Degree Requirements
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Policy
Advisor
A candidate for the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) master’s or PhD degree is required to have as an advisor a member of the faculty in the student’s department or graduate program. If an advisor is not assigned in advance of registration, the student should consult the department chair/program director or director of graduate studies about assignment procedures.
General Requirements for the Master’s Degree
Course Requirements
Candidates for the master’s degree are required to complete a minimum of eight graduate-level semester courses (32 credits) or the equivalent. At least four of the required eight courses must be in the major field. Normally, no more than four courses may be taken concurrently. Each student must register for at least one course each semester until completion of all departmental course requirements unless he or she obtains an authorized leave of absence. The number of courses that may be transferred to a master’s program is explained in more detail in the Transfer of Credit section of this website.
Continuing Registration
See the Registration and the Withdrawal, Leave of Absence, and Reinstatement portions of this Bulletin.
Residency Requirement
Students must be registered in the semester or summer term in which they complete degree requirements and in the preceding semester.
Language Requirement
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has no general foreign language requirement. Proficiency in one or more foreign languages is required in many of our degree programs; please consult the individual program listings for specific requirements.
Thesis or Comprehensive Examination
A thesis or a comprehensive examination may be required, as determined by the department or division of major study.
Time Limit
The program shall be completed within three years after the first registration for study leading to the master’s degree.
General Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Course Requirements
The requirements for post-bachelor’s and post-master’s degree programs are as follows:
Post-bachelor’s
Candidates without a master’s degree or its equivalent are required to complete a minimum of 16 graduate-level semester courses (64 credits) or the equivalent. Specific requirements relative to the selection of courses, seminars, and research or directed study will be determined by the student’s department or graduate program. Note that each student who has been awarded a Teaching Fellowship must register for a 2-credit teaching course. Credits for this course do not count toward degree requirements, but appear on the transcript as evidence of instruction and evaluation in teaching.
Normally, no more than four courses may be taken concurrently. Each student must register for at least one course each semester until completion of all departmental course requirements unless granted an authorized leave of absence. The number of courses that may be transferred to a post-bachelor’s program is explained in more detail in the Transfer of Credits section of this website.
Post-master’s
Candidates with a master’s degree or its equivalent are required to complete the equivalent of a minimum of eight graduate-level semester courses (32 credits). Specific requirements relative to the selection of courses, seminars, and research or directed study will be determined by the student’s department or graduate program. Normally, no more than four courses may be taken concurrently, and each student must register for at least one course each semester until completion of all departmental course requirements unless granted an authorized leave of absence. Regulations regarding transfer of credit to a post-master’s program are explained in more detail in the Transfer of Credits section of this website.
Continuing Registration
See the Registration and the Withdrawal, Leave of Absence, and Reinstatement sections of this Bulletin.
Residency Requirement
Each student must satisfy a residency requirement of a minimum of two consecutive regular semesters of full-time graduate study at Boston University. Full-time study in this context is full-time commitment to the discipline as determined by the department. Without necessarily implying full-time course enrollment, this commitment permits access to libraries, laboratories, instructional staff, and other academic facilities of the University.
Doctoral students holding appointments as teaching fellows or research assistants are considered full-time students for purposes of the residency requirement provided that the time beyond that required by their appointments is devoted fully to their graduate program. In order to graduate, students must be registered part or full time in the semester or summer term in which they complete degree requirements, as well as in the preceding semester.
Language Requirement
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has no general foreign language requirement. Proficiency in one or more foreign languages is required in many of our degree programs; please consult the individual program listings for specific requirements.
Qualifying Examination
All students shall demonstrate mastery of their field in special examinations set by the student’s department or graduate program. All parts of the qualifying examination must be passed before the dissertation prospectus will be accepted by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
PhD Candidacy
Upon successful completion of such qualifying examinations as are designated by the student’s department or graduate program a student is accepted to PhD candidacy. The maximum period allowable between matriculation and acceptance to PhD candidacy is established by the individual department. Once entered, a PhD candidacy will expire on its fifth anniversary and after such time will be renewed only if the student requalifies for candidacy as determined by the department or graduate program and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. In no instance will a student who is not a PhD candidate be allowed to defend a completed PhD dissertation.
Dissertation
Candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in dissertations representing original research or creative scholarship. After completing coursework, and all other pre-dissertation requirements such as language requirements and the qualifying examinations, a student develops a dissertation proposal. In some programs presentation of the dissertation proposal is part of the qualifying examination. The student works with the department or graduate program to identify first and second (and in some departments, third) readers for the dissertation. The first reader must be a member of the faculty of the student’s department or graduate program, except by special arrangement with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Dissertation Prospectus
At a stage in the research prescribed by the student’s department or graduate program, the student develops a dissertation prospectus with the help of his/her readers or dissertation committee. The dissertation prospectus must be approved by the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the department chair/program director. The approved prospectus is submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences office on or before the date specified at the Graduation Information website. Although the length of the prospectus will vary from discipline to discipline, it cannot exceed 20 double-spaced (or 10 single-spaced) pages of 12-point type, excluding the bibliography. The format of the prospectus and specific procedures for meeting the general guidelines described at the GRS Forms, Policies & Procedures website vary from department to department.
Abstract and Final Oral Examination
Students undergo final oral examinations in which they defend their dissertations as valuable contributions to knowledge in their fields and demonstrate a mastery of their fields of specialization in relation to their dissertations. The examining committee is composed of five or more professorial faculty members, including the readers and a committee chair who is not the first or second reader. At least two of the committee members, including the chair, must be from the student’s department or graduate program. By special appointment, approved by the dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, examiners may be from outside Boston University; a majority of the committee must be Boston University faculty members. The membership of the committee must be approved by the department chair/program director or the director of graduate studies.
Students are responsible for arranging an examination date with the department and for requesting that the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences schedule the examination. Before the final oral examination can be scheduled, the candidate must obtain initial approval of a dissertation abstract from the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the department chair/program director. The abstract, which cannot exceed 350 words in length, describes the thesis, methods, and general content of the dissertation. The abstract must be submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences office at least three weeks before the examination. The schedule of the examination must be submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences office at least two weeks before the examination. Students should consult their departments and the Graduation Information website about specific procedures and dates pertaining to abstracts and examinations. General instructions concerning the scheduling of examinations and the submission of abstracts are available from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences office at 705 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112, or at the GRS website.
Time Limit
The post-bachelor’s program must be completed within seven years after the first registration for doctoral study. The post-master’s program must be completed within five years after the first registration for the doctoral program.
