Degree Requirements
A Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree is earned en route to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Students graduate with the MPhil upon completion of all requirements other than the dissertation and dissertation defense.
These requirements include: 72 points of coursework—40 points in comparative literature and 32 in a national literature or literatures and/or courses from affiliated departments. These courses must include a full year of study in criticism and theory, two courses of which must be criticism before 1800, one course which must be contemporary (20th century), and one non-U.S./Western European literature. An MPhil thesis that revises an approved term paper to the equivalent of publication standards required and generally completed by the end of the second year. The PhD written examination, a take-home examination on three topics, is completed midway through the third year in the program, followed within the next semester by the oral examination, or prospectus defense, which requires that an adviser and two major readers approve the proposed PhD dissertation. Students must also be certified in three languages in addition to English—or, substituting for the third language—three courses in a non-literary discipline. Past examples include: performance studies, cinema studies, and africana studies to name a few.
The Graduate School of Arts & Science requires that all PhD students earn the MPhil by the end of their fourth year in the program. Completion of the MPhil signifies a move from PhD student to PhD candidate. PhD candidates work in regular consultation with their three core committee members while researching and writing their dissertation. Two additional readers join the committee when the candidate defends their dissertation. Please also refer to our Departmental Handbook, available here.