, which entails both working and performing research at an institution. A PhD is an abbreviation for “Doctor of Philosophy.” It is the highest academic degree one can achieve. As such, it is a time-consuming pursuit that requires a lot of studying and research.

You may be wondering, “Do you need a master’s to get a PhD?”

Technically, the answer is not always. Some students skip a master’s and go straight for their PhD, but they may lack research experience. While it could save money, the transition between a bachelor’s and a PhD is incredibly sharp. It may be harder to complete a PhD without the experience from a master’s.

Yet, some institutions may allow for the possibility to earn both your master’s and PhD in conjunction with one another. This will alleviate the transition between skipping a master’s and going straight to earning a PhD.

Should You Get a Master’s or PhD?

There are many considerations to factor when deciding between a master’s of PhD. For starters, it’s useful to consider the amount of time it will take, the cost, and the benefits and disadvantages of each. It is also of utmost importance to explore your own personal goals and reasons for wanting a graduate degree.

If your desired career of choice requires a PhD, like becoming a university professor, then you have your answer. If you want to start a business and benefit by networking while in school, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) could be a good idea. Consider what you want to pursue as a career and find out the requirements first.

Another useful thing to note is that a master’s degree can be used for a shift in careers. For example, if you attended college and earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities, but now you want to pursue science, you can still earn your master’s degree in a scientific discipline. On the other hand, a PhD is tailored to your field of study and specialty, so it will require that you are sure of your direction when you first earn your master’s degree.

Length of Time

A typical master’s degree program takes about two years full-time. However, there are accelerated programs that can be completed in just a year or so.

A PhD, in general, requires five to six years of studying, teaching, and research. However, it may even take some students up to eight or nine years to graduate. With this significant investment in time, it’s necessary to know if a PhD is right for you before starting.

The cost of both programs varies by institution and enrollment status of part-time versus full-time. However, since a PhD takes longer to complete, it will end up costing more. With that said, if you look into your return on investment, a PhD could end up yielding a higher salary, and therefore end up “costing less.”

Additionally, there is also the possibility of being paid to complete your PhD. Some students may receive an academic stipend, a university fellowship or apprenticeship or a reduced fee to earn their PhD while completing research (or teaching) at an institution. It’s also possible to get financial aid through a scholarship or grant.

As tuition rates continue to rise, it’s useful to look into alternative institutions for affordable education. For example, the University of the People offers a tuition-free master’s program in Business Administration and Education. This means you can study 100% online and graduate for less than the cost of most programs.

Weighing the Benefits

When comparing the two degree types, here are some benefits of each:

Career-oriented
Can open the door for more job opportunities
Costs less than a PhD
Takes less time than a PhD
Helps you stand out from those with only an undergraduate degree
You can perform research in your field of choice
You become an expert in your field
The prefix Dr. is added to your name
You can teach in academia at the highest level

Required Commitment and Reasons to Pursue

Both a master’s and a PhD require a huge amount of hard work and utter commitment. You must be dedicated and motivated to complete either degree. Since most careers only may require a bachelor’s degree, having a master’s or PhD will set you apart from the competition. However, this should not be the sole reason to pursue either.

You may be wondering why would you earn either degree. Here’s a look at some motivational factors:

Reasons to Study for a Master’s

Your career requires it (see next section)
You want to advance your subject knowledge
You want to experience graduate school and network with peers

Reasons to Study for a PhD

You want to contribute new research to your field of choice
Your career requires a PhD
You want to earn the title of Dr.

Careers in the medical field often require a PhD

Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash

Required degrees by career.

Most people are motivated to pursue higher education because their desired careers require they do so. Here, we will break down those fields that require the completion of a master’s degree as it’s high on the list of reasons why to get one.

Education Administration: To work as an administrator in an educational institution, you need to hold an advanced degree. A Master’s in Education (M.Ed) will provide you with the necessary knowledge and required skills to succeed in the field.
Executive Level Business: A Master’s in Business (MBA) will not only place you ahead of the competition to land high-level positions in the field of business, but it can also be the jumping off point for becoming your own boss.
Environmental Science: With issues in climate change and technological advancement, careers in Environmental Science are growing. As with most scientific careers, it requires a master’s degree where you will learn Applied Ecology, Environmental Policy, Environmental Chemistry, and more.
Mental Health: To become a licensed practitioner and assist in mental health counseling, you will continue your education through a master’s degree in the field.
Physical Therapy: Employers of physical therapists often prefer them to obtain a master’s degree in the discipline as the field is highly specialized.

Of course, some careers require a PhD. These careers are easy to spot because they have the prefix Dr. in front of them or the suffix like J.D. (Juris Doctor). To become a lawyer, doctor of medicine, veterinary medicine or psychologist/psychiatrist, you must obtain a PhD in the respective field.

Salary Differences Between Master’s and Ph.D. Graduates

According to a study performed by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce , the overall evidence shows that the higher the degree you have, the higher your salary potential. However, the differences vary by subject level and field.

In general, the expected lifetime earnings of those with each degree level is as follows:

High School Diploma: $973,000
Bachelor’s Degree: $1.3 million
Master’s Degree: $2.7 million
Doctorate Degree: $3.3 million

The Bottom Line

Aside from the financial cost and length of time, the opportunity to earn a master’s and a doctorate degree can offer several benefits.

However, it is an undertaking that requires a lot of dedication and motivation on behalf of the student. As such, it’s important to perform research on your desired career’s requirements, as well as your personal interest in pursuing either a Phd vs master’s.

Integrated Masters with PhD – Explained
Types of Doctorates

An Integrated Masters with a PhD (iPhD) is a four-year postgraduate level programme that combines a one-year Masters course with a three-year PhD course. They allow students to familiarise themselves with their chosen topic, research methods and academic writing techniques before embarking on their own independent research project. An Integrated Masters with a PhD is particularly popular with international students and students who initially lack specialised knowledge or research skills.

Introduction

An Integrated Masters with PhD, also commonly referred to as either just an Integrated Masters degree or an Integrated PhD, offers a relatively new way to undertake postgraduate training. They maintain the depth and focus of a conventional PhD but offer a more comprehensive doctoral training experience.

Due to their growing popularity, both the number of universities offering these newer forms of PhD and the number of students applying to them has steadily increased.

This page describes what Integrated Masters with PhDs are, who they are for, their advantages and disadvantages, how they differ from conventional PhDs and how they are structured in terms of programme, eligibility and costs. This page is for you if you are considering applying for an integrated course, or simply want to know more about them.

What is an Integrated PhD?

An Integrated PhD is a four-year postgraduate programme. They involve undertaking a one-year Masters degree (MRes or MSc) in your first year, followed by a three-year PhD programme in your second to fourth year. Although the courses run back-to-back, a student can only progress to the second year if they show satisfactory performance in their first year. The one-year Masters and the three-year PhD are considered separately in terms of qualifications; therefore, a student who completes an Integrated PhD will receive both a Masters degree (MRes or MSc) and a PhD as opposed to a single postgraduate qualification.

The aim of an Integrated PhD is to provide a structured approach to doctoral studies, combining advanced PhD research with formal teaching in relevant subjects, research methods and communication skills.

As Integrated PhDs are relatively new compared to more regular doctoral pathways such as stand-alone or MPhil-upgraded PhDs, some professors informally refer to them as ‘New Route PhDs’.

Difference Between Integrated PhD and Regular PhD

The most significant difference between an Integrated PhD and a regular PhD is the addition of the one-year Masters degree at the beginning of the programme. This results in an Integrated PhD typically lasting four years, as opposed to the three years as with regular PhDs.

Integrated PhDs are structured in such a way that they provide students with a broader range of foundational skills than a regular PhD. The first year introduces you to a combination of taught elements, practical experience and advanced research skills. In a regular PhD this mode of teaching is missing as it is assumed you already have this level of knowledge.

The last significant difference between the two types of doctoral programmes is the ‘group’ aspect associated with the Integrated version. Since the Masters programme also includes other students enrolled in Integrated PhDs, you will have a small cohort with whom you will work closely alongside during your studies.

Who are Integrated PhDs suitable for?

Integrated PhDs can be an effective pathway for any student, but they stand out in two situations:

Scenario 1: International Students

The Higher Education system differs across countries , although not by a large amount, enough to where an unfamiliar student may struggle, especially when working independently. An Integrated PhD allows you to adapt to the UK education system by offering a more guided and hands-on approach to your learning and research process before you embark on your three-year research project.

It also has visa benefits. If an international student seeking a Masters degree in the UK already knows they want to follow it up with a PhD, enrolling in an Integrated PhD will save them from having to leave the country and re-apply for a visa after completing their initial postgraduate degree.

Scenario 2: Lack of undergraduate research experience or a relevant Masters degree

An Integrated PhD is useful for students who have academic abilities but lack the necessary background to be considered for a standard-route PhD. This usually occurs under one of three scenarios:

The applicant is currently an undergraduate student or only holds a Bachelor’s degree,
The student has a Masters degree, but in a subject only loosely related to the discipline they wish to pursue at doctoral level,
The student has a relevant Masters degree, but the programme lacked a research focus, leaving the student with underdeveloped research skills.

Advantages and Disadvantages of an Integrated PhD

The advantages of an Integrated PhD are strongly linked to the international and inexperienced students they cater for. They offer students an effective means of gaining more confidence, knowledge and research skills in their field before starting a doctorate, and also provide visa benefits to international students who will be undertaking prior postgraduate study.

Integrated PhDs also enable students the possibility of receiving funding for the Masters phase of their programme, as will be explained in more detail in the ‘Funding Opportunities’ section.

Integrated doctorates have no obvious disadvantages, but are generally not suitable for those who already have a Masters degree or well-developed research skills in their chosen field. For these students, the additional costs and duration of an Integrated PhD can be avoided by opting for a traditional PhD for which they will already be suited for.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

The programme of study is naturally divided into two parts, the first for your Masters studies and the second for your PhD studies.

Your Masters studies will usually be divided into 180 module credits, half of which will focus on taught components and the other half on research components.

The modules will be tailored to your course, but they will include a variation of:

Taught modules:

Subject-specific module – You choose one or two modules from a predefined list of topics within your subject area. Your selection should reflect the research area you want your PhD to focus on.
English and Communication – Academic language and communication skills will be taught to prepare you for the ‘writing-up’ phase of your doctorate. A common misconception is that this module is similar to the English language requirement tests required to apply to a iPhD. In reality, the module will focus on learning how to critically evaluate research sources, write abstracts, literature reviews and conclusions, communicate in lab-based environments and present to audiences.
Research Techniques – You’ll receive in-depth training to familiarise you with the different research methods and analytical techniques available to modern researchers.
Research Proposal Development – You’ll work with your intended PhD supervisor to prepare a research proposal for your three-year PhD research project.

Research Modules:

You will carry out one or two small laboratory research projects under supervision for practical experience.

Integrated PhD in UK - Lectures and Lab Work

If you complete these modules with satisfactory performance, you will be awarded a Masters degree and will be considered for the following three-year PhD programme.

Each university has its own process for making this consideration, but most invite you to an interview with the supervisor you wish to conduct research with. The interview is used to confirm that you have acquired the specialised knowledge and research skills expected at masters level, and beyond that of someone capable of completing doctoral study.

If your interview goes well, you will be enrolled in your PhD programme. From this point on, your path will be the same as a regular PhD student. During your doctoral phase, you will conduct independent research and laboratory work for two years, followed by a final year of writing up and formally submitting your findings as a thesis. Your thesis, expertise and research competence will be assessed in an oral examination known as a viva. Upon successful completion of your viva, you will be officially awarded a PhD, and your studies will come to an end.

It should be noted that aside from the above, your university may offer optional modules which can equip you with a wide range of transferable skills.

Eligibility

Entry requirements for an integrated masters degree in the UK will vary from university to university, but the typical requirement is an Upper Second Class (2:1) honours Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject. Equivalent international qualifications are also accepted.

If you are an international student and English is your second language, most universities will require proof of your English language proficiency through an exam certificate. It’s best to check directly with the universities which certificate types they accept, but the most common English language qualification requirement is an IELTS certificate, with a minimum overall score of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in each category.

The typical annual tuition fee for an Integrated PhD in the UK is £4,712 per academic year for home/EU students (or £2,356 for part-time study) and £19,596 per academic year for international students (or £9,798 for part-time study).

As with all doctoral programmes, there are likely to be additional costs associated with your studies, such as bench fees for lab work, travel costs for collaborating and potential write-up fees for students who need more time to submit their thesis. You can get more information about these additional costs on our cost breakdown page .

Funding Opportunities

You can obtain funding for Integrated PhDs in the same way as for regular PhDs. Funding is usually provided by one of the seven UK Research Councils and research charity organisations such as the Wellcome Trust ; grants, scholarships and funded opportunities can be found directly in our searchable database .

Funding can either be partial (tuition fees only) or full (tuition fees and living costs). Most funding providers also cover the tuition fee for the Masters degree programme due to being integrated with the PhD, however, you should confirm this on a case-by-case basis.

As with regular PhD funding, the fully-funded opportunities are generally limited to home and EU students.

It’s also worth noting that PhD programmes which include an integrated Masters degree are eligible for a Doctoral Loan , even if you already have a postgraduate Masters degree from a previous university. Applications for Doctoral Loans must be made directly to Student Finance England and you must first be registered for a full doctoral degree. Due to application restrictions, you won’t be able to apply for a separate Postgraduate Masters Loan for the integrated Masters phase of your degree.

Availability

You can search for Integrated PhDs in three ways:

Our Search Page – Search for the term ‘Integrated’ in our comprehensive database of STEM PhDs .
University Search Pages – Universities advertise their Integrated PhDs on their postgraduate search pages. You can find them by searching the name of the university followed by “ search postgraduate courses ” directly in Google.
Funding Body Websites – Funding bodies which provide studentships for Integrated PhDs sometimes advertise the positions on their website. A list of the most common funding providers can be found here: PhD Studentships .

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

Berkeley School of Education

Ma and phd programs, about our ma and phd.

Earning a Master’s of Arts degree (MA) or doctorate (PhD) from Berkeley’s School of Education often leads to a career as an educational scholar and researcher in schools, colleges, and universities; non-profits and think tanks; and corporations.

In your application, we encourage you to describe your research interests as well as your desire to study with particular faculty in their application materials. If you wish to study educational topics outside those framed in the list below, we still encourage you to apply to earn your MA or PhD because we want innovative thinkers among us.

During the first semester, all students build a plan of study in consultation with their advisor(s). This plan is revisited, updated, and revised yearly thereafter.

What Doctoral Students Can Expect

During the first two years of study, the Berkeley PhD in Education introduces you to research on current issues in education, theories of learning, human development, and inequality, educational policy, and research methods. Students proceed through the program during the first two years in a cohort, taking core courses together.

The degree program’s structure ensures that you have a broad understanding of important topics in education and that you begin developing the research expertise needed to carry out independent research projects. You will also begin to take elective courses within and outside the BSE in your expected areas of expertise.

By the third and fourth years of study, you are expected to develop greater expertise in your research specialties in close consultation with your faculty advisors. You also take advanced seminars; engage in independent studies and research apprenticeships; and complete an oral exam.

The concluding part of your doctoral studies is preparation of your dissertation proposal and the research and writing of your dissertation.

What Master's Students Can Expect

As a Master’s student, you join the Berkeley community for one academic year, affiliating with a cluster of specialization. MA students often complete courses and their Masters projects during the summer. You are required to complete 24 semester units, which equals seven to eight classes, depending on how many units are awarded for each class.

