REQUIREMENTS
Students must complete ten (10) courses (30 credits) beyond the Master's degree, two courses (0 credits) or examinations for reading knowledge of two foreign languages, successfully pass a Ph.D. comprehensive examination, and complete a dissertation and oral dissertation defense.
Of the ten courses, three are mandatory: Research Methods, Introduction to Critical Theory, and the Teaching Practicum. Apart from these requirements, Ph.D. students may begin to specialize as early as they wish, keeping in mind the particular range of knowledge they will need both for the dissertation and for the Ph.D. comprehensive exams.
Students are responsible for the planning and completion of any outstanding coursework.
Doctoral students have 8 years to complete all of the requirements for the degree. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress including a minimum 3.5 GPA and maintainance of continuous enrollment.
*Although there are no formal distribution requirements, all Ph.D. students must take courses to satisfy the five historical area requirements for the Fordham M.A. that they did not take in their own M.A. coursework. Non-Fordham graduate literature courses taken at the M.A. level may be approved to count towards the five historical areas requirements, and similar non-Fordham courses in Research Methods or Critical Theory may be counted, subject to review by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and through completion and submission of the departmental waiver form.
