VIII. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Students who have completed the M.A. at other institutions or in other departments at OSU may in some cases be required to complete the M.A. in Comparative Studies before proceeding to the doctoral program. The number of credits earned in other M.A. programs that may be used to fulfill requirements for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies will be determined by the Graduate Studies Committee at the time of admission.
See the Graduate School Handbook (Section II, Part 6) for University enrollment and residence requirements.
Students in the M.A. in Comparative Studies program may continue beyond the M.A. only upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee.
Since admission to the graduate program occurs once a year and all applications are due by November 30. All students who plan to finish their MA during the school year and wish to be considered for continuing for a PhD the following year must announce those intentions by submitting the following materials by the same deadline that applies for new applicants:
1. A statement of purpose (not to exceed five double‐spaced pages) that describes a potential dissertation project or specified areas of study. The new statement of purpose should represent the opportunity for the student to demonstrate their ability to build on their MA work and to sketch with some precision the next step in his or her intellectual progress. At the same time, it allows the faculty to assess the student’s preparation for advanced graduate work and the fit between the student’s needs and the faculty’s expertise;
2. A letter of recommendation from their advisor
3. Letter or e‐mail from another faculty member in Comparative Studies or another department at the annual review meeting. A letter or e‐mail by a non‐core faculty whose input the student would like to solicit should only be solicited when the student has had extensive intellectual interaction with a non‐core faculty member.
4. A current advising report
Input regarding the advisability of any student’s continuing for the PhD will be solicited from core faculty members during a faculty meeting in early January.
1. Advisers.
The Graduate Studies Chair or a designated member of the Graduate Studies Committee will serve as adviser for incoming students, but each student will choose at least one academic adviser from among the core Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies by the end of the second or third semester of graduate study. Core faculty are appointed in Comparative Studies for at least 25% of their tenure line. Additional advisers to serve on the Advisory Committee for Candidacy Exams must include at least one other member of the Comparative Studies Graduate Faculty and may include additional faculty with courtesy appointments in Comparative Studies. If a student wishes to choose an adviser from an academic unit represented in the student’s curriculum but who is not a member of the Comparative Studies associated faculty, that adviser must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School for graduate faculty status in Comparative Studies.
In most cases, the dissertation adviser will be a member of the student’s Candidacy Examination Committee. Any change of the dissertation adviser requires the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.
2. Coursework.
All graduate students at OSU are required to take a total of 80 semester credit hours for completion of the PhD. In Comparative Studies, credits earned in the Comparative Studies M.A. program or credits earned in another M.A. program and approved by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee (up to 30) may count toward fulfilling the requirement of 80. MA Students in Comparative Studies who earned more than 30 credits are required to submit a “Status Beyond Masters” form to ensure all credits earned in the MA are applied to the PhD.
Coursework credits are distributed as follows:
a. Students who have not completed the M.A. in Comparative Studies must take the following in their first year of enrollment:
Comp St 6390, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I (3 credits)
Comp St 6391, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II (3 credits)
In addition, if a student has transferred 30 credits of a Master’s Degree from either another university or another department at OSU, then an additional 44 credits in coursework remain, to be fulfilled as follows:
- (15) Minimum of fifteen additional credits or five courses at 6000 level or above* within Comparative Studies. Three of these courses (9 credits) must be 7000 level or above. One of these courses (3 credits) must be at the 7000 level
- (9) Approximately nine credit hours or three courses of additional coursework at 6000 level or above* either within or outside of Comparative Studies
- (9) Up to nine hours or three courses in Comparative Studies 8998: Candidacy Examination
- (2) Two credits of Comparative Studies 8890 Dissertation Writing Workshop each semester post‐ candidacy
- (1) One of Comparative Studies 8999 Dissertation each semester post‐candidacy.
b. Students who have completed the M.A. in Comparative Studies must complete an additional 50 credits toward the PhD as follows:
- (15) Minimum of fifteen additional credits or five courses at 6000 level or above* within Comparative Studies. Three of these courses (9 credits) must be 7000 level or above. One of these courses (3 credits) must be at the 7000 level
- (14) Approximately fourteen credits or five courses of additional coursework at 6000 level or above* either within or outside of Comparative Studies
- (9) Up to nine hours or three courses in Comparative Studies 8998: Candidacy Examination
- (2) Two credits of Comparative Studies 8890 Dissertation Writing Workshop each semester post‐ candidacy
- One of Comparative Studies 8999 Dissertation each semester post‐candidacy.
(Cross-listed courses may count in any department cross-listing the course, regardless of where the student is enrolled.)
