Exams and Dissertation Defense

MA exams are typically taken in the spring semester of the second year. The following programs have MA exams:

• French and Francophone Studies
• Germanic Studies
• Hispanic Linguistics
• Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies

Students should consult their DGS/advisor and the above linked program handbook for details.

Other MA Requirements

The State of the Art (SOA) is a requirement for MA linguistics students only. This is a paper of approximately 30 pages that presents a critical summary of current bibliography being produced on a specific sub-area in linguistics. The SOA is submitted in Spring of the second year. The final manuscript is due on January 31st or the first Monday thereafter if the 31st falls on a weekend.

PhD exams are taken upon the completion of coursework. The format and timing of the exam varies from program to program, so students should work with their advisor to ensure they understand the exam requirements and setup.

The following programs have PhD exams:

• Germanic Studies
• Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies
• Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies

Other PhD requirements

Students in Hispanic Studies are required to submit a Qualifying Research Paper (QRP) in the format of a peer-reviewed journal article. This may be a more developed version of a term or class paper produced during the student’s first year.

• A working title for and 200-word description of the QRP is due in the first year.
  ⤷ Literary and Cultural Studies deadline: the Monday after Spring Break
  ⤷ Linguistics deadline: September 30th
• The final manuscript of the QRP is dues in the second year.
  ⤷ Literary and Cultural Studies deadline: the first class day after Labor Day
  ⤷ Linguistics deadline: September 15th

Students should consult their program handbook for format details and ensure that they are consulting their advisor/primary reader frequently to make sure they understand what is required for the QRP.

Upon successful completion of all course, exam, and other PhD requirements, students begin working on their dissertation projects. As a first step, they write and defend a proposal of the project they will undertake. While the specific details, format, and process may vary from program to program – and even from advisor to advisor – the administrative process required is the same for all programs.

1. Assemble your exam committee. You must have at least 5 people on the committee.
2. Complete the committee recommendation form.
3. Get a recent CV from any non-UIC member of your committee.
4. Submit the form and CV(s) to the Grad Program Admin at least one month before your expected defense date.
5. If needed, schedule a conference room.

Students must be registered in the semester during which they defend the proposal/prospectus. If a defense takes place during the add/drop period, registration is not required provided the student was registered in the previous semester.

Successful completion of the prospectus/proposal defense constitutes formal admission to candidacy for the PhD.

Students must spend at least one year in candidacy/ABD status working on the dissertation before they defend. (In rare cases, students can petition to defend the dissertation less than year after being admitted to candidacy.)

Before diving into the dissertation, students are strongly encouraged to consult UIC’s Thesis Manual to ensure that they understand all processes and requirements of the dissertation.

The dissertation defense must take place within 5 years after the prospectus/proposal defense and within 7 years (9 years for students without an MA) of being admitted to the PhD program. Students requiring additional time will need to petition for an extension of the preliminary exam and/or extension time to degree in order to continue registration and before defending.

Students must be registered in the semester during which they defend. If a defense takes place during the add/drop period, registration is not required provided the student was registered in the previous semester.

Defense

The administrative process for the dissertation defense is similar to that of the prospectus/proposal defense.

1. Assemble your exam committee. You must have at least 5 people on the committee. At least 1 person must be from outside of your department.
2. Complete the committee recommendation form.
3. Get a recent CV from any non-UIC member of your committee.
4. Submit the form and CV(s) to the Grad Program Admin at least one month before your expected defense date.
5. If needed, schedule a conference room.

Within a few days of submitting your committee recommendation form, you will receive an email from iThenticate with a subject line “Account Created for Select Faculty and Students.” The iThenicate process is required and must be completed before the defense date with the report form being shared with the committee at the defense.

Submission

In order to graduate, successfully defended and revised dissertations must be submitted by 4:30pm on:

• the Friday of week 11 for Fall semester
• the Friday of week 10 for Spring and Summer semester

Please verify the specific date by consulting the Graduate College website!

Submission of dissertations is done through the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation System.

Submitted dissertations must:

• follow the required format
• include a summary (not an abstract – see Thesis Manual for details)

Dissertation advisors will receive a request – via email – to verify that the submitted dissertation is the final version. Students may want to check-in with their advisor to ensure this email was received and the verification completed.

In addition to the submitting the dissertation, students must:

• provide an abstract of no more than 350 words (2450 characters including spaces and punctuation) and keywords
• pay the Library thesis fee
• complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates

Should there be items missing or incorrectly formatted or if additional information is required, the Grad College will reach out. It is very important to keep an eye on email and respond to these messages in a timely manner!

Registration is not required to submit a dissertation.

In order to officially graduate and receive your diploma, you will need to:

• (for PhD students only) submit your dissertation and all other required materials by the deadline (see above) and receive notification its approval from the Graduate College
• file an intent to graduate by the deadline

Students who need proof of having completed degree requirements before their degree date may request an Early Clearance Letter.

Commencement ceremonies take place in May for Spring graduates and in December for Summer and Fall graduates. Information on commencement should be sent to all students who have filed an intent to graduate, but can also be found on the Commencement Ceremonies website. Questions can be addressed to commencement@uic.edu.