RULES OF THE GENERAL FACULTY GOVERNING THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

On May 5, 2004 the General Faculty voted to change its Rules regarding the Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations.  The changes are incorporated here.  See section D. 5.

A. GENERAL RULES

Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences who enter a doctoral program are subject to the general rules under I. Administration and II. Program of Study of the Rules of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences concerning the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

B. SCHOOLS, DEPARTMENTS, AND FIELDS

The Ph.D. degree may be awarded both in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and in the following departments or programs of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:

Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Classical Languages, Classical Studies, Clinical Developmental Psychology, English, Greek, History of Art, Latin, Mathematics, Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy, Physics, Russian.

C. CANDIDACY

1. Prerequisites

In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students may apply for candidacy for the Ph.D. degree at any time after the completion of six units of graduate work, and must be formally accepted as candidates before taking the Preliminary Examination. Students in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research shall apply for candidacy at least two months before they wish to take Preliminary Examinations, after they have completed at least one full year of study in the Doctoral program. Once accepted as candidates for the Ph.D. degree at Bryn Mawr College, graduate students must maintain continuous registration until the completion of all requirements for the degree, unless granted leave of absence.

2. Application

a. In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences the application shall be made upon the form supplied by the Office of the Dean. After it is endorsed by the member of the candidate's major department who will be the director, and approved by the chair of the major department, it will be submitted for the approval of the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

b. In the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research the application shall be made upon the form supplied by the Office of the Dean. After it is endorsed (with or without recommendation) by the student's adviser, it is sent to the Dean who forwards it to the faculty on the Doctoral Committee for approval.

3. Supervising Committee

A Supervising Committee shall be appointed for each Ph.D. candidate. The Supervising Committee shall have the responsibility of the preliminary and final examinations and of the dissertation. The Supervising Committee shall have the responsibility, along with the director, for the candidate's program of study. Both the student and the director should seek the advice and aid of the chair of the Supervising Committee when necessary. If at any stage of the work the Supervising Committee does not reach agreement on the candidate's performance, the Council shall make the final decision.

a. In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, when a student is approved for candidacy, the Council shall confirm those members of his/her Supervising Committee who are recommended by the director of the student's work and by the major department. These members are the director of the candidate's work, two other members of the department(s) in which the candidate does graduate work, and one or more additional members of the Faculty. In special cases, when the dissertation is to be directed by a faculty member external to the student's home department, he/she shall be appointed to the Supervising Committee and identified as dissertation director, but a member of the student's home department shall continue to serve as general director of the student's progress toward the Ph.D.

Formal appointment of the Supervising Committee shall be by the Committee to Supervise the Ph.D. degree. The chair shall be a member of the General Faculty outside the student's major department and shall also be appointed by the Committee to Supervise the Ph.D. degree, as provided in the Bylaws of the General Faculty.

b. In the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, when a student is approved for candidacy, the faculty on the Doctoral Committee shall confirm the Director of Work and the three other members of the Supervising Committee who have been recommended to them by the Dean. The recommendation of a director shall be on the basis of a preference expressed by the student and confirmed with the faculty member in question. The Dean shall recommend the remaining members of the Committee after considering the student's preferences, the student's area of examination and dissertation topic and faculty work load, and after consultation with the faculty members concerned. The chair of the Supervising Committee shall be a member of the General Faculty not in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and shall also be appointed by the Committee to Supervise the Ph.D. Degree, as provided in the Bylaws of the General Faculty.

The Supervising Committee shall have the responsibility of the preliminary and final examinations and of the dissertation.

A scholar not connected with the College who has special competence in the field of the candidate's chief interest may be added to the Supervising Committee if:

a. in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Supervising Committee or major department so recommends and the Council or the Dean approves;

b. in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, the Supervising Committee or the faculty on the Doctoral Committee so recommends and the faculty on the Doctoral Committee approve.

4. Director

a. In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences the director of the candidate's work shall take major responsibility for planning the candidate's program of study, for informing the Supervising Committee of the fields to be offered for examination, and of the subject of the dissertation. The director shall keep the Supervising Committee informed of any changes in the student's fields for examination or in the subject of the dissertation. The director (or the dissertation director) shall take major responsibility for supervising the preparation of the dissertation and such changes as may be required by the Supervising Committee at the final examination.

