Graduate Student Handbook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Departmental Organization
2. Graduate Student Representation
3. Administrative Information
4. Participation in Departmental Activities
5. Grievance Procedures
6. Career Placement

III. GRADUATE PROGRAMS
1. General
2. Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree
3. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

IV. AWARDS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
1. Department Awards
2. Graduate School Awards
3. Center for Teaching and Learning Awards

V. GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS
1. Regular Academic Load
2. Overloads
3. Assignment of Additional Classes and Summer Teaching
4. Reappointment of Graduate Teaching Assistants
5. Tenure of Graduate Teaching Assistants
6. Graduate Teaching Assistantships Awarded to Students from Other Departments
7. Tuition and Fees

VI. MISCELLANEOUS
1. Forms
2. Graduate Outcomes Assessment
3. Graduate Courses Offered by the Department of Romance Languages
4. Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)

 

I. INTRODUCTION

This Handbook for Graduate Students, prepared by the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Romance Languages, summarizes general information and policies of interest to all graduate students and graduate teaching assistants enrolled in our department. Some of the policies are determined by the Department of Romance Languages and can be revised by the Graduate Faculty of the Department, while others are mandated by the Graduate School of the University of Georgia and can be changed only by the Graduate Council. Please be aware that the policies in this handbook are subject to change. The Graduate Coordinator will inform you of any changes and their date of implementation.

Whether you are a new or returning graduate student, you should familiarize yourself with this information and should refer to the handbook frequently as you progress through the program. Two other university publications you should consult are The University of Georgia Bulletin and The UGA Student Guide to Preparation and Processing Theses and Dissertations. These publications will provide the answers to most of your questions. However, should you need clarification or further information, please speak with the Graduate Coordinator.

The Graduate Faculty recognizes that as graduate students you make unique contributions to the teaching and research mission of the department. We hope that you will become involved in the life of the department and that you will make suggestions for improving our graduate programs to your elected representatives or to any faculty member. We also hope that you will stay in touch with us after you graduate and let us know of your progress in your career.

The Graduate Faculty extends to you its best wishes for a productive and rewarding stay as a graduate student in the Department of Romance Languages.

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II. GENERAL INFORMATION

II.1. DEPARTMENTAL ORGANIZATION

II.1.a. Head of Department

Professor Dana Bultman
403 Gilbert Hall
(706) 542-2364
dbultman@uga.edu

See Bylaws of the Department of Romance Languages, Article II, and Statutes of the University of Georgia, Articles IV and IX.

II.1.b. Associate Head of Department

Professor Betina Kaplan
217 Gilbert Hall
bkaplan@uga.edu

See Bylaws of the Department of Romance Languages, Article III, Section 1.

II.1.c. Graduate Coordinator

Professor Nicolás Lucero
370E Gilbert Hall
romlgradcoord@uga.edu

See Bylaws of the Department of Romance Languages, Article VI.

II.1.d. Graduate Faculty

Anderson
Baker
Benedict
Blackwell
Bultman
Chamorro
Correa-Díaz
DeSanto
Feracho
Gabara
Gordon
Grossvogel
Gupton
Haddad
Howe
Kaplan
Lira
Lucero
Maillo-Pozo
Moser
Pendergrass
Peterson
Raser
Rodrigues
Sahakian
Villate
Wright

 

See Bylaws of the Department of Romance Languages, Article III, Section 3.

II.3. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

II.4. PARTICIPATION IN DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES

II.5. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

Appeal committees are appointed on an ad hoc basis. Any grievance other than a grade appeal must be taken to the faculty member who teaches the course in which the student is enrolled. If the grievance cannot be resolved satisfactorily, a student may appeal the faculty member's decision to the Department Head. Depending on the nature of said grievance, the Department Head will either: (a) Refer the matter to one of the standing committees in the Department and request it to submit its recommendation within a week; or (b) Appoint a three-faculty member ad hoc committee and request that it submit its recommendation within a week.

On disputes and grievances, see also the Department of Romance Languages Policies and Procedures Manual, Section V.10.

 

See Bylaws of the Department of Romance Languages, Article III, Section 3.

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III. GRADUATE PROGRAMS

III.1. GENERAL

III.1.a. Admission

The Department expects the applicant for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree to have an undergraduate major or its equivalent in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or Romance Languages from either the University of Georgia, or another accredited institution of higher learning in the United States, or a recognized foreign institution. Notarized copies of degree certificates form part of the application dossier. The University also requires copies of official transcripts, listing all grades for all courses taken. 

The Department expects the applicant for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree to hold, in addition to the Bachelor of Arts, the Master of Arts or its equivalent in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or Romance Languages from either the University of Georgia, or another accredited institution of higher learning in the United States, or a recognized foreign institution. The Graduate Admissions Committees will consider on an individual basis applications of students who present a special case. 

Foreign nationals must take both the GRE and TOEFL exams before coming to the US. For information on the GRE and TOEFL exams, see GRE and TOEFL.

The Department expects French and Spanish majors to be reasonably fluent in their target language of study, and Romance Languages majors to be reasonably fluent in both languages of the major and the minor. The Department also expects all applicants to its graduate degree programs to be competent in English.

M.A. candidates in the Department of Romance Languages intending to pursue Doctoral-Level Studies should apply for admission to the Ph.D. program no later than the mid point of the semester in which they intend to graduate. This is done by sending an application for admission form to the Office of Graduate Admissions, by asking three faculty members familiar with the student's work at the M.A. level to submit letters of recommendation to the Graduate Coordinator, and by submitting to the Graduate Coordinator a writing sample in the student's major language. The Graduate Faculty will vote on whether to recommend that the student be admitted to the Ph.D. program or whether to require that the student be interviewed by the appropriate Admissions Committee. Admission to the program is contingent upon completion of M.A. degree requirements.

The student's Supervisor must make a positive recommendation for a student to be considered for a Teaching Assistantship.

When students begin applying for jobs, they are encouraged to contact the UGA Career Center in Clark Howell Hall. Students wishing to have placement files, including letters of recommendation, sent to prospective employers typically use a web-based service such as Interfolio.

III.1.b. Academic Integrity, Probation, and Grounds for Dismissal

The Department of Romance Languages observes the principles of academic integrity outlined on the website A Culture of Honesty, chief among these is a commitment to an intellectual and professional atmosphere free of harassment. The University of Georgia Student Handbook specifically prohibits “Physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, and/or other conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of another person.” University of Georgia policies on sexual and racial harassment are available online at The Equal Opportunity Office. If you feel that you have been a victim of harassment, please see the Department Head immediately. All students and faculty are required to report incidences of harassment to the Equal Opportunity Office.

A minimum of 3.0 must be maintained in all graduate courses taken, and no grade below C will be accepted as part of a program of study. Two grades of C+ are potential grounds for dismissal. Students with a cumulative graduate grade point average below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters are placed on academic probation by the Graduate School. They then must make a 3.0 or higher graduate average each succeeding semester that their overall cumulative graduate average is below 3.0. If they make below a 3.0 graduate average during a semester while on probation, they are dismissed. In addition, students may be dismissed by the department at the end of any semester if they have not made sufficient academic progress to warrant continuance of study. Among the reasons dismissal might occur are the following: failure to follow the Program of Study or other departmental and Graduate School guidelines, being found guilty of harassment or academic dishonesty, and lack of progress on a prospectus, dissertation, or thesis. The Graduate Faculty periodically reviews the records of graduate students whose progress or performance is in doubt.