You will have access to your faculty advisors, an MA Coordinator, and Student Services staff within the School of Education.

Learn more about the core requirements for earning a Master's in Education .

Our faculty’s interests span a range of critical topics and issues that are crucial for the attainment of educational equity and greater impact in schools and communities. The broad clusters of our faculty’s expertise are listed below. Click on any of the titles to see faculty who are engaged in this research.

Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender

Critical Social and Cultural Theories
Globalization, Immigration, and Migration
Race & Social Inequality in Urban Education
Domination and Resistance across Educational Settings
Social Identities in Educational Contexts
Language, Literacy, and Digital Media

Language, Literacy, and Culture

Sociocultural aspects of language use and development across the lifespan
Linguistic and cultural diversity in language and literacy education
Intersections of disability and language and literacy learning
Race and inequality in language and literacy education
Bi/multilingualism and translanguaging in schools and communities
Indigenous language maintenance and education in local and global contexts
Literacy in a Digital Age
Literacy in and out of School

Learning Sciences and Human Development

Cognitive, Human, and Social Development
Mathematics and Science Education
Teacher Learning and Education
Technology and Digital Media

Policy, Politics, and Leadership

Leadership in Educational Organizations
Policy Analysis and Program Implementation
Politics of Education Advocacy
School Improvement

Social Research Methodologies

Data Science
Design-Based Research
Measurement
Qualitative Research Methods
Statistics and Econometrics

School Psychology

• Program Aims and Training Goals • Faculty • Sequence • How to Apply • Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data • Student Handbook • Publications and Presentations • School Psychology-Resources

Future Students
Current Students
Faculty/Staff

Admissions & Aid

Admissions Home

Application Requirements

Financing Options
Diversity Profile

Three students sitting in front a water fountain.

Deadlines For The 2024-2025 Academic Year:

Application Available: September 15, 2023 PhD Application Deadline: December 1, 2023 (11:59pm PST) MA/MS Application Deadline: January 8, 2024 (11:59pm PST) KHS GSE Program Application Deadline, Master's & PhD Candidates: November 13, 2023

Complete and submit Stanford’s graduation application form . For reference only, here is a PDF sample of last year's application .

Coterm applicants (current Stanford undergraduates): please use the coterminal application . For more information on being a GSE coterm, visit this page: https://ed.stanford.edu/admissions/coterminal

The application fee is $125, is nonrefundable, and must be received by the application deadline.

Application fee waivers are reviewed when the graduate application opens in mid-September, and are available to GSE applicants in three ways:

GRE Fee Reduction Certificate-Based Waiver
Program Participation-Based Waiver
School-Based Waiver

GRE fee reduction certificate and program participation waivers are granted by Stanford's Central Graduation Admissions office . School-based waivers are granted by GSE admissions to applicants who do not qualify for the GRE fee reduction certificate or the program participation-based waiver. School-based waiver applications will be reviewed on a first-come basis. Preference is given to low-income, first generation domestic applicants. Acceptance or denial of your fee waiver application does not affect your likelihood of admission into a graduate program.

GSE Admissions reviews and releases our School-based fee waiver decisions in rounds, and decisions are sent after 12:00 PM (Pacific) the day of the fee waiver application deadline. The rounds are scheduled as follows:

Round 1: October 1 - October 19 @ 12pm PDT (decisions released on October 20) Round 2: October 20 - November 2 @ 12pm PDT (decisions released on November 3, last day for KHS Master's or PhD applicants) Round 3: November 3 - November 16 @ 12pm PDT (decisions released on November 17, last day for PhD applicants) Round 4: November 17 - December 7 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on December 8) Round 5: December 8 - January 4 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on January 5, last day for Master's applicants)

If your fee waiver application is approved you will receive a waiver code to enter on the payment page of your graduate admissions application.

If you do not receive a fee waiver, you are instructed to pay the $125 nonrefundable fee.

Your typed, single-spaced statement of purpose should be between one and two pages with 12-point font and regular, one-inch margins. Describe your reasons for applying, your preparation for this field of study, why our program is a good fit for you, your future career goals, and other aspects of your background and interests that might aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study.

If you are applying to the doctoral program , you should include your research interests and the names of two or three faculty members whose work closely converges with yours, to identify potential advisors. DAPS applicants have a specific statement of purpose prompt; please review it below under the program-specific requirements section.

For master's applicants , focus on how your previous work, background, and/or academic experience informs your decision to apply to the program as well as how the program will impact your career goals.

Please keep a copy for your records.

What is a good statement of purpose?

Upload your resume or CV (whichever is most appropriate to your background) in the online application. There is no page limit, though we typically see resumes of one page with 12-point font and regular, one-inch margins.

In the online application, you will be asked to identify your recommenders and their email addresses. Please notify your recommenders that they will receive an email prompt to submit their letters online. You can submit your request for letters of recommendation through the system without submitting your entire application. Stanford GSE only accepts recommendations through the online application system , and cannot accept mailed, emailed, or faxed recommendations.

Your recommenders should be people who have supervised you in an academic, employment, or community service setting. We strongly recommend that at least one of these letters be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your letters should directly address your suitability for admission to a graduate program at Stanford GSE.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all three letters of recommendation are submitted through the application system by the application deadline.

Guide for Recommenders

If you are writing a letter of recommendation for an applicant to Stanford GSE, please review our Guide for Recommenders to see what we are looking for in a strong letter or recommendation.

We require transcripts from every college and university you have attended for at least one academic year as a full-time student. Upload transcripts as scanned copies or PDFs (no larger than 10MB) when submitting the online application. Please refrain from uploading a secured PDF/transcript with a digital signature, as our system cannot upload these properly.

If you earned a degree at the institution from which you are submitting a transcript, please ensure that the degree conferred and the degree conferral date are clearly visible on the document. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the degree by the time you submit your application, submit your most recent in-progress transcript .

If admitted, we will contact you with instructions for sending official transcripts. Note that the instructions for sending transcripts in the online application and on the Stanford Graduate Admissions Office website differ from this GSE requirement.

Study Abroad

If the transcript from your home institution reflects your study abroad coursework and grades, you do not need to submit original transcripts from your abroad institution.

Foreign Institutions

If your institution provides a transcript in a language other than English, we require that you submit a translation, either provided by the institution or a certified translator. Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records.

If your transcript does not include your degree conferred and your degree conferral date , please submit a scanned copy of your diploma, a conferral statement, or a conferral document in addition to your transcript. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the degree by the time you submit your application, submit your most recent in-progress transcript .

GSE will not require the GRE for admission for the 2024-2025 academic year. However, applicants will have the opportunity to submit GRE scores if you have taken the test and feel that your scores would enhance your application. Not submitting your GRE scores does not affect your application negatively in any way. If you wish to send scores, please follow the guidelines below.

For applicants submitting optional GRE scores: We accept all scores that are still valid/reportable by ETS standards . If your scores are reportable you may send them electronically to Stanford University institution code 4704 (department code does not matter). Once you submit your application, your scores will be matched with your application. We cannot guarantee that official scores received after your program’s application deadline will be included in your application.

TOEFL Requirement

Stanford University requires the TOEFL from all applicants whose native language is not English. The GSE requires a minimum score of 100 ibT. The Test of Written English (TWE) is not required. Applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree or a one- or two-year master’s program (or equivalent) in the U.S. or at an institution at which English is the main language of instruction do not need to take the TOEFL. For more information on TOEFL requirements, please refer to the central Stanford Graduate Admissions website .

TOEFL Dates and Deadlines

You should plan to take the TOEFL and have the scores sent electronically to Stanford at institution code 4704 no later than the following dates:

PhD applicants: November 1 (to meet the December 1 deadline)
MA/MS applicants: December 13 (to meet the January 7 deadline)
KHS-GSE applicants: October 15 (to meet the November 15 deadline)

In alignment with ETS policy, Stanford considers TOEFL scores to be valid for two years (counting back from the application deadline).

Do I need to take the TOEFL?

Please follow our TOEFL flowchart to determine if you are required to take the TOEFL.

TOEFL Waiver Request

If you have earned a degree from an institution in a country outside the U.S., Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Singapore, Ireland, or the UK but the language of instruction was only English, then you may request a TOEFL waiver from Stanford's central Graduate Admissions Office. Because the central office needs up to 15 business days (three weeks) to review the request, then please plan to submit your GSE application 3 weeks BEFORE the application deadline. To request a TOEFL waiver, please see the instructions at the bottom of this page .

If approved, you do not need to take the TOEFL. If not approved, you need to take the TOEFL.

Program-Specific Requirements

Cte: elementary education; literacy, language, and english education; history/social science education; mathematics education; science education; teacher education.

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirement: None.

NOTE : The History/Social Science Education program will not admit students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

DAPS: Developmental and Psychological Sciences

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirement: DAPS Statement of Purpose must include the following (2,000 word maximum):

Describe your academic coursework (e.g., courses in math, statistics, computer science, data science, interview or ethnographic methods, etc.) that demonstrates you have potential to be successful in the research-focused DAPS strand. Also, add a short statement of why you believe these courses are relevant to your DAPS ambitions.
Describe any research experiences and papers you have authored/co-authored that demonstrate you have potential to be successful in the quantitative/qualitative-focused DAPS strand.
Describe any other academic, research or volunteering experiences (e.g., film projects, policy briefs, software design, teaching) that demonstrate your potential as a researcher.
Describe experiences that illustrate why you are applying to the graduate program in DAPS. These experiences should include academic, research, or professional experiences, and they may also include personal experiences that further demonstrate your commitment to this course of study.
Lastly, how do you see your interests and ideas connected to those of two or more current faculty members in the DAPS program?

LSTD: Learning Sciences and Technology Design

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirement : None.

RILE: Race, Inequality, and Language in Education

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Required. Please submit a piece of writing that helps us understand your perspectives on education as they relate to race, inequality, and/or language. The piece could include a blog post, an op-ed, a reflection on a lesson you have designed, an essay, or a more formal research paper. There is no minimum or maximum page limit requirement, however 1,000 to 5,000 words is preferred. Other program-specific requirement: None.

SHIPS: Anthropology of Education

Interview: Not required. Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample written in the context of your employment or education. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable. Other program-specific requirement: None.

SHIPS: Economics of Education

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Not required . Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS Economics of Education supplemental application (page 13).

Please discuss a situation in which you approached a problem with data (preferably about education). Explain the problem you addressed and how you used your analytical and technical skills as well as your domain knowledge to understand the data and problem. You may also elaborate on potential theoretical applications and/or data-driven approaches if you have yet to carry one out. (1,500 characters maximum)
It is important we understand your current skills so we can better understand your needs should you be admitted to the program. On the application, you will be asked to fill out a skill level matrix. View the matrix here . If your answer is other than “degree” or “certified course,” please elaborate. (1,000 characters maximum)
How many years of experience do you have with statistical software/programming languages? Please list languages and experience. (for example: R—x years; Python—x years; Stata—x years, etc.)
Please identify a piece of empirical research/scholarship about education that represents the scholarship that you would like to learn to do. Why do you find this type of research valuable? We would prefer if you choose a sample of research or scholarship that was not written by one of our program faculty. (1500 characters maximum)

SHIPS: Education Data Science

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Required. Please submit a research-oriented writing sample, e.g., master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS EDS supplemental application (page 13).

Please briefly describe what your ideal PhD program would provide, given your academic and professional goals. (1500 characters maximum)
Please discuss a situation where you approached a problem with data (preferably about education). Explain the problem you addressed and how you used your analytical and technical skills as well as your domain knowledge to understand the data and problem. You may also elaborate on potential data-driven approaches if you have yet to carry one out. (1500 characters maximum)
How many years of experience do you have with statistical software/programming languages? Please list languages and experience (for example: R—x years; Python—x years; Stata—x years, etc.).

SHIPS: Educational Linguistics

Interview: Not required Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample written in the context of your employment or education. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable. Other program-specific requirement: None.

SHIPS: Educational Policy

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS Educational Policy supplemental application (page 13).

SHIPS: Higher Education

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Required. Applicants must submit a research-oriented writing sample, e.g., master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS Higher Education supplemental application (page 13).

Describe any research experiences or other scholarly work that illustrate your potential for doctoral training. (1500 characters maximum)
Describe how specific faculty, research, and curricular resources at Stanford and the GSE will help you accomplish your goals for doctoral training. (1500 characters maximum)
Describe how you envision contributing to the doctoral learning community at Stanford and the GSE. (1500 characters maximum)

SHIPS: History of Education

Ships: international comparative education , ships: organizational studies.

This program will not admit students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

SHIPS: Philosophy of Education

Ships: sociology of education.

Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information. Writing sample: Required. Applicants must submit a research-oriented writing sample, e.g., master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS Sociology of Education supplemental application (page 13).

The CTE master's program will not admit students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Interview: Not required. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirements:

Please briefly describe what your ideal MS program would provide, given your academic and professional goals (1500 characters maximum).
Please describe a time you used data to better understand a problem (preferably related to education). How did you use your analytical and technical skills as well as your domain knowledge to frame the problem and consider solutions? You may also elaborate on potential data-driven approaches if you have yet to carry one out (1500 characters maximum).
How many years of experience do you have with statistical software/programming languages? Please list statistical software/programming languages and experience separately (for example: R—x years; Python—x years; Stata—x years, etc.).
Students will need basic programming skills to enter most data science classes. As a result, basic programming experience or prior coursework in programming is required. Novices should consider taking EdX or Coursera courses before applying. The education data science program relies on R and Python programming languages.

Interview: Not required. Writing sample: Not required. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the LDT supplemental application (page 13).

Please briefly describe what your ideal master’s program would provide, given your academic and professional goals. (1,000 characters maximum)
What intrigues you about the design of digital tools for learning? (1,000 characters maximum)

Interview: Not required. Writing sample: Required. Please submit a writing sample of no more than 10 typewritten pages. This may be a paper written for a course, a section of an undergraduate thesis, a report submitted in the context of your employment, or a piece you write in response to a current event or something you have read. This writing sample should show evidence of your ability to evaluate an issue or problem, use evidence, and offer an informed opinion or solution. Other program-specific requirement: You will be asked to respond to this additional essay prompt on the POLS supplemental application (page 13):

Why POLS? Why Stanford? (2,500 characters maximum)

Still have questions? Our FAQ page might have what you are looking for.

For information not covered in our program pages , application requirements, or FAQ page , please contact the GSE Admissions Office at [email protected] . For information on recruitment events and visiting campus, please see Connect & Visit .

Financing Your Education

To learn more about tuition and financial support at the GSE, please visit Financing Your Education .

If you are uncertain about which degree or program to which you should apply, read "Which Degree, Which Program" by Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Professor Eamonn Callan.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

Contact Admissions
GSE Leadership
Site Feedback
Web Accessibility
Career Resources
Faculty Open Positions
Explore Courses
Academic Calendar
Office of the Registrar
Cubberley Library
StanfordWho
StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

Stanford Home
Maps & Directions
Search Stanford
Emergency Info
Terms of Use
Non-Discrimination
Accessibility

Support LUC
Directories
KRONOS Timecard
Employee Self-Service
Password Self-service
Academic Affairs
Advancement
Admission: Adult B.A.
Admission: Grad/Prof
Admission: International
Admission: Undergrad
Alumni Email
Alumni Relations
Arrupe College
Bursar's Office
Campus Ministry
Career Centers
Center for Student Assistance and Advocacy
Colleges and Schools
Commencement
Conference Services
Continuing Education
Course Evaluations IDEA
Cuneo Mansion & Gardens
Dining Services
Diversity and Inclusion
Emeriti Faculty Caucus
Enterprise Learning Hub
Executive and Professional Education
Faculty Activity System
Financial Aid
Human Resources
IBHE Institutional Complaint System
Information Technology Services
Institute of Environmental Sustainability
Learning Portfolio
Loyola Health App
Loyola University Chicago Retiree Association (LUCRA)
Madonna della Strada Chapel
Media Relations
Navigate Staff
Office of First Year Experience
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
President's Office
Rambler Buzz
Registration and Records
Residence Life
Retreat & Ecology Campus
Rome Center
Security/Police
Staff Council
Student Achievement
Student Consumer Information
Student Development
Study Abroad
Summer Sessions
University Policies
Writing Center

Loyola University Chicago

Department of philosophy, phd and ma programs, welcome to the philosophy graduate program.

Loyola’s graduate program in philosophy prepares students to be scholars and teachers who are grounded in the history of philosophy as well as contemporary philosophical methodologies. It supports specialization in a variety of contemporary fields, including those that expand the purview of philosophical inquiry beyond its traditional boundaries. Our department values philosophical pluralism, and our faculty represent diverse philosophical schools and perspectives, offering students a uniquely well-rounded education. We also take seriously the commitment of our Jesuit institution to social justice, providing opportunities to pursue philosophical inquiry that is socially engaged, interdisciplinary, and oriented toward the betterment of the world.

At Loyola, we offer four graduate degree programs:

PhD in Philosophy

MA in Philosophy

MA in Social Philosophy

BA/MA five-year program in Philosophy

Loyola’s graduate faculty boasts a wide range of research strengths across the core areas of philosophy, offering a diversity of research paths that students can pursue. These strengths include:

Social and Political Philosophy/Ethics

Continental Philosophy

History of Philosophy

Critical Philosophy of Race

Why Loyola?

Excellence in Research and Teaching: As a graduate student at Loyola, you will be mentored by nationally and internationally renowned scholars in your field and receive training through research assistantships, workshops, and seminars that prepare you to present and publish original research. Loyola will also prepare you to be an excellent teacher who can design and deliver courses across the core areas of philosophy and adapt to the needs of diverse student bodies.

Professional Development and Placement: Loyola offers extensive training for doctoral students interested in pursuing the academic job market as well as MA students applying to PhD programs. This includes our first year proseminar to prepare students for graduate coursework, research assistantships, and placement and professional development workshops throughout the year.

Diversity at Loyola : The Loyola Philosophy Department is committed to cultivating a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming philosophical community. Our graduate faculty is uniquely positioned to support research in underrepresented fields such as critical philosophy of race, feminism, and queer theory. Loyola’s philosophy department also houses a graduate student led Minorities and Philosophy chapter that hosts events and provides mentoring to undergraduate students.

Chicago’s Philosophical Community: Loyola graduate students are at the heart of one of the most vibrant philosophical communities in the world. Our students can participate in research opportunities at universities in the Chicago area including Northwestern, DePaul, University of Chicago, University of Illinois-Chicago, as well as other landmark universities in the Midwest region including Marquette, Saint Louis University, and Notre Dame. In addition, Loyola houses four research groups that host speakers, organize conferences, and provide opportunities for Loyola graduate students and faculty to present their research: The Phenomenology Research Group (PRG), the Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy Workshop (SPLW), the History of Philosophy Roundtable (HOPR), and the Loyola Ethics and Values Symposia (LEAVS).

Career Pathways: While Loyola provides an exceptional education for those pursuing careers in academia, we recognize the importance of serving students who are interested in alternative paths. Loyola offers training and internship opportunities that prepare students to enter such fields as academic publishing, education administration, public policy, social work, and computer programing.

You can learn more about how to apply to our graduate program through our website. Feel free to reach out to our Graduate Program Director Dr. Jennifer Gaffney with any questions.

Undergraduate
Graduate/ Professional
Adult Education

The Humanities @ Work Program
Linguistics Research and Internship Support Fund
Major Requirements
Minors & Certificates
Capstone and Internship
Career Options
Get Involved
PhD Program
MA Programs
Frequently Asked Questions
Financial Aid
Featured Alumni
Second Language Acquisition
Sociolinguistics
Hispanic Linguistics
Research Methodology
Research Facilities
English Language Institute
TESOL Certificate
ITA English Comprehensibility Test
English Proficiency Test
Courses in English as a Second Language
Core Linguistics Faculty
ESL and ELI Faculty
LCTL Center Faculty
Graduate Students
Visiting Scholars and Postdocs
Upcoming Events
Past Colloquia
Past Events
Prospective Students

MA/PhD Program

The MA/PhD program is a combined program designed for students entering with a BA with the intention of earning a PhD. If you are applying for an MA/PhD, select the PhD option in the application system. The program consists of core course work, requirements for specific Areas of Concentration (ARCOs), preliminary exams, comprehensive exams, and dissertation work. The ARCOs available are:

Applied Linguistics

If none of the above ARCOs is chosen, then the student will be enrolled in the General and Descriptive Linguistics Program.

Course Requirements
Other Requirements

Pictured above: Grad student Farrah Neumann [second from right] led students on a Study Abroad trip in the summer of 2017 to Alcala de Henares, Spain, where she also conducted research on the effect of immersion on L1 and L2 speech perception.

Support NYU Law

JD Admissions
Dual Degree Programs

JD/PhD and JD/MA Programs

New York University School of Law (Law) and Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) offer coordinated dual degree programs leading to a Juris Doctor (JD) and either a PhD or MA degree in two Arts and Science disciplines:

Law and GSAS also offer dual degree programs leading to a JD and MA in the following disciplines:

French Studies
Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Law and GSAS also offer dual degree programs leading to a JD and PhD in the following disciplines:

American Studies
Comparative Literature
Computer Science
Hebrew and Judaic Studies
Italian Studies
Mathematics
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Neural Science
Psychology (Cognition and Perception)

Students enrolled in these dual degree programs will work closely with faculty advisors in both the School of Law and GSAS to develop an integrated program of study and research. The programs are particularly aimed at students interested in pursuing academic careers. We expect that students who complete the JD/PhD program will be strong candidates for faculty positions in both law schools and in arts and sciences programs. The JD/MA programs provide rigorous interdisciplinary training for students interested in legal academia, but also for students who plan to pursue other career paths related to law.

These coordinated programs reduce the amount of time required to complete both degrees. The School of Law will count 12 credits of GSAS coursework toward the total of 83 credits required for the JD degree, typically allowing dual degree students to complete their JD coursework in five semesters rather than the usual six. All coursework must be approved by the respective program to count towards the dual degree program. Likewise, some law school coursework will count toward the PhD and MA program requirements, allowing students to accelerate the completion of those degrees. For students in the JD/MA program, both degrees are typically conferred at the end of four years (eight semesters) rather than the usual five years to complete both degrees separately. For students in the JD/PhD program, the JD is typically conferred at the end of the fourth year, while the student continues to complete the PhD requirements.

Prospective dual degree students must apply independently to both the School of Law and GSAS and be admitted to both. Current law students or GSAS doctoral students may apply to enter a dual degree program during their first year. Students looking to start the JD/PhD program at GSAS should inquire with the School of Law about the program sequence. Please refer to the GSAS website for information regarding funding for PhD candidates.

Students interested in a dual degree program are encouraged to contact Amy Chu, Senior Director of Academic Services and Registration at the School of Law ( [email protected] or 212-998-6020) or Tania Barnes at GSAS ( [email protected] ) for more information.

Make a Gift
Directories

Search form

You are here.

Programs & Courses

MA/PhD in English Language and Literature

Program Overview

Our MA/PhD in English Language and Literature is an integrated program that allows students to earn an MA on the way to the PhD. We do not admit students for a terminal MA degree. The program receives over 250 applications of admission each year and typically enrolls an entering class of 10-14 students, all of whom receive funding.

The MA/PhD program offers two tracks: one in Literature and Culture, the other in Language and Rhetoric. Within each track, students will develop individualized programs of study in close consultation with faculty mentors. Intellectually, there is substantial connection between work in these areas of the department: faculty teaching in the Language and Rhetoric track are certainly thinking about matters of culture, just as faculty teaching in Literature and Culture clearly attend to the nature and politics of language. Students in either track can and do take courses in the other.

However, these two tracks offer distinct forms of professional training and accreditation: students in the Literature and Culture track are trained to conduct research and to teach in literary and cultural studies (e.g., in fields such as Victorian literature, ecocritism, or contemporary speculative fiction). Students in the Language and Rhetoric track are trained to conduct research and to teach in areas broadly related to language-in-use (e.g., in fields such as composition studies, rhetoric, history of English, applied linguistics, literacy, and writing pedagogy). Their research might study practices in the composition classroom or might address topics in discourse analysis, language policy, and translingualism. On completion of the PhD, Literature and Culture students are qualified to apply for jobs teaching in their area of literary or cultural study; students in Language and Rhetoric are qualified to apply for jobs in rhetoric and composition studies, applied linguistics, or writing program administration. When applying to the program, applicants must choose between these two tracks and may not apply to both simultaneously.

Department faculty work across a range of historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, 19 th , 20 th , and 21 st centuries) and methodological frameworks with a focus on the study of discourse, literacy, textuality, genre (including speculative fiction and SF), gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, postcoloniality, indigeneity, disability, environment, media, and public culture. For a fuller snapshot of the work we do, please consult our faculty profiles .

Application Information

Application materials are due December 1. (If December 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the deadline is the following Monday.) Offers of admission are usually made by mid-March.

How to Apply
Application Checklist

For frequently asked questions, please see our MA/PhD FAQ page.

Funding Opportunities

We offer a funding package to all admitted MA/PhD students. The funding package includes a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a monthly stipend during the academic year through an Academic Student Employee position. In general, duties include teaching one English class, assisting in a large lecture and leading quiz sections, or assisting in program administration.

PhD students also have opportunities to compete for fellowships and scholarships offered through the Department of English.

Check out our other Funding Opportunities

MA/PhD Degree Requirements

MA/PhD degree requirements can be found here: PhD Degree Requirements .

Students who enter our PhD program without a related master’s degree will be required to complete an MA in the first two years. More information can be found here: MA/PhD Degree Requirements: Master's Degree .

Placement & Alumni

A recent survey of our graduates from 2008-2018 showed the following employment rates:

43% in tenure-track positions
43% in other academic positions (not tenure-track)
8% in professional careers

Dissertation abstracts from recent graduates can be found here: Graduate Research .

Check out our PhD Alumni Spotlight page where recent alumni have shared their current job placements, highlights from their time at UW, and advice for current and prospective students.

Contact an advisor

We welcome questions and correspondence from prospective graduate students at [email protected]
Meet our Graduate Staff
Instagram
Newsletter

Food & Dining
Coronavirus
Real Estate
Seattle History
PNW Politics

What Does BA, MA & PhD Mean in Degrees?

College & Higher Education

The difference in the ph.d. degree vs. the pharm.d. degree, what is the difference between a terminal degree & a research degree, msba vs. mba.

Purpose of Writing a Dissertation
How Long Do You Have to Go to School for Zoology?

College students have several options when choosing which type of degree to pursue. For some careers, only an undergraduate degree is necessary, while others may require a more advanced degree. It is essential for students to have a general understanding of each type of degree in order to choose the one that is best for their career goals. This article discusses the three main types of college degrees in the United States.

Bachelor's Degrees

There are two different types of bachelor's degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). Both are considered undergraduate degrees and require about four to five years of study. Those who study humanities or liberal arts earn a Bachelor of Arts and might work in education, journalism or psychology. Those who study in math or science fields earn a Bachelor of Science and might have careers in accounting, nursing or computer science.

Master's Degrees

A graduate, advanced or master's degree is the next step. A Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Science (M.S.) degree usually takes about two additional years to earn, and it often requires students to perform original research and write a thesis. Holding a master's degree can make job seekers more competitive in their field or lead to increased salaries. For some positions, such as school administrator, librarian and clinical psychologist, a graduate degree is a necessity.

Doctoral Degree

Ph.D. is an abbreviation for "Doctor of Philosophy," commonly called a doctoral degree. It is typically the highest academic degree awarded and requires at least four years of study and extensive original research. Doctoral degree candidates must also complete and defend a dissertation on their research, and often they publish portions of this dissertation during their studies. University professor, scientist and researcher are examples of positions that may require a doctoral degree.

Choosing the Right One

Choosing a degree is an important process and can be overwhelming. Students should research careers they are interested in and seek the help of a college advisor to help determine which type of degree is preferred or necessary in their desired field. It is also important to make sure that the degree is earned from an accredited institution.

The College Board: Quick Guide: Your College Degree Options
The College Board: Matching Careers to Degrees
College Atlas: Types of College Degrees

Houston area native Marie Anderson began writing education articles in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Science in exercise and sports science and a Master of Science in education administration. She has seven years of teaching and coaching experience within the Texas public school system.

What Is the Difference Between a Master's, Bachelor's, Doctorate & Degree Completion?

How many years of college are required for a psychology degree, what is the difference between a ba and a bs for graduate school anthropology, differences between a b.s. & b.a. college degree, is a bachelor's degree in neuroscience a ba or a bs degree, what can i do with a b.a. in neuroscience, difference between bs in pharmaceutical sciences & doctor of pharmacy, economics vs. finance phd, b.s. in health science vs. r.n., most popular.

1 What Is the Difference Between a Master's, Bachelor's, Doctorate & Degree Completion?
2 How Many Years of College Are Required for a Psychology Degree?
3 What Is the Difference Between a BA and a BS for Graduate School Anthropology?
4 Differences Between a B.S. & B.A. College Degree

Secondary Menu

Phd and ma programs in psychology at brandeis university.

Applications are open for the PhD and MA programs in Psychology at Brandeis University.

Deadlines: Dec 1 for the PhD program; the MA program has rolling admissions until May 15, but first admission offers are made to applicants who have applied by February 1.

Located in the greater Boston area (Waltham, MA, just 10 miles from downtown Boston), we offer graduate training in a mentorship-based research program. The Master of Arts program provides students with an understanding of the scientific foundations of psychology and direct experience in research methods. Our doctoral program develops excellent researchers and teachers who will become leaders in psychological science. The PhD program offers a track in the integrated study of Brain, Body, and Behavior, funded by a NIGMS training grant.

Information on our programs is available here:

http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/psych/

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact faculty of interest, as not all will be mentoring MA and PhD students in any given year. Faculty are conducting research in the following areas:

Berry, Anne (PhD & MA mentor)

Assistant Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: cognitive neuroscience, executive function, neuromodulator systems (dopamine, acetylcholine), aging

Cunningham, Joseph (MA mentor)

Professor of Psychology, Undergraduate Advising Head

Expertise: Clinical and developmental psychology, nonverbal communication, emotional development, and gender differences.

DiZio, Paul , (PhD & MA mentor)

Associate Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: Human spatial orientation, posture and balance, movement control and coordination, sensory-motor adaptation, motor development, multi-sensory interactions, space perception, space flight physiology, human factors in virtual environments, motion sickness, and brain-computer interaction.

Gutchess, Angela (PhD & MA mentor)

Graduate Program Head, Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: Neural and behavioral effects of age and culture on memory and social cognition.

Gutsell, Jennifer (PhD & MA mentor)

Associate Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: Social and affective neuroscience, person perception, interpersonal sensitivity/empathy, intergroup interactions.

Howard, James (PhD & MA mentor) Assistant Professor of Psychology

Expertise : reward, learning, and decision-making in humans, using neuroimaging, associative learning tasks, computational modeling, and non-invasive brain stimulation to understand how the human brain encodes information about upcoming rewards to guide decisions. Understanding how prefrontal circuits function in concert with sensory and thalamic networks to support behavior dependent on representations of specific rewarding outcomes

Jadhav, Shantanu (PhD & MA mentor)

Assistant Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: systems neuroscience, neural mechanisms for learning, memory, and decision making, rodent models.

Katz, Donald, Department Chair (PhD & MA mentor)

Professor of Psychology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: Neural dynamics of gustatory perception and learning.

Knight, Raymond (PhD & MA mentor)

Expertise: Clinical psychology and experimental psychopathology, with specific expertise in psychopathy, sexual aggression, and bullying.

Lachman, Margie (PhD & MA mentor)

Minnie and Harold Fierman Professor of Psychology

Expertise: Life-span development, midlife, aging, sense of control, adult personality, memory, health-promoting behaviors, and intervention research to improve cognitive and physical functioning.

Lackner, James (PhD & MA mentor)

Meshulam and Judith Riklis Professor of Physiology and of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise: Spatial orientation, human movement control, and adaptation to unusual force environments.

Liu, Xiaodong , Masters Program Coordinator (MA mentor)

Associate Professor of Psychology

Expertise: Applied statistics: linear and non-linear multi-level modeling / Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), General & Generalized Linear Modeling, and longitudinal data analysis. Child development: factors (at individual, familial, communal, & cultural levels) related to child psychological adjustment (internalizing & externalizing) and school performance.

Mitchell, Teresa Vann (MA mentor)

Lecturer in Psychology

Expertise: Effects of age and experience on development, deafness, autism spectrum disorder, eye tracking and EEG techniques.

Sekuler, Robert (PhD & MA mentor)

Louis and Frances Salvage Professor of Psychology and Professor of Neuroscience

Expertise: Visual perception, cognitive processes including visual memory, navigation of complex environments, imitation of seen actions, and age-related changes in cognitive function.

Snyder, Hannah R. (PhD & MA mentor)

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Expertise: Links between executive function, stress and psychopathology (especially anxiety and depression) in adolescents and young adults.

Wingfield, Arthur . (MA mentor)

Senior Scientist, Department of Psychology and Volen National Center for Complex Systems

Expertise : Effects of adult aging and auditory acuity on speech understanding and linguistic memory; cognitive factors in adaptation to cochlear implants and other novel perturbations of natural speech.

Wright, Ellen J . (MA mentor)

Expertise: Connections between developmental processes, aspects of gender, and emotion regulation as those processes impact depression, anxiety, and stress.

Post-graduation
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Climate Handbook
P&N Team Resources
Degree Requirements
Practicum and Ongoing Research Projects in Psychology
Research Participation Requirements for Psychology Courses
Summer Vertical Integration Program (VIP)
Psychology Courses
Graduate School Advice
Career Options
Forms & Resources
Global Education
Trinity Ambassadors
Co-requisite Requirement
Neuroscience Courses
Neuroscience: Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Neuroscience Research Practicum & Laboratories
Summer Neuroscience Program
Research Independent Study in Neuroscience
Graduation with Distinction
Frequently Asked Questions
Neuroscience Teaching Lab
Student Spotlights
Other Job Boards
Student Organizations
Clinical Psychology
Cognition & the Brain
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Systems and Integrative Neuroscience
Admitting Faculty
Application FAQ
Financial Support
Teaching Opportunities
Departmental Graduate Requirements
MAP/Dissertation Committee Guidelines
MAP/Oral Exam Guidelines/Timeline
Dissertation and Final Examination Guidelines
Awards for Current Students
Teaching Resources
Instructor/TA Guidelines
Faculty Mentorship Vision Statement
All Courses
Psychology: Course Sequence
Psychology: Methods Courses
Neuroscience: Course Clusters
Neuroscience: Courses By Category
Primary Faculty
Joint Graduate Training Faculty
Instructional Faculty
Secondary Faculty
Graduate Students
Postdocs, Affiliates, and Research Scientists
Faculty Research Labs
Research News Stories
Child Studies
Community Volunteers
Charles Lafitte Foundation: Funding Support
Meet Our Alumni
For Current Students
Assisting Duke Students
Neuroscience Graduation 2023 Program
Psychology Graduation 2023 Program
Giving to the Department

Ohio State nav bar

Ohio state navigation bar.

BuckeyeLink
Search Ohio State

MA/PhD Program

Ohio State's PhD Program in English trains students in advanced research, writing and teaching skills in a number of areas in English studies. With over 60 faculty members and 90 graduate students, our program hosts one of the largest, most vibrant intellectual communities in English studies in the country. While engaged in their advanced study, our graduate students make significant contributions to the department’s intellectual community: they teach courses, participate in department-sponsored scholarly activities and present their research in publications and at internationally-recognized conferences. Our program has trained noted scholars specializing in a range of areas in English, including rhetoric and composition, narrative theory, folklore, U.S. ethnic and postcolonial literature and all historical periods of English literature — from the Anglo-Saxon era to present day. We have also trained a number of students who have gone into a variety of non-academic careers, including in nonprofit administration, software development and corporate training and strategy.

The Ohio State University's MA/PhD program in English welcomes applications from students who have earned a bachelors or masters degree and who wish to specialize in any of the many fields in English studies that the Department of English covers.

Click here for application information .

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

All students pursuing their PhD in English must complete the following major components of our MA/PhD program. The accordions below provide information about how students may fulfill each of these components. For an overview of the program, please see the representative timelines below that show roughly when in a graduate student’s career they can expect to pass each milestone.

Each student must take a minimum total of 36 credit hours to earn an MA in English on the way to the PhD. Students who enter the program with a BA typically earn the MA at the end of their second year. Specific course requirements include the following:

English 6700.01: Introduction to Graduate Study in English (three credits)
A course in critical theory (three credits)
Two courses to fulfill the breadth requirement (six credits)
English 6781: Introduction to the Teaching of First-Year English (three credits)
English 8903: Teaching College English (three credits, repeatable)
English 6998: Research in English: Portfolio Preparation (variable credit hours)

A note about letter grade and S/U class numbers

When you register for courses on Buckeye Link , you will find that each course has been decimalized and has a ".01" and ".02" number. The ".01" number is to be used to register for the graded section of the course, and the ".02" number is to be used for the S/U section of the course. The decimalized versions are available so that students can choose whether to take the course for a grade or S/U designation. For example, there are two listings for English 6746: Introduction to Graduate Study in British Literature of the Romantic Period. English 6746.01 is the graded section and English 6746.02 is the S/U section, but the course meets on the same day(s) and at the same time(s).

Critical theory requirement

Students must take at least one course in critical theory (three credits); this course must be taken for a letter grade. The critical theory requirement can be fulfilled through English 6760, 6761, 6776.01, 6776.02, 6790, 6791, 7861, 7876, 7890, 7891, or 8888. Additional courses in English or other departments can be petitioned to count.

Breadth requirement

Each student must complete two courses to add breadth to the student’s program (six credits total). These courses must be taken for a letter grade and conform to the following guidelines:

Students concentrating on literature or theory after 1800: Two courses in pre-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, etc.
Students concentrating on literature or theory before 1800: Two courses in post-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, film, etc.
Students concentrating in non-literary fields: Two courses to add breadth as determined in consultation with the faculty advisor and the director of Graduate Studies

Graduate workshop requirement

In addition to their regular coursework, MA/PhD students must complete two graduate workshops by the end of their fourth year in the program (preferably before candidacy).

The graduate workshops provide opportunities to enrich the department's formal graduate curriculum by regularly bringing in scholars from other institutions to discuss their recently-published and current work with students and faculty. Typically, the department is able to offer three to five workshops per academic year, which rotate among fields. Each workshop is organized by a faculty coordinator, and students enroll by signing up with the Graduate Studies office.

The visiting speaker participates in two events: a public lecture or other kind of formal presentation, open to all members of the department and university community; and a closed session with graduate students who have enrolled in the workshop. For the smaller workshop, the visiting speaker assigns a text or group of texts for discussion (their own work or some other work relevant to the speaker's current interests). Students read the assigned texts on their own and submit short position papers to the faculty coordinator. The completion of these short essays, in combination with student participation, determine whether a student receives a grade of "S" (satisfactory) or "U" (unsatisfactory) for the workshop.

S/U grading guidelines

Individual faculty set the specific guidelines for S/U versions of graduate courses. The typical expectation for a grade of "S" (satisfactory), however, is that students complete readings, contribute meaningfully to class discussion and satisfactorily complete readings-related assignments that enrich discussion (e.g., writing brief reading responses, posting comments to Carmen discussions and/or leading in-class discussions on readings). Students taking a graduate course for S/U credit will typically not be expected to write longer papers or to complete and present on independent research projects.

Independent study

Graduate Independent Study courses require the approval of the director of Graduate Studies. Students interested in pursuing an independent study should consult with the appropriate faculty member at least a semester in advance. The faculty member should then prepare a one-page request that briefly outlines 1) the rationale for the independent study (e.g., why the student is unable to pursue similar work in regularly-scheduled courses) and 2) the syllabus for the independent study (e.g., list of readings, schedule of meetings, specific assignments or projects to be completed).

Students who enter with an MA from another program or another institution will typically transfer 30 hours, which means they will typically need to earn a minimum of an additional 56 credit hours for the PhD. Specific course requirements include the following:

English 6700: Introduction to Graduate Study in English (three credits)
Critical theory requirement (three credits)
Breadth requirement #1 (three credits)
Breadth requirement #2 (three credits)
English 8996: Research in English: Candidacy Exam (variable credit hours)
English 8999: Research in English: Dissertation (variable credit hours)

Students must take at least one course in Critical Theory (three credits); this course be taken for a letter grade. Students may fulfill this requirement through coursework completed at their MA institution. The critical theory requirement can be fulfilled through English 6760, 6761, 6776.01, 6776.02, 6790, 6791, 7861, 7876, 7890, 7891, or 8888. Additional courses in English or other departments can be petitioned to count.

Each student must complete two courses to add breadth to the student’s program (six credits total). These courses must be taken for a letter grade and conform to the following guidelines:

Students concentrating on literature or theory after 1800: Two courses in pre-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, etc.

Students may fulfill this requirement through coursework completed at their MA institution.

Graduate Independent Study courses require the approval of the director of Graduate Studies. Students interested in pursuing an independent study should consult with the appropriate faculty member at least a semester in advance. The faculty member should then prepare a one-page request that briefly outlines 1) the rationale for the independent study (e.g., why the student is unable to pursue similar work in regularly scheduled courses) and 2) the syllabus for the independent study (e.g., list of readings, schedule of meetings, specific assignments or projects to be completed).

English 8903 is a teaching internship with a faculty member, which students must complete before they can be assigned to teach any of the 2000-level literature, language or folklore courses. English 7881.02: Teaching Basic Writing, 7881.03: Teaching of College Composition in English as a Second Language and 7881.04: Teaching Business and Professional Communication may be substituted for English 8903 by students whose teaching interests include basic writing, English as a Second Language (ESL) and/or business and professional writing. However, English 8903 will be a prerequisite for teaching the relevant 2000-level courses (just as the English 7881 series is now a prerequisite for teaching the specialized writing courses).

English 8903 carries one to three credit hours. The course may be repeated. In order to coordinate their teaching interests with scheduled courses, students planning on taking English 8903 should also consult the undergraduate course offerings and faculty teaching them.

Faculty and students will have considerable flexibility in constructing the day-to-day details of the apprenticeship, but a typical pattern would look something like this:

Student and professor agree to do English 8903 in an upcoming semester.
When the book order requests are distributed, the professor and student meet to discuss which books they will use and why.
At some point before the course starts, the professor and student meet to discuss the course syllabus. They consider such matters as the objectives of the course and how best to design the schedule of readings, the students' writing assignments and the classroom atmosphere so that those objectives can be met.
Before each class, the professor and student meet to talk about the session's goals and the pedagogical means they will use to meet them. In addition, they consider how the goals of the upcoming session fit in with the overall goals of the course. (For all class sessions but the first, this meeting might occur an hour or so before walking into the session.)
Before each writing assignment (including exams), professor and student discuss what they want to achieve and how they might design the assignment to reach those goals.
The professor must take responsibility for all grades assigned in the course, but the student may assist in grading by reading, commenting and assigning possible grades to a subset of the papers or exams. Since the student is an apprentice and not a TA, however, the point of this work is not to lighten the faculty member's load but rather to provide the occasion for discussion of criteria for different grades, how to address students in commentary and so on. In all cases, the professor must read the papers marked by the apprentice and assign the final grades.
The student takes primary responsibility for some teaching, in the range of four to six hours of instruction over the course of the semester.
After the course is over, the professor and student read the student evaluations and discuss them as well as their own assessments of what worked and what didn't.
The course is graded S/U. The faculty member should also be prepared to write a letter of recommendation for the student's dossier.
The student writes a report on the apprentice experience, reflecting on how their thinking about pedagogy has been influenced by English 8903.

In general, the idea of the internship is to give the student the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on everything from the design of a course to its day-to-day operations, from its goals and purposes to its grading and evaluation.

Students may work with a professor in any undergraduate course. No more than two students may sign up for English 8903 with the same professor and the same course in any one semester. Students must take English 8903 before they are assigned their own sections of 2000-level courses, but they need to take English 8903 only once as a general preparation for that teaching. In other words, students do not have to take a new English 8903 for every new 2000-level course they teach.

Of course, students will generally gravitate toward courses in their areas and in the areas where they would most like to teach. Below are the usual links between English 8903 experiences and the assignment of undergraduate courses, but graduate students should have considerable leeway in choosing their apprenticeships and those assigning graduate students to 2000-level courses should have some flexibility in making those assignments. For example, English 4520.01 will count for 2200 and 2201; English 4560 for 2260; English 4561 for 2261; English 4550 and English 4551 for 2290.

When students are assigned their own 2000-level class, they will consult with a faculty mentor (ideally the person whose class they observed, but possibly the course director or their advisor) on the preparation of the syllabus and other issues relating to the class. The faculty member will observe the class at least once and write a report for the course director.

Language Proficiency Requirements

Language Proficiency Coordinator: Galey Modan ( [email protected] )

The graduate program in the Department of English requires that students demonstrate current proficiency in a natural language other than English. (Natural languages are all languages, including American Sign Language [ASL], that have evolved naturally among humans through use and repetition; natural languages do not include constructed languages such as Klingon or computer programming languages.) There are multiple reasons that language proficiency is required. These include the following:  

Extensive and technical familiarity with a language other than English constitutes a powerful way for graduate students to gain an understanding of the distinctive characteristics of English language structure.
Proficiency in a language other than English allows students access to primary and secondary texts composed in that language. Graduate students in all areas of English studies with even a modest level of proficiency benefit from this access.
To fulfill our department’s commitment to diversity, it is vital for students to gain proficiency in languages other than English. To gain a basic understanding of multilingual and non-English-speaking communities requires a familiarity with the languages of those communities.
As English itself is an increasingly culturally- and geographically-differentiated language, deep familiarity with the languages that English comes into contact with is vital to an understanding of English’s global manifestations.

Doctoral research in some specialties (such as Medieval, Renaissance or U.S. ethnic literatures) may require proficiency in additional languages beyond the one that satisfies the departmental requirement. Students therefore must discuss the language requirement with faculty in their chosen area of specialization as soon as possible.

