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Coursework

• General requirements: For the PhD: Sixteen half-courses and a minimum of two years in residence. Students are expected to continue with advanced language course­work in each term of residence. For the AM: Eight half-courses and at least one year in residence, although two years are usually needed to complete the necessary re­quirements.

• Core requirements/AM: Two half-courses of seminars, two half-courses in classical Sanskrit or Tibetan literature at the advanced level, and four half-courses in the stu­dent’s special field, including related courses in other departments. An AM disserta­tion is also required.

• Core requirements/PhD: Two half-courses of seminars, a minimum of four half-courses in Classical Sanskrit or Tibetan at the advanced level, two half-courses in a second South Asian language, and eight other half-courses in the student’s special fields, including related courses in other departments.

• Language requirements: AM: Reading knowledge of either French or German must be documented before the student is admitted to the AM examination, and no later than the end of the first year of study. PhD: Written examinations in two modern research languages, generally French and German, must be passed with an honors grade by the end of the second year of residence. Another modern language relevant to the student’s special field, but not the student’s native language, may be substituted for one, but not both of the required languages.

Advising

• Upon entering the program, a student may choose, or else be assigned an advisor, based on the area of interest. Students may change their advisor at any time, should there be a need to do so. The advisor must be a member of the department. The ad­visor will take part in the student’s second year review and chair the examining committee for the general examinations. The advisor will supervise the student in writing a prospectus and chair the prospectus committee. The advisor will then di­rect the writing of the dissertation and chair the dissertation examining committee. The Director of Graduate Studies will serve as an informal advisor to all graduate students.

General Examinations

• AM Examinations. Two written translations (not to exceed three hours) of texts cho­sen from a specified reading list and an oral exam in the student’s special field. A dic­tionary is not permitted for the translation exams.

• PhD Examinations. Students are expected to take their general examinations no later than the end of their third year in the program. There are four written examinations, each up to three hours. 1) Translation, without dictionary, from a Sanskrit or Tibetan text of average difficulty. 2) Translation, with dictionary, of texts in the student’s spe­cial field, with a discussion of textual problems, thematic issues, etc. 3) A general exam in South Asian studies based on reading lists put together by the student in con­sultation with the director of graduate studies. 4) An examination in the student’s spe­cial field, in which students must show familiarity with both primary texts and secondary scholarship. 5) An optional fifth exam in a secondary field or discipline, of­ten involving a faculty member from another department. Upon passing the qualifying exams students will be expected to complete a dissertation prospectus no later than the fall term of their fourth year, and will be expected to complete two chapters of their dissertation no later than the fall term of their sixth year. Many students apply for trav­el fellowships in their fourth year and spend a part of their fifth year in the field.

Prospectus

• After passing general exams, and no later than the end of the fall term of the fourth year, doctoral students must submit a prospectus of their dissertation. Once the pro­spectus has been approved, a public defense of the prospectus will take place with the prospectus committee, other interested faculty, students, etc. It is recommended that the prospectus be in the range of fifteen to twenty pages and include: 1) a clear state­ment of the dissertation project, its central problems and methodology; 2) its place in the context of related scholarship; 3) its importance to the field. The prospectus should also include a chapter outline and extensive bibliography.

Thesis

• AM Thesis: The AM thesis will be a substantial paper demonstrating the student’s knowledge of primary texts, and the scholarly literature and methodologies appropri­ate to the topic of the student’s choice. The topic will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. A typical AM thesis is expected to be approxi­mately 75 pages in length.

• PhD Dissertation: The dissertation should not exceed 75,000 words or 300 pages in length. It must be a substantial and original piece of work that demonstrates mastery of the field and the student’s chosen topic. The dissertation committee normally con­sists of three members, including the dissertation advisor. Two members of the com­mittee must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Frequently, the committee will include at least one member from outside the department, and occa­sionally one from outside the University. The director of graduate studies must ap­prove the proposed dissertation committee. By the beginning of the fall term of their sixth year, students are expected to have completed two chapters of their dissertation. After this they are expected produce at least one acceptable chapter of the dissertation each term. The dissertation must be an original work demonstrating the candidate’s ability to do independent research in the special field. The format of the disserta­tion must conform to the requirements described in the University publication The Form of the PhD Dissertation, and to any further requirements of style and form specified by the department. After it is completed, the dissertation must be submitted to the dissertation committee (at least two months before the official deadline) and be publicly defended in a round-table discussion that includes members of the dissertation committee and other interested parties.