COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Registration Proceedures
Course Credit Numbers and Credit Requirements
Specific Course Requirments
Grades
Grades of Incomplete and Their Removal

Registration Procedures

There are usually approximately 25 courses offered each semester in the department. Course descriptions for each semester since Fall 1998 are posted on the Program's Web site. Continuing students who are enrolled may sign up for courses during the initial registration period that runs about four weeks (usually in December and January for the Spring Semester, and in May and June for the Fall Semester). At that time, on-line registration is open to all students who are not blocked because of financial or academic concerns. (Students who have such registration holds receive a letter from the Registrar in advance.) There is a fee for late registration. All students are strongly encouraged to avoid this fee by registering on time.

In planning their course work students will want to refer to two publications:

To register online, go to www.gc.cuny.edu and click on Student Web, then "Login to Secure Area." The login asks for the student's Banner ID, which is the number that begins with four or five zeros and might be on the student's ID card. (If it's not, email the APO and she will provide it) Then it asks for a Banner PIN which is pre-set to be the student's six digit date of birth without slashes - month then day then year. Once you're in, you'll be asked to create a new PIN - this must also be six digits. Then just follow the instructions. If you have forgotten your PIN, you'll have to go to the Registrar's Office to have it re-set.  

Seminar meeting room numbers are posted before the semester begins in the English Program Office, in the Office of the Registrar, and on the computers located on kiosks on each floor.

Students can change their registration during the add/drop period which extends through the third week of every semester.

For more detailed instructions on registration, including proceedures for students in each level of degree, please click here.

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Course Credit Numbers and Credit Requirements

Courses in the Ph.D. Program in English - including the practicum for new teaching interns - are normally taken for 4 credits and a letter grade. Students may enroll in most regular (4-credit) English Ph.D. seminars for 2 credits; in such cases, the professor stipulates the amount of work that is required. Four-credit courses taken for 2 credits can be assigned only a pass/fail grade. Students who enter the Program with a baccalaureate degree alone may enroll in a maximum of three seminars for 2 credits; students who enter with a master's degree may take a total of two seminars for 2 credits. Note: 3-credit classes in other programs cannot be taken for 2 credits.

Students must take a minimum of seven credits per semester to maintain full-time status. Students must complete a minimum of 60 credits of approved course work (including transfer credit) for the Ph.D. degree, maintaining an average grade of B or better. Once 60 credits have been completed, students may continue to take classes for credit if they wish as long as they are at Level I or II.

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Specific Course Requirments

While students are expected to take most of their seminars within the English Program, they should not overlook courses offered in related disciplines or listed in groups at the back of each semester's "Announcement of Courses" booklet under:

Students interested in earning a certificate in one of these programs while working toward the Ph.D. in English should see Ms. Mary Frisque, the APO in the Certificate Program Office (Room 5109; ext.: 8124; mfrisque@gc.cuny.edu), Ms. Elizabeth Small, the APO in Women's Studies (Room 5103; ext.: 8905),Prof. Stephen Brier, the Coordinator of ITP (ext.: 7920), for more information. Anyone wishing to take more than a total of two courses outside of English needs a Program Officer's permission to do so.

All students in the Program must take a course in research and critical methodology, English 79500 ("Theory and Practice of Literary Scholarship and Criticism") for 4 credits. The 2-credit Pass ("P") grade option does not apply to this course.

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Independent Study Courses and Dissertation Workshops

Although the Program's course offerings are ample and wide-ranging, some students may want to undertake an independent reading or research project with a member of the doctoral faculty. Currently, the Graduate Center has imposed a cap on the number of courses, including independent studies, which all Programs can offer. Therefore, the Ph.D. Program in English can offer only a very limited number of independent study courses per semester. If a student wishes to do an independent study, he or she must first confer with a faculty member who will direct the independent study.  Students should be aware that while faculty members receive little or no compensation in their teaching schedules for an independent study, they may find reward in directing investigation into a mutually intriguing topic. Thus, students should take the initiative to define a specific project, one that relates to a professor's expertise and interest, before they ask for faculty sponsorship. Independent studies generally involve substantial reading, regular meetings, and significant written work. The student must then prepare a description of the course and give a rationale for why this course can be done only in the format of an independent study. The faculty member who will direct the independent study must sign off on the description and the rationale. The request, accompanied by the description and rationale, should be submitted to the Executive Officer, Professor Steven Kruger, no later than the first day of registration for the following semester.  He will make the final determination as to which proposals will be approved.

Students who have completed their course requirements, the Second Examination ("Orals"), and preliminary work on a thesis may find it helpful to enroll in "Dissertation Workshop" (English 91000), which is offered (for zero credits) each semester. The workshop is led by a professor with considerable experience in directing dissertations. Students prepare and read each others' work (including drafts of the dissertation prospectus), as well as discuss the job market and the academic profession. Please note that workshop information such as the day/time and instructor are always announced during the first week of every semester. Students may register for the course on-line; if they have difficulty adding it, they should talk to the APO or EO, who may have to process a "registration override."

 

Grades

The following grades (and quality point values) may be given to students at the GC:

To remain in the English Program, students must maintain at least a B average.

The following grades may be given in particular circumstances:

 

The following restrictions apply:

It is now possible to check your grades online. Go to www.gc.cuny.edu and click on Student Web, then "Login to Secure Area." You will be asked for your Banner ID, which is the number that begins with four or five zeros and might be on your ID card. (If it's not, email the APO and she will provide it to you.) Then it'll ask for your Banner PIN which is pre-set to be your six digit date of birth without slashes - month then day then year. Once you're in, you'll be asked to create a new PIN - this must also be six digits. Then just follow the semi-logical instructions. If you have forgotten your PIN, you'll have to go to the Registrar's Office to have it re-set.

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Grades of Incomplete and Their Removal

Students who are unable to complete their work for a course within the allotted time period may request a grade of incomplete ("INC") by completing an "Incomplete Contract" with the instructor before the last day of classes. Incomplete grades must be resolved within two semesters of the final meeting date of the course, at which point they automatically become grades of permanent incomplete ("INP"). Any further extension requires a written application, as well as the permission of the instructor, the EO, and the Vice President for Student Affairs. The Registrar puts a hold on the registration of any student who has more than two grades of incomplete, and the English Program's Student Progress Officer oversees all such student records. Courses in which an unresolved incomplete grade is recorded do not count toward the 60 credits required for the degree (or the 45 credits required to advance to Level II). Students with multiple incompletes are in jeopardy of losing financial aid - both from the GC and from the Program.

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