PhD Program Requirements
The UA Graduate College requires that all Ph.D. students at UA to 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):
- Feminist Theories I
- Feminist Theories II
- History of Feminist and Related Social Movements
- Feminist Knowledge Production
- One Chicana/Latina feminist theories course (selected from a short list)
- Practicum (1-6 units)
Remaining units in the major would be 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 mentors.
Additional Requirements: All WS Ph.D. 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
- If English is not the student's first language, this requirement can be met by receiving a TOEFL score of 600 or higher
Master's paper or Master's exam
- Students seeking to enter the Ph.D. program who do not have a prior M.A. in a relevant field will be required to complete the M.A. requirements before going on to the Ph.D. program. This includes writing an M.A. Paper. (Those M.A. students who do not wish to continue for the Ph.D. may opt to complete the M.A. by doing option two or three.) Students can fulfill the requirements to complete the M.A. in one of three ways:
- Write a master's paper. Required for those who enter without a prior M.A. and intend to go on for the Ph.D.
- Present a portfolio of three papers from classes in a "defense" format.
- Take a master's completion exam prepared by WS faculty.
Qualifying Exam
- All students entering the Ph.D. program will be required to pass a qualifying exam.
- For students who enter with a master's from UA or another university, the writing sample they submit with their application can be their qualifying exam.
- For students who enter our program without a previous master's degree that can provide the necessary background (or relevant writing sample), the master's paper they write will serve as their qualifying exam.
- The student's master's paper committee will meet without the student to evaluate the student's eligibility for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D.
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.
Dissertation defense