Skip to main content

Research Papers and Proposals

Students are required to complete a Second Year Qualifying Paper, a Dissertation Proposal, and a Dissertation. Evaluation of the papers and the dissertation proposal is determined by a committee composed of the student’s advisor and two or more additional faculty members.  Students will be evaluated for continuation in the graduate program, for Graduate (Teaching) Assistantships, and for summer fieldwork using grades in course work, faculty evaluations and a specific evaluation of the second and third year paper/proposal requirements.

Second Year

Second-year students will prepare a Research Paper to be completed in the Spring Quarter of the second year.

Exception: Second-year students who entered the program with M.A. transfer credit will be expected to meet the requirements of third-year students by submitting a Dissertation Proposal.

Third Year

Third-year students prepare a formal Dissertation Proposal that will be presented before the student's dissertation research committee at a formal dissertation proposal defense. Each student should work closely with his/ her adviser on the preparation of the dissertation proposal.

Paper and Proposal Evaluation

Papers will be evaluated according to the degree to which they:

Your advisor and/or your committee will give you comments on the very first draft of your paper. This phase will focus on the broader issues and your professors will provide you with feedback on the research you need to do to complete your paper. Your entire committee will give you comments on the next‐to‐final draft. This phase focuses on remaining issues that are often smaller in scope and significance. Your committee expects a complete draft, properly formatted, referenced, and proofread, for this next‐to‐final draft.

It is reasonable to expect members of your committee to:

It is not reasonable to expect members of your Committee to:

Your papers will be evaluated by your committee at the June faculty meeting and will be given one of the following assessments: pass, no pass, pass after acceptable rewrite, acceptable for terminal M.A.

 “Pass”: This evaluation permits a student to continue in the Ph.D. program. The student is eligible, but not guaranteed, financial aid.

 “Pass after acceptable rewrite”: This evaluation permits a student to continue course work in the Ph.D. program, but the student will not be eligible for advancement to candidacy until the paper is rewritten and accepted by the student’s committee. After the committee accepts the paper/proposal, the student will be eligible for financial aid.

“Acceptable for terminal M.A.”: (Second‐year Research Paper): This evaluation means that the quality of the student’s work meets the Department’s standards for the Master’s Degree, but is not sufficiently high quality to permit the student to continue in the Ph.D. program. The student may be eligible for a Master’s Degree if all other requirements are met.

“No pass”: This evaluation means that the quality of the student’s work meets neither the standards required of students continuing in the Ph.D. program, nor the standards required for the Master’s Degree. The student will not be permitted to continue in the Department, nor will he/she receive a Master’s Degree, regardless of the student’s grade‐point average.