This Graduate Humanities Student Handbook is not an official publication and the contents hereof are not official policy of The University of Texas at Arlington or the The University of Texas System. In all matters the Rules and Regulations of the Regents of The University of Texas System, The Handbook of Operating Procedures of The University of Texas at Arlington, and the Graduate Catalog of The University of Texas at Arlington shall supersede this handbook

Graduate students assume full responsibility for knowledge of all Graduate School and university rules, regulations, and deadlines published in the Graduate catalog and of all departmental and program requirements concerning their degree programs.

These guidelines represent the policy of the Graduate Humanities Program. They define general established procedures, that are periodically amended. They may be varied on a case-by-case basis upon consultation with the Graduate Humanities advisor.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

DEGREE PROGRAM

Master of Arts in the Humanities

ADMISSION

Types of Admission

Unconditional

Probationary

Provisional

Admission Deferral and Denial

FELLOWSHIPS

TRANSFER AND UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT

CONFERENCE COURSES

REGISTRATION

Advising

Adds/Drops

Graduation

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM

Graduate Humanities Director/Advisor

Committee on Graduate Study

Supervisory Committee

EVALUATION OF EXAMINATIONS

GRADES

DEGREE OPTIONS

Thesis

Non-thesis

GRADUATION SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS

SUMMARY OF FORMS

Application

Readmission

Change of Graduate Major - Graduate "Program"

Within the first 12 hours of Course Work, M.A.

Thesis Prospectus

M.A. Qualifying paper

M.A. Examination

FACULTY APPENDIX A: THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR

FACULTY APPENDIX B: STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEES

FACULTY APPENDIX C: THESIS SUPERVISION

FACULTY APPENDIX D: M.A. EXAMINATIONS

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Through the Graduate Humanities Program, The University of Texