last modified:2008-06-09 13:50:04
DOCTORAL STUDIES
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To find information about specific Doctoral Studies programs in the English Department, select from the list below:
GENERAL PROGRAM POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS
Fulfilling the Foreign Language Requirement
Students in all programs, except the M.F.A., must demonstrate proficiency in one or more foreign language. See the policies section for each program for specific levels of proficiency required for the degree. Please note that these levels are more stringent than the University's definitions of proficiency.
We can arrange to test several languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Students desiring to certify their language requirement in another language should consult the Director of Graduate Studies about the possibility of making special arrangements for a suitable test. Such exams have no guaranteed availability and, if available, are the responsibility of the student to arrange. In all cases, language requirements should be fulfilled as early as possible in a student's graduate career.
There are three ways to fulfill the language requirement:
1. The Testing Center at the University of Utah will administer an MLA language exam in Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Russian. (Go to http://www.sa.utah.edu/testing/ or call 581-8744 for details.).
2. The language requirement may be fulfilled through coursework. Please see the specific requirements of each program for details on this option.
3. A passing grade on a departmental translation examination. Texts for examinations will be chosen by department (or, in some cases, College) members in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.
Departmental Examinations will test the student's ability to translate a specimen of poetry or prose in a foreign language into accurate and literate English. The Director of Graduate Studies employs qualified graders from the department or from the language testing center. (These procedures in no way require the department to provide departmental exams each year or in any year.)
The specimen text to be translated will be of at least above-average difficulty. Examiners may choose to gloss obscure words or phrases on the exam. The student will be able to use a dictionary during the exam. The time of the exam will be one-and-a-half hours. (No aids other than the dictionary will be permitted). Examinations submitted to graders will not list the name of the student being examined. Grades for the examination will be pass or fail, and will be reported to the students by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students who fail a departmental exam will not be allowed to take another departmental exam until the following semester.
Registration
All registration for classes now takes place via the web. Upon acceptance from University of Utah Graduate Admissions, a new student is sent a letter with a student ID number and information needed to begin the registration process. Class schedules and registration information can be found at http://www.acs.utah.edu/prod/bin/student/
It is a strict requirement of the University that students maintain continuous registration of at least three credit hours each semester (except summer) from the time of formal admission to a graduate program until all requirements for the degree are completed. Any student who fails to register for three hours in any semester (except summer) will lose registration eligibility until the student reapplies for admission to the Graduate School. If a student needs to be registered in a given semester but does not want to take a class, that that student should register for Faculty Consultation--English 6980 (M.A. and M.F.A. students) or Faculty Consultation--English 7980 (Ph.D. students). These are "dummy" three-hour courses that exist for the purpose of maintaining registration and do not count toward any degree requirements. Standard tuition costs apply. Obtain the four-digit registration class number from the Graduate Advisor.
Registration Procedures for Special Graduate Courses
The information below concerns obligations in registration for independent study, thesis hours and the like. In general, M.A. and M.F.A students will enroll in the 6000-level version of the course, and Ph.D. students in the 7000-level version. If you have any questions about these special graduate courses, please consult with the Director of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Advisor.
1. Independent Study (English 6910 and 7910)
Independent study is designed for study that is not otherwise available in curriculum. Independent Study may be approved to count toward degree requirements when the Director of Graduate Studies judges that the proposed independent study clearly suits special needs of the student. Ordinarily students should not enroll in more than one semester of independent study in the course of their programs. Independent study may not be used to meet the program's period requirements or to replace English 6480. A description of the work to be completed (with the supervisor's signature) must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and returned to the Graduate Advisor before the student may register for 6910 or 7910. Forms and registration information are available in the Graduate Studies Office.
2. Thesis and Dissertation Hours (English 6970 and 7970)
All M.F.A. candidates must register for a minimum of six hours of thesis research. Students may register for any number of hours in any semester. All doctoral candidates must register for a minimum of fourteen hours of thesis research. Please calculate the hours of 6970 or 7970 you put on your Admission to Candidacy or Program of Study form carefully. The Graduate office will not clear you if you wind up with fewer hours on your transcript. If you miscalculate, be sure that the appropriate form is altered well in advance of graduation to correct any discrepancy.
3. Faculty Consultation (English 6980 and 7980)
This is a three-hour ungraded "non-course" used by candidates in order to maintain the minimum registration required to use campus facilities (like the library) or meet the requirement of being registered for three hours during the semester in which exams or prelims, or theses/dissertations are scheduled and defended (if coursework and/or thesis hours are completed). English 6980 and 7980 do not appear on the Candidacy form and do not count toward any course requirement.
4. Continuing Registration (English 7990)
Available only to doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy. If the student is not registered for anything else, this is what keeps the student on the rolls of the Graduate School and keeps a Supervisory Committee intact. In semesters OTHER THAN SUMMER, when the student is doing neither coursework nor thesis/dissertation hours nor 7980, the student must register for 7990 (there is a small fee); neglecting this procedure will result in having to reapply for admission and request a committee again. English 7990 does not appear on programs of study and does not count toward requirements. Students may not register for more than four semesters of 7990
Note on Continuous Registration: Every graduate student for whom a supervisory committee has been appointed must maintain continuous registration until all requirements for the degree are completed. Consult the University of Utah Graduate School Bulletin for further information.
Leave of Absence
Students who wish to discontinue their studies for one or more semesters must file a Request for Leave of Absence. Leave of Absence forms may be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office and may be granted in the following circumstances:
1. Leaves of absence are generally granted for reasons relating to illness, military service, pregnancy and/or child care, residence outside the state of Utah, and work in process where students are not in continual contact with their supervisory committee or other members of the faculty.
2. Leaves may also be granted to students who, in the judgment of the department, are engaged in work considered beneficial to their academic goals, such as temporary teaching or professional employment that allows the student ultimately to complete the degree.
3. Leaves for other reasons may be granted when the student's supervisory committee chair or Director of Graduate Studies believes the leave is in the best interest of both the student and the University.
Students must apply for leaves of absence for a current semester by the last day of classes of that semester. They must also officially withdraw from classes in any semester for which a leave is granted. Failure to withdraw results in the report of E or EU grades for all classes.
The time period during which a leave of absence is granted does not count toward the time period in which the student must complete the degree. Leaves are granted for a maximum of one academic year at a time.
The following protocols will be used in determining fellowship and assistantship renewals for graduate students who take a leave of absence.
1. The Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Committee recognize that some leave of absence requests will occur due to circumstances beyond the student's control, such as medical or family emergencies. Such involuntary or forced leaves of absence will not count against a student's eligible time as either a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Fellow.
2. Student requests for leaves of absence to do coursework, research, or writing elsewhere should be cleared by his or her supervisory committee and the Director of Graduate Studies by the 15th of April preceding the commencement of leave. If the student does not request such voluntary leave by April 15th, the year of assistantship or fellowship eligibility is likely to be forfeited. Students who are awarded an external fellowship (e.g. Wallace Stegner Writing Fellowship or a Guggenheim) have until May 1st to request leave for the following academic year without forfeiting that year of assistantship or fellowship eligibility.
Please, always keep the Graduate Advisor informed of any change in address or phone number.