Requirements for the PhD
Credit Requirement: The requirements for the PhD are at least 72 graduate-level credits, including the master’s degree, earned from any suitable combination of formal course work, independent study, research, teaching, or dissertation work as detailed elsewhere in this bulletin.
PhD Qualifying Examination: The MA comprehensive exam also serves as the PhD qualifying exam for those students who wish to pursue graduate work at the PhD level. Students admitted to the graduate program with MA degrees from other institutions must take the MA comprehensive/PhD qualifying exam, usually within their first year of study at the University of Pittsburgh.
Supervised Teaching Experience: Supervised teaching experience is an integral part of the doctoral program. All PhD students are required to take part in the department’s undergraduate teaching program as preparation for scholarly and professional careers.
Comprehensive Examination: Students normally complete, by the end of the three years of fulltime graduate study, the PhD comprehensive, which consists of four written examinations: (a) special author in Greek; (b) special author in Latin; (c) special genre; and (d) special field or topic. The student is given considerable latitude in choosing individual topics for the PhD comprehensives, as long as the four examinations demonstrate competence in a variety of aspects of classical studies.
Dissertation Overview: Upon completion of the comprehensive examination and all other requirements, the student files an application for admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy. In consultation with a dissertation advisor, the student presents a prospectus of a dissertation to a faculty committee, following the general procedure described in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin.
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.
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