After successful completion of Ph.D.
Qualifying Exam:
• Students should determine as soon
as possible, if not already done, their primary and secondary
fields of specialization in the program.
• Students should decide in which area they would
like to write a dissertation and do a preliminary research/literature
review to narrow down a general topic within that area.
• Students should choose a dissertation director that
can help them successfully complete a dissertation in the
selected area. The dissertation director becomes the student's
advisor for the remainder of their program.
• In consultation with the advisor/director, student
determines the remainder of the dissertation committee.
Students are strongly encouraged to approach potential committee
members prepared to discuss the probable topic of the dissertation
and schedule for its completion before requesting their
participation.
• Student should continue doing background reading
and preparation for dissertation.
Toward end of Ph.D. coursework (Timeline
may vary by director. Check with your director.)
• Student prepares a formal dissertation
proposal. A suggested outline of the proposal is given below
under Format of the
Ph.D. dissertation proposal. The specific
requirements of the dissertation proposal are determined
by the dissertation director, so students must consult with
their director as often as necessary to understand what
is expected.
• Student submits full draft of proposal to dissertation
director and revises as suggested.
• Director must approve proposal draft before student
distributes it to other committee members.
After successful completion of coursework
in the Ph.D. Program:
• Student and director decide upon time
frame within which the entire Comprehensive Exam is to be
completed. The exam may be spread over several days or over
a semester, depending on the actual format being used and
availability of the parties involved. The director advises
committee members of the planned format for their approval.
• Student reports to the Linguistics Program office
the dates set for these exams.
• Student prepares a bibliography for each of the
two written exams and circulates them to the committee members
for comments on additions and subtractions to what should
be prepared in that area. Bibliographies must be circulated
at least six weeks before the date on which
the student intends to take the particular exam. Students
must receive final approval of their bibliographies from
the advisor/director four weeks prior to
that date.
• Student is encouraged to discuss possible content
of the exams and expectations with each of their committee
members.
• Student must submit their approved dissertation
proposal (by the director) to committee members at least
two weeks prior to the oral exam, the final
part of the Comprehensive Exam. (Note: Timeline may vary
by director. Check with your director.)
Design of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam
Committee:
The Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Committee is
the same as the student's dissertation committee.
Format of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam:
The Comprehensive Exam consists of the following:
(I) A written exam in the primary area
(II) A written exam in the secondary area
(III) An oral exam on the content of (I and II), along with
a presentation/discussion of the student's dissertation
proposal
*A research paper of publishable quality may
be substituted for either part of the written exam or two
papers for both parts. The substituted research paper must
be in the corresponding primary or secondary area.
• Each part of the written exam can
take two forms: (i) timed, sit-down exam, or (ii) take-home
exam. Each part of a timed, sit-down exam is typically 3
hours each. A take-home exam can be a 24-hour, 48-hour,
one-week, etc. exam. Students must indicate which format
they prefer to be tested in to their advisor/director, who
ultimately decides the format and duration of the exam parts
with approval from the committee members. Students are encouraged
to thoroughly discuss the options and expectations for each
option with their advisor prior to negotiating the final
format. The Comprehensive Exam Committee prepares approximately
two to three questions in each area and the student chooses
to respond to one of those questions.
*As an alternative to one part of the written
exam, students may submit a (single-authored) paper, either
published or of publishable quality, in the appropriate
content area (i.e., primary or secondary area).
*As an alternative to the entire written exam, students
may submit two (single-authored) papers, either published
or of publishable quality, that demonstrate the student’s
competence in their chosen special fields (one paper for
each special field), and present each orally in a public
forum. Each paper will be read by a committee made up of
three faculty members, one of whom will serve as the main
adviser for that paper. For each paper, the student will
choose an advisor appropriate to the paper's topic. The
student and advisor will consult on the makeup of the committee.
• In the normal case, the written papers
will be substantially revised and rewritten seminar papers,
papers from advanced classes, a project done as an independent
study, or papers from other courses. Papers will be considered
"passed" after having been judged of publishable
quality by the committee.
*The oral examination takes place after the
written parts are completed, giving committee members at
least two weeks to read the written parts before the oral.
The oral exam is no longer than two hours. The first part
of the exam consists of questions from the faculty members
on the content of the student's written answers from the
first three parts of the Comprehensives. The second part
of the oral exam is a formal presentation and discussion
of the student's dissertation proposal. Details of the presentation
are determined by the director/advisor, so students are
strongly encouraged to work closely with their advisor in
preparing the presentation.