If irreconcilable differences arise between the candidate and the director, either one may appeal to the chair of the Committee, who shall attempt to resolve the matter in consultation with the full committee. If no satisfactory resolution is reached, the matter shall be referred to the Dean of the Graduate School who shall bring the case to the full Council for final disposition.

b. In the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research the director serves as an interpreter of procedure and policy, a relayer of information and as a consultant to the student in professional and academic matters. He/she serves as the primary consultant in the preparation of the student's dissertation. The director shall keep the Supervising Committee informed of any changes in the student's plan of work or in the subject of the dissertation.

If irreconcilable differences arise between the candidate and the director either one may appeal to the chairman of the committee, who shall attempt to resolve the matter in consultation with the full committee. If no satisfactory resolution is reached, the mater shall be referred to the Director of the Doctoral Program who shall bring the case to the faculty of the Doctoral Program for final resolution.

D. REQUIREMENTS

1. TIME

a. A minimum of three full years of graduate work or their equivalent is required for the Ph.D. degree in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

b. A minimum of two full years of graduate work beyond the Master's degree or the equivalent is required for the Ph.D. in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

2. Residency

a. In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Bryn Mawr College registration for a minimum of twelve academic units (or the equivalent of two full years of post-baccalaureate study) is required for the Ph.D. Units counted toward the degree of Master of Arts at Bryn Mawr College may also be counted toward the Ph.D. if the major field remains the same. Up to four units may be taken at the University of Pennsylvania or at any other institution with which there are approved Reciprocal Plans. In the absence of a formal Reciprocal Plan, the Dean may on occasion approve the taking of units, not to exceed two, at other institutions, provided that the total amount of external units does not exceed four.

Any exception to the rules concerning number or distribution of units must be approved by the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and will be considered only on the recommendation of a department and when a candidate's academic preparation is deemed to warrant special consideration.

3. Languages and Special Skills

A reading knowledge of two modern foreign languages, or a reading knowledge of one modern language and a demonstrated skill in a special technique, is required of all candidates for the Ph.D. degree. All candidates for the Ph.D. degree are required to pass the language examinations and the examinations in special skills before they take the Preliminary Examinations.

The language examination for the Ph.D. degree shall consist of two passages to be translated during a two-hour period. The use of a dictionary may be permitted for the translation of either or both of the passages, at the discretion of the student's major department. The examination shall be read by two members of the major department and one representative of the language department concerned. At the option of the individual departments, the Graduate Student Foreign Language Test of the Educational Testing Service may be substituted for the Bryn Mawr College examination (sixtieth percentile as the minimum passing score in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, raw score of 500 in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research).

A candidate whose native tongue is not English may offer English for one of the languages. This proviso does not apply for students whose major field is the language and literature of their native tongue. The requirement in English may be satisfied by either 1) a certificate from the major department that the candidate's English is adequate, or 2) a special examination given by the major department.

a. Departments may administer their own foreign language examinations but after the two readings within the department, these examinations must be sent to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and held there pending one of the three periods designated for foreign language department reading.

Examinations in special skills, which in approved instances may be substituted for language examinations, will be administered departmentally in accordance with the plan approved for the particular department.

The choice of languages and other skills is prescribed by the major department with the approval of the Graduate Council, and listed in the department statements in the Catalogue of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Exceptions to the departmental rules require the approval of the Graduate Council.

b. Either the Bryn Mawr examination in a modern foreign language or the Graduate Student Foreign Language Test of the Educational Testing Service may be presented to meet the foreign language requirement in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. In addition, students must in the course of study satisfactorily complete the requirement in social statistics as specified in the course requirements for the degree in this School.

4. Program of Study

The course of study is defined by the individual departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and by the faculty members of the Doctoral Committee of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

5. Preliminary Examinations

a. Plan of the Examinations

The Preliminary Examinations are intended to test the candidate's knowledge of the principles of the subject, exemplified by the command of several fields or areas, as well as the candidate's power of organization and ability to apply knowledge to new problems.

Candidates in both schools should, before taking the Preliminary Examinations, have been formally admitted to Ph.D. candidacy (C.1) and have completed such course work as is deemed necessary by the chair of the department or program in which they are enrolled.  They shall have satisfied such requirements in foreign languages and special skills as have been established. The Preliminary Examinations must be taken before the dissertation is accepted.

