Timelines for graduation

Timelines for graduation – Spanish and Portuguese M.A. and Ph.D. degrees

M.A. degrees

1. Complete your coursework – You will need to attend academic advising with your program director each semester, before you can enroll in classes.
2. In your 3rd semester, in consultation with your program director, form your M.A. Exam Committee. The M.A. Exam Committee will consist of three faculty members based on your chosen areas of specialization. Then file the "Appointment of M.A. Exam Committee" form with the department's Graduate Studies Office.
3. In your 4th semester, take the M.A. exam. The written part is typically scheduled the second Friday of February. Soon afterwards, each student will take a one-hour oral exam, the date of which will vary. Following the oral exam, your M.A. Exam Committee will sign the "Completion of MA Oral Examination" form.
4. If all degree requirements have been met (coursework, language, and M.A. exam), and you wish to be awarded your Master's degree, submit the Master's Application for Advanced Degree e-Doc. This e-doc is used for both Commencement participation and graduation purposes. For Commencement purposes, the e-doc must be received by the University Graduate School (UGS) no later than September 25th for the December Commencement and February 25th for the May Commencement. For graduation purposes, the e-doc must be received by the UGS no later than the 15th of the month in which you wish to graduate. Deadlines for May and December graduation vary each year.

For further information about individual M.A. degrees, please see:
M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics; M.A. in Hispanic Literatures; M.A. in Portuguese

Ph.D. degrees

1. Complete your coursework – you will need to attend academic advising with your program director each semester, before you can enroll in classes.
2. Before the last semester of coursework, form your Advisory Committee (or Ph.D. Qualifying Committee) and submit the Appointment of Advisory Committee e-doc through the College. The Advisory Committee will consist of at least four members. The committee must include a Chair from within the department, and may include one representative of the Ph.D. minor (depending on the degree program), and no more than one HISP adjunct faculty.
3. During the last semester of coursework, email the department's Graduate Studies Office with your reading lists and your qualifying exam schedule.
4. Take the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam no later than the semester following the completion of all graduate coursework. The exam format will differ depending on the program but will typically consist of a written and an oral part. Following the oral exam, your advisory committee will sign the "Completion of Ph.D. Exam" form.
5. Upon successful completion of all degree requirements (major/minor coursework, language, and qualifying exam), file the "Ph.D. Requirements" form with the department's Graduate Studies Office.
6. Submit the Nomination to Candidacy of the Ph.D. Degree e-doc through the University Graduate School in order to be formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
7. Once your candidacy has been approved and after having completed 90 credit hours, you can enroll in G901 Advanced Research. G901 is a 6-credit hour research course with a flat fee of $150. This is an inexpensive way for you to maintain a "full load" while finishing your degree. You may enroll in this course up to 6 semesters. If you have not graduated after 6 semesters, you will need to enroll in one hour of 805 research credit each semester until you graduate.
8. By the end of the semester following the successful completion of the Qual oral exam, form your Dissertation Research Committee. The Dissertation Research Committee will consist of at least three members from the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and at least one more member, from within or from outside the department. The research committee is often the same as the Qual Exam Committee but need not be.
9. Draft your dissertation proposal and defend it before your research committee.
10. Following a successful Proposal Defense, your Research Committee will sign the "Proposal Approval" form.
11. File a copy of your full proposal as well as a 1-to-2-page prospectus (shortened version of the proposal) with the department's Graduate Studies Office.
12. Submit the Nomination of Research Committee for the Ph.D. e-doc to have your research committee officially approved by the University Graduate School (UGS). This e-doc must be approved by the UGS at least six months before you defend your dissertation. You can always change a committee member after your research committee e-doc has been approved. In that case, you will use the Change of Research Committee for the Ph.D. e-doc.
13. Once you have entered candidacy and formed your research committee, you are expected to initiate an annual meeting with your research advisor every Spring semester to discuss your progress to degree AND to fill out the "Annual Progress Report (APR)" form. Following the meeting, your advisor will sign the "APR" and file it with the department's Graduate Studies Office.
14. Submit a first completed draft of your dissertation to each member of your committee; at the same time, submit the Ph.D. Defense Announcement e-doc. These two requirements must be completed at least 30 days before your defense date.
15. Defend your dissertation before your research committee.
16. Following your defense, submit the Defense Signature Collection e-doc. The form will route to each member of your committee to record successful completion of the defense. Members of the research committee may require some necessary changes before granting approval.
17. Submit your initial dissertation for review by the 15th of the month you wish to graduate. All content of your dissertation must be complete at this point, as only formatting changes are permitted after your initial submission. You will find information on dissertation submission methods here. Degrees are granted monthly. Deadlines for May and December graduation vary each year.
18. Submit any formatting changes requested by the University Graduate School (UGS) by the 27th of the month you wish to graduate. The UGS will notify you of any format changes that are needed within a week of the deadline. You will find information on formatting requirements here. Deadlines for May and December graduation vary each year.
19. If you wish to participate in the graduation ceremony, complete the Ph.D. Commencement Participation Application e-doc by September 25th for December Commencement and by February 25th for May Commencement.
20. Congratulations on completing your Ph.D!