III.1.c. Enrollment in Graduate Courses

All graduate students must register for a minimum of three semester hours two semesters per year to comply with the Graduate School's continuous enrollment policy. All graduate students must be enrolled for a minimum of 3 hours during the semester in which they complete the requirements for the degree.

To be considered full-time, a student who has an assistantship must be enrolled in 12 hours of coursework. The Graduate Student Seminar ROML 7005 or ROML 9005, which extends credit to students for participating in the graduate program, may be taken for 3 hours to complete the 12 hour requirement. ROML 7005 or ROML 9005 may be taken every semester to complete the 12 hour requirement, but they do not count for the student's Program of Study. ROML 7005 and ROML 9005 are graded on a pass/fail basis (S/U). The grade will be based on attendance at teaching circles and meetings (in the case of graduate teaching assistants) as well as attendance at departmental and university academic events (lectures, symposia, colloquia). At the end of each semester, students enrolled in ROML 7005 or ROML 9005 must submit in writing to the Graduate Coordinator a list of at least three events attended during the course of the semester.

The maximum number of hours students can enroll in, without special overload permission, is 18; no distinction is made here between class hours and research hours.

All graduate students are strongly encouraged to register for the following semester during Phase I registration. Students should fill out the yellow advisement form in consultation with their major professor and have him or her sign it. Then they should give this signed form to the Graduate Coordinator who will return to them their copy of the form once he or she has authorized them to register.

Students with a Teaching Assistantship who do not register during Phase I or Phase II registration, that is, prior to the first day of class, will have their assistantship terminated by the Graduate School.

III.2. MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) DEGREE

III.2.a.i. Program of Study

All students admitted to the M.A. programs in Romance Languages or Spanish apply under the thesis degree designation. After choosing a major professor and filing an advisory committee form the student may decide, in consultation with his or her advisory committee, to change his or her degree designation to the non-thesis M.A. within the same program to which he or she was admitted: Romance Languages or Spanish. The thesis degree may be recommended for students planning to advance to doctoral studies in the fields of literature or linguistics. If the student plans to graduate with the M.A. non-thesis degree, the student must file a Request for Change of Degree Objective form with the Graduate School after seeking advising on coursework from his or her advisory committee.

A student who has been admitted to one graduate program in our Department, such as the M.A. in Spanish, but then wants to transfer to another program within the Department, such as the M.A. in Romance Languages, must first obtain the recommendation of the Admissions Committee of the program he or she wishes to enter before taking courses in fulfillment of the requirements for that program.

Students accepted to the MA program may change their area of emphasis (i.e. Linguistics or Literature) only by petitioning the relevant Admissions Committee. In addition, they must have the approval of at least two faculty members in the newly-chosen area of emphasis.

MA Students who choose to combine literature and linguistics in their coursework and examinations are encouraged to choose the non-thesis option.

Once a student has been admitted to the program, he or she may petition for exemption from ROML 7700 by submitting to the Graduate Coordinator all available information (course description, course syllabus, work completed for course) about the course taken which he or she believes to be equivalent to ROML7700. The Graduate Coordinator, in consultation with the Language Supervisor and the Teacher of Record of ROML 7700, will make decisions regarding petitions for exemption of these courses by graduate students. If there are deficiencies in the student's teaching during the first year, the student will be required to take 7700 the following year.

Students may petition the Graduate Faculty by writing a letter to the Graduate Coordinator signed by the major professor, if one has been selected: (a) to take courses outside of their field of study; (b) to take courses outside of the department (Note: M.A. students majoring in French or Hispanic Linguistics may take, in consultation with their Advisory Committee, up to two graduate courses with another prefix, such as LING or LLED, without petitioning; non-thesis M.A. students may take one course outside of the Department of Romance Languages without petitioning); or (c) to transfer a maximum of 6 hours credit (at M.A. level only; no transfer credit is permissible on a Ph.D. program of study).

The hours of credit of ROML8000 which may be taken at the M.A. level are normally limited to 3. Any ROML8000 course is to be accepted as part of the program of study of any student in the Department.

III.2.a.ii. Thesis degrees

The Department offers M.A. degrees with a thesis in Spanish or Romance Languages. The M.A.with either French or Spanish as the major language includes an emphasis option in Linguistics. For an M.A. degree with a thesis in the Department of Romance Languages a minimum of 27 hours of course work are required (9 courses excluding those numbered 7000, 7005, 7010, or 7300) and 6 hours of thesis credit. ROML 7700 is required for all students and counts towards those 27 hours (students who have taken an equivalent course previously may petition the graduate coordinator for it to substitute for this requirement). In addition, a comprehensive examination; a minimum of 3 hours of FREN 7300, ROML 7300, or SPAN 7300; and a thesis and oral defense of the thesis; are required. Students completing a thesis degree must take the M.A. examinations in the third semester. The program of study, approved by all the members of the student's advisory committee on the appropriate form, must include at least 12 hours of courses open only to graduate students.

For the M.A. in Spanish or Romance Languages with the Linguistics option, 6 of the 9 courses must be in language or linguistics, the examination will cover a reading list in linguistics, and the thesis will be on a linguistics topic.

III.2.a.iii. Non-thesis degrees

The Department offers M.A. non-thesis degrees in Spanish or Romance Languages. The non-thesis M.A. in Spanish or Romance Languages (with either French or Spanish as the major language), includes an emphasis option in Linguistics. For a non-thesis M.A. degree in the Department of Romance Languages a minimum of 33 hours of course work are required (11 courses excluding those numbered 7000, 7005, 7010, or 7300). A Request for Change of Degree Objective must be submitted to the Graduate School to complete this degree. In addition, a comprehensive examination and an oral defense of the examination are required. ROML7700 is required. The program of study, approved by all the members of the student's advisory committee on the appropriate form, must include at least 12 hours of courses open only to graduate students.

Of the 11 courses included in this degree all electives must be taken with the advisement of the student's advisory committee, at least one of which may be taken outside of the Department without prior approval of the Graduate Faculty.

For the non-thesis M.A. in Spanish or Romance Languages with the Linguistics option, 6 of the 11 courses must be in language or linguistics and the examination will cover a reading list in linguistics.

III.2.a.iv. Other M.A. Requirements

The Department requires the candidate for all M.A. degrees to demonstrate knowledge of one relevant foreign language other than the major language of study. The Department does not allow students to satisfy the foreign language requirement with English. This knowledge can be demonstrated either by receiving a grade of B or better in a foreign language course numbered 2002 or higher, or by passing a language examination offered on a regular basis by a language department at the University of Georgia. Languages other than those already recognized (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Latin), and whose relevance has been established by the Major Professor and Advisory Committee may be used to satisfy the requirement. The criterion for using such a language is a grade of B or better in a class at the 2002 level or higher (the course work must have been completed within the previous 6 years), or passing a test administered by a UGA language department. The Department of Romance Languages offers such examinations in French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. For examinations in other languages, students should consult the appropriate department for their procedures.

The option chosen for the language requirement is listed on the student's program of study under "Research Skills Requirement" and must be satisfied by the end of the first month of the semester during which the student intends to graduate.

III.2.b. Advising M.A. Students

The Graduate Coordinator will advise entering M.A. students until they have selected a major professor. First semester students may not register for 7000; in subsequent semesters students may register for 7000 only with the written approval of their Major Professor. M.A. students shall choose a Major Professor by the beginning of the tenth week of their second semester. All committee changes must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Coordinator.