Preliminary Examinations should be completed within a period of four weeks. When an oral examination is included, the period of examination may be extended to five weeks.

No Preliminary Examinations are to be scheduled during the thirty days immediately preceding Commencement Day. Exceptions may be granted by the appropriate Dean in consultation with the chair of the Supervising Committee.

(1) In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences the fields will be established for each candidate by the director with the approval of the chair of the major department. A list of the candidate's fields and the schedule of examinations approved by the Supervising Committee shall be filed in advance in the Office of the Graduate School. The Preliminary Examinations normally include twelve to twenty hours of written examinations. Except for experimental or open book examinations, no one paper shall exceed four hours in length. To the written papers, at the option of the department, an oral examination of one to two hours may be added.

The following exceptions have been approved:

Chemistry: The Preliminary Examinations consist of two written examinations accompanied by an oral on the material of these examinations, and an oral defense of one research proposal previously drafted by the student. A period of longer than five weeks is permitted because of the special form of there examinations.

Clinical Developmental Psychology: The Preliminary Examinations consist of three written examinations and a Major Area Paper.  Two of the written examinations require synthesis of the first two years of course work in the areas of General Psychology and Clinical Developmental Psychology, and the third tests mastery of theory and research in a content area to be determined by the student and the student's research advisor.  The written examinations must be completed in a five-week period in Semester I of the student's third year of enrollment.  The Major Area Paper, in an area relevant to the subject of the student's dissertation research as approved by the research supervisor, must be proposed to the student's Supervising Committee by March 15 of the third year of enrollment and completed by October 15 of the fourth year of enrollment.

Mathematics:  The Preliminary Examinations consist of three four-hour written examinations, followed by a one-hour oral examination, and are intended to test the candidate's breadth of knowledge and understanding of the structure of mathematics as a whole.  Students have two options for the timing of the written examinations: (1) the examinations may be taken in any five-week period of time while classes are in session (except for the final thirty days before Commencement); (2) the examinations may be begun in a specified two-week period late in Semester II and completed in a specified two-week period early in the following Semester I.  Dates and times for the second option will be set annually by the Department.

Physics: The Preliminary Examinations may consist of three four-hour examinations, a problem set including twelve hours of working time and a one-hour oral.

(2) In the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research the candidate will write separate examinations (none to exceed four hours in length) in four areas of study. At the end of the written examinations, the candidate is examined orally for one to three hours by the Supervising Committee.

b. Procedure of the Supervising Committee

The members of the Supervising Committee shall read all examinations promptly, and if any of the examinations is unsatisfactory to any member he/she should notify the chair so that it can be determined if the candidate should continue with the Preliminary Examinations. When the written examinations are completed, the chair shall ascertain whether the majority of the Committee considers the candidate's work sufficiently satisfactory to proceed to the oral portion of the examination.

The oral examination is conducted by the Supervising Committee, and is open to any member of the faculty.

If an oral examination forms part of the Preliminary Examinations, the chair shall ask in advance for a statement of the division of time among the examiners and shall be responsible for maintaining the schedule adopted. At the end of the examination the chair shall give each member of the Supervising Committee an opportunity to ask additional questions, and after the candidate leaves the room the chair shall ask each member's opinion of the candidate's performance.

(1) In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences the result of the examination is to be recorded in the following terms:

"Satisfactory"

"Satisfactory except for..."-- to be used when a minor portion of one or two fields or areas has been failed.

"Partial Failure" -- to be used when one or more fields or areas of the examination, or portions of three or all of them, are unsatisfactory.

"Unsatisfactory" -- The vote of the Committee shall be recorded on the candidate's Ph.D. application form and signed by the members of the Committee. The vote shall state explicitly when the candidate is to make up any deficiencies and whether by written examination or in some other manner approved by the Committee as appropriate to the seriousness of the deficiency. If the result is "Unsatisfactory" the candidate may be refused permission to continue work for the Ph.D. degree, or may be asked to retake the Preliminary Examinations.

Note that all deficiencies must be made up before the candidate may submit the dissertation.

(2) In the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research the result of the examination is to be recorded in the following terms:

"Satisfactory"

"Partial Failure" -- to be used when one or more of the examinations is/are unsatisfactory.

"Unsatisfactory" -- if the vote is unsatisfactory, the Committee should state explicitly whether or not the candidate should be allowed to repeat the examinations.

