The graduate program in GNSD is structured to move you through to the Ph.D. and to foster independent research. The various steps and milestones along the way (e.g., coursework, the MA exam, the prelims, and the prospectus) are all intended to help focus your interest and formulate a project that will result in timely progress towards the degree.
The MA program is the first step towards this goal. It is intended to give greater breadth and to enable students to explore a range of periods, genres and approaches to the field. The Ph.D. program is designed for students to increasingly focus on a particular topic. The PhD preliminary examination, including the reading list, enables the student to begin to conceptualize a project, bringing together the various strands of thought that will eventually become the dissertation topic. The written exam gives the student the opportunity to develop an argument and begin a writing process; the oral exam is intended as an opportunity to receive feedback on the written exam, and to develop and expand the ideas in the written exam. Following the prelims, the prospectus is the first formulation of the dissertation topic. The prospectus, while an important milestone, is the foundation for the dissertation. As you begin the process of researching and writing the dissertation, it is usual and expected that the dissertation will evolve.
The Germanic Studies graduate program has been revised starting Fall 2013. The purpose of the revision is to make it more flexible and allow students to progress more smoothly to their degrees. The number of required courses has been reduced and students are no longer required to choose a track, though it is still an option to have one.
All new students:
- Meet with the DGS during Orientation Week.
- Take the German Graduate Language Proficiency Test (for non-native speakers of German). This test has written and oral components and is given during Orientation Week only.