Ph.D. Degree
Contact Information
Kay Green
Graduate
Program Student Affairs Officer
Office: 611 Sproul
Hall
Phone: 530-752-5799
Email: skgreen@ucdavis.edu
Graduate fellowship applications due January 15th.
Completion of the M.A. either in Plan I or II is required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Those admitted to the program with an M.A. degree from another institution begin their program here. You can view the Degree Requirements (PDF). For more detailed information about the Ph.D. program (including information about its requirements and qualifying examination), please contact Kay Green.
Advising and Mentorship
Students' academic progress will be monitored regularly. Students typically meet at least once a quarter with the Graduate Adviser. At the end of each year, the Graduate Adviser will review with each student his or her progress in terms of courses completed, progress toward the degree, and requirements remaining to be fulfilled. Incomplete grades will be a factor in considering students for Teaching Assistantships. Click here to see the University Mentoring Guidelines.
General Requirements
- Enrollment: 12 units per quarter for full-time status; less than 6 units per quarter for part-time status. (Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Associate Instructors are expected to enroll in 12 units of course work.)
- Grades: A grade average of B or better must be maintained in courses taken for the degree. On receipt of a grade of C or lower in any course, a candidate will be warned. A second grade of C or lower will be regarded as grounds for disqualification.
Coursework
Work towards the Ph.D. involves an additional six graduate courses in German Literature. Any course from GERI 202 to GERI 297 is acceptable. Students on this advanced level will be able to duplicate courses provided the content is different. Approval by the graduate advisor is required. Courses GERI 240, 241, 242, and 285 through 297 are repeatable courses. Course work at the Ph.D. level ends with the qualifying examination and the defense of a dissertation prospectus.
Designated Emphasis
Students may elect at this point to pursue additional course work in one of the three "Designated Emphases" in Critical Theory, Feminist Theory and Research, or Classics and the Classical Tradition. These programs were created to accommodate interdisciplinary research interests.
Internships in German-Speaking Countries
The Director of this program is Dr. Günter Seefeldt. Information about this program is available at the German Department.
Choosing a Major Professor
During their third year students choose a faculty member to serve as major professor. They also acquire a reading knowledge in French or in any foreign language other than German pertinent to their field of research. The foreign language reading exam must be passed prior to being admitted to the qualifying exam. Students who elect to specialize in the older periods of German literature (Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation and Baroque) require an additional reading knowledge in Latin.
Qualifying Examination
In compliance with the university nine-quarter rule, students must take their qualifying examination at the end of their third year (second year for post-MA. students) to remain eligible for academic appointments. The qualifying exam will be administered by four members of the German Graduate Program and one external examiner. The examination committee will include the major professor who cannot serve as the chair. The members of the examination committee are nominated by the Graduate Adviser after consultation with the student and appointed by the Chair of Graduate Council. If the student has chosen to complete a Designated Emphasis, one member of the examination committee must represent that area.
Dissertation Project
At least one month before the qualifying exam, candidates will submit a position paper of about 20 pages to the examination committee. This position paper presents the dissertation project and will serve as the focal point of a 90 minute discussion of the research project. Like the comprehensive exam, the qualifying examination may be repeated once.
Third to Fifth Year of Studies
By the end of the third year, students should have defined their research project, fulfilled the foreign language requirement, passed their qualifying examination, and begun research on their dissertation.
The fourth and fifth years are devoted to the dissertation. Students enroll for up to 12 units of 299D work with their major professor. They are encouraged to present the findings of their research to the faculty, to fellow students, and at professional meetings.