Program Requirements

The program requirements outlined here are further detailed by the Germanic Studies Graduate Student Handbook available for download to the right of the main image above and at the bottom of this page. Details about the Pedagogical Training Plan are available for download as well. 

Following an annual performance review, conducted by faculty during the Spring Quarter, the DGS will provide students individually with written feedback, and address concerns, should there be any. In addition, students will attend an in-person one-on-one meeting convened by the DGS at the beginning of Autumn Quarter, to discuss the course of the coming academic year.

The University of Chicago also offers Masters level study in Germanic Studies through the Master of Arts Program in Humanities. In this one-year program, extendable to two years, students build their own curriculum with graduate-level courses in any humanities department (including Germanic Studies) and complete a thesis with a University of Chicago faculty advisor

M.A. Exam

The purpose of the M.A. exam is to test students’ ability to work with concepts central to the discipline, to articulate literary-historical arguments, to discuss significant patterns that extend beyond individual texts, and to articulate how such concepts relate to the interpretation of individual works. Just as importantly, it initiates and gives form to a departmental conversation around the student’s interests that, once started, needs to keep building until the completion of the dissertation.

The M.A. examination generally takes place in the eighth week of Spring Quarter of the student’s first year of graduate study. Its basis is a list of some twenty to twenty-five texts selected by the student in consultation with the members of the student’s M.A. exam committee. The committee—usually consisting of three members of the department’s core faculty (unless otherwise approved)—is to be designated by the DGS in consultation with the student. The list of texts should reflect a category of literary research such as a genre, a period, or a general concept bearing on a mode of writing. Examples of the former might be “The Bourgeois Tragedy” or “Modern Urban Short Prose” or “The Elegy.” Periods can be variously conceived: e.g., Enlightenment, Realism, Weimar Republic. General concepts are more abstract categories such as “narrative” or “performance” or “argumentative writing.” Lists could also be organized along thematic lines or in terms of a traditional narrative subject. The point is that the list be designed so as to sustain a process of coherent intellectual inquiry. In addition to the 20-25 primary texts, the list will also include a representative cross-section of secondary literature addressing the topic under study.

The examination itself has two components:

a) a take-home written examination, and

b) an oral examination approximately one hour in length.

The take-home component consists of three essays (each of two and one half, never more than three double-spaced pages) written in answer to questions devised by the faculty. These questions offer the student an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to explore various intellectual issues raised by the list as a whole as well as by specific works on the list. Students will usually receive these questions on Friday morning of the eighth week of classes and submit their completed essays by 5:00 p.m. the following Monday. The oral examination is devoted to a critical discussion of the students’ three essays as well as to works included on the list but not addressed in the written part of the examination. It will usually take place one week after the written exam. Following a discussion of the essays (ca. forty minutes), the student and the faculty examination committee will assess the student’s overall progress, including course work.

Ph.D. Exam

The Ph.D. exam consists of a four-hour, open-book, written exam and an hour-long oral exam. The exam takes place in the second or third Ph.D. year, as determined by the DGS, and focuses on a small archive of literary, philosophical, and literary critical works (approximately 50 works) established by the student. This “major field list” should be organized around a broad topic that will in many cases anticipate the larger field within which the dissertation project will be situated. Some examples from previous exams: “Discourses of Madness from Kant to Musil,” “Worldly Provincialism: German Realism 1850-1900,” and “The Aesthetics of Sacrifice in Postwar German Literature and Art.” Works on the list should be grouped into clusters according to categories and questions relevant to the topic. These criteria should be expressly formulated in the list.

Students are encouraged to meet with as many faculty members as possible as they work on these materials. In consultation with the DGS, they should determine an exam committee of three faculty members: An exam chair plus a second faculty member (normally both members of the department) to compose and evaluate the written examination questions, and a third faculty member (from either departmental or resource faculty) to serve as an additional examiner for the oral exam. The exam chair oversees and schedules the exam with the examiners.

Five weeks prior to the exam, each student will submit to the exam committee and to the DGS a final draft of the list. As noted, the list should be organized by way of the categories and questions that indicate what the students considers to be the salient issues animating the different clusters of texts. Faculty will use this list as a guide in preparing the exam. Within two weeks of the exam, the full committee will meet with the student for an hour-long discussion that will encompass the exam and plans for the dissertation. Students should then begin work on their dissertation proposals. The final proposal is due no later than one quarter (not including summer) after passing the Ph.D. exam. If a student fails their Ph.D. examination, they will be administratively withdrawn from the program.