There is no set list of languages approved for PhD candidates in English. The expectation is that students will choose a language pertinent to their research interests.

Native speakers of languages other than English may use their native languages to fulfill the departmental requirement, unless their area of study requires knowledge of other particular language(s).

For doctoral students, the language requirement(s) should be met by the end of the first year of enrollment beyond the MA and must be met before any part of the candidacy examination may be scheduled.

 Students can fulfill the language proficiency requirement in any of the six ways listed below.

Method #1: Multimedia computer-adaptive placement test

Students wishing to fulfill the requirement with Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Italian or Swahili may take a multimedia computer-adaptive placement test administered by the Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures (CLLC). These exams test both comprehension and production. To fulfill the language requirement through a placement test, students must do one of the following:

If the student and their advisor decide that both comprehension and production are necessary for their further research, the student must achieve a score sufficient for placement into a 2000-level language class on both sections. 
If the student and their advisor decide that comprehension alone is suitable, the student must achieve a score sufficient for placement into a 2000-level language class on the comprehension portion of the exam. Please note: Students will need to be in contact with the language proficiency coordinator prior to taking the exam if just a “comprehension” score is necessary, as the exams do not automatically produce a score solely for comprehension. The coordinator will need to confirm with the Center for Languages, Literature and Cultures that the exam is set up correctly for the student. This option involves more paperwork to set up, so the comprehension and production option above is preferred.

Method #2: Department-administered placement test

If the requirement is to be met with a language other than those listed under method #1, students may take a placement test administered by an Ohio State department that teaches the language in question. As with the CLLC option, students must place into a 2000-level class. This is the method of choice for ASL and other signed languages. If the language in question is not taught at Ohio State, the student will meet with the language proficiency coordinator to set up a testing process. (Note: if the language is one tested through the CLLC, that option must be chosen.)

Method #3: Year of university-level language classes

Students may take a year's worth of university-level language classes at Ohio State and get at least a grade of 'B' in both semesters. Students must consult the appropriate language department for course offerings. Since sequences often begin only in the autumn semester, students should be sure to check well ahead of time when the courses will be offered.

Method #4: Graduate reading course

Students may complete a graduate reading course offered by an Ohio State language program with a grade of 'A' (see below for more information on departments offering reading courses).

Method #5: Translation test

In consultation with the student’s advisor and the language proficiency coordinator, students may take a translation test (typically a translation with the aid of a dictionary) administered by an Ohio State language program, qualified faculty member of the English department or qualified faculty member at another university, as approved by the language proficiency coordinator. Students intending to take a translation exam administered by another department should note that each language department has its own set of deadlines that must be met in order to enroll for the exam. Students should contact the relevant language department during the semester before they intend to take the exam in order to ensure that they do not miss the exam registration date.  

Method #6: Oral proficiency test

Students may take an oral proficiency test. Students can show proficiency based on the following the criteria:

Comprehension: The examinee understands the content of an oral text such as a radio or broadcast news story. The content may be on current events or on a topic relevant to a student’s research. The examinee must show ability to 1) summarize a given text in a cohesive and coherent manner without prompting, 2) produce a statement summarizing their own view, and 3) answer follow-up questions in a cohesive and coherent manner.  
Production: The examinee shows ability to describe the text in a comprehensible way, producing extended, connected discourse in all major time frames (past, present and future). The reference point for ‘comprehension’ is a speaker who does not speak other languages that the examinee is proficient in. Vocabulary may be primarily generic in nature. However, if the examinee must use the language under examination for their scholarly work, they must also show command of relevant vocabulary when dealing with topics of interest. This will be decided in consultation with the student's advisor. Circumlocution and rephrasing are to be expected. Speech must be clear and not lead to confusion. Pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and discourse structure should not be so faulty as to prevent comprehension by a speaker not proficient in the other languages in which the examinee is proficient. Discourse may reflect the information structure of the examinee’s own language/s, rather than that of the target language.

In cases where an examiner cannot be located, students can take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), as administered by Ohio State Testing Center and described here . The department may pay the fees associated with the OPI upon approval.

Below you will find information about German, French, Spanish and Italian reading proficiency classes and testing procedures. In the past, these have been the most common choices made by students, and these departments have the most structured systems for assessing proficiency. If another language is more appropriate for your research, see above for assessment procedures.

Graduate reading courses must be completed with a grade of 'A' in order to satisfy the requirement.

German: The course that satisfies graduate reading proficiency is German 6101. Contact Natascha Miller ( [email protected] ) with questions about coursework prerequisites. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule it in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. Your advisor should select a passage for you to translate and submit it, along with a completed exam scheduling form, as directed on the exam website . Information about testing dates is usually updated the third or fourth week of the semester; visit the exam website to view testing dates and download the exam scheduling form.
French: Courses that satisfy graduate reading proficiency include French 6571 and French 6572. Contact Joan Obert ( [email protected] ) with questions about coursework prerequisites. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule it in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. The Department of French and Italian provides a detailed overview of the test, as well as information on exam preparation, evaluation, dates and registration on their website .
Spanish: The Department of Spanish and Portuguese does not offer courses to demonstrate reading proficiency in Spanish. If you would like to take a translation test, you must schedule the reading exam in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. The Department of Spanish and Portuguese provides a detailed overview of the test, as well as information on exam preparation, dates and registration on their website .
Italian : The Department of French and Italian does not offer courses to demonstrate reading proficiency in Italian. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule the reading exam in cooperation with your advisor. The Department of French and Italian provides an overview of the test on their website . Contact Joan Obert ( [email protected] ) to schedule the exam and to request more detailed information on testing dates and procedures.

Preparing for the Advising Meeting

The advising meeting is a critical step in the process toward the PhD and, for students who enter the program with a BA, it is the formal mechanism for awarding the MA. Typically, the advising meeting will take place at the end of the spring semester of the second year for all students who enter with a BA and at the end of the autumn semester of the second year for all students who enter with an MA.

The advising meeting will include a faculty committee composed of the student's selected advisor, who serves as chair; a second faculty member chosen from a list of three submitted by the student; and a third member selected by the director of Graduate Studies or their designee. The advising meeting will last for at least one hour but for no longer than two hours. During the meeting, the student and faculty committee will consider the student's plans for completing the PhD as reflected in the Preliminary Program of Study. Students will also answer and ask questions about items included in the portfolio project.

After the advising meeting, the chair of the faculty committee will write a brief report of the meeting for the student's file. In addition to a short summary of the conversation, for students who enter with a BA, this report will include the committee's recommendation to award the MA degree based on satisfactory completion of all MA requirements. For all students, the report should also include recommendations about the composition of the student's committee for the candidacy exam and dissertation.

By week seven of semester of the advising meeting, the student will prepare a portfolio that includes:

A Preliminary Program of Study.
A short statement about the student’s pursuit of interests outside the regular curriculum and the major field (e.g., attendance at workshops, lectures, readings and other such activities).
A research project, which can be a traditional academic essay, a new media composition and so forth, as determined in consultation with the student's faculty advisor.

Typically, the research project will have begun in a course and been subsequently revised with a broader academic audience in mind and with a clear articulation of how its argument and methodologies fit within ongoing conversations in the relevant field or fields. The student should be working toward potential publication of the project, and/or toward its integration into her or his dissertation.

Students who enter the program with an MA may use a project begun in a course in their MA program.

The Preliminary Program of Study consists of three components:

A description and short rationale for the student’s intended major field and minor field or fields for the candidacy exam. (See description of Final Program of Study for explanation of field areas.)
A summer reading list of about 15 works related to one or both of these areas.
A brief discussion of teaching and other GA work, completed and planned.

The Preliminary Program of Study should be designed in consultation with the student's faculty advisor and must be signed by the advisor in preparation for the advising meeting.

Final Program of Study

A copy of the Final Program of Study (POS) and letter of endorsement from the advisor need to be be submitted electronically to the graduate program coordinator for the Graduate Program Committee's review process. Due dates for the coming year are listed below. AUTUMN 2023 September 11 October 9 November 6 SPRING 2024

January 22 February 12 March 18 April 8

The Final Program of Study has two main purposes: to establish parameters for the candidacy examination and to present a detailed map of the student's path toward earning the PhD. The Final Program of Study must be completed, approved by the student's candidacy examination committee and then approved by the Graduate Studies Program and Policy Committee before the student may schedule their exam. It is important to keep in mind that the POS has multiple audiences: the student's exam chair and exam committee, but also the Graduate Studies Program and Policy Committee, which is made up of faculty who represent the various areas of specialization in the department as a whole. The POS needs to be written so that it is accessible to non-specialists in the student's specific area.

Components of the POS are listed below.

The Chair must hold “P” status (this usually means a tenured Associate or Full Professor). This committee will not necessarily be identical to the Dissertation Committee, which typically comprises only three members.

A brief (500-700 word) description and rationale for the Major Field of study and reading list. This description is for non-experts and should be easily understood by English faculty outside your area. Your goal is not simply to identify a field but to demonstrate your ability to articulate your understanding of the field, its boundaries, and its internal dynamics to non-experts. In preparing your POS, you may find it useful to consult a number of sources to learn more about the main issues, scholarly trends, and important texts that define your major and minor fields. These sources can include the following:

Anthologies of primary and secondary works in your field.
Scholarly companions and handbooks, such as the Cambridge Companions to various areas of literature, the Oxford Handbook series, or the Oxford Bibliographies series.
Syllabi from graduate or undergraduate courses you have taken or from courses in your field at other institutions that may be accessible online.
Special issues of major journals in your field that are focused on important or emerging trends.
Conference calls for papers, which often identify major topics in your field.

Your most important guides for putting together your POS, of course, will be members of your committee; you should work with each committee member as you determine the texts on your lists and your explanation of your fields in your rationales.

The description of the Major Field should aim to accomplish most of the following goals:

Your Major Field should be broadly rather than narrowly conceived. Typically, the Major Field will be an academic job category.
You should describe what you see as the important scholarly and/or critical questions in the field. What have been the issues, debates, questions, topics around which scholarship (books, essays, conferences) have been organized? How are these questions different or similar than earlier scholarly concerns?
It can be very useful to provide a brief history or overview of the field of study. In doing so, you can mention the defining works that have shaped scholarship in the field. If you have not included such work on your own reading list, you should explain why you have not done so. You should also describe shifts in methods, theoretical approaches, and canon that are crucial to the history of the field--again by making explicit reference to important scholarly work.
You should define the parameters of your field--whether these parameters are chronological, generic or conceptual. For more established major fields (eg. Victorian Literature or Classical Rhetoric), you may have less to explain but you should still articulate the rationale that guides your understanding of the field and your own choices of reading. For fields that are less established and/or do not follow more conventional assignations, it will be more important for you to articulate your rationale for defining the field and its parameters, methods and canon. Recognizing that your reading lists cannot be comprehensive, explain the primary basis on which you made the selections you did.
You may briefly mention how your reading list prepares you to teach courses in the major field of study and potentially other adjacent fields.
Separately and secondarily to your field descriptions (items B, C and D), you should write a few sentences suggesting where you think your own focus within the broader field will lie and point to particular choices in your reading lists that are relevant to this possible scholarly focus.

The reading list should consist of between 75 and 85 works (primary and secondary) and should provide both coverage of the broad field as well as work that is crucial to your own specific interests within the larger field.

The Graduate Studies Committee recommends that you include the entirety of the works you choose. Whenever possible, avoid fragments or edited selections, particularly from primary texts.

The reading list cannot include works of criticism authored by any member of your examination committee.

A brief (500-700 word) description and rationale for the Minor Field or Fields of study and reading list. The Minor Field can be a supplement to the Major Field (eg. another academic job category); or it can partially overlap with the Major Field; or it can be a body of theory that is broader than the Major Field. If you choose, you can select two Minor Fields.

The description of the Minor Field(s) should accomplish the following goals:

You should provide a description of what you see as the important scholarly and/or critical questions in the Minor Field(s). What have been the issues, debates, questions, topics around which scholarship (books, essays, conferences) have been organized? How are these questions different or similar than earlier scholarly concerns?
You should define the parameters of your Minor Field(s), whether these parameters are chronological, generic or conceptual. You should still articulate the rationale that guided your own choices of reading. Recognizing that your reading list cannot be comprehensive, explain the basis on which you made the selections you did.
Explain the relationship between your Major and Minor Fields. Have you selected your Minor Field because it complements your Major Field, and if so how? Have you chosen your Minor Field because it will provide training in a specialty relevant to your dissertation work, and if so how? Have you chosen it because it gives you pedagogical breadth?

The reading list should consist of between 40 and 45 works (primary and secondary). For two Minor Fields, the lists should consist of between 22 and 25 works for each.

The reading list cannot include works of criticism authored by any member of your examination committee.

A draft of the Dissertation Prospectus must be submitted one week before the student begins the written portion of the Candidacy Exam.
A concise list of completed coursework for the MA/PhD organized by date of completion, including grades received. Please provide a one-sentence description of Independent Study projects.
A concise statement of teaching experience , including previous courses taught, plans for taking English 8903, and plans for future teaching in the department.
A concise timeline for your progress towards graduation. The timeline should be organized by year and semester, and it should indicate the projected dates for the completion of all PhD requirements, including coursework, language requirement, English 8903(s), Graduate Workshops, Candidacy Exam, Dissertation Prospectus, dissertation research and writing, submission of potential publications and/or fellowship applications, and the academic or nonacademic job-application process.

The Final Program of Study must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee with a letter of endorsement from the student’s Chair for the Candidacy Exam Committee. The letter of endorsement should confirm that the student has worked with the entire committee to establish their Major and Minor Fields and the associated reading lists, as well as to confirm that the entire Committee has approved the POS. The letter should supplement the student’s own justification for the selections for their Major and Minor Fields as well as the choices they have made for their reading lists.

Candidacy Exam Information

Candidacy exam.

The candidacy examination must be taken no later than two semesters after the completion of required coursework. Students must register for English 8996 with the chair of the exam committee while preparing for the candidacy exam.

The candidacy exam consists of a take-home written portion and a two-hour oral portion. The Application for Candidacy must be filed with the Graduate School at least two weeks before the oral examination. The application can be filled out on the Graduate School's forms webpage . The written portion is a three-day take-home exam, with an upper limit of no more than 5,000 words total. Failure to adhere to the word limit constitutes failure of the entire candidacy examination. No notes of any kind are permitted (i.e., no footnotes or endnotes), but in their answers to the exam questions, students should cite relevant primary and secondary works from their reading lists and use parenthetical citations.

Written exam: The written portion of the candidacy exam should address two questions, one of which is dedicated to the student's major field and one of which is dedicated to the student's minor field or fields. The questions are written by the student's exam chair in consultation with the other members of their committee. The questions are given to the student only at the time the written exam is administered. The written exam must be taken over a seventy-two hour period; it can be sent via email or picked up by 4 p.m. on the first day and turned in to the committee and the English Graduate Studies office via email by 4 p.m. on the last day of that period. Students may opt to start the exam on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday so that it is due in the English Graduate Studies office, respectively, the following Thursday, Friday or Monday. The student's answers should be prefaced by a copy of the questions set by the committee.
Oral exam: The oral portion of the exam must follow no sooner than one week but within two weeks (i.e., 7-14 days) after the written portion is completed and turned in. The written exam should be regarded as the beginning of a discussion that will be continued during the oral exam. Prior to the oral, the student should meet with the candidacy exam chair to clarify expectations for the oral exam; at this meeting, it is expected that the chair will ask a few sample questions to assist the student with their preparations. The oral exam lasts two hours, and it covers both the candidate's major field and minor field or fields. The chair of the committee should ensure that at least 60 minutes are devoted to the major field. The final 30 minutes of the exam can include a discussion of the draft dissertation prospectus.