Graduate students who wish to change the composition of their committees will not be expected to inform individual faculty members of their decision; the Graduate Coordinator will notify all members of the new committee as well as any committee members who no longer will be serving on the student's committee.

III.2.c. M.A. Examinations

The M.A. written examinations will be given three times a year: in the 2nd week of November; in the 5th week of the Spring Semester; and in the 12th week of the Spring Semester. Students choosing to write a thesis must take the M.A. written examinations in November. The examination in the 5th week of the Spring Semester will be reserved for students choosing the non-thesis option and students who failed the exam in November. The examination in the 12th week of Spring Semester will be reserved for students who failed the examination in the 5th week of Spring Semester. The Graduate Coordinator will inform students in writing of the date of the exams and ask them in turn to inform him or her of their intention to take the exam. Previous exam questions will be kept on file and made available to students.

Students who are combining the study of two languages shall prepare a proposal for the preliminary written examinations in consultation with their Advisory Committee. The student and the committee will decide whether the list of works will be based solely on the major language or a combination of both languages studied. Students in Spanish or Romance Languages who choose to combine literature and linguistics must choose an Advisory Committee reflecting both areas. The student and the committee will devise a reading list and an appropriate format for the examination.

The committee will assign a grade of pass, fail, or delayed decision. In the case of a delayed decision, the committee will meet with the student to discuss weak areas of the exam. Students who wish to do so can meet with the committee after they have received the grade on the exam to review the exam and to receive feedback on it. The exam itself will not be released to the student.

Non-thesis students must take an oral examination approximately one week after receiving the results of the written examination (if that result is “pass” or “delayed decision”). The exam will consist of an oral defense and clarification of the written examination.

Retake Policy
Students may take the written exam a maximum of two times, and only at the times posted. A student who fails a second time will no longer be a candidate for the M.A. degree. Students who receive a delayed decision on the written exam will also take an oral exam administered by the M.A. examination committee approximately one week after the written exam for the purpose of clarifying their answers on the written exam. Students who receive a pass or a fail on the written examination will not take an oral exam.

III.2.c.i. M.A. Examination in Spanish (Literature Option)

During the 3-hour written examination, students will be tested on 3 areas of inquiry within Latin American, Latino and Peninsular literatures, combining at least 2 of these fields. Students should initially consult with the Major Professor about choosing appropriate areas on which to be examined. Students will develop lists of 10 texts per area (30 texts total), in conjunction with the professors on their Advisory Committee.

III.2.c.ii. M.A. Examination in Spanish (Linguistics Option)

Students will be tested on 3 areas of the 6 areas covered in the graduate-level courses in Spanish linguistics: History of the Language, Phonetics and Phonology, Syntax and Morphology, Applied Linguistics, and Semantics and Pragmatics. Students should initially consult with the Major Professor about choosing appropriate areas on which to be examined. Students will develop reading lists of 10 texts per area (30 works total), in conjunction with the professors who teach the 3 graduate courses that students select. Only courses with the SPAN prefix can apply to the M.A. Examination. The same professors who help a student prepare his/her reading list will prepare questions for that student's MA Exam. Students will write essay questions based on a choice of 2 questions for each section.

III.2.c.iii. M.A. Examination in French

Format of the Examination: 3 hours
The examination will be prepared and evaluated by the student's Advisory Committee, and will consist of three one-hour essay questions. Students will choose one of two questions for each one-hour essay. The questions will provide broad coverage of the different areas of the reading list.

III.2.c.iv. M.A. Examination in Italian and Portuguese

Format of the Examination: 3 hours
The examination will be prepared and evaluated by the student's Advisory Committee, and will consist of two parts:

An essay question (90 minutes): Students choose one out of two topics presented. The questions proposed will allow students to demonstrate an ability to draw connections among different sections of the reading list.

Short answer (90 minutes): Students will write short paragraphs in response to 6 questions.

III.2.d. M.A. Thesis

All students writing a Master's thesis must follow the guidelines of the latest edition of the MLA Style Manual or LSA Style Sheet for theses in linguistics.

Having submitted a final program of study form and passed the M.A. Examination for the M.A. degree, the student must submit a prospectus for approval to the Major Professor and Advisory Committee.

It is recommended, if the Advisory Committee so wishes, that the various chapters of the thesis be approved one by one by the whole committee. No part of the thesis will be submitted to any reader (this includes the Major Professor) unless it is typed and fully documented. Normally, no reader will keep a thesis, or part of a thesis, longer than a week. Students must submit the final draft of their complete thesis at least one week before the oral exam can be scheduled. The final draft of the thesis must be approved by the Advisory Committee at least one week before the final oral examination can be administered. It will be up to the Major Professor and the Advisory Committee to decide whether the intellectual content and length of the thesis are acceptable.

Thesis Defense
A defense of the thesis will be held by the student's Advisory Committee once the thesis has been completed in accordance with the Graduate School's requirements.

III.2.e. Normal Time Limit for Master-Level Studies

All requirements for the M.A. degree must be completed within six years beginning from the date the first course in the program of study was begun. Those who exceed this limit are required to take additional courses to compensate for the lapsed ones.

III.2.f. Suggested Timetable to Complete the M.A. Program (2 years [4 semesters])

This timetable assumes that the student starts in the Fall Semester and does not attend summer school.

First Year, Second Semester (Spring):
Select Major Professor and Advisory Committee
File advisory committee form
Fulfill Foreign Language Requirement

Second Year, Third Semester (Fall):
File “Change of Degree Objective” form (non-thesis students)
Pass M.A. examination (thesis students)
Secure approval of thesis topic/prospectus (thesis students)

File Program of Study Form

Second Year, Fourth Semester (Spring):
Pass M.A. examination (non-thesis students)
Complete thesis and oral thesis defense (thesis students)
Fulfill Departmental Graduate Outcomes Assessment requirements
(Apply for Ph.D. by beginning of Spring Semester)

III.2.g. Checklist for the M.A. Program 

Write the date completed in the blank space (asterisk indicates that a form must be completed).

*1._______ Select Advisory Committee (Major Professor and two other members). The Major Professor and at least one other member must be on the Graduate Faculty (see above, Section II.1.f.). This step should be taken as early as possible, but at the very latest, before the student registers for any hours of FREN, ROML, or SPAN 7000 OR 7300. The Advisory Committee form must be sent to the Graduate School.

*2._______ Program of study submitted to Graduate School. This form is signed by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Coordinator. Program of study must be submitted no later than the beginning of the third semester in residence.

3._______ Foreign Language requirement completed.

4._______ Thesis topic approved by Major Professor OR Change of Degree Objective Form filed for non-thesis students.

5._______ Thesis prospectus approved by Major Professor and other members of Advisory Committee.

*6._______ Application for Graduation filed no later than the beginning of the last semester of enrollment.

7._______ M.A. examination passed.

8._______ Download The UGA Student Guide to Preparation and Processing Theses and Dissertations.

*9._______ Thesis approved by the Major Professor and the other members of the Advisory Committee.

*10._______ Oral thesis defense scheduled and announced to the Department (minimum of one week notice required).

*11._______ Thesis defense administered by Advisory Committee. Appropriate form sent to Graduate School.

*12._______ Format check of thesis done.

