Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics

Transcription

1 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No Approved March 14, 2011 RECOMMENDATION OF COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE ACADEMIC POLICIES AND CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, AND THE FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS FOR CHANGES TO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN LINGUISTICS I. Current Graduate School Bulletin Copy Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics Admission Students in the UWM Master of Arts degree program in Linguistics may apply to the Department of Linguistics Graduate Policy Committee for admission to the doctoral program. Admission must be recommended by three members of the Graduate Faculty. An application for admission also must be submitted to the Graduate School. Applicants with master's degrees from other institutions are evaluated on the basis of standard application materials: GPA, GRE scores, statement of purpose, three supporting letters, and a sample of academic writing. Extraordinarily well-qualified students with a baccalaureate in linguistics or a related field may be admitted directly to the doctoral program. Baccalaureate applicants and students with master s degrees from other institutions are admitted to doctoral study provisionally and are required to complete an Academic Review within six weeks of finishing 12 credits. The Academic Review is a one- to two-hour meeting with three faculty members of the Linguistics Graduate Faculty. At least two members come from the Department of Linguistics. The Review covers the student's academic progress in doctoral coursework, two unrevised course papers, and a list of books chosen by the student in consultation with the reviewers. See the Linguistics Graduate Program Handbook for further details regarding the Academic Review. Applicants should contact the Linguistics Department office for additional information and deadlines. Major Professor as Advisor The student must have a Major Professor to advise and supervise the student's work as specified in Graduate School regulations. The director of graduate studies serves as an initial advisor. It is recommended that the student have a permanent advisor by the end of the second semester of enrollment. Credits and Courses The Ph.D. program requires 54 credits beyond the B.A., including no more than 27 credits earned at the master's level. The following are required: 12 credits in basic linguistics courses 9 credits in 700-level linguistics courses 12 credits in 800-level linguistics seminars (English/Linguis 805 or 806) 21 credits electives

2 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 2 Approved March 14, 2011 General Restrictions Doctoral students may not accumulate more than 24 credits in U/G courses and not more than 6 credits in independent study without the approval of the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. No more than 18 credits may be taken in courses outside the Department. Advising Students are required to consult periodically with their Major Professor. The Major Professor helps the student to define an area of special interest within the concentration for the preliminary examination. The Major Professor also assists the student in the selection of appropriate coursework and may chair the Preliminary Examination Committee. Foreign Language Requirement All Ph.D. candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency (reading knowledge) in a foreign language. The choice of a language must be approved by the student's advisor. If a student has not met this requirement in other ways (see Linguistics Graduate Program Handbook), a student must pass a two-hour written examination in the translation of a piece of literature or criticism. A student may use a dictionary and/or grammar book. The exam must be arranged in advance with the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and must be taken before the preliminary examination. The exam may be retaken until proficiency is attained. Residence The student must meet minimum Graduate School residence requirements. Doctoral Preliminary Examination The doctoral preliminary examination consists of a written examination and an oral examination designed to demonstrate the breadth of a student's knowledge and the ability to conduct advanced research in one or more areas of study. The written and oral examinations draw from field bibliographies with rationale (500 word maximum) prepared by the student and approved by the student's preliminary examination committee and the advisory committee of the student's plan. The written examination must be at least eight hours long, and it is frequently taken as a twoday, take-home, open book exam. It may be taken at the University or at home, if the committee agrees on the location. An oral exam of two hours covering issues raised during the written exam and/or focusing on the proposed dissertation must follow the written exam within 7-10 days. Students take the preliminary exam after completing all doctoral course work or with no more than three credits of doctoral course work remaining. Students cannot take the exam if they have any incomplete or unreported grades or a GPA less than 3.0. The exam must be finished within one semester after all course work is completed, excluding summer session. Students may receive a one semester extension for additional course work from the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. Students who fail the preliminary examination may not proceed to the dissertation. The exam may be retaken only once. The exam must be passed within five years of initial enrollment

3 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 3 Approved March 14, 2011 in the doctoral program. See the Linguistics Graduate Program Handbook or the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for specific guidelines for governing the preliminary examination process. Dissertation The dissertation topic, together with a brief prospectus, must be approved by the Linguistics Department faculty. The student's major professor or a member of the dissertation committee must present the topic and prospectus to the Linguistics Department faculty. See the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and the Linguistics Graduate Program Handbook for specific guidelines for selecting a doctoral committee and preparing the dissertation proposal. The Department considers 200 pages a reasonable length for the dissertation. Dissertation Defense The completed dissertation is subject to an oral defense, to be arranged by the Coordinator according to Graduate School regulations. A copy of the dissertation is kept in the Department office. Time Limit All degree requirements must be completed within ten years from the date of initial enrollment in the doctoral program. II. Summary of Proposed Changes 1. Modify admission requirements. 2. Modify course requirements for the degree. 3. Allow flexibility in proving foreign language proficiency. 4. Eliminate written preliminary exam. 5. Clarify that the student's doctoral committee & advisor approve the dissertation topic and arrange the oral exam.

