Graduate Ph.D. Field Examination

Overview

In the fall semester of their third year, Ph.D. students take a field examination which is meant to give them 1) an intensive knowledge of their teaching and research fields, and 2) a strong basis from which to craft a dissertation prospectus. The Field Exam is administered by a committee of three faculty members who are in the English Graduate Group.

Committees and Field Lists

In their spring semester, second-year students select a committee to oversee their Field Exam, designating a chair. Committees are generally composed of three standing faculty members from the English Graduate Group; the exam chair must be part of the English Graduate Group. Potential members have the option to assent or not to that student's request to serve on the committee. With permission, students may nominate a fourth committee member or a committee member from outside of the Graduate Group.

In early spring, the Graduate Office holds an orientation to help second-year students prepare for the Field Exam and to convey deadlines for finalizing a committee and submitting the Field List. During the spring semester, each second-year student works in consultation with their committee to formulate a list of 70 works in their field(s) of specialization that are organized into three rubrics of the student’s choosing, broadly corresponding to: 

• One Primary List of 30 works, composed of both primary and secondary sources
• Two Contributing Lists of 20 works each, composed of both primary and secondary sources 

The primary list is typically organized by historical period, genre, and/or geographic area. The contributing fields are typically organized by theoretical tradition, literary or cultural thematic, or critical problematic.

Each list should be framed by a rationale of approximately 250 words consisting of a brief description of the field and key questions or problematics to be examined in and across the lists. 

All lists, approved by the full Field Exam Committee, will be submitted to the GEC for review by a date determined each year, typically in April. The GEC will read and provide feedback on all lists, but final approval of the list lies with the individual committee.

Exam Preparation

Students begin reading and preparing for the exam in the summer following their second year and continue through November of their third year. During this time, students will submit regular write-ups to their full exam committees in response to prompts that help the students think synthetically. The committee is responsible for setting expectations for the frequency of write-ups and sending prompts.

In late November, students submit a portfolio consisting of all write-ups that have been submitted to the committee during the preparation process, as well as a revised version of a seminar paper submitted during Ph.D. coursework that best exemplifies their critical work.

The student will also set a date with their committee for the oral exam, to take place within a designated two-week period in early December. The two-hour oral exam will consist of rigorous questions about the student’s lists, fields, and write-ups. At the end of the oral exam, the student will know the outcome and receive feedback. The exam committee will formalize their feedback in a report to the Grad Chair that will be kept in the student’s academic file. The committee will follow up with the student in the following weeks with detailed feedback on the seminar paper.  

Eligibility

Students must be in good academic standing to take the Field Exam. Students must resolve any incompletes from their record by September 1st of their third year to be eligible to take the Field Exam.

Should a student fail the Field Exam, they are allowed to retake the exam with their existing committee or with a new committee if the student so chooses. The second exam must be scheduled and passed no later than February 15th for the student to return to good academic standing and to enroll in the Dissertation Proposal Workshop.