For further details regarding the Ph.D. exams, including a detailed timeline, please consult the Germanic Studies Graduate Student Handbook.

Committee Constitution and Responsibilities

The Dissertation Committee is to be constituted within three weeks following successful completion of the PhD Examination. Notification of the Committee membership is made to both the DGS and the departmental administrator. Typically, the Dissertation Committee consists of a Director and two Readers; the roles of Director and Reader are distinct. The Director is the primary advisor in consultation with whom the candidate develops the overall direction of the dissertation as well as the details of its execution. In short, the Director has the primary advisory role and closely monitors the production of the dissertation to ensure its timely completion and its qualification as a genuine contribution to scholarship. Readers, by contrast, have a primarily “inspirational” role; they are “resources” for the doctoral student and their primary task is to suggest concepts, connections, and archives that might further the project as well as to call attention to potential problems. A consequence of this distinction of roles is a division of labor in the evaluation of chapter drafts. Chapter drafts are always read first and thoroughly commented on by the Director. All revisions called for by the Director are to be completed before the chapter drafts are submitted – now in nearly final form – to the Readers. Readers, then, receive substantially complete chapter drafts. Their task is limited to the identification of errors or lacunae that may have been overlooked as well as the suggestion of minor additions (e.g., useful references, comparisons, clarifications).

The Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal, consisting of approximately 15 pages and a bibliography, should be problem-driven and question-oriented, and should contextualize the project within relevant scholarly debates. It ought not attempt to predict the final conclusions of the project before the research is fully under way. Instead, it should seek to divide the project into subordinate questions and to rank the parts of the project in terms of priority. It should include a preliminary bibliography and a potential chapter structure, and also indicate a rough timetable for the research and writing of the dissertation. The student will discuss the project in a proposal defense with the dissertation committee, to be scheduled in consultation with the primary advisor and the departmental administrator. This will usually be done one quarter (not including summer) after the Ph.D. examination. Students must file copies of their exam lists and proposal with the departmental administrator. Typically, proposals will accomplish the following:

1. Characterize the topic or problem with evident invention and conceptual acuity.

2. Indicate an exceptional grasp of previous work on the topic or problem.

3. Sketch the proposed methodology and its relationship to extant methodological precursors.   

4. Outline what the dissertation will contribute to the field.

5. Sketch the proposed chapters including an overview of the salient conceptual stakes and the analytic claims to be covered.

6. Provide a comprehensive working bibliography, and

7. Demonstrate the capacity to integrate critical feedback.

The student’s dissertation committee will make a judgment on the dissertation proposal defense. If a student fails the defense, they will be administratively withdrawn from the program. In some cases, where the proposal shows promise but still requires work, the committee will assess and determine whether the student can revise the proposal. If the student can revise the proposal, they will be placed on academic probation. In the latter case, the student has until the end of the next quarter (the one after the quarter in which the initial defense was scheduled) to rework their proposal, reschedule the defense, and to pass it. Students who do not adhere to these terms, will be administratively withdrawn from the program.

Meetings of the Dissertation Committee

A first meeting of the Dissertation Committee with the candidate occurs for the discussion and evaluation of the Dissertation Proposal. If the Proposal, a description of the dissertation project including an outline of the chapters and a working bibliography, is deemed acceptable by the Committee, the student is “advanced to candidacy.” Advancement to Candidacy should occur no later than Winter Quarter of the fourth year (Spring Quarter of the third year for students who have entered with an M.A. degree). Furthermore, the Committee should collectively meet with the candidate at least twice per academic year. These meetings provide an opportunity for an exchange of ideas bearing on the development of the dissertation as it has taken shape in the course of research and writing. It is the responsibility of the Director (perhaps with the aid of the departmental administrator) to arrange these meetings, typically in Fall and Spring quarters.

Joint Direction

Doctoral students may find it useful to have two directors. This is often the case when students are pursuing a joint Ph.D. degree, in which case there will typically be a Co-Director from each Department or Division. But joint directors can also be useful when a dissertation topic bridges two areas of specialization each represented by different members of the faculty. In cases of joint Directorship, there should be an explicit understanding among the Directors and the student as to the expectations for advising. It is also highly recommended that just one of the two Directors assume the responsibility for calling meetings throughout.