13._______ Electronic copy of thesis deposited at the Graduate School.

14._______ All the above requirements for the M.A. degree completed and reported to the Graduate School by their posted deadline. Students must enroll for a minimum of three hours the semester in which they complete degree requirements.

15._______ Students must fulfill Departmental Graduate Outcomes Assessment requirements (see below, Section VI.2)

III.3. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.) DEGREE

III.3.a. Program of Study

The Department offers the Ph.D. degree in Romance Languages with an emphasis in French, Italian, Portuguese, Hispanic Linguistics, or Hispanic Studies. A minimum of 12 graduate courses, preliminary written and oral examinations, a dissertation, and an oral dissertation defense are required. Students majoring in French, Italian, Portuguese or Hispanic Studies will take 8 or 9 of the 12 courses required for the Ph.D. in this language and 3 or 4 courses in the minor field of study. The minor must be a well-defined set of courses either within the department or outside the department. Students who are combining the study of two languages will take a minimum of 6 courses in the major language, a minimum of 3 courses in the minor language, and 3 additional courses to be applied to the major language, the minor language, a minor field, or any combination of these. The hours of credit of ROML 8000 which may be taken at the Ph.D. level are limited to 6.

The Graduate School requires 16 hours of course work at the 8000-9000 level, exclusive of 9005 (seminar), 9000 (research), and 9300 (dissertation writing).

All Teaching Assistants are required to take ROML 7700 in their first semester. Once a student has been admitted to the program, he or she may petition for exemption from ROML 7700. For further details on exemptions from these courses, see above, Section III.2.a.

Students majoring in Hispanic Studies are required to take SPAN 8180, Literary and Cultural Theories and Criticism.

The Graduate School and the Department require the candidate for the Ph.D. degree to demonstrate knowledge of one foreign language other than the major language of study. The Department does not allow students to satisfy the foreign language requirement with English. This requirement may have been satisfied at the M.A. level at the University of Georgia. See also above, Section III.2.a.

III.3.b. Advising Ph.D. Students

The Graduate Coordinator will advise entering Ph.D. students until they have selected a Major Professor. Students must select a three to five-member committee, consisting of a Major Professor and two to four other faculty members, as soon as possible upon starting the program, and will not be allowed to register for dissertation hours until they have selected a committee. Any change in the composition of the Advisory Committee must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator who will immediately inform in writing all faculty members affected by the change.

III.3.c. Preliminary Examinations

All examinations, written and oral, and Qualifying Papers will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. In lieu of written exams, students in Hispanic Linguistics have the option of completing two Qualifying Papers (QPs).

III.3.c.i. Scheduling

Preliminary examinations and defenses of qualifying papers will be scheduled during the academic year. Exceptions may be granted for scheduling during Summer term contingent upon availability of the student's Advisory Committee. Students who expect to present themselves for examination should inform the Graduate Coordinator within two weeks after the beginning of the semester. *Advisory Committee and Program of Study forms must be filed before the beginning of the examination process.

III.3.c.ii. Preliminary Written Examination or Qualifying Papers

The student will schedule his or her preliminary examinations once all course work, including the foreign language requirement, has been completed. These preliminary written examinations cover the field of the major without any required reference to specific courses the student may have had.

III.3.c.ii.a. Preliminary Written Examination or Qualifying Papers in Hispanic Linguistics

Written Examinations I and II (four hours each): In Hispanic Linguistics, the student will take two four-hour written area exams on Spanish, one per week, within a period of two weeks. These exams will be open-book and open-note. This means that the student will be allowed to consult the works on the reading list and his or her notes on these works. One of these exams must be on Phonetics and Phonology, Syntax, or Semantics and Pragmatics.

The other examination area must be selected from among the previous three areas or the History of the Spanish Language, Sociolinguistics, Language Variation and Change, Second Language Acquisition, or another area approved by the student’s advisory committee.

The student, in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee, shall prepare a reading list for each of these two written examinations.

Within a week after completing Written Exam II, the student’s committee will communicate the results of these exams to the Graduate Coordinator and the student.

Written Examination III (take-home): After being notified of successful completion of the two area exams, the student will begin writing a take-home exam consisting of two essay questions dealing with two of the following three topics:
a. the dissertation topic and the specific linguistic theory to be used in the dissertation,
b. the general area of linguistics in which the dissertation topic falls,
c. an area of linguistic research directly related to the dissertation topic.
Students will have two weeks to complete the take-home examination. The suggested length for each question is 10 double-spaced typewritten pages for a total of 20 pages for the entire exam.

Oral Examination (two hours): Approximately one week after notification of successful completion of the take-home exam, the student will take an oral exam based on the take-home exam. The oral exam will last approximately two hours.

Qualifying Paper Format: In collaboration with the Major Professor, the student may decide to write two qualifying papers in lieu of written examinations. The first qualifying paper will normally be a revised and expanded version of a paper written for a course (usually no more than 25 pages). The paper should be approved by the Major Professor, then submitted to the other members of your committee. Once the paper has passed, a 30-minute oral defense will be scheduled, the purpose of which is to test your understanding of the material covered in the paper and to give you practice for the oral comprehensive examination. At the discretion of the committee, if the student presents this work in the Romance Languages Colloquium or at a conference, the defense of the first paper may be combined with the defense of the second as part of the official oral exam. The first qualifying paper should be completed no later than the end of the 5th semester of the doctoral program.

The second qualifying paper should be more original and more comprehensive than the first and must be of publishable quality (usually at least 25 pages). While it may also be based on a paper written for a course, it should go well beyond the original course paper in depth and/or breadth. The paper should be approved by the Major Professor then submitted to the other members of your committee. Once the paper has passed, the oral comprehensive examination is scheduled. The second qualifying paper should be scheduled in the 6th semester and no later than the end of the 7th semester.

The oral exam must be announced with the Graduate School, as it is technically a public event. The student must contact the Graduate Coordinator to announce your Oral Comprehensive Exam two weeks prior to the scheduled event. The oral comprehensive exam lasts for two hours. It will begin with an oral defense of your second research paper (or both the first and second papers if the separate "mini-defense" of the first paper is waived by your committee), but after this, questions may range over any material from your program of study.

Written and oral exams will be graded on the scale High Pass/Pass/Fail. Two passing votes are required to pass each portion of the exam.

Dissertation Prospectus and Defense: The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed and no later than the end of the semester following the written examinations. The student shall defend his/her dissertation prospectus within a month after distributing it to the Advisory Committee.

All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.
If the student fails any exam, i.e. Written Examination I, Written Examination II, Written Examination III, or the Oral Examination, then he or she must retake the failed exam no later than the following semester. If the student fails the same exam a second time, then he or she will be dismissed from the program.

Here is the recommended timetable for the written exams:
Week 1: Student takes Written Exam I
Week 2: Student takes Written Exam II
Week 3: Committee reads Written Exams I and II and communicates the results to the Graduate Coordinator and the student. If the student has passed Written Exams I and II, student begins preparing Written Exam III. 
Week 4: Student begins preparing Written Exam III
Week 5: Student hands in Written Exam III
Week 6: Committee reads Written Exam III and communicates the results to the student and the Graduate Coordinator
Week 7: Student prepares for the oral examination
Week 8: Student takes the oral examination. Immediately afterward the committee communicates the results to the Graduate Coordinator

Given that the doctoral examination process can last up to 8 weeks and that it must be completed within one semester, students are advised to begin the process no later than the sixth week of the semester in which they take their exams.

