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THE DOCTORATE ( Ph.D. )
Students must complete Ten (10) courses (30 credits) beyond the Masters degree, pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examinations, and successfully complete a dissertation and oral dissertation defense. Of the ten courses, three are mandatory and include the Teaching Practicum, Research Methods and Introduction to Critical Theory. Non-Fordham institution Research Methods and/or Critical Theory courses may be counted toward Fordham requirements, subject to review by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), after the successful completion of two semesters in the program.
Although there are no formal distribution requirements, all Ph.D. students must take courses to fill in any of the five historical areas required for the Fordham M.A. that they did not cover in their own Masters coursework. Students are responsible for the planning and completion of any outstanding coursework.
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 Doctoral comprehensive exams.
A typical Ph.D. student schedule is as follows:
| Fall: |
3 courses (9 credits) |
| Spring: |
3 courses (9 credits) |
| Summer: |
2nd Language (assuming one learned at M.A. level) |
| Fall: |
2 courses (6 credits) |
| Spring: |
Teaching Practicum - 1st Half and Comprehensive Exam* |
| Fall-Spring: |
Teaching Practicum - 2nd Half (Fall) and Proposal Development |
| Fall-Spring: |
Proposal Development and Proposal Acceptance |
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| *Some Students take the comprehensive exam in the Fall of their 3rd year. |
Teaching Practicum/Colloquium: The required 10th course for Ph.D. students consists of sequenced pedagogy training spanning two semesters. The Spring class (before teaching) includes individual interviews, assignment of written work and practice teaching. Each student will have a mentor, complete a portfolio of materials, and create multiple assignments. The second part of the training sequence in the Fall semester (during their first semester of actual teaching) is the “Colloquium,” which introduces students to different pedagogical approaches and methods.
Although the seminar introduces students to a variety of pedagogical issues, meetings will focus on the teaching of English Composition/ Rhetoric, a course that is essential to Fordham’s Writing Program. Over the course of their careers at Fordham University, students who have successfully completed the sequenced training will have the opportunity to teach English Composition/ Rhetoric, and, on select occasions, upper level literature courses.
Timetable for Completion (Ph.D.): Since all Ph.D. students are funded by the university, they are expected to make a full-time commitment to their studies. The Ph.D., including dissertation, can be completed within four to five years. Coursework can be finished in the Fall semester of the second year, and the comprehensive exams taken in the following Spring.
Ph.D. students taking their Doctoral comps should register for "Proposal Development" and plan to submit the dissertation proposal by the end of the semester following the one in which they took the exam. The GSAS requires that Ph.D. students have their proposals accepted within one year of passing comps. That allows between one to two years for writing the dissertation. Completing the Ph.D. in a timely manner is important for job market success, not to mention financial well-being. |
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| Additional Language Requirement: Before taking their comps, Ph.D. students must demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages. Students may fulfill this requirement in French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish by passing an examination given by appointment with the appropriate chair in the Modern Languages or Classics Departments or by receiving a least a B in the zero-credit graduate reading courses offered by those departments. Students who have little formal training in a foreign language should take a course. Many students choose to do this during one of the (shorter) summer sessions. It should be noted that German-for-Reading is a full year course, as opposed to French, Italian, Latin and Spanish, which are one-semester long courses. |
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| The Doctoral Comprehensive Exams: The Ph.D. comps consist of an oral exam in the student's major historical area, plus two minor oral exams in fields of the students’ choosing. These fields must be approved by the graduate director. In addition, the student must turn in two essays several weeks before the oral examination, which is approximately two hours in length. The examiners will include two specialists in the major field, and one each in the minor fields. Students may select two members of their four-person oral exam committee, in consultation with the Graduate Director. Students receive one grade for the entire exam (High Pass, Pass, Low Pass, Fail). The Graduate Director notifies students of their exam grade in writing. |
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| The Masters of Philosphy Degree ( M.Phil. ): All students who complete coursework for the Ph.D. and pass the comprehensive exams are eligible to receive the M.Phil. Degree. Most students regard this degree as merely a step on the way to the Doctorate, but occasionally it marks the point at which a studentreconsiders continuation in the program and takes the M.Phil. as their terminal degree. The Graduate Director, in consultation with other faculty, might also advise a student not to continue beyond the M.Phil. if his or her performance has been marginal so far or if evidence suggests that the student will have particular difficulty completing a successful dissertation. |
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