Candidacy Exam Format

Candidacy exams can be held on-campus , remotely or in a hybrid form . Students and faculty can choose the format that works best for the examinee and their committee. There is no need to file a petition for remote or hybrid exams.

The Candidacy Examination Committee consists of four faculty members, chaired by a member of the graduate faculty who holds "P" status (typically, a tenured associate or full professor). The student selects the members of her or his committee in consultation with the chair. The committee must include faculty representation for both the major field and the minor field or fields. Typically, this will mean two faculty members representing the major field and two faculty members representing the minor field, or two faculty members representing the major field and one faculty member representing the first minor field and one faculty member representing the second minor field. Only in unusual circumstances should a faculty member represent both the major and a minor field for the purposes of the candidacy exam. The committee meets with the student prior to the exam to discuss the reading lists for the major and minor fields.

Students are responsible for distributing the following materials to all members of the Committee at least one week before the written exam:

The draft Dissertation Prospectus.

Students are responsible for distributing the following materials to all members of the Committee at least one week before the oral exam :

The Final Program of Study
The written exam; the student's answers should be prefaced by a copy of the questions set by the committee.
The student's Major Field and Minor Field or Fields reading lists (if updated from the POS)
The official description of the Candidacy Exam; please refer faculty to the information on this page (optional).

Failure of the candidacy examination occurs if the committee considers either of the following to be the case:

The written and/or oral portions of the exam indicated that the candidate is not ready to proceed to a dissertation, owing to insufficient knowledge of the field,
The candidate is insufficiently focused on a dissertation project, which makes it unlikely that they will be able to submit an approved prospectus within two months. In case of failure, the committee can specify the nature of a repeat examination, but it, too, must contain a written and an oral portion. A second failure means dismissal from the PhD program (see Graduate School Handbook).

A successful pass must be a unanimous decision of the committee. The chair of the committee is required to submit a written report on the candidacy examination to the director of Graduate Studies. Failure, in whole or in part, may occur if any one member of the committee is not satisfied with the results. In the case of failure, each individual faculty member of the committee may specify areas or material on which a re-examination must take place and so instruct the student. The chair of the committee will then submit a written account of what will be required of the student to repeat the exam. The Graduate School will assign an outside representative for all second examinations.

If a candidate fails to complete the dissertation and final oral examination within five years after the candidacy examination, admission to candidacy is canceled. To be re-admitted to candidacy, the student must take a supplemental candidacy examination. The examination committee is comprised of the advisor and at least three other authorized graduate faculty members, and the examination must include a written and an oral portion that last approximately two hours. A graduate faculty representative is appointed if a prior unsatisfactory examination result is on record. All other rules pertaining to candidacy examination must be followed. The supplemental examination will typically be tied to the student's dissertation and may consist of the presentation and oral defense of a chapter or a substantial part of a chapter. In short, the purpose of requiring the supplemental examination is not to punish the student but to help move them along to completion of the PhD and to ensure that they have kept up with the current scholarship in the field. On passing the supplemental examination, the student is readmitted to candidacy and must complete the dissertation and final oral examination within two years.

Dissertation

Dissertation prospectus process.

There are three steps in the dissertation prospectus process:

The student presents a draft of the dissertation prospectus to their candidacy exam committee at least one week prior to the written portion of the exam.
The student then presents a revised dissertation prospectus to their dissertation committee in a prospectus conference, typically no more than six weeks after the completion of the candidacy exam.
The final step is for the following to be sent to the director of Graduate Studies and graduate program coordinator, typically no more than two weeks after the prospectus conference: student : please send a copy of the final version of the dissertation prospectus, and dissertation chair : please send a confirmation that the prospectus has been approved by the dissertation committee.

Dissertation prospectus content

The Dissertation Prospectus should:

State the problem that the candidate proposes to solve;
Explain the significance of the project and its relation to current scholarship in the field;
Describe the candidate's current knowledge of the subject;
Indicate the direction the candidate's investigation will take;
Reflect the candidate's familiarity with relevant bibliographical materials and critical methods.

Students and faculty should keep in mind that the prospectus is a preliminary project, not a mini-dissertation. It is meant to help students move on to the dissertation writing stage of their programs. Typically, the prospectus should be no longer than eight to twelve double-spaced pages, plus a working bibliography.

Dissertation committee

The dissertation committee consists of three faculty members, chaired by a faculty member who holds "P" status (typically, a tenured associate or full professor). This committee is constituted separately from the candidacy exam committee and can include faculty members who did not serve on the examination committee.

Prospectus conference

The prospectus conference is a meeting of the student and all members of their dissertation committee to discuss the revised prospectus and the student's plans for researching and writing the dissertation. The prospectus conference also provides an opportunity for the student and the committee to set guidelines for their working relationship.

Because graduate students pursue a wide range of research and writing projects in the Department of English, there are no department-wide guidelines for the dissertation. Students should work with their advisors and committees to determine the relevant parameters for projects in their specific fields and areas of interest.

Finalizing the dissertation manuscript

All doctoral candidates must submit the final draft of the dissertation electronically; students are no longer required to submit a final paper copy to the Graduate School. However, hard copies of the dissertation are still required for distribution to the student's committee and to the outside representative. For more details about the electronic submission process, including how to delay internet dissemination of the dissertation (strongly recommended) and how to format the dissertation, visit the Graduate School website.

Final approval

Final approval of the dissertation cannot occur until the final oral examination has been passed. Each dissertation committee member must sign the Final Approval Form. This form must be submitted no later than one week before commencement.

Students should be aware that the deadlines imposed by the Graduate School do not always allow enough time for their committees to evaluate their work. Most committees will need to have a complete draft of the dissertation at least two or more months before all formal requirements are met, so that sufficient time for revision will be assured. A student who does not present a draft of the dissertation until the semester of anticipated graduation may encounter obstacles and delays. No faculty member is obliged to sign the Draft Approval Form until they are satisfied that the work is ready for scrutiny at the final oral examination.

General Information

This two-hour examination is held after the dissertation committee has approved the dissertation by signing the Draft Approval Form, available from the Graduate School. The Draft Approval Form must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than two weeks before the date of the final oral examination. At the time the student submits the Draft Approval Form, they must also present a hard copy of the approved dissertation draft to both the Graduate School (for the purposes of format check) and the dissertation committee members.

The oral examination deals intensively with the candidate's field of specialization and need not be confined exclusively to the dissertation defense. A successful examination is one that is awarded a "pass" by the entire examining committee, including the outside representative, who is appointed by the Graduate School. This representative must receive a hard copy of the approved dissertation draft at least one week in advance of the examination. A doctoral hood is available and can be borrowed from the English graduate program office for pictures and/or the graduation ceremony. Please visit the the graduate studies office (425 Denney) or contact the program ([email protected]) to make arrangements.

Final Oral Exam Format

Final oral exams can be held on-campus , remotely or in a hybrid form . Students and faculty can choose the format that works best for the examinee and their committee. There is no need to file a petition for remote or hybrid exams.

Time limits for candidacy

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The Department of English makes every attempt possible to provide funding to students who are admitted to the MA/PhD program. The number of years of funding is based on whether the student is admitted with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Funding is renewed on a yearly basis as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.

Graduate Teaching Associateships : Departmental funding is most often in the form of a Graduate Teaching Associateship, for which the student receives a stipend of at least $21,000 for the nine-month academic year. The Department of English also subsidizes 85% of the student health insurance premiums and provides a tuition waiver for all GTAs. Students are responsible for the COTA bus, student activity, Student Union and Recreation Center fees. Students on GTA appointments teach one course per term during the regular academic year.
Graduate School Fellowships : In addition to the funding provided by the Department of English, the Graduate School awards University and Enrichment Fellowships on a competitive basis to students who are new to graduate education at Ohio State. The Department of English's admissions committee submits nominations to the Graduate School’s competition, and a selection committee reviewing nominations from across all graduate programs in the university awards the fellowships. Students may not apply directly for fellowship support. Each graduate program has a limited number of students who may be nominated for fellowship consideration. All Graduate School fellowships provide a monthly stipend, academic tuition and fees and a subsidy of 85% of the student health insurance premiums. These fellowships are nonrenewable and may not be deferred.

Application materials

The application form for Autumn 2023 will open on September 1, 2022. Submit all of the following items electronically through the Graduate Admissions Office :

Application form and fee.
Three letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty members): Please have your recommenders submit letters electronically using the link that will be provided when you select this option in the online application. Please note that your recommenders will receive an email from the university 1-3 days after you submit your application and they should follow the instructions in that email for uploading their letters. Letters that arrive within a week of the application deadline will be accepted.
Transcripts or record of marks for each university-level school attended (transfer credit from another institution appearing on the same transcript is not sufficient): please visit the transcript information available on the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions website for more information. Send transcripts to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions; do not send transcripts to the Department of English. Include English translation of each of any foreign documents. Please do not send transcripts of course work taken at Ohio State as the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions will obtain them directly from the Office of the University Registrar (at no cost to you).
Personal statement (one to two single-spaced pages) that describes your background in English studies and your purpose in pursuing graduate work; this statement should address both your scholarly interests and your interest and/or experience in teaching.
Writing sample: A short essay or portion of a longer work is appropriate. This essay should demonstrate your abilities as a critical reader of a literary or related text, as well as your ability to use current scholarly sources; it is the most important part of the application. Applicants should submit a clean copy of the sample (i.e., not a copy that includes an instructor's comments).
Curriculum vitae /resume of no more than two pages with a clearly stated sentence at the beginning of the CV that declares your scholarly area of interest(s), for example: American literature and queer theory, 18th-century poetry or postcolonial theory and women writers.

Please note : As of autumn 2018, the Department of English at Ohio State no longer requires GRE scores for applications to its PhD or MFA programs. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

All admissions to the integrated MA/PhD and PhD programs are made for autumn semester only; the application deadline for students who wish to start the program in Autumn 2024 is December 4, 2023. The Graduate and Professional Admissions office has a slightly earlier deadline for international applications: November 27, 2023. The application for 2024 will open on September 1, 2023.

Students must apply online and submit all materials (Graduate Admissions and Department requirements) electronically through the Office of Graduate Admissions . Please note that your recommenders will receive an email from the university 1-3 days after you submit your application and they should follow the instructions in that email for uploading their letters. Letters that arrive within a week of the application deadline will be accepted.

The Graduate Admissions Committee for the Department of English will accept applications to the integrated MA/PhD program from students with a bachelor's degree in English or a minimum of 40 quarter hours (27 semester hours) of English coursework from an accredited college or university. They will also accept applications from students with an MA degree in English from an accredited college or university. Course work in a second language is preferred (20 quarter hours or 15 semester hours) but not required. Students with an MA degree in another field will ordinarily be considered in the same group of students who apply to the program with a bachelor's degree in English.

International applicants who have completed an English MA in a language other than English will also ordinarily be considered in the same group of students who apply to the program with a bachelor's degree in English. For more information, please visit International Applicants: Additional Information .

The Graduate School requires that those admitted have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4 (where 4.0=A) and at least a 3.0 on all previous graduate work. Our departmental criteria are higher. Normally, applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.4 overall and 3.6 in English courses (undergraduate or graduate).

PhD program applicants should also understand that the Graduate Admissions Committee decides to admit or reject by looking carefully at each student's record as a whole — at the profile that emerges from the transcripts, the letters of recommendation, the writing sample and the personal statement — rather than by applying a pre-established formula of admissible grades.

By Amanpal Garcha, associate professor and director of Graduate Studies

English admissions process

After receiving applicants’ admission materials, we almost immediately categorize each applicant according their primary areas of research interest. We then send all the applications to the appropriate teaching area groups to allow faculty in those area groups to determine which applicants are best qualified and best suited to study here.

Here’s how that process works. I look at each application; if an applicant declares that they are interested in feminist criticism as well as Renaissance literature, that applicant’s materials goes to our gender studies faculty and our Renaissance faculty. Similarly, if an applicant expresses their intention to study rhetoric, that applicant’s materials go to our rhetoric faculty; and if an applicant wishes to study postcolonial literature, that application goes to our US ethnic and postcolonial group.

By some time in February, the area groups make their final decisions as to their top applicants, and in March, we notify applicants of their admission status and any offers of financial aid.

There are two points I’d like to emphasize that follow from our process:

It’s very much to an applicant’s benefit if they can articulate a clear intention to focus in a particular era of literature or on a particular area of English studies. As the above suggests, we are not really set up to evaluate students who are interested in English generally – our process works to find students who wish to focus their energies on a particular set of literary texts or on a particular approach to literary or cultural study.
Each area group will be able to admit only a few students – possibly as few as one or two.

Writing the personal statement

The name 'personal statement' is unfortunately a misleading one for the kind of document that applicants should prepare, but as it is term that English departments commonly use, we’ve chosen to keep it. Really, the document is less a 'personal statement' and more a statement of an applicant’s academic and intellectual background and of their academic goals for graduate study. Given what I outlined above about our particular admissions process, it is a document that is often most effective when it lays out an applicant’s intention to study a particular area – and the reasons why the applicant wishes to study that area.

Still, this statement might not be solely focused on the applicant’s research intentions. Our faculty will want to know some of the courses applicants took as undergraduate or graduate students and how those courses helped the applicant develop a good background for study in English. They may also wish to know what non-academic experiences helped develop applicants’ intentions to do research. Finally, they will be interested in any major research work applicants have already completed, whether that work took the form of a thesis, a presentation or a substantial essay for a course.

Often, personal statements end with applicants’ articulation of what they would like to study in graduate school, some of the research methods they might use and the reasons why Ohio State is an appropriate place for them to do their work.

Selecting a writing sample

As our guidelines state, we require a 10-20 page paper as a writing sample. There are several reasons why we require a writing sample. The most important reason has to do with the degree requirements for our graduate program: because almost all of our graduate classes ask students to complete long research papers and because the ultimate requirement for the PhD — the dissertation — is a long-term writing project, we need to be sure that our students already possess the ability to write an academic paper that is clear, rigorous, well researched and original. There are other reasons, too: almost all of our students will be teaching academic writing, so we wish to ensure they have a good writing skills, for instance.

Again, because applications are assessed by the area groups, it’s to an applicant’s advantage that they submit a writing sample that is fairly closely associated with the area of study on which they wish to focus. The topic of the writing sample does not have to be an exact match: an applicant in rhetoric, for instance, might gain admittance if they submit an essay about a film — but almost certainly, the essay would have to use rhetorical analysis in interpreting the film. A Renaissance applicant who submits an essay on medieval literature might be successful — but a Renaissance applicant who submits an essay on twentieth-century American literature might have a harder time.

Because each area group can only select a few applicants for admission, they are usually very rigorous in their assessments of writing samples. Generally, a successful writing sample shows that the applicant can use recent (or fairly recent) critical essays in the field to support and refine their argument and shows that the applicant can persuasively advance an original thesis.

For questions that can't be answered by the information above, the English Graduate Studies Office can be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone (614-292-7919).