III.3.c.ii.b. Preliminary Written Examination in Hispanic Studies

In Hispanic Studies, the reading lists for the preliminary written examinations shall be prepared by the student in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee at a meeting to take place no later than the middle of the fifth semester of the program. The examination shall be in three areas of inquiry:

 

• A genre: narrative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, cinema, etc., covering an appropriate historical span. Students will prepare a list that includes at least 25 primary works from among the following: Medieval, Early Modern, 18th century, 19th century, 20th-21st centuries. A list of suggested works will be available for each period. Students will also read critical and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A period, covering an area of periodization. The reading list will contain at least 25 primary works, and students will also read critical and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A problematic, to be developed by the student in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee. The problematic will be a historically, culturally, and theoretically justifiable issue that is pertinent to the student’s future dissertation project. At least one month before the written examination period, the student shall submit a justification of the chosen problematic (not to exceed 5 pages), as well as a bibliography, established in consultation with the Advisory Committee. The examination will be a take home essay of 15-20 pages, to be written in a two- week period.

Examination format
The written examinations will consist of 2 sessions of 4 hours each and the 2-week take home problematic. The distribution of examination topics within these sessions will be made by the student and his or her Advisory Committee. The preliminary oral examination, contingent upon passing the written portion and lasting two to three hours, will test general as well as specialized knowledge (within the limits of the general reading lists) and should also touch upon areas where insufficiencies or weaknesses were noticed in the written portion. It will be taken approximately thirty days after the last written examination has been passed. The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed.

All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.
If the student fails any exam, i.e. Written Examination I, Written Examination II, Written Examination III, or the Oral Examination, then he or she must retake the failed exam no later than the following semester. If the student fails the same exam a second time, then he or she will be dismissed from the program.

 

III.3.c.ii.c. Preliminary Written Examination in French

 

In French, the reading lists for the preliminary written examinations shall be prepared by the student in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee, at a meeting to take place no later than the middle of the fifth semester of the program. The examination shall be in three areas of inquiry:

 

• A genre: narrative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or drama (including cinema), covering all periods. Students will prepare a list that includes 4 primary works from each of the following:
  Middle Ages
  Renaissance
  17th century
  18th century
  19th century
  20th-21st centuries
  Francophone
  A list of suggested works will be available for each period. Students will also read secondary and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A period, covering one of the areas of periodization listed above. The reading list will contain 25 primary works, and students will also read secondary and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A problematic, to be developed by the student in consultation with his or her advisory committee. The problematic will be a historically identifiable and intellectually justifiable issue that is pertinent to the student’s future dissertation project. (Examples: “social commentary in tragedy;” “gender and genre in medieval romance;” “the prose poem;” “autobiography in Francophone Africa.”) At least one month before the written examination period, the student shall submit a justification of the chosen problematic (not to exceed 5 pages), as well as a bibliography, established in consultation with the Advisory Committee. The examination will be a take home essay of 15-20 pages, to be written in a two week period.

Examination format
The written examinations will consist of 2 sessions of 4 hours each and the 2-week take home problematic. The distribution of examination topics within these sessions will be made by the student and his or her Advisory Committee. Examinations will be judged on the quality of the student’s critical analysis (as opposed to summary of the works).

All written examinations must be completed within four consecutive weeks within a single semester. The preliminary oral examination, contingent upon passing the written portion and lasting two to three hours, will be a defense and discussion of the three written exams. It will be taken approximately thirty days after the last written examination has been passed. The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed.

All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.

Approval Process
The entire proposal (i.e. reading lists and justification of the problematic), composed by the student in close cooperation with his or her Advisory Committee, must be approved by the Advisory Committee,.

Unless otherwise indicated by the Advisory Committee, preliminary written examinations will be written in the language of the major. The results will be announced within approximately two weeks after the date of the examination.

The Major Professor will inform the student and the Graduate Coordinator in writing of the results of the exam.

III.3.c.ii.d. Preliminary Written Examination in Portuguese

For the Ph.D. examination in Portuguese (i.e. Lusophone literature and culture) the student, in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee, shall prepare a proposal for the preliminary written examinations. There are two four-hour written examinations and one take home examination. One of the written exams is genre-based and the other period-based. The take-home exam is based on a specific problematic. See descriptions below. The examination shall be in three areas of inquiry:

 

• A genre: narrative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or drama (including cinema), covering all periods. Students will prepare a list that includes a minimum of 4 primary works from each of the following (in which that genre appears): Middle Ages, Renaissance, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th-21st centuries. Students will select works, in consultation with their Committee, from the following Reading Lists: 1) Portuguese and Lusophone-African literature; 2) Brazilian Literature. A list of suggested works will also be available. Students will also read secondary and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A period, covering all genre of the areas of periodization listed above. This reading list will contain at least 25 primary works, and students will also read secondary and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A problematic, to be developed by the student in consultation with his or her advisory committee. The problematic will be a historically identifiable and intellectually justifiable issue that is pertinent to the student’s future dissertation project. At least one month before the written examination period, the student shall submit a justification of the chosen problematic (not to exceed 5 pages), as well as a bibliography of no less than 25 works, established in consultation with the Advisory Committee. The examination will be a take home essay of 15-20 pages, to be written in a two-week period.

Examination format
The Ph.D. written examinations will consist of 2 sessions of 4 hours each and the 2 week take home problematic. The distribution of examination topics within these sessions will be made by the student and approved by his or her Advisory Committee. Examinations will be judged on the quality of the student’s critical analysis (as opposed to summary of the works). Each committee member will be responsible for writing one or more questions for the exams. All written examinations must be completed within four consecutive weeks within a single semester. The preliminary oral examination, contingent upon passing the written portion and lasting two to three hours, will test general as well as specialized knowledge (within the limits of the general reading lists) and should also touch upon areas where insufficiencies or weaknesses were noticed in the written portion. It will be taken approximately thirty days after the last written examination has been passed. The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed. All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.

Approval Process
The entire proposal (i.e. reading lists and justification of the problematic), composed by the student in close cooperation with his or her Advisory Committee, must be approved by the Advisory Committee.

Unless otherwise indicated by the Advisory Committee, preliminary written examinations will be written in the language of the major. The results will be announced within approximately two weeks after the date of the examination. The Major Professor will inform the student and the Graduate Coordinator in writing of the results of the examination.

III.3.c.ii.e. Preliminary Written Examination in Italian

In Italian, the reading lists for the preliminary written examinations shall be prepared by the student in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee at a meeting to take place no later than the middle of the fifth semester of the program. The student will select one of two options:

Option 1: Genre, Period, Problematic

The examination shall be in three areas of inquiry:• A genre: narrative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, cinema, etc., covering an appropriate historical span. Students will prepare a list that includes primary works from the Duecento and Trecento, Quattrocento and Cinquecento, Seicento and Settecento, Ottocento, and Novecento to the present. A list of suggested works will be available for each period. Students will also read critical and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A period, covering an area of periodization. The reading list will contain primary works, as well as critical and theoretical works as recommended by the committee. (4-hour exam)
• A problematic, to be developed by the student in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee. The problematic will be a historically, culturally, and theoretically justifiable issue that is pertinent to the student’s future dissertation project. At least one month before the written examination period, the student shall submit a justification of the chosen problematic (not to exceed 5 pages), as well as a bibliography, established in consultation with the Advisory Committee.

