Pre-2017 Ph.D. Requirements

Pre-2017 Ph.D. requirements (revised 09/11/14)

Demonstration of proficiency in a second language (usually Chinese, Japanese, Korean) evidenced by either a) completion of minimum of two years of an approved sequence courses; or b) examination. The language to be studied will be decided in consultation with the student's adviser and with the written approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

For the pre-2017 definition of discipline, area and field, see this link.

32 All requirements for the M.A. as stated above. Students who have received their M.A. degrees at UIUC will already have fulfilled all these requirements before entering the Ph.D. program. Students with an M.A. from another institution are required to fulfill these requirements if they cannot present evidence of having done acceptable cognate work elsewhere.
16 Courses in the major field defined by culture and discipline (500-level)  
8 Research seminars (500-level)  
8 Elective 500-level courses  
32 Other graduate-level courses (400- or 500-level) Any number of these courses may be post-prelim EALC 599 (dissertation research) units.
Total = 96hrs    

Passing a written and oral preliminary examination in the major and two minor fields (after completion of coursework)

  • Successful presentation of a dissertation proposal (often as part of the preliminary exam)
  • Completion of the dissertation
  • Defense of the dissertation
  • Please note: Ph.D. students should also consult the graduate procedures page for more information on degree requirements and expectations.

Ph.D. Language Requirement

In addition to the language requirement noted above, Ph.D. students whose primary focus is Japan are required to take one year of classical Japanese, and those whose primary focus is China are required to take one year of classical Chinese. These 400- and 500-level language courses carry graduate credit and may be counted towards degree requirements.