The vote of the Committee shall be recorded on the candidate's Ph.D. application form and signed by the members of the Committee. The vote shall state explicitly when the candidate is to make up any deficiencies. All failures will be made up by taking the failed examination in a regularly scheduled series of preliminary examinations.

No candidate in either the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research may be permitted more than one reexamination in an examination graded unsatisfactory. All failed examinations must be retaken within a single examination period. Preliminary examinations must be passed satisfactorily within one year of the first written examination. In such unusual circumstances as serious illness, exceptions to this rule may be made. If after this time, a student has remaining unsatisfactory performances in any area of the preliminary examinations, he/she may not proceed to complete the degree.

If there is a difference in opinion in the Committee, the majority vote shall be decisive. The vote of the dissenting members shall be recorded on the candidate's Ph.D. application form, and they may file a minority report.

After the Supervising Committee has voted, at the conclusion of the oral examination, the chair should inform the candidate of the decision. When the preliminary examinations do not conclude with an oral, the vote on the completed preliminary examinations shall be determined expeditiously, at a meeting of the full Committee. In either case, the Supervising Committee shall make a report in writing to:

(1) the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences who informs the Council of the candidate's performance in the Preliminary Examinations; or

(2) the Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research who informs the faculty on the Doctoral Committee of the candidate's performance on the Preliminary Examinations.

A statement of the result of the Preliminary Examinations and the decisions of the Supervising Committee shall be sent in writing to the candidate by the appropriate Dean.

6. Dissertation

a. General Requirements

The dissertation gives the candidate an opportunity to present the results of independent investigation in the field of the major subject. It must contain original material, results or interpretations, and be adjudged suitable for publication.

The dissertation shall be written in English with the following exceptions:

(1) A student in a language department of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may, if the department approves, write the dissertation in the language of the department.

(2) In other departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research a student whose native tongue is not English may, with the permission of the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the faculty on the Doctoral Committee of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, write the dissertation in the language of the candidate.

The dissertation shall conform to the "Guidelines for Candidates for the Ph.D. Degree" available from the offices of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Two copies of the dissertation shall be submitted. They shall be secured in suitable binders and be accompanied by a vita and an abstract of not more than 350 words. A recommendation that the dissertation be accepted and a brief critical comment from the director must accompany it. The dissertation and the director's letter shall be submitted to the Supervising Committee through the office of the appropriate Dean.

In all fields except natural science and mathematics the dissertation, accompanied by the Director's letter, shall be submitted not later than 45 days prior to the end of classes of the year in which the student expects to complete the work for the degree; in natural science and mathematics the dissertation, accompanied by the director's letter, shall be submitted not later than 25 days prior to the end of classes, provided, however that if the dissertation fails to be submitted by these specific times, it may be submitted for conferral of the degree on the following December 15.

If a December degree is expected to be conferred, the dissertation in all fields except natural science and mathematics shall be submitted not later than October 15; in natural science and mathematics it shall be submitted not later than November 5.*

*(If students wish to hand in the dissertation and take the Final Examination at other times in the academic year, the dissertation in all fields except natural science and mathematics must be submitted at least six weeks before the proposed date of the examination; in natural science and mathematics it must be submitted at least three weeks before that date). No member of the Faculty shall be obligated to read, or advise in connection with, a dissertation at any time except during the academic year.

Before the Final Examination may be held, the Supervising Committee must judge the dissertation to be provisionally satisfactory in substance and general form as prescribed under section (b) below. At the Final Examination the dissertation will be accepted, rejected, or returned for revision.

b. Procedure of the Supervising Committee All members of the Committee shall read the dissertation promptly. If a member of the Committee considers the dissertation unacceptable, he/she must inform the chair, no later than seven days before the Final Examination is scheduled to be held, and a special meeting of the Committee shall then be called. The Committee may recommend revisions which may lead to the postponement of the Final Examination or may reject the dissertation completely in its present form. If, after full discussion, a majority of the Supervising Committee considers the dissertation provisionally acceptable, the Final Examination may be held.

7. Final Examination

The Final Examination is devoted to the dissertation and the general fields covered by the dissertation.

The Final Examination shall be oral and shall not be less than one hour in length, or more than three.

If any part of the Preliminary Examinations has been taken more than five years (60 months) before the Final Examination, the Final Examinations must be both written and oral, and must cover one of the general fields or areas offered for the Preliminary Examinations.