Examination format
The written examinations will consist of two sessions of four hours each for the genre, period and problematic respectively; alternatively the student can complete the problematic examination by writing a take home essay of 15-20 pages in a two-week period. The distribution of examination topics within these sessions will be made by the student and his or her Advisory Committee. The preliminary oral examination, contingent upon passing the written portion and lasting two to three hours, will test general as well as specialized knowledge (within the limits of the general reading lists) and should also touch upon areas where insufficiencies or weaknesses were noticed in the written portion. It will be taken approximately thirty days after the last written examination has been passed. The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed. All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.

Approval Process
The entire proposal (i.e. reading lists and justification of the problematic), composed by the student in close cooperation with his or her Advisory Committee, must be approved by the Advisory Committee. The results of the preliminary written examination will be announced within approximately two weeks after the date of the examination.  The Major Professor will inform the student and the Graduate Coordinator in writing of the results of the exam.

Option 2: Survey

The examination will cover all genres and periods of Italian literature.  The reading list will be based on the master list posted at: http://rom.uga.edu/reading-list-phd-italian.  

Examination format
The written examinations will consist of three sessions of four hours each, organized by historical periods. The preliminary oral examination, contingent upon passing the written portion and lasting two to three hours, will test general as well as specialized knowledge (within the limits of the reading list) and should also touch upon areas where insufficiencies or weaknesses were noticed in the written portion. It will be taken approximately thirty days after the last written examination has been passed. The prospectus for the dissertation will be presented to the advisory committee for approval after the oral examination has been passed. All examinations, written and oral, will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis.

Approval Process
The reading list, composed by the student in close cooperation with his or her Advisory Committee, must be approved by the Advisory Committee. The results of the preliminary written examination will be announced within approximately two weeks after the date of the examination.  The Major Professor will inform the student and the Graduate Coordinator in writing of the results of the exam.

III.3.c.ii.f. Preliminary Written Examination in Romance Languages

Students who are combining the study of two languages shall prepare a proposal for the preliminary written examinations in consultation with their Advisory Committee. The student and the committee will decide whether the list of works will be based solely on the major language or a combination of both languages studied.

III.3.c.iii. Preliminary Oral Examination

Students take the preliminary oral examination within thirty days after successful completion of the preliminary written examinations. The Graduate School must be notified of the date and place of the oral examination at least two weeks before the scheduled date.

The oral examination is announced by the Graduate School and is open to all members of the University's faculty.

This examination shall cover a period of two to three hours.  Doctoral examinations must not begin unless all members of the committees are present.

The student must provide the Advisory Committee with a written prospectus or outline of the dissertation no later than six weeks after the student passes his or her oral prelims.

In case of an unsatisfactory preliminary oral examination, the reexamination will be scheduled normally within one or more semester of the previous attempt, at the discretion of the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee may offer the student the opportunity of retaking the exam before the next examination period.

III.3.d. Dissertation

After successful completion of the preliminary examinations and approval of the dissertation prospectus by their major professor and Advisory Committee, students must apply for admission to candidacy and begin work on their dissertation. 

All Ph.D. Candidates will follow the guidelines of the latest edition of the MLA Style Manual (literature) or the LSA Style Sheet (linguistics).

It is recommended, if the Advisory Committee so wishes, that the various chapters of the dissertation be approved one by one by the whole committee.

No part of the dissertation will be submitted to any reader (this includes the Major Professor) unless it is typed and fully documented.

It will be up to the Major Professor and Advisory Committee to decide whether the intellectual content and length of the dissertation are acceptable.

Normally, no reader will keep a dissertation or part of a dissertation longer than two weeks.

The final draft of the dissertation must be approved at least one week before the oral defense of the dissertation can be scheduled.

III.3.e. Ph.D. Oral Defense of the Dissertation

At least two weeks prior to the date of the oral defense of the dissertation, the Major Professor will inform the Graduate Coordinator of the date, the place, the time of the examination and the title of the dissertation. The Graduate Coordinator will then notify the Graduate School. The Major Professor will extend an invitation to attend the examination to all faculty members and graduate students in the Department.

The oral defense of the dissertation normally lasts between one and one and a half hours.

The Major Professor, as Chair, and the other members of the Advisory Committee, will be responsible for administering the oral defense of the dissertation.

III.3.f. Normal Time Limit for Doctoral-Level Studies

All requirements for this degree, except the dissertation and oral defense of the dissertation, must be completed within a period of six years. This time requirement is counted from the first registration for graduate courses in the program of study for the Ph.D.

A candidate for the Ph.D. degree who fails to pass the oral defense of the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examinations and being admitted to candidacy will be required to take another set of preliminary examinations and be admitted to candidacy a second time.

III.3.g. Suggested Timetable to Complete the Ph.D. Program (5 years [10 semesters]).

This timetable assumes that the student starts in the Fall semester and does not attend summer school.

First Year, Second semester (Spring):
Foreign language requirement completed

Second Year, Third semester (Fall):
Selection of Major Professor and Advisory Committee

Second Year, Fourth semester (Spring):
Prepare preliminary doctoral program of study

Course work completed

Third Year, Fifth semester (Fall):
Filing of final doctoral program of study
Schedule preliminary examinations (written and oral)

Third Year, Sixth semester (Spring):
Preliminary examinations (written and oral) completed
Dissertation prospectus approved and Application for Admission to Candidacy filed

Fourth and Fifth Years, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth semesters:
Completion of dissertation
Oral defense of dissertation
Application for Graduation
Fulfill Departmental Graduate Outcomes Assessment requirements

 

III.3.h. Checklist for the Ph.D. Program in Romance Languages

Write the date completed in the blank space (asterisk indicates that a form must be completed).

*1._______ Select Advisory Committee (Major Professor and 2-4 other members). The major professor and at least two other members must be on the Graduate Faculty (see above, Section II.1.f.). This step should be taken as early as possible, but at the very latest, before the student is allowed to register for any hours of ROML 9000 or 9300. The Advisory Committee form must be sent to the Graduate School.

*2._______ Final Program of study submitted to Graduate School. This form is signed by the Advisory Committee and by the Graduate Coordinator. The program of study must be submitted no later than the beginning of the fourth semester in residence.

3._______ Foreign language requirement completed.

4._______ Preliminary written examinations passed (students should inform Graduate Coordinator within two weeks after the beginning of the semester that they are planning to take the examinations).

5._______ Graduate School notified of time and place of preliminary oral examination at least two weeks prior to the examination. This announcement must come from the Graduate Coordinator.

6._______ Dissertation prospectus approved by Major Professor and other members of Advisory Committee.

*8._______ The major professor returns to the Graduate School the form reporting the results of the preliminary written and oral examinations (NB: Form only available from the Graduate School).

*9._______ Application for Admission to Candidacy filed with the Graduate School no later than two semesters before the proposed date of graduation, that is, in Fall semester for Spring semester graduation.

*10._______ Application for Graduation filed no later than the beginning of the semester of graduation.

11._______ Download The UGA Student Guide to Preparation and Processing Theses and Dissertations.

*12._______ Dissertation approved by Major Professor and format check completed.

*13._______ Dissertation submitted to the other members of Advisory Committee.

*14._______ Dissertation approved by Advisory Committee and Graduate School notified of time and place of oral defense of dissertation at least two weeks in advance. Date and place of defense announced to Department at this time.