Program Type

Combined Degree (4)
Degree Granting (72)
Summer Programs (1)
Visiting Students (4)

Academic Areas

Arts & Architecture (4)
Biological Sciences (4)
Engineering & Applied Sciences (10)
Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (14)
History (14)
Humanities (22)
Languages (9)
Mathematics (2)
Medical Sciences (7)
Physical Sciences (6)
Social Sciences (21)

Degrees Offered

AB/AM, AB/SM (1)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (68)
Master of Arts (AM) (8)
Master of Engineering (ME) (2)
Master of Science (SM) (4)

GRE Requirement

Not Accepted (28)
Optional (28)
Required (14)

African and African American Studies

American studies, anthropology, applied mathematics, applied physics, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, bioengineering, biological and biomedical sciences, biological sciences in public health.

University of Pennsylvania
School of Arts and Sciences
Penn Calendar

Search form

PhD and MA Graduate Admissions

Our application deadline is December 15th at 11:59 pm. Due to our application portal's technical specifications, the system may allow submission of applications after that deadline. No applications submitted after the December 15th deadline will be reviewed.

Application Procedures

Applicants to all graduate degree programs should apply online through ApplyWeb . We do not accept paper applications.

For both the terminal M.A. and Ph.D. programs, the application portal opens on October 2nd and closes on December 15th of each year. There is a short grace period after December 15th in which we will still accept letters of recommendation and official test scores. The Graduate Coordinator will follow up with you after December 15th if you are missing any of these elements and will provide a need-by date. Please note that the grace period is meant to allow recommenders to be a little late without negatively affecting your application, and should not be considered an alternate due date. Applicants should provide the December 15th due date to their recommenders. Applicants are ultimately responsible for ensuring that we receive their letters of recommendation.

Applications for submatriculation are accepted until February 10th of each year. Students interested in submatriculating should be in touch with the Undergraduate Chair, the Graduate Chair, and their College contact (assigned and listed in Path@Penn ) before or during the application process. Each of these contacts provide important information about the submatriculation process.

We only accept full-time students for the M.A. and Ph.D. program , and do not offer part-time options for either program. All applicants are applying to begin in the fall semester of the following year. We do not accept applications for spring admission.

The application fee is $90 , payable via credit or debit card at the time of submission.

NOTE: Application fee waivers are managed entirely by the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences, and individual departments do not have the power to grant them. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants should send a brief letter to Patricia Rea, Associate Director for Admissions, at [email protected] , stating the reason for the request. This letter should be sent no later than December 1st . Please be advised that the applicant must demonstrate a clear and compelling case of financial hardship.

Technical isues with ApplyWeb should be addressed to Technical Support ( [email protected] ).

Elements of the Application

In addition to your application form, which you will complete via ApplyWeb, we ask that you attach the following supporting documents to your application.

A personal statement.* In the personal statement, all M.A. and Ph.D. applications within the Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences should address the following: Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have overcome adversity and/or experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study, please feel free to share how that has affected the course of your education. We are interested in your lived experiences and how your particular perspective might contribute to the inclusive and dynamic learning community that Penn values and strives to create. In the English Graduate Group, we ask that you discuss in this same personal statement your particular interest in our program, including why it is a good fit for your goals in graduate school. Your personal statement should not exceed 1200 words.

A critical writing sample.* This should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages long and should reflect your writing abilities and most up-to-date critical thinking. The writing sample must match one of your field interests or concentrations. We strongly prefer a single, 20-page paper over two shorter papers that add up to 20 pages.

Three letters of recommendation. These should be written by professors who know your work and can attest to your academic ability. Personal and other non-academic recommendation letters are strongly discouraged. Applicants should use the ApplyWeb system to submit letters. Applicants will submit the names, titles, and contact information of their recommenders, who will receive an emailed invitation to submit a letter on the applicant's behalf. If you or your recommenders have issues with this system, please email Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ) for troubleshooting. Please do not submit more than four recommendation letters.

Electronic versions of your academic transcripts. These do not have to be official transcripts, but can either be a pdf downloaded from your student portal or a scanned copy of a paper transcript. If accepted, you will need to provide a final, official paper copy of your transcript before you matriculate.

Proof of English Proficiency. Applicants with citizenship or permanent resident status in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand are not required to provide this, and their applications will automatically waive the requirement. Citizens of other countries may satisfy this requirement by either 1 ) submitting proof of having graduated from an institution where English was the primary language of instruction to Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator (in most cases, your transcripts will suffice), or 2 ) submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores . Our TOEFL code is 2986. IELTS scores must be sent via mail to University of Pennsylvania, Department of English, 3340 Walnut Street, Rm 127, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Attn: Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator. The University of Pennsylvania only accepts hard copies of IELTS scores. Questions about individual cases should be directed to Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ).

* For both your personal statement and critical writing sample , please include 1 primary field of interest and up to 2 additional fields of interest at the top of the first page, or in the page's header. Your primary field of interest should match your selection of concentration on the ApplyWeb application form. Please choose from the following list:

Medieval Literature
Early Modern/Renaissance Literature
Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature (includes Restoration, Eighteenth Century, Early Romanticism, British Empire Studies)
Nineteenth-Century British Literature (includes Later Romanticism, Victorianism, British Empire Studies)
Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century British Literature (includes British Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary, British Empire Studies)
American Literature through the Nineteenth Century
Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century American Literature (includes American Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary)
American Studies/Ethnic Studies (Asian American, Latino/a, Native American, Critical Race Studies, Transnational Americas)
African American and Afro-diaspora Literature
Contemporary Poetry & Poetics
Postcolonial Studies (Global South: South Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, East Asia)
Film, Television, and New Media
Gender & Sexuality Studies
Material Texts and Digital Humanities

Example: a student interested in the 18th-century British Novel, colonial discourse, and feminism would include at the top of their personal statement, “Primary: 18th-Century British Literature, Additional: British Empire Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies”

Example: a student interested in studying Latino/a literature, Latin American Literature, and Film would include at the top of their personal statement, "Primary: American/Ethnic Studies; Additional: Postcolonial-Latin America and Film, Television, and New Media."

For International Applicants & Admittees

NOTE TO APPLICANTS FROM THE UK: we encourage UK applicants to apply for a Thouron Fellowship. The Thouron is a 1-2 year fellowship that pays for a Masters degree. Fellows who are admitted to our Ph.D. program may then continue with fellowship support from Penn. Note that the Thouron deadline is in November. Information and application materials are available on the Thouron.org website .

International Students admitted into the program should apply for their Social Security number as soon as possible so that they don't experience a delay in receiving their stipend.

Questions about the admission process? See our Frequently Asked Questions or contact Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator ( [email protected] ).

PhD in Political Science

UMass Amherst offers PhD and accelerated MA degrees in six fields of political inquiry: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, and public law. In addition, while each field is its own thriving research community, your studies can involve multiple research clusters whose work crosses subfields, including conflict, violence and security; political economy; global forces; computational social science; and ambiguities of democracy. You’ll also choose methods training appropriate to the questions you are asking—from statistical modeling and network analysis to ethnography and textual analysis—and enjoy mentorship by scholars across diverse subfields and methodological orientations.

Application information & deadlines

January 15, 2024, political science.

PhD and MA in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, and public law.

Global footer

Site policies
Non-discrimination notice
Accessibility
Terms of use

Boston University Academics

Boston University

Campus Life
Schools & Colleges
Degree Programs
Search Academics

PhD or MA in Physiology or Biophysics

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine offers programs leading to the PhD or MA in Physiology or Biophysics. Each program stresses laboratory training and original research performed under the direction of a faculty member, as well as satisfactory performance in graduate coursework.

In the first and second years of both the PhD and MA programs, a core curriculum of Foundations in Biomedical Sciences courses is supplemented with biophysics and physiology. The program emphasizes flexibility and individual choice. In the first year, students do research rotations in the laboratories of 2–3 (MA) or 3–4 (PhD) faculty members to gain firsthand knowledge of a variety of research areas.

At the end of the first year, students select a degree advisor and continue research toward the MA or PhD degree. In the second year students continue to take courses and PhD students must pass a qualifying exam. Throughout their training, students also participate in a weekly department seminar series and report their research progress annually at a student seminar day.

Learning Outcomes

All students graduating with the PhD in Physiology or Biophysics from the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM are expected to:

Generate an original body of work in the biomedical sciences that reflects critical thinking and independent thought.
Demonstrate competencies in advanced research skills.
Develop the ability to communicate in both written and oral methods within their chosen field of expertise with both specialists and nonexperts.
Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and continued learning in their chosen field.

All students graduating with the MA in Physiology or Biophysics from the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine are expected to:

Generate an original body of work or a library thesis in physiology or biophysics that reflects critical thinking and independent thought.
Demonstrate competencies in research skills or library research skills.
Develop the ability to communicate through written documents within their chosen field of expertise with both specialists and nonexperts.

Purpose and Background

The department, under the aegis of Dr. Venetia Zachariou as chair, brings together active faculty members to provide excellence in research and graduate education. Research interests in the department span the modern areas of cellular physiology and molecular biophysics, with strong concentrations in structural biology, vision research, muscle physiology, neurophysiology, and the biology and physical chemistry of proteins, lipids, and lipoproteins. Faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their areas of research. The department provides flexible graduate programs with pathways either leading toward a degree in physiology or in biophysics. The department offers these two programs in a strong, collegial environment to encompass and promote the diverse overlapping research of all members of the department.

The goal of our programs in Physiology or Biophysics is to produce graduate students who understand the thermodynamic, chemical, electrical, and structural aspects of biological systems at the atomic level and in the context of the cell and organism. The training across scientific and medical disciplines provides graduates the advantage of learning physiology and biophysics in the context of the regulation of homeostasis and pathogenicity of the cell, and of the organism as a whole. Graduates will be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with a broad range of disciplines ranging from medical personnel to chemists, engineers, and physicists.

A set of required core courses will be taken by the students in the first and/or second year that will lead to a level of understanding of the two disciplines necessary for a degree in physiology or biophysics. After completing the core course requirements, students have flexibility to choose the appropriate additional coursework for their interests, within the guidelines set out below. The courses for first-year students are chosen with the guidance of members of the Student Admissions & Affairs Committee (SAAC), and in the second year with input from their PhD or MA advisor. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded either a PhD or an MA in Physiology or in Biophysics.

Similar Paths for PhD, MD/PhD, and Post-MA PhD students

Requirements for PhD and MD/PhD students are similar. Students in the PhD program take their qualifying examination in their second year. MD/PhD students enter after completing the second-year Medical Curriculum and are therefore treated as post-MA students with a lower course and credit requirement (32 versus 64 total credits), and take their qualifying exam at the end of their first year in the program.

Transfer and post-MA students are handled on a case-by-case basis, but may be able to take the qualifying examination at the end of their first year.

In all cases, post-MA students are able to choose a suitable set of courses tailored to their backgrounds and research interests, with input from the SAAC during the first year and from their advisor in following years.

The MA Programs

MA programs in Physiology or Biophysics are offered. In some cases, a qualified MA student may subsequently apply to the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) PhD program. This decision is dependent on the student’s application and acceptance into the PiBS umbrella program through the PiBS admissions process.

An MA requires 32 credit hours (paid for by the student) and requires either a literature-based dissertation or a short laboratory-based dissertation with two readers from within the department.

The Path of a Graduate Student

On joining the department, students follow a path of requirements with specific coursework dependent on their concentration in either Physiology or Biophysics. Students with a concentration in Physiology are required to take at least one course in Biophysics and students with a concentration in Biophysics take at least one course in Physiology.

Seminar Courses (GMS BY 871, 872 or GMS PH 841, 842; 2 credits per semester)

In the second and subsequent years, all students in the department participate in the Special Topics Seminar course, aimed at developing the student’s ability to read the scientific literature and present the merits and/or deficits of a current research paper to other students and a proctoring faculty member. The students use a whiteboard and computer for their presentations. This component of the course meets for one hour each week, as specified by the faculty member proctoring the class. Typically, all students present at least once each semester, and possibly more often, based on the number of enrolled students. Additionally, students are taught to write grants, research papers, and more general scientific articles such as “News and Views” on papers from the current literature. An important complement to the student presentations is required attendance at the Department Seminar Series where the students are exposed to cutting-edge research by outstanding speakers.

All graduate students in the department enroll in this course each semester for the duration of their degree program, earning 2 graded credits per semester.

The faculty member who teaches this course is rotated after each semester, to allow a fresh viewpoint and area of expertise to be covered. The Chair of the SAC, with input from the Program Steering Committee, selects 6–8 faculty who are interested in teaching this course on a rotating basis.

Student Seminars

In years 3–5, or starting with the spring term after the qualifying examination has been completed, all PhD candidates will present a 20–30-minute seminar on their dissertation research. These seminars form a logical extension of the departmental Seminar Series and the Special Topics course and take place on a specified Student Seminar Day (or days) scheduled in April or May. Predissertation committee members for a presenting student take notes on the quality of the presentation and meet with the student within 2–3 days, on either a one-to-one basis or in small groups with other committee members, to provide feedback with the goal of improving the student’s presentation skills.

Student Poster Presentations

Students who have completed their qualifying exams present a poster during Russek Day in the spring of each year, to improve their organization and presentation skills. In addition, students are encouraged to enter their posters in the Scholars’ Day poster competition held at the Boston University Charles River Campus. Students are encouraged to attend local and national meetings to present their research.

Student Individual Development Plans and Professional Development

Students, together with Student Affairs committee members, each create an individual development plan that is updated at least annually. The Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs office provides monthly workshops, lectures, and panel discussions, which students are encouraged to attend as they progress through the program.

Course Requirements

Incoming PhD and MA students are required to take either five or three modules, respectively, from the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences curriculum, including Protein Structure, Cell Dynamics, Genetics and Genomics, Mechanisms of Cell Communication, and Cellular Physiology (GMS FC 701, 702, 703, 704, and 707 for PhD; FC 701, 703, and 704 for MA). To allow flexibility for the breadth of the fields of physiology and biophysics, yet ensure a working knowledge of both, students are required to take a minimum of one physiology course and one biophysics course.

The acceptable biophysics courses are:

GMS BY 760 A Macromolecular Assemblies: Protein-Protein, Protein-Nucleic Acid, and Membrane Protein Assemblies (2 cr)
GMS BY 760 B Macromolecular Assemblies: Lipid-Protein Assemblies (2 cr)
GMS BY 771 B Foundations of Structural Biology: Computation, Thermodynamics, Spectroscopy, and NMR (2 cr)
GMS PH 771 A Foundations of Structural Biology: Structure Determination by Crystallography and Electron Microscopy (2 cr)

The acceptable physiology courses are:

GMS FC 707 Physiology of Specialized Cells (3 cr)
GMS PH 730 Human Physiology A (4 cr)
GMS PH 731 Human Physiology B (4 cr)

Elective coursework is chosen jointly by the student and their advisor or dissertation committee. To achieve a balanced curriculum for all students, Graduate Medical Sciences PhD degree requirements include a minimum of 24 credits in formal coursework, or 12 credits for the post-MA. It is expected, although not required, that the formal coursework credits are acquired prior to the qualifying examination at the end of the second year. Beyond 24 coursework credits, students are encouraged to informally audit courses following consultation with their dissertation committee. Post-MA students who have already taken an appropriate graduate-level course in the core curriculum are permitted to substitute an elective or electives in the first semester.

The Qualifying Examination

Success in science requires that students be able to express their thoughts both verbally and in written form. The necessary verbal skills are developed through participation in the Special Topics Seminar course and by giving presentations in yearly research seminars at the Student Seminar Day(s), laboratory group meetings, predissertation meetings, and the dissertation defense seminar. Written skills are developed in required coursework and in the writing of papers and the dissertation. This process begins with writing a research proposal using the NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) or American Heart Association Research Training Grants and Fellowships format, to fulfill the written qualifying exam requirement.