The Supervising Committee shall read any written papers included in the Final Examination and conduct the oral examination. The oral examination shall be open to any member of the Faculty who wishes to attend.

At the end of the Examination, the Supervising Committee shall take two votes, one on the dissertation and one on the general quality of the examination. The vote on the dissertation shall be "Satisfactory," "Satisfactory with minor stylistic changes," "Satisfactory with minor revisions," or "Unsatisfactory". The vote shall be recorded on the student's Ph.D. application form and signed by the members of the Committee. In the case of a dissertation judged "Unsatisfactory" in its present form, the Committee shall inform the candidate in writing of the revisions necessary for a reconsideration.

If, after full discussion, more than one member of the Supervising Committee dissents from the opinion of the majority, the question shall be referred as follows:

(1) in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, to the Council;

(2) in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, to the faculty on the Doctoral Committee. Another member of the appropriate Faculty (Arts and Sciences or Social Work and Social Research) or, by arrangement with the appropriate Dean, a scholar not connected with the College who is especially competent in the field may be called in. There shall be a report from the Supervising Committee on the subject to the appropriate Dean who shall bring it to the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or to the Faculty on the Doctoral Committee of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, as the case may be.

The vote on the Final Examination is also either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory". If the examination is satisfactory, the candidate shall be informed of the result by the committee. If the report is unsatisfactory, the director shall inform the candidate. The vote shall be recorded on the candidate's Ph.D. application form and signed by the members of the Committee. Notification of action on both on both dissertation and Final Examination shall be send to the candidate in writing by the appropriate Dean.

The chair of the Supervising Committee shall discuss with the candidate and the director at the Final Examination or on some other occasion before Commencement Day (or before December 15 if a December degree is to be conferred) the proposed form of publication of the dissertation.
Final examinations may not be set later than the fourteenth day before Commencement Day or later than November 25 if a December degree is to be conferred.

8. Deposit of Dissertation

At the Final Examination, the dissertation will be accepted, rejected, or returned for revision. When a dissertation has been accepted, or accepted subject to the changes and revisions voted by the Supervising Committee, a perfect copy of the dissertation, so certified by an accompanying letter from the director, must be deposited with the appropriate Graduate School no later than four days before Commencement Day or by December 10 if the degree is to be conferred on December 15. An abstract of the dissertation of not more than 350 words must also be deposited at this time. No degree will be granted until the dissertation has been revised to conform to all of the recommendations of the Committee and a perfect copy has been deposited together with a signed microfilming agreement (see below).

9. Publication of the Dissertation

The dissertation must be published according to one of the plans listed below, to be approved by the director of the student's work and by the chair of the Supervising Committee.

a. Microfilming by the University Microfilms International
1. At the time of the final deposit of the perfect copy of the dissertation, prior to the conferral of the degree, the student signs a UMI agreement and pays the deposit for the publication of the dissertation. The dissertation is immediately sent to UMI.
2. At the time of the final deposit of the perfect copy of the dissertation, prior to the conferral of the degree, the student signs a UMI agreement and pays the deposit for microfilming and publication of the dissertation, but the College delays transmittal of the dissertation to UMI for up to two years from the date upon which the degree was granted. During that period, the dissertation will be held in a secure room in Canaday Library where it may be read by individuals not affiliated with Bryn Mawr College only with the express permission of the author. Following the two-year period, the dissertation is sent to UMI, if no other arrangement for publications under b. (below) has been formally made. The microfilm deposit fee will be refunded if the dissertation is accepted for publication under option b. within the two-year period.

b. Publication in full or in substantial part
Microfilming of the dissertation may be waived entirely if, prior to the conferral of the degree, or prior to the end of the two-year holding period, the candidate presents evidence (such as a letter from a publisher accepting the dissertation for publication) of a completed arrangement for the publication in substantial part in a scholarly journal or in full of the dissertation.

If the candidate publishes in a printed work or in a journal, two copies shall be deposited with the College. If the candidate publishes by microfilm, one copy of the microfilm must be deposited with the College. In any of the above cases the publication should include a statement that the study is a dissertation or part of a dissertation accepted by Bryn Mawr College. In exceptional cases, to be approved by the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, or the faculty on the Doctoral Committee of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, this statement may be omitted.