Content of Written Exams (Bibliographies):
The content of the written exams is based
on student's primary and secondary areas of specialization.
These exams are also individualized to the interest and
experience of the student based on the prepared bibliography.
Students prepare bibliographies for the two areas in which
they will be tested. References for the bibliographies should
come from courses they have completed, papers they have
written (for class, proposals, etc.) and any other suggested
readings from the dissertation committee members. Committee
members ensure that references, which have had a major impact
on the field being examined, are included in the bibliography.
The content on the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam assumes knowledge
and understanding of the references listed in the bibliographies.
The student is not expected to prepare beyond their final
bibliography.
Content of Oral Exam:
The oral exam section includes a defense of
the written answers and the dissertation proposal, and may
include questions related to the student's program of study.
Students should be prepared to discuss their exam answers
and motivate their research proposal.
Format
of the Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal:
The student must write a detailed dissertation
proposal in consultation with the dissertation director.
Although the exact specifications of the proposal must be
determined in consultation with the director, it generally
includes the following:
1) A precise statement of the research problem;
2) A thorough review of the relevant literature
and argument for the importance of student's topic and methodology;
3) A detailed presentation of the hypotheses;
4) A detailed discussion of proposed methodology
for data collection
• Students who will be collecting data from human
subjects must include a copy of a completed application
for review of research on human subjects submitted to the
Ethics Review Committee. (These forms are obtained from
the Graduate School or from the Linguistics Program Ethics
Committee Chair).
• Students who are working with students from specific
institutions (e.g., foreign language departments, local
schools, the English Program for Internationals) must have
evidence of the institution's approval for conducting the
proposed research.
5) A detailed discussion of proposed methodology
for data analyses
• Students who will be doing statistical analyses
should consult with the Statistical
Laboratory (Stat Lab) to determine (1) exactly which
statistics are appropriate for the research design and questions,
and (2) if the research design or methodology should be
modified to allow appropriate statistical analyses for the
hypotheses/research question. Student must consult with
their director before going to the Stat Lab with questions.
6) A discussion of the relevance and significance
of the proposed study.
Scheduling of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam:
Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams are arranged individually
and are taken after the student has successfully completed
the necessary coursework for the Ph.D. degree. The three
parts of the exam are given at three different times and
may be distributed over several days or throughout a semester.
The exact timing is determined in consultation with the
advisor and other committee members. All sections of the
Comprehensive Exam must be successfully completed by the
end of the first month of the semester following the one
in which they took the first section (this means that a
student who begins the Comprehensive exam process in the
Fall must complete the process by the end of January, and
a student who begins the process in the Spring semester
must finish by the end of June). Students who do not meet
this deadline may be subject to re-examination.
• Students may take the individual sections
of the written exams in any order, but these sections must
be completed at least two weeks prior to the oral part of
the exam.
• The oral exam must be taken within one month of
notification of the results of the last written exam. Students
who do not meet this deadline may be subject to re-examination.
Evaluation of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam:
The written parts of the Comprehensive Exam
are evaluated by the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Committee
immediately following their submission. Each exam is evaluated
holistically in terms of the student's demonstrated abilities
to analyze, synthesize and clearly relate information addressing
the chosen questions. The committee evaluates the exam as
either PASS or FAIL. Students are notified in writing by
the dissertation director of the final evaluation of each
exam as soon as that evaluation is ready. In that written
notification, the dissertation director may include relevant
comments or questions raised by the committee members. The
oral part of the Comprehensive Exam is evaluated by the
committee immediately following the oral examination. The
director may also provide the student with written notification
of this outcome as well as a summary of the committee's
suggestions for the dissertation. The Chair presiding over
the oral exam section (a committee member other than the
director) reports the outcome of the exam to the Program
secretary.
• If all parts of the Comprehensive
Exam are given a PASS, the student proceeds working on the
dissertation, and is given A.B.D. status
• If any section of the Comprehensive Exam is deemed
unsatisfactory (FAIL), the student may re-take that particular
section once. At this point, students are strongly encouraged
to consult with all members of the committee individually
to clearly understand expectations. A second failure leads
to dismissal from the doctoral program. Students who do
not already have an M.A. in Linguistics from USC may be
eligible to complete an M.A. after successful completion
of a thesis. Students who wish to do this must state their
intentions to the Graduate Director. Alternatively, a student
who fails an exam in the first round may opt to write a
dissertation in another area, reforming her/his committee
to reflect that change, and starting the Comprehensive Exam
process over.