* In consultation with their advisor, students may petition to have more than two 5000 level courses be included as required coursework. Submitting a brief written rationale, students will need to demonstrate: 1) the 5000 level course contributes to their research and fields of study;
2) the course either already includes material and requirements for graduate students or, in consultation with the instructor, establishes a course syllabus that includes graduate level work; and 3) the course material cannot be found in another class 6000 level or above the student can take.
d. No more than 6 hours of non‐graded (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) coursework (ordinarily taken as independent study) may counted toward the PhD. degree. It is highly recommended that this option be used strategically to maintain progress towards degree. The Independent Study option and credits are not related to non‐graded 8000‐level hours taken as examination, thesis, or dissertation hours.
All Comparative Studies Individual Studies (“Independent Study” CS 7193/CS 8193) courses must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Students will submit a copy of agreement between student and faculty member supervising the Individual Study outlining goals, expected readings and assignments, and number of meetings in advance of the semester.
e. Up to 9 credits or three courses taken in fulfillment of Comparative Studies degree requirements may also count toward a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization or Minor. See: https://gradsch.osu.edu/degree‐options
See the Graduate School Handbook, Section II.6 for additional Graduate School requirements.
3. Language.
Foreign languages play a prominent role in a department of Comparative Studies and the research undertaken by both faculty and students. Both MA and PhD students are thus required to demonstrate reading competence in a language other than English. The department has no list of approved scholarly languages. But it expects students to read a language pertinent to their own research and to forms of scholarly writing in their field. A student may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to have a language accepted that is not taught at OSU.
Typically, the requirement is fulfilled by asking students to translate a piece of scholarly writing in their own field of research (with the help of a dictionary). The course requirement is not about the number of years one must take to study a language but about the level of competence required to read a language in a given field.
It should be noted that some scholarly and (inter)disciplinary fields require knowledge of specific languages, while others are open to a wider range of possible languages. At the same time, the language requirement for both MA and PhD students is distinct from the languages a student might need for their MA thesis or PhD exams and dissertation, which may require much greater proficiency than the language requirement. Likewise, language proficiency might include not just a specific national/literary/spoken language but another language based on the scholarship in a given field or discipline. Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors regarding the language requirements suited to their research. The student’s advisor and candidacy or dissertation committee will determine whether a student’s language requirement may be fulfilled by showing competence in one or two languages other than English.
The language requirement should be fulfilled within the first two years of taking classes (i.e. before the MA thesis or PhD Candidacy Exams).
All students completing the M.A. in Comparative Studies must demonstrate competence in at least one language other than English by the end of their fourth semester. This requirement must be met in one of the following ways:
5. by receiving a minimum grade of "B" in a 6000‐level or higher course taught in a language other than English
6. by receiving a minimum grade of “B” in a graduate level course that certifies ability to read with the use of a dictionary;
7. by passing a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate language department;
8. by petitioning the Advisor and Graduate Studies Committee to consider other evidence of competence, for example, an undergraduate major or minor in a foreign language.
Courses below the 5000 level taken to fulfill the language requirement are not counted toward the degree.
4. Progress to Degree
Students with GTA appointments will generally take 9 credit hours or three classes each semester. Students on fellowship must take 12 credits per semester and 6 credits in summer.
Students entering with M.A. transfer credits typically receive four years of guaranteed funding as a GTA. Students will complete coursework within three semesters and one summer term, take Candidacy Exams in fourth semester, prepare prospectus and begin dissertating in fifth semester, completing dissertation in semesters six through eight.
Year One
6390 + 6391
6 credits in Dept
6 credits outside Dept
Year Two
6 credits in Dept
3 credit outside Dept
9 credits candidacy
Year Three
4 credits 8890
2 credits 8999
Year Four
4 credits 8890
2 credits 8999
Students in the M.A./PhD track are typically guaranteed five years of funding as a GTA appointment and, if taking 9 credit hours per semester, will complete MA coursework in third semester, complete PhD coursework between fourth and sixth semester, take Candidacy Exams in seventh semester, prospectus and begin dissertating in eighth semester, completing dissertation by end of tenth semester. If students take courses in one or two summers, they will begin exams and dissertation earlier.
Year One
6390 + 6391
7000 course in Dept
8000 course in Dept
*6 credits in any Dept
Year Two
9 credits in any Dept
9 credits in any Dept
Summer
3 Thesis Credits
3 Language Credits
Year Three
6 credits in Dept
12 credits any Dept
Summer
3 credits Indiv Study
Year Four
9 credits Candidacy Exam
2 credits 8890
1 credit 8999
Year Five
4 credits 8890
2 credits 8999