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Degree Requirements
General Requirements for the MA
Course
Candidates for the MA degree are required to complete a minimum of 8 graduate-level semester courses (32 credits) or the equivalent. At least 4 of the required 8 courses must be in the major field. Normally, no more than 4 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.
Residency
Students must be registered in the semester or summer term in which they complete degree requirements and in the preceding semester.
Language
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 MA degree.
General Requirements for the PhD
Course
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 for each student by the department or division in the field of major. 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.
Post-master’s candidates with a master's degree or its equivalent are required to complete the equivalent of a minimum of 8 graduate-level semester courses (32 credits). Specific requirements relative to the selection of courses, seminars, and research or directed study will be determined for each student by the department or division in his or her field of major. 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.
Residency
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, including the department of major.
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
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 major fields in special examinations set by the major department. All parts of the qualifying examination must be passed before the dissertation prospectus or outline will be accepted by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
PhD Candidacy
A student in a Graduate School of Arts & Sciences PhD program will be accepted to PhD candidacy upon successful completion of such qualifying examinations as are designated by the department. At that time, the department will notify the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, which will formally accept the student 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 equalities for candidacy as determined by the department 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.
Dissertation Prospectus
After completing coursework, language requirements, and the qualifying examinations, a student proposes a dissertation topic and asks the department to identify first and second (and in some departments third) readers for the dissertation. The first reader will be a member of the student's department, except by special arrangement with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. The dissertation prospectus should be completed before the more extensive phase of dissertation research is undertaken. The department is responsible for reviewing and evaluating a draft prospectus. The review is followed by revision and the production of a final draft, which must be approved by the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the chairman. The approved prospectus is submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Office on or before the date specified in the GRS Graduation Calendar. Although the length of the prospectus will vary from discipline to discipline, it cannot exceed twenty double-spaced (or ten single-spaced) pages, not including bibliography. Specific procedures for meeting the general guidelines described here 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 Graduate School of Arts & Sciences faculty members, at least two of whom are from the student's department. By special appointment, approved by the dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, examiners may be from outside the School itself. The membership of the committee must be approved by the chairman or the director of graduate studies.
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 chairman. 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. Two weeks before the examination, the schedule of the examination is due in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Office, together with fourteen copies of the approved abstract. Students are responsible for arranging an examination date with the department and for requesting that the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences schedule the examination. Students should consult their departments and the GRS Graduation Calendar 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.
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.
A student in a Graduate School of Arts & Sciences PhD program will be accepted to PhD candidacy upon successful completion of such qualifying examinations as are designated by the department. At that time, the department will notify the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, which will formally accept the student 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 equalities for candidacy as determined by the department 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.
Candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in dissertations representing original research or creative scholarship.
After completing coursework, language requirements, and the qualifying examinations, a student proposes a dissertation topic and asks the department to identify first and second (and in some departments third) readers for the dissertation. The first reader will be a member of the student's department, except by special arrangement with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. The dissertation prospectus should be completed before the more extensive phase of dissertation research is undertaken. The department is responsible for reviewing and evaluating a draft prospectus. The review is followed by revision and the production of a final draft, which must be approved by the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the chairman. The approved prospectus is submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Office on or before the date specified in the GRS Graduation Calendar. Although the length of the prospectus will vary from discipline to discipline, it cannot exceed twenty double-spaced (or ten single-spaced) pages, not including bibliography. Specific procedures for meeting the general guidelines described here vary from department to department.
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 Graduate School of Arts & Sciences faculty members, at least two of whom are from the student's department. By special appointment, approved by the dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, examiners may be from outside the School itself. The membership of the committee must be approved by the chairman or the director of graduate studies.
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 chairman. 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. Two weeks before the examination, the schedule of the examination is due in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Office, together with fourteen copies of the approved abstract. Students are responsible for arranging an examination date with the department and for requesting that the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences schedule the examination. Students should consult their departments and the GRS Graduation Calendar 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.
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.