Requirements for the PhD
Credit Requirement: 72 graduate credits (36 beyond the MA), of which 12 may be dissertation credits; at least 60 credits must be completed by the end of the semester in which the examination is to be taken.
Approved Second Area: Nine-15 credits outside the department (but in the 72-credit total) in an approved second area (e.g., Russian and East European Studies , Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality, Jewish Studies, European literature, etc.).
Research Languages: A reading knowledge of both French and German is required before taking the PhD comprehensive exam.
PhD Qualifying Examinations: The MA comprehensive exam also serves as the PhD qualifying exam for those students who wish to pursue graduate work at the PhD level.
Supervised Teaching Experience: Supervised teaching experience is an integral part of the doctoral program. All PhD candidates have the opportunity to teach courses in language, literature, and culture, initially by assisting other instructors, and, at a more advanced stage, in stand-alone courses.
Comprehensive Examination: Students take a PhD comprehensive examination after approximately two years of coursework beyond the MA. For examination procedures visit http://www.slavic.pitt.edu/graduate/examinations.
Dissertation Overview: Following successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the student files an application for admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy. At this stage the student presents a proposed topic for doctoral research and a research design for its execution to be reviewed by the dissertation committee.
Dissertation Defense: The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee and is open to the University community.