*15._______ The Major Professor, as Chair, and the Advisory Committee will hold the oral defense of dissertation. Major Professor notifies Graduate School of the results.

16. Electronic copy of dissertation filed with the Graduate School.

17._______ All of the above requirements for the Ph.D. degree completed and reported to the Graduate School at least one week prior to graduation. Students must enroll for a minimum of 3 hours the semester in which they complete degree requirements.

18._______ Students must fulfill Departmental Graduate Outcomes Assessment requirements (see below, Section VI.2)

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IV. AWARDS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

The selection criteria and selection process for each award for which graduate students are nominated annually by the department are described below. All graduate students are required to submit their curriculum vitae to the Graduate Coordinator by the end of their first semester in residence and to update it as needed. CVs should be prepared by students in order to enable faculty to nominate them for awards announced throughout the year. Copies of CVs will be paid for by the Department.

For Graduate School Assistantships, Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards, and Excellence in Teaching Awards, the committee charged with selecting nominees will solicit informed suggestions from the faculty. The committee will then consider these suggestions and will then draw up a ranked list of nominees and supporting materials to be forwarded to the Graduate Coordinator, who will forward the nominations to the appropriate office.

For any university award, the committee responsible will, when possible, put forward as many students as allowed from internal nominations.

IV.1. DEPARTMENT AWARDS

Dolores Artau Scholarship
When funds are available, awards will be made on the basis of academic excellence and need to students in the Department of Romance Languages. Recipients will be selected by the Graduate Studies Committee during Spring semester with award money to be paid during the following academic year.

The Graduate Studies Committee will review the graduate transcript and CV of all students who will be enrolling in a degree program the following academic year, who are making progress toward the degree, and who have not received the award previously.

The Department of Romance Languages French Graduate Studies Award

The Department of Romance Languages is able to offer awards of $1000 to outstanding applicants to the French graduate program on an occasional basis.

The Department of Romance Languages French Graduate Research Travel Award

When funds are available, awards of up to $1000 will be granted for domestic or international conference presentations, or travel necessary for research (trips to libraries or other collections, linguistic fieldwork, etc.). Applicants must be full-time graduate students in the French program, and preference will be given to doctoral students.

IV.2. GRADUATE SCHOOL AWARDS

Graduate School (University-wide) Assistantship

The Graduate School Assistantship is awarded on a competitive basis to help recruit top students to UGA’s graduate programs. Highly qualified students are nominated by their department, and evaluated by a faculty panel. Selections are based on the applicant’s academic record, test scores, recommendations, and other pertinent information.

Dean's Award Program
The Dean's Award program consists of funds that will be allocated to assist graduate students in the Arts and Humanities defray the cost of conducting research for their dissertation or thesis. The Graduate School will make awards of up to $1,000. These funds are not for use for travel to professional meetings, but rather to assist students in collecting data or some aspect of their research. Each program may nominate 2 students for consideration.

The process for consideration is as follows. All nominations will come through the Department Graduate Coordinator and will contain the following: 1) a letter of support from the major professor; 2) a one-page abstract and significance of the research and its impact on the field prepared by the student; 3) budget and budget justification prepared by the student to indicate how funds will be used; 4) information regarding other internal or external sources of funding for the research; 5) information as to the current status of the student in his/her program of study.
Presentation of materials should be in the order above and provided in a labeled file folder.

Written nominations from the faculty for the Dean's Award will be forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee and decided by that body.

Excellence in Research by Graduate Students Award
The Excellence in Research by Graduate Students Award recognizes outstanding scholarship. Written nominations from the faculty for the Excellence in Research by Graduate Students Award will be forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee and decided by that body. One student will be nominated by the Department. Five awards are given annually in the amount of $1,000.

Graduate School Dissertation Completion Assistantships
Doctoral Research Assistantships are awarded each year on a competitive basis following a highly qualified student's nomination by their major department or school. Each nominee is evaluated by a faculty panel. The Doctoral Research Assistantships are available to doctoral students in their final year of study. These assistantships allow the student to devote time to the completion of their dissertation. At the completion of the assistantship award, the student is expected to have finished the dissertation and graduated.

Written nominations from the faculty for the Graduate School Dissertation Completion Assistantships will be forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee and decided by that body.

Graduate School Student Travel Funding
Travel grants are for doctoral students who are at an advanced stage in their graduate program and are presenting results of their dissertation findings. Students wishing support for international travel should contact the Graduate Coordinator in order to submit their request to the Office of the Vice President of Research. Students receiving an invitation to present a paper at a professional meeting within North America may submit a travel request to the Graduate School. Students should contact the Graduate Coordinator concerning the guidelines applicable to these travel grants.

IV.3. OFFICE OF INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

Outstanding Teaching Assistant (OTA) and Excellence in Teaching (ETA) Awards
The Office of Instructional Development sponsors these awards to reward outstanding teaching by graduate students. Written nominations from the faculty for OTAs and ETAs will be forwarded to the Supervisors Committee and decided by that body.

The Graduate Coordinator may nominate no more than 10% of the total number of TAs in the department for the OTA award. For the ETA, only one TA, who must previously have been awarded the OTA award, can be nominated. The OTA award carries recognition in the form of a certificate. The ETA is an extremely competitive award since only five TAs in the university are selected.

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V. GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

Financial support to graduate students enrolled in the Department of Romance Languages is available in the form of Departmental Graduate Teaching Assistantships. In order for foreign nationals to qualify for an F-1 Visa (this Visa allows students to work as TAs), the university estimated student budget can be as much as $1,000 more than the amount awarded for a Teaching Assistantship. In practical terms this means that prospective TAs should be prepared to have a bank statement, or a bank statement from a sponsor (e.g., a parent or some other relative), to account for this difference. The letter must be dated and written on the official letterhead of the bank.

UGA regulations state that all graduate students who are non-native speakers of English and who have submitted TOEFL scores for admission must score at least 26 on the IBT TOEFL before they may assume an instructional assignment. TAs who have never been tested or who have scored between 20-22 on the IBT TOEFL must enroll in ELAN 7768. Students who score between 23-25 must register for ELAN 7769. Students who are taking either of these courses of their own volition rather than to satisfy a requirement may choose to register in whichever section they believe will be of greatest value to them. Receiving a passing grade in these classes, it should be noted, does not by itself qualify TAs to teach. They must still score a 26 on the IBT TOEFL.

For further information on the IBT TOEFL, see also:

 

Center for Teaching and Learning
Educational Testing Service

V.1. REGULAR ACADEMIC LOAD

The maximum number of hours students can enroll for each semester without special overload permission is 18. Language courses (French/German/Spanish 2500 and Italian/Portuguese 2600) and any other undergraduate courses, even though they do not count as part of the student's program of study, do count as part of the academic load. See also above, Section III.1.c.

V.2. OVERLOADS

Overloads are discouraged, but they are allowed in special circumstances. Please see the Graduate Coordinator.

V.3. ASSIGNMENT OF ADDITIONAL CLASSES AND SUMMER TEACHING

Normally Teaching Assistants are assigned to teach three or four classes per academic year. Eligibility for teaching additional courses during the academic year consists of:

 

• Positive recommendations by Language Supervisor
• No incompletes
• 3.5 fraduate Grade Point Average
• Satisfactory progress toward degree

During Spring semester the Associate Head will ask all Teaching Assistants whether they want additional courses for the following year and will then make these decisions in consultation with the Language Supervisors. These additional courses will be assigned primarily for Fall, when there is the greatest need, and only secondarily in other semesters as needed. 

