PhD Program

Sometime during the first two years of study, each student must pass a field examination administered by the field faculty.

This examination measures the student's depth of knowledge and level of comprehension of the field's methodology, theoretical construction, and empirical evidence.

A successful performance on the examination assures the faculty that the student has a balanced appreciation of the variety of research approaches relevant to the field and is well prepared to embark on the individual research that will comprise the basis of the dissertation.

The student takes the examination in the first and/or second year of the Program; in exceptional cases the examination is administered in the student's third year. Each field faculty establishes procedures for conducting its own field examination(s).