Graduate Program
Requirements for M.A. Thesis and Examination Committees
All requirements of the Graduate College, plus the following departmental requirements:
The committees for the M.A. examinations are appointed by the department head on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies in consultation with the student. M.A. committees consist of at least three faculty members, at least two of whom must be members of the faculty of this department, and two of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Additional faculty members will not submit written questions. The committee will be chaired by the faculty member representing the student’s area of main interest. All members of the committee will read the written examination and may pose questions in the oral examination.
M.A. Written Examination
The series of written examinations for the M.A. degree, normally administered in the second week of April, consists of three examinations of three hours each in the areas of older German literature, modern German literature, and Germanic linguistics, designed to test the student's ability to synthesize the knowledge gained through course work and independent reading. At least one of these examinations must be written in German (in the case of native speakers of German, at least one examination must be written in English). To ensure a minimal acquaintance on the part of the candidates with works in the three areas of examination, the graduate faculty of the department has established a Master's reading list as a guide. It is expected that a majority of these works will already be familiar to the student through undergraduate course work or through course work toward the Master's degree. Since the reading list is intended as a guide and an aid, the student may propose to the appropriate member of the M.A. Committee the substitution of particular works and/or authors.
M.A. Oral Examination
The Master's oral examination is administered only upon the successful completion of the written examination. With the advice of the chair of the M.A. Committee, the candidates prepare, and submit to the committee at least a week in advance of the oral examination, a written presentation of a research topic, which the candidates then discuss with the committee at the beginning of the oral examination. The remainder of the two-hour oral examination is devoted to questions about older German literature, modern German literature, and Germanic linguistics.
Grading
The grading of examinations for the degree will be on a pass/fail basis. If the student passes the final oral examination, the committee will certify the student's successful completion, and in addition, will recommend on the basis of the student's overall performance that (1) the student should be encouraged to continue with graduate studies, or (2) that the student should not continue, in which case the M.A. degree will be considered a terminal degree.
In case of a failure on any part of the examination, the committee will determine whether the student shall be allowed to repeat that part. Decisions of the committee must be unanimous.
M.A. Thesis
A Master's thesis may be submitted in lieu of the M.A. written examination. The student, in consultation with the director of graduate studies, chooses the faculty member under whom the thesis will be written, and this faculty member (who must hold the rank of assistant professor or above) will chair an M.A. committee, appointed by the department head on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies. The oral examination consists of two parts, a defense of the thesis and a general examination based on the M.A. Reading List. The committee consists of at least three faculty members (including the chair) with the rank of assistant professor or above, of whom a majority must be members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department. The complete preliminary version of a thesis must be made available to each member of the committee at least one week before the defense is to take place. The final version of the thesis must conform to all requirements established by the Graduate College.