PhD Program Requirements
The UA Graduate College requires that all PhD students at UA have a Major field of 36 units and a Minor field of at least 9 units. The Women’s Studies department requires that these units include the following:
Major:
Required Courses (16-21 units):
- WS 539A - Feminist Theories I
- WS 539B - Feminist Theories II
- WS 639 - Feminist and Related Social Movements
- WS 684 - Feminist Knowledge Production
- One Chicana/Latina Studies course (selected from a short list)
- Practicum (1-6 units)
Remaining units in the major are electives, including coursework in the department and in other supporting departments.
Minor:
The student may fulfill the minor requirement by either
- Undertaking a minor in a department (such as History, Anthropology, Geography, English)
- Creating an individualized minor composed of a coherent set of courses in an area or field (such as social theory or Chicana/Latina studies) in consultation with faculty advisor and Director of Graduate Studies.
Additional Requirements: All WS PhD students will be required to demonstrate knowledge of a second language. This requirement must be met before the dissertation defense can be scheduled. It can be fulfilled in any one of the following ways:
- Taking a standard translation exam
- Completing a translation class and receiving a grade of B or above
- Completing 2 semesters of conversation class and receiving grades of B or above
- Attending an intensive six-week language school program
- Receiving a TOEFL score of 600 or higher
Qualifying Exam
- All students entering the PhD program will be required to pass a qualifying exam.
- Students who enter our program without a previous master's degree are required to write a master's paper, which will serve as their qualifying exam.
- A committee composed of three faculty members shall evaluate the master’s paper and determine the student's eligibility for admission to candidacy for the PhD program.
Comprehensive Exam - Written and Oral
- After admission to candidacy, students will prepare for and take written and oral comprehensive exams in three fields selected in consultation with a comprehensive exam committee of four to five examiners. Normally, students would be expected to develop fields related to the major and minor fields of their coursework.
Dissertation proposal
- After successful completion of comprehensive exams, students will select a dissertation committee of 3-5 members, inclusive of the dissertation chair, and develop a proposal for original research in Women's Studies. All members of the committee must approve the dissertation proposal.
Dissertation
- A substantial piece of original research in Women's Studies.