Ph.D. Advisory/Dissertation Committees

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)(Institution code is 2926 and Department code is 72). This TOEFL requirement is waived for applicants who were undergraduates in the US, or Canada (or in a country whose primary language is English), for their entire four year bachelors program. If you are uncertain whether you are required to take the TOEFL exam, you should contact us to ask, since the lack of a required TOEFL score could disqualify your application.

When the student asks that the Masters Gen'l Exam serve as the M.Phil Prelim exam, there are two possible positive outcomes: Pass at the M.Phil level, which requires demonstration of the required depth and breadth in the subject matter; Pass at the M.A. level (described in the requirements for that degree). If the student does not pass at either of these levels, he may retake the exam one more time; if on the initial exam, the student passes at a level below the desired outcome then he may also retake the exam one more time. In either case, the single retake of the exam must occur before the end of the next semester.

Master’s Degree Progress: Master’s students are expected to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress during their first year in the program by performing well in their coursework and passing the Graduate Preliminary Exam by the end of that year. Students may not select an advisor, a thesis committee, or a thesis topic until these requirements have been satisfied.