Stages of Degree

Progress toward the Ph.D. at the Graduate Center is measured by movement through three levels, which are associated with different levels of tuition. Information on tuition costs at the various levels is provided on the Current Student pages of the Graduate Center Website.

At levels I and II, students take courses, fulfill two language requirements, and take two sets of examinations, the first (comprehensive) exam at the beginning of their second year, and the second (oral) exam following the completion of coursework.

To advance from Level I to II, students must complete 45 credits of coursework (including transfer credits) and pass the first (comprehensive) examination.

To advance from Level II to III, students must complete all 60 credits of coursework, fulfill both language requirements, and pass the second (oral) examination.

Advancing to Level III is equivalent to “advancing to candidacy.” Upon advancing to Level III, students can apply for an M.Phil. degree. (Earlier, after completing 45 credits and the first examination, students can work toward attaining an "en route" M.A. from one of several participating CUNY colleges; this involves completing a major research paper under the supervision of a faculty member.)

After students have advanced to Level III, they cannot take additional coursework for credit without paying extra tuition. Students who are earning a certificate from one of the Certificate Programs should be especially aware of this: all coursework for both the English Program and any Certificate Program or Concentration must be completed before the student advances to candidacy. (This includes clearing incomplete grades from the student's record; any incompletes that are not cleared prior to advnacing to Level III will remain permanently incomplete.)

The Graduate Center has several parameters for defining "Satisfactory Progress." If the grade point average falls below 3.0; if students have more than 2 incomplete grades; if the first examination is not taken by the point 45 credits of coursework have been completed, or the second examination within 10 semesters of enrollment; or if students exceed "time to degree" (eight years for students entering with a B.A., seven for those entering with an M.A. or the equivalent), their registration will be blocked by a "satisfactory progress hold." Such holds are reviewed by the English Program's "Student Progress Officer," who can recommend clearing a hold when s/he and the student involved have agreed upon a plan for making satisfactory progress.

The following link provides two sample schedules for meeting all the requirements for the Ph.D. in English in a timely fashion. Students' actual progress will vary, but these schedules provide useful guidelines for most students.

• Sample Schedules

The following links provide further information about successful progress toward the Ph.D.

• Transfer credits
  
• Coursework
  
• Current Course Listings
  
• First (Comprehensive) Examination
  
• Forthcoming: Past Comprehensive Examinations
  
• Foreign Language Requirements
  
• Second (Oral) Examination
  
• Forthcoming: Sample Orals Lists
  
• Dissertation Prospectus
  
• Human Participants Clearance Form:
  
  At the stage of submitting the prospectus, all students must submit this form, indicating whether or not their research will involve human subjects. For most English students it will not, but if you are doing research on pedagogy, or interviewing authors, it will. For such research, approval by the Graduate Center's IRB (Institution Review Board) is necessary. For more information, go to Human Subjects.
  
• Forthcoming: Sample Prospectuses
  
• Dissertation Chapter Review
  
• Completing, Defending, and Depositing the Dissertation

If, during their time at the Graduate Center, students need to take a Leave of Absence , they can do so, for up to a total of four semesters. If students need to stop out of their graduate work for a longer period of time, they must Withdraw from the Program. Students can return after withdrawing, by filing an application for readmission; generally, if students have not been away from the program for longer than four years, they will be readmitted.