Submission of Chapter Drafts

As indicated above, chapter drafts are first submitted to the Director. Only when all alterations (expansions, clarifications, editorial changes, etc.) have been made, are chapter drafts submitted to the Readers. In all cases, it is expected that chapter drafts will be returned with comments to candidates within thirty days. In order to guarantee timely response to submitted chapter drafts, candidates should notify the departmental administrator upon submission. The administrator will then send out a three-week alert reminding Director and Reader that the thirty-day deadline is approaching. If the one-month period has passed without response, the departmental administrator will notify the Department Chair and DGS.   

Students should submit work to their committee chapter by chapter. A minimum of one approved chapter per academic year is required, but it is expected that most students will complete and receive committee approval for two (or more) chapters per year.

General Remark

The production of a dissertation is a complicated process involving at least four parties (Candidate, Director, Readers) and it is in everyone’s interest that this process runs smoothly. It is therefore crucially important for candidates to remain in regular touch with all members of the Dissertation Committee, especially with the Director. Everyone should be apprised of the candidate’s progress. Moreover, it is important, especially for the Director, to make clear what her expectations are regarding the frequency of progress reports, the level of “polish” required for drafts to be read, and any other factors that play into the cooperation. Readers should also be aware of both the responsibilities and the limitations of their role. Finally, everyone should cooperate in addressing tasks in a timely fashion and keeping the process moving efficiently toward completion.

Help for Dissertation Writers, including Workshops

Working on a dissertation is often a long and lonely experience. To alleviate the pressures of this situation, the University sponsors graduate workshops, one of the primary purposes of which is to provide a supportive intellectual environment for the dissertation writer. Graduate students often present chapters of their dissertations here for constructive criticism. Students are strongly encouraged to begin participating in one or more of these workshops even before starting the dissertation. Through the process, students will become acquainted with the forms of PhD proposals and chapters. The University also sponsors dissertation-writing support groups. Further information on these and other resources are available from the DGS or the Dean of Students Office.

The Dissertation Defense

The purpose of the dissertation defense is for the student to defend the method and conclusions of the dissertation, and to demonstrate general and contextual competence in the field of study and research.

Scheduling the Defense:

Six weeks prior to the proposed exam date, the student must submit the following to the departmental administrator:

• Notice of the exam date. (The Departmental Administrator is available to help with scheduling.)

• A title and a 3-5 page, double-spaced dissertation abstract

Two weeks prior to the proposed exam date, the student must submit a copy of their completed dissertation draft, which will be circulated to the department chair. Defenses are ideally only scheduled during the academic year. Please note: only students who successfully defend and submit their dissertations by the Spring Quarter deadlines are eligible to walk for graduation at the end of Spring Quarter.

In certain circumstances (e.g., the student has an academic job starting in the fall that requires a PhD in hand), exceptions may be made to schedule a defense in the Summer Quarter if all committee members agree to do so.

Format of the Defense:

Typically, the defense will last one to two hours (though this varies). At the beginning of the defense, the student should be prepared to formally introduce and contextualize the argument of the Dissertation (approx. 10 minutes). The rest of the defense will consist of questions from the committee and others. All Germanic Studies faculty and students are welcome to attend all defenses and participate in questioning if time allows.

After the Defense: Filing the Dissertation and Receiving the Diploma

Once the student has successfully defended their Dissertation and completed any changes required by their committee, they must file their dissertation with the Dissertation Office. In order to ensure all requirements are met, the student should consult the University Dissertation Office and the Department Administrator, who can provide students with details about the tasks that follow the defense process. For further information see:

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/research/scholar/phd/

Graduation

Typically, students will need to file an application to graduate in the first week of the quarter in which they plan to receive their degree. Final submission of the dissertation must be completed on the date set by the Dissertation Office, usually a Wednesday by 4:30pm towards the end of the quarter. Check with the Humanities Dean of Students office before the quarter of planned graduation to get the specific deadlines for that quarter or visit the Dissertation Office website at

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/research/scholar/phd/students/dissertation-deadlines/

More details are outlined in the Germanic Studies Graduate Student Handbook.