4 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 4 Approved March 14, 2011 III. Justification for Proposed Changes 1. The previous requirements were inherited from the English Department. The new requirements are more consistent with a degree in Linguistics. 2. The PhD requirements are built on the assumption that students will complete graduate work equivalent to the Linguistics MA either before starting PhD work or as part of their PhD studies. The new PhD requirements are stated in a way that accommodates the master's degree course work. 3. Because students acquire language skills in a number of ways, the department wishes to allow flexibility for students in demonstrating their level of proficiency. 4. Requiring students to complete an oral exam on a paper rather than a written exam moves them further along in their dissertation research, which the department feels is more desirable than testing past coursework. 5. The old wording was inherited from the English PhD program where the course of study was divided into separate tracks, requiring that the track coordinator approve the dissertation topic. That structure does not exist within the Linguistics PhD; the responsibility for approving the topic and arranging the oral exam lies with the student's committee and advisor. IV. Resource Implications No additional resources are required to implement this change. V. Proposed Graduate School Bulletin Copy Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics Admission Students wishing to enter the Ph.D. program in Linguistics, including those who hold a master s degree from elsewhere, must satisfy the requirements for the UWM Master of Arts degree in Linguistics. Students apply to the Graduate School for admission, which, in turn, forwards completed applications to the Department. The Department faculty then evaluates the applications and decides on admissions to the Ph.D. program in Linguistics. Occasionally, an exceptionally well-qualified student will be admitted to the Ph.D. program with a baccalaureate degree. The student must complete the requirements of the M.A. degree in the course of fulfilling the requirements for the Ph.D. New students are admitted each year typically to begin in the Fall term. To be considered, all application materials normally must be received by the Graduate School no later than December 15. Admission materials will include:

5 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 5 Approved March 14, 2011 Completed Graduate School application; Official transcripts of previous work, including evidence of a master s degree either completed or in progress; Three letters of recommendation; Sample of written work; Statement of purpose. In addition, students whose native language is not English must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the equivalent. A score of at least 587 (TOEFL) is normally necessary for admission. The minimum score for the computer based TOEFL is 240, or 95 for the internet-based test (ibt). Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) results, though not required, is encouraged. Major Professor as Advisor The student must have a major professor to advise and supervise the student s work as specified in Graduate School regulations. The Director of Graduate Studies serves as an initial advisor. Credits and Courses The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 54 credits beyond the B.A. The 54 credits are distributed as follows: Required courses o o 21 credits in linguistics courses at the 400- to 700-level 12 credits in 800- to 900-level linguistics seminars and independent studies, at least 9 credits of which must be in seminars; 21 elective credits, selected with approval of the student s major professor General Restrictions Doctoral students may not count more than 9 credits in independent study toward the degree without the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. No more than 18 credits may be counted in courses taken outside the Department of Linguistics. Advising Students are required to consult periodically with their Major Professor. The Major Professor helps the student to define an area of special interest within the concentration for the preliminary examination. The Major Professor also assists the student in the selection of appropriate coursework and may chair the Preliminary Examination Committee.

6 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 6 Approved March 14, 2011 Foreign Language Requirement All Ph.D. candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency (reading knowledge) in a language other than English. The choice of language, and the means of demonstrating proficiency, must be approved by the student s Major Professor in consultation with the Director of Graduate Study. Residence The student must meet minimum Graduate School residence requirements. Doctoral Preliminary Examination The doctoral preliminary examination consists of an oral defense of a major research paper submitted by the student typically after completing 39 to 45 credits toward the Ph.D. degree. Though the scope of the examination, which usually lasts two hours, is open-ended, its focus is on the submitted research paper, which itself is intended to demonstrate the breadth and depth of a student's knowledge and the ability to conduct advanced research in one or more areas of study. The successfully-defended research paper should lead naturally to timely preparation of the dissertation proposal. Students cannot take the preliminary examination if they have any incomplete or unreported grades or a GPA less than 3.0. The exam must be finished within one semester after all course work is completed, excluding summer sessions. Students may receive from the Director of Graduate Studies a one semester extension for additional course work. Students who do not complete the exam within this time frame will be considered to have failed the exam. The exam may be retaken only once, after making appropriate revisions to the research paper. Students who fail the preliminary examination may not proceed to the dissertation. The exam must be passed within five years of initial enrollment in the doctoral program. Dissertation The dissertation topic, together with a comprehensive prospectus, must be approved by the student s doctoral committee in a dissertation proposal hearing that should be held not later than the semester immediately following the preliminary examination. The dissertation proposal is typically, albeit not necessarily, a refinement and extension of the research paper defended in the oral preliminary examination. Though no specific length requirements are imposed on the dissertation itself, the Department considers 200 pages to be reasonable and representative. Dissertation Defense The completed dissertation is subject to an oral defense, to be arranged by the Major Professor in coordination with the Director of Graduate Study according to Graduate School regulations. A copy of the dissertation is kept in the Department office. Time Limit All degree requirements must be completed within ten years from the date of initial enrollment in the doctoral program.

7 Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No p. 7 Approved March 14, 2011 VI. Recommended Action A. Revision of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics degree program is approved as reflected in the proposed changes and Graduate School Bulletin copy described above. B. Following appropriate administrative approval, the revised requirements are effective as of Semester I,