Because the pursuit of a degree is a full-time occupation, the Department of Romance Languages discourages outside employment on the part of Teaching Assistants. Supervisors will therefore not accommodate conflicts arising from outside employment.

The order of priority among eligible graduate students is:

 

1. Ph.D. students who have passed written and oral preliminary examinations
2. Ph.D. students who have completed course work
3. Other returning Ph.D. students
4. Returning M.A. students
5. Beginning students, at M.A. or Ph.D. level, under exceptional circumstances

Teaching Assistants may request a teaching assignment during the summer. If the request is granted, the assignment will consist of one class, typically in the Through Session.

In the Fall semester the Head will ask the Language Supervisors to supply a ranked list of TAs who have requested, and who qualify for, a summer teaching assignment.

In general, every effort will be made to ensure that the percentages of Ph.D. and M.A. students offered courses during the summer will correspond proportionally to the percentages of Ph.D. and M.A. students offered courses during the regular academic year.

Applicants for summer school teaching will be ranked according to criteria such as the following:

 

• Positive student evaluations
• Attendance at teaching circles
• Performance observed during class visits by Language Supervisors or Preceptors
• Written performance evaluations by Language Supervisors
• Evidence of an ability to work unsupervised
• Lack of opportunity to teach in previous summers

V.4. REAPPOINTMENT OF GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

The committee on reappointment is composed of the Language Supervisor, the Associate Head, and the Department Head.

V.4.a. First-Year Students for the M.A. Degree

First-year students for the M.A. degree may expect to be reappointed for a second year provided that the quality of their teaching during the first two semesters is considered satisfactory, and provided that they maintain an overall 3.0 average or better by the end of the second semester.

V.4.b. Second-Year Students for the M.A. Degree

Second-year students for the M.A. degree, who wish to continue for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Georgia and who wish to hold a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, must apply by the first week of the semester of graduation to continue in the Ph.D. program. If the student is admitted to the program, and if the committee on reappointment makes a favorable recommendation, an offer for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship will be made, contingent upon the successful completion of the requirements for the M.A. degree and recommendation of Advisory Committee to proceed to the Ph.D.

V.4.c. Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. students will be appointed for a maximum of 10 semesters, if the quality of their teaching continues to be considered satisfactory and if they maintain a 3.0 or better Grade Point Average. The last four of the ten semesters of support will be granted only once students have passed written and oral preliminary examinations. The last two semesters of support will be granted only once students have advanced to candidacy.

V.5. TENURE OF GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

The maximum amount of support for graduate students pursuing the M.A. degree is four semesters. The maximum amount of support for graduate students pursuing the Ph.D. degree is ten semesters (not including support at the M.A. level), however, no Ph.D. student may receive more than six semesters of support without having passed written and oral preliminary examinations. Petitions for exemption from this policy will be voted on by the Graduate Faculty. Summer appointments are not counted toward the maximum amount of support allowed. Petitions for extensions of the ten-semester limit by one or two semesters may be submitted in writing to the Department Head. These must include a letter explaining the reason for the request, with supporting documentation, and a letter of support from the Major Professor, and are contingent upon availability of sections in the requested term(s).

Students who lose their assistantship by being placed on academic probation can petition the Graduate Faculty for reconsideration. It is understood that such a petition will not be filed until the student can demonstrate removal from probation. Similarly, students who lose their assistantship because of unsatisfactory progress can petition the Graduate Faculty for reconsideration after satisfactory progress has been restored. Teaching Assistants must be granted a pre-approved leave of absence in order to resume their assistantship after an interruption in their studies. A Leave of Absence Form must be completed and signed by the student's Major Professor, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Department Head and placed in the student's personnel file. Teaching Assistants who voluntarily interrupt their studies without being granted a pre-approved leave of absence must petition the Graduate Faculty to regain their assistantship. All appointments of teaching assistantships are understood to be in year-long terms, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and satisfactory job performance. Therefore, students who voluntarily relinquish an assistantship before the end of the academic year will forfeit the remaining support for that year. The support forfeited will be deducted from the maximum amount of support allowed for the degree. Any Teaching Assistants who present a case not covered in the above policies must submit a petition to the Graduate Faculty.

If a TA's performance is deemed "unacceptable" by the Supervisor on the annual written evaluation, the student will be given one semester to improve. If the improvement is insufficient, the student will be notified in writing of termination of the assistantship. Appeals will be routed as follows: letter from the TA to the Head, review by the Graduate Studies Committee, including written records and an interview with the TA and the Supervisor, Departmental Graduate Faculty, and University Graduate Council.

V.6. GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS AWARDED TO STUDENTS FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS

Students from other UGA departments working as Graduate Teaching Assistants must take at least one graduate course in our department per semester (the first of which must be ROML 7700) and attend teaching circles for every semester during which they are employed by Romance Languages. Students who have completed their Program of Study are not required to take a course, although they must continue to attend teaching circles.

V.7. TUITION AND FEES

Whether they are considered Resident or Non-Resident by the Graduate School, Graduate Students who hold Graduate Assistantships currently pay $25 per semester for tuition. Students also must pay institutional fees, which cover transportation, activities and access to health services. Students who do not hold an assistantship in the summer are still eligible for this reduced tuition if they have held at least a one-third assistantship during each semester of the preceding academic year or if they will hold such an assistantship during the upcoming academic year. All others pay applicable registration fees.

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VI. MISCELLANEOUS

VI.1. FORMS

The following forms are available from the Graduate School website.

M.A. Forms
Advisory Committee for Master of Arts Candidates
Change of Degree Objective (e.g. from Thesis to Non-Thesis Option)
Program of Study for Master of Arts Candidates
Master's Application for Graduation
Approval Form for Master's Thesis Defense, and final Examination
Approval Form for Master's Thesis and Final Oral Examination

Ph.D. Forms
Advisory Committee for Doctoral Candidates
Preliminary Doctoral Program of Study
Final Doctoral Program of Study
Application for Admission to Candidacy: Doctoral Degree
Doctoral Application for Graduation
Approval Form for Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Submission Approval Form

VI.2. GRADUATE OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT

For the purpose of Graduate Outcomes Assessment, candidates for the M.A. and Ph.D., and their Major Professors, must fill out the Graduate Student Exit Questionnaire and the Major Professor Questionnaire, respectively. Both questionnaires will be forwarded by the Graduate Coordinator, and should be completed immediately after the defense of the thesis (M.A. candidates) or dissertation (Ph.D. candidates). Both the Graduate Student Exit Questionnaire and the Major Professor Questionnaire should be delivered directly to the Graduate Coordinator before proceeding with graduation.

Notification of successful completion of graduation requirements will not be forwarded to the Graduate School until these questionnaires have been completed.

VI.3. GRADUATE COURSES OFFERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES

Search the UGA Bulletin:  Use the Prefix FREN for French, ITAL for Italian, PORT for Porguguese, ROML for Romance Languages, or SPAN for Spanish.  No Course Number is required.

VI.4. ATLANTA REGIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (ARCHE)

The University of Georgia is a participating institution in the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.

Students are advised to consult with both their Major Professor and the Graduate Coordinator before making any firm commitments to ARCHE.

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