In preparation for their academic careers, students will need to develop expertise in a number of different genres of writing. These include, e.g., longer research papers; interpretive essays; conference papers; response papers or reading diary; short book reviews; review essays; Forschungsberichte; take-home exams. In order to ensure that students have a chance to gain a facility in these different formats and have time to complete assignments in a timely fashion, students will be required to write three research papers during their course work (usually, one during the M.A. year; one during each of the two post-M.A. years). A research paper (20-25 pages) should include a reasonably comprehensive survey of the relevant literature on the chosen topic. Students will inform the instructor of the seminar no later than 5th week if they plan to write their research paper in that seminar. The deadline for submission of the research paper is 4 weeks after the end of the quarter in which the seminar is conducted. If students wish to write additional research papers under the same conditions, this is, of course, permitted and welcome; such papers might well become the basis of later publications or dissertation chapters. Students should also inform the DGS about the classes for which they intend to write research papers. All choices of genre must be approved by the instructor of the seminar.

Incomplete Policy within the Department

In general, in the Germanic Studies Department, papers are due on the date assigned by the instructor of the course. These dates allow the instructor to enter a letter grade by the deadlines set by the Registrar. (See below.) Instructors have the option of offering an extension of four weeks beyond the due date during which time no grade will be entered. At that point, if the paper has still not been turned in, a grade of “I” is entered on the student’s transcript. However, the student still has a chance to earn a letter grade for the course. This window closes for all courses of a given academic year at the outset of the autumn quarter of the following academic year.

The classes in which students write research papers have a modified schedule. Students who do not turn in the research paper by the deadline, i.e., four weeks after the end of the quarter in which the seminar is conducted, will be granted an additional four weeks. The final deadline for a research paper is the outset of the autumn quarter of the academic year following the quarter in which the paper was initially due. If students do not have quality grades by then, the Incomplete grades become UW grades or Unofficial Withdrawal. UW grades bear no credit. Students who accumulate three UW grades will be placed on academic probation and be given a written timeline to return to good academic standing.

Additional divisional grading policies are provided by the Registrar here:

https://registrar.uchicago.edu/records/grading/grade-policies/

Academic Standing

Students are expected to progress through the program according to the schedule laid out in the Program Completion Plans found below in this document (one for students coming in with a B.A., one for students coming in with an M.A.). Successful progress constitutes “good academic standing.” Student progress will be assessed on a regular basis by the DGS in consultation with departmental faculty, and more specifically in the annual spring review. Failure to maintain good academic standing may result in academic probation or withdrawal from the program depending on the unmet expectations as articulated in the Plan.

More details are outlined in the Grad Student Handbook.

Division of the Humanities Conference Reimbursement Grant

The Division of the Humanities has limited funds available for partial support for travel to

academic conferences where the student is giving a paper. The Division of the Humanities Conference Reimbursement Grant provides up to $400 in reimbursement for eligible travel expenses. Students can receive the grant a maximum of three times in their graduate careers, but only once in any given academic year (July 1 through June 30). See Division of Humanities Travel Grants: https://humanities.uchicago.edu/students/financial-aid/conference-travel-grants

Division of the Humanities Dissertation Research Travel Grants

The Humanities Division provides limited funding for students who plan to travel to conduct dissertation research. A student may only receive a Dissertation Research Travel Grant once in his or her graduate career and the grants are not renewable. Funding from these grants is extremely limited. Students should first apply for travel grants from departments and centers (e.g., Nicholson, France Chicago, CEAS, COSAS) before requesting these funds.

Applicants will be awarded funds based on their specific travel and financial needs, the quality and feasibility of their projects, in addition to other academic qualifications.

Further information be found here: https://humanities.uchicago.edu/students/financial-aid/dissertation-research-travel-grants

Departmental Funding for Graduate Student Participation in Professional Conferences 

The Department is committed to supporting graduate-student participation in professional conferences for students in good academic standing. Because the Department has limited funds available for such support, however, we have established the guidelines. Pease see the handbook for details. 

Grant Opportunities

Information about Divisional grants and fellowships is available here: https://humanities.uchicago.edu/students/financial-aid/fellowships

Students are also encouraged to contact the Associate Dean of Students for more information on available grants.

Additional resources for information about grants include colleagues in Germanic Studies and other departments; the Office of International Affairs; the Office of Career Advancement; UChicagoGRAD, which has a library of grant directories, information, and successful applications; and other websites. Don’t be passive when it comes to finding grants—no one person or place will have all the information needed.

Grants vary in the documents required. These may include transcripts, curricula vitae, budgets, itineraries, autobiographical statements, proposals, statements of progress, and letters of reference. No application will ask for all of these, but the list is a fair representation of what the student may be called upon to provide.

Grad Student Handbook Germanic Studies

Pedagogical Training Plan Germanic Studies