The qualifying examination is given at the end of the second semester within the second year for PhD students. MD/PhD, post-MA, and some transfer students in the PhD program have the option of taking the qualifying examination at the end of the second semester of the first year. Administration of the qualifying examination will be overseen by the SAAC. Program faculty members serve on the qualifying examination committees on a rotating basis. The two-part exam consists of:

For the written qualifying examination, students write a research proposal that correlates with, but may or may not include, their planned dissertation research. This document is judged by three members of the SAAC committee for the student’s understanding of the relevant scientific literature and ability to propose testable scientific hypotheses.
An oral examination where the student is assigned three current research papers to read and is subsequently tested on their understanding of the material in front of an examining committee. This committee is comprised of five program faculty members. Papers are chosen by the committee and given to the students two to three weeks in advance of the oral examination. Dissertation advisors will not participate in the oral defense of students who are pursuing a PhD in their laboratory.

Both the written and oral portion of the qualifying exam must be passed in order for a student to continue in the PhD program. Students who fail either the oral or the written portion of the exam (or both) can retake that portion of the exam once in order to achieve a passing score. MA students do not take the qualifying examination.

Dissertation

Predissertation meetings.

After the student has passed the qualifying exam, a predissertation committee of at least five members must be established in the fall of that year and submitted to the SAAC. Students submit their dissertation proposal in grant form to the members of the committee two weeks before the first predissertation committee meeting. At least one member from outside the department, and preferably from a different institution, should be included in the final dissertation committee. An external committee member is not required for predissertation meetings, which will be held about every 10–12 months or at least three times prior to graduation.

Dissertation Defense

The PhD dissertation defense consists of a public seminar followed by a closed-door dissertation defense with a minimum of five committee members, including one member from outside the department.

Program Resources

All members of the faculty of the department participate in the graduate programs in Physiology or Biophysics. The faculty have well-funded research programs and extensively equipped individual laboratories for carrying out research in cellular physiology and biophysics. In addition, the department maintains core facilities in molecular biology, spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, NMR, and structural electron microscopy that will be used by students carrying out their research.

Recruitment directly into the Program in Biomedical Sciences is the route of entry for PhD students, and MA candidates apply directly to our programs in Physiology or in Biophysics.

There is no strict formula for acceptance to the programs, and many factors go into the Admissions Committee’s decisions. The programs seek students from a wide range of backgrounds including physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and medical sciences.

For acceptance into the program, students should have outstanding grades in a rigorous curriculum, and applicants should have completed organic chemistry, physics, and physical chemistry courses. The GRE general test and subject tests are not required. Foreign students are required to take the TOEFL. We are especially interested in candidates with research experience. Finally, the letters from the applicant’s references are extremely important, as is the applicant’s personal statement. Underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply.

Administration

The chair of the department is the director of the graduate programs and has the ultimate responsibility for administering the graduate programs in Physiology or Biophysics. A Program Steering Committee oversees the graduate programs and advises the Chair of the Student Admissions & Affairs Committee (SAAC) on specific needs of the programs. Steering Committee members select faculty members to serve on the SAAC and oversee the appointment of committees that deal with developing new courses along with the review and updating of existing courses.

The Steering Committee and the SAAC Chair work jointly to supervise the appointment of faculty to run the departmental seminar series and plan the departmental retreat. Student Seminar Days are organized by faculty members who are running the department seminar series in a given year.

The Student Admissions & Affairs Committee (SAAC)

The SAAC oversees the day-to-day operations of the graduate programs, including: student recruitment, admissions, orientation, rotations, assignment of dissertation advisors, and administering the qualifying examinations. The SAAC is comprised of 5–7 faculty members who adequately represent the diverse research interests within the department.

The SAAC serves many roles in the department. The SAAC is charged with overseeing student affairs and academic standing, curriculum development, and administering the qualifying examination. The SAAC is also available to help with student problems and to mediate issues between students and advisors.

Related Bulletin Pages

Graduate Medical Sciences Courses
Abbreviations and Symbols

Beyond the Bulletin

GMS Admissions
Financial Assistance
Courses offered in Physiology or Biophysics
The Vesalius Certificate
Anatomy & Neurobiology
Behavioral Neuroscience
Biochemistry
MD/PhD in Bioinformatics
Biomedical Forensic Sciences
Biomedical Research Technologies
Biomedical Sciences (PiBS)
Clinical Research
Forensic Anthropology
Genetic Counseling
Genetics & Genomics
Health Care Emergency Management
Health Professions Education
Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice
Medical Sciences
Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine Program
Microbiology
Molecular & Translational Medicine
Neuroscience
Nutrition & Metabolism
Oral Biology
Oral Health Sciences
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics
Physician Assistant
Physiology or Biophysics
Departments
BU Medical Campus Library
Graduate Medical Sciences Student Organization (GMSSO)

Terms of Use

Note that this information may change at any time. Read the full terms of use .

related websites

Graduate Medical Sciences

Accreditation

Boston University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

© Copyright
Mobile Version

IMAGES

MA vs. PhD
Master's vs PhD/Doctorate Degrees
Difference between Master’s & PhD Dissertations
What is the Difference Between an MA, an MS, and a PhD?
Masters Vs PhD: The Difference Between Masters & PhD/Doctorates 2023+
The Difference Between a Master's and PhD

VIDEO

First Meeting with My Ph.D. Guide ll Expectations vs. Reality
MA के बाद P.hd Course पूरी जानकारी हिंदी में #career_after_ma #phd
ASBH 2023 Annual Conference: Policymakers’ Unmet Desire for Ethicists (Audio Recording)
Supreme Grand Master R.D. Hondolero Ph.D./Ma.D.Sc and Brendon Smith in class
Cặp Đôi Qua Đêm Dưới Hầm Để Xe Lạnh Lẽo **Ngủ Ngon**
School of Modern Languages Congregation Ceremony

COMMENTS

Master's vs PhD
The two most common types of graduate degrees are master's and doctoral degrees: A master's is a 1-2 year degree that can prepare you for a multitude of careers. A PhD, or doctoral degree, takes 3-7 years to complete (depending on the country) and prepares you for a career in academic research. A master's is also the necessary first ...
Masters Vs PhD: The Difference Between Masters & PhD/Doctorates 2024+
Usually a full-time graduate student might acquire a Master's degree in about two years. Master's degrees typically require less time than doctoral degrees. ... (MA), a Master of Science (MSc), or a Master of Research, (MRe). This type of degree program is much like an undergrad program. Classes are taught. Some may involve lectures ...
BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD
BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD (and more) are abbreviations of British degrees. They reflect the specific level and discipline of a qualification achieved at university. While most courses are conducted on a full-time basis, there are options for part-time, distance learning and other flexible learning arrangements. Here is a breakdown of some of the ...
What is the Difference Between an MA, an MS, and a PhD?
Abbreviation for Master of Arts. An MA is among the most basic graduate degrees you can get. An MA typically takes 1-2 years to earn and is usually awarded in an arts & humanities discipline, such as English or History. More information on MA degrees from the U.S. Department of Education: Structure of the U.S. Education System: Master's Degrees
What Does BA, MA & PhD Mean in Degrees?
An M.A. is a Master of Arts degree. Master of Arts degrees are graduate degree programs within a concentrated specialization pursued after the completion of a bachelor's degree. Students often pursue master's degrees to gain promotion in their current careers or to advance to a new career within their field. A Master of Arts degrees gives you ...
What is the difference between a postgraduate taught master's and a
Successful PhD candidates are awarded doctoral qualifications such as doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of engineering (EngD), depending on their field of research. ADVERTISEMENT Research is the core component of a PhD programme, and you will be expected to produce original work on a specific subject topic, usually in the form of a thesis.
What Do MA, MBA, MS, MSW and PhD Stand For?
There are two parts; one can classify the educational level of the degree: "B" stands for bachelor's degree; "M" stands for master's degree; and "D" stands for doctoral degree. The second part denotes the discipline of the degree, like "S" for science, "A" for arts, or "Ph" for Philosophy. What are the distinctions ...
Master's vs PhD
2. PhD: After earning a master's degree, the next step is a PhD, which entails both working and performing research at an institution. A PhD is an abbreviation for "Doctor of Philosophy.". It is the highest academic degree one can achieve. As such, it is a time-consuming pursuit that requires a lot of studying and research.
Integrated Masters with PhD
An Integrated Masters with a PhD (iPhD) is a four-year postgraduate level programme that combines a one-year Masters course with a three-year PhD course. They allow students to familiarise themselves with their chosen topic, research methods and academic writing techniques before embarking on their own independent research project.
MA/PhD Program
Earning a Master's of Arts degree (MA) or doctorate (PhD) from Berkeley's School of Education often leads to a career as an educational scholar and researcher in schools, colleges, and universities; non-profits and think tanks; and corporations. In your application, we encourage you to describe your research interests as well as your desire ...
Application Requirements for PhD, MA, MS
The following requirements and processes apply to all PhD and most master's programs with the following exceptions: Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) Joint MA Programs Individually Designed MA in Education Deadlines For The 2024-2025 Academic Year: Application Available: September 15, 2023 PhD Application Deadline: December 1, 2023 (11:59pm PST) MA/MS Application
PhD and MA Programs
BA/MA five-year program in Philosophy. Loyola's graduate faculty boasts a wide range of research strengths across the core areas of philosophy, offering a diversity of research paths that students can pursue. These strengths include: Social and Political Philosophy/Ethics. Continental Philosophy. History of Philosophy. Critical Philosophy of ...
MA/PhD Program
The MA/PhD program is a combined program designed for students entering with a BA with the intention of earning a PhD. If you are applying for an MA/PhD, select the PhD option in the application system. The program consists of core course work, requirements for specific Areas of Concentration (ARCOs), preliminary exams, comprehensive exams, and dissertation work.
JD/PhD and JD/MA Programs
New York University School of Law (Law) and Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) offer coordinated dual degree programs leading to a Juris Doctor (JD) and either a PhD or MA degree in two Arts and Science disciplines: Economics. Politics. Law and GSAS also offer dual degree programs leading to a JD and MA in the following disciplines:
MA/PhD in English Language and Literature
Program Overview. Our MA/PhD in English Language and Literature is an integrated program that allows students to earn an MA on the way to the PhD. We do not admit students for a terminal MA degree. The program receives over 250 applications of admission each year and typically enrolls an entering class of 10-14 students, all of whom receive ...
What Does BA, MA & PhD Mean in Degrees?
Bachelor's Degrees. There are two different types of bachelor's degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). Both are considered undergraduate degrees and require about four to five years of study. Those who study humanities or liberal arts earn a Bachelor of Arts and might work in education, journalism or psychology.
PhD and MA programs in Psychology at Brandeis University
Expertise: Connections between developmental processes, aspects of gender, and emotion regulation as those processes impact depression, anxiety, and stress. Applications are open for the PhD and MA programs in Psychology at Brandeis University. Deadlines: Dec 1 for the PhD program; the MA program has rolling admissions until May 15, but first ...
MA/PhD Program
All admissions to the integrated MA/PhD and PhD programs are made for autumn semester only; the application deadline for students who wish to start the program in Autumn 2024 is December 4, 2023. The Graduate and Professional Admissions office has a slightly earlier deadline for international applications: November 27, 2023. The application for ...
Programs
The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is a leading institution of graduate study, offering PhD and select master's degrees as well as opportunities to study without pursuing a degree as a visiting student. Harvard University. Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center. 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 350 ...
PhD and MA Graduate Admissions
We only accept full-time students for the M.A. and Ph.D. program, and do not offer part-time options for either program. All applicants are applying to begin in the fall semester of the following year. We do not accept applications for spring admission. The application fee is $90, payable via credit or debit card at the time of submission.
PhD in Political Science : Graduate School : UMass Amherst
PhD in Political Science. UMass Amherst offers PhD and accelerated MA degrees in six fields of political inquiry: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, and public law. In addition, while each field is its own thriving research community, your studies can involve multiple research ...
Clinical PhD, Social-Personality PhD, and MA Programs: Admissions
There is no minimum requirement for GRE scores to either our MA or PhD programs. Q. What are the average scores of admitted applicants? A. The average GRE Verbal Score is in the 81st percentile, the average GRE Quantitative Score is in the 68th percentile and the average GRE Analytic Writing Score is in the 80th percentile. (The average rate of ...
PhD or MA in Physiology or Biophysics
The program emphasizes flexibility and individual choice. In the first year, students do research rotations in the laboratories of 2-3 (MA) or 3-4 (PhD) faculty members to gain firsthand knowledge of a variety of research areas. At the end of the first year, students select a degree advisor and continue research toward the MA or PhD degree.

BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD - what do they all mean?

Integrated-Masters:

What Does BA, MA & PhD Mean in Degrees?

How to Get a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree at Once

B.A.: Bachelor of Arts

M.A.: Master of Arts

Ph.D.: Doctor of Philosophy

Selecting the Right Degree

Related Articles

How to Obtain Your Master's Degree Plus 45 Credits in Education

Can I Still Get Financial Aid If I'm Getting a Second Associate's ...

Difference in an Undergraduate & Postgraduate Diploma

How to Get a Master's Degree in One Year

Political Science Vs. Criminal Justice Degree

What Do You Hope to Gain by Going to College?

How to Calculate Semester Hours

What is the difference between a postgraduate taught master’s and a postgraduate research master’s?

Richard Carruthers

Postgraduate taught (PGT) courses

What’s the difference between an MSc and an MA?

Applying for a postgraduate taught course

What are MRes and MPhil degrees?

Doctorate courses

Applying for a doctorate (PhD) programme

Other postgraduate courses

You may also like

.css-185owts{overflow:hidden;max-height:54px;text-indent:0px;} Is it possible to do a three-year PhD as an international student?

What is a PhD? Advice for PhD students

How do I choose a master's?

Master’s vs PhD — These are the Main Differences

Photo by Good Free Photos on Unsplash

1. Master’s Degree:

Should You Get a Master’s or PhD?

Length of Time

Weighing the Benefits

Required Commitment and Reasons to Pursue

Reasons to Study for a Master’s

Reasons to Study for a PhD

Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash

Salary Differences Between Master’s and Ph.D. Graduates

The Bottom Line

Related Articles

Introduction

What is an Integrated PhD?

Difference Between Integrated PhD and Regular PhD

Who are Integrated PhDs suitable for?

Advantages and Disadvantages of an Integrated PhD

Eligibility

Funding Opportunities

Availability

Browse PhDs Now

Berkeley School of Education

Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender

Language, Literacy, and Culture

Learning Sciences and Human Development

Policy, Politics, and Leadership

Social Research Methodologies

School Psychology

Admissions & Aid

Application Requirements

You are here

Deadlines For The 2024-2025 Academic Year:

Study Abroad

Foreign Institutions

TOEFL Requirement

TOEFL Dates and Deadlines

Do I need to take the TOEFL?

TOEFL Waiver Request

Program-Specific Requirements

DAPS: Developmental and Psychological Sciences

LSTD: Learning Sciences and Technology Design

RILE: Race, Inequality, and Language in Education

SHIPS: Anthropology of Education

SHIPS: Economics of Education

SHIPS: Education Data Science

SHIPS: Educational Linguistics

SHIPS: Educational Policy

SHIPS: Higher Education

SHIPS: History of Education

SHIPS: Philosophy of Education