Students usually advance to candidacy after completing three years of coursework and taking the following steps:
1) Establish examination fields. At the end of the second year in the program, students consult their mentor about a proposed specialization and supporting minor fields of study. By the end of the third year, students will submit to their mentor and graduate advisor a list of examination fields that correspond to each student’s major and minor fields of study.
2) Establish examination committee. Though listed here as a separate step, this will coincide with the selection of examination fields. The committee should consist of three to five faculty members, three of which must be DMES instructors.
3) Pass the comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exams consist of take-home essay questions given over the period of one month and a subsequent oral defense. The purpose of the exams is to certify that the student has mastered a sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge for an academic career and has the skills and abilities required to complete a doctoral dissertation. The exams must be taken by the beginning of the fourth year of the program.
4) Prepare the dissertation proposal. Upon passing the comprehensive exams, the student will prepare a dissertation proposal, which must be approved by the dissertation committee.
5) Establish dissertation committee. The dissertation committee will consist of five or more faculty members, four of whom must serve on the DMES Graduate Studies Committee. The chair and at least one other committee member must be faculty within the student’s declared field of study (i.e., Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian Studies). The committee approves the dissertation proposal, guides the student in writing the dissertation, and administers the final oral defense. Committee membership may be changed, if necessary, but must be approved by the dean of graduate studies.
6) Apply for admission to candidacy. Advancing students will submit an online application for admission to candidacy. The dissertation committee and proposal will be entered into the application, which will be routed for approval by the graduate advisor and dean of graduate studies.
After advancing to candidacy, students may register for three, six, or nine dissertation hours (x99R, followed by x99W); students will register for as many hours as necessary for their funding or employment situation.
Students must advance to candidacy by the mid-semester deadline in order to register for dissertation hours in the semester during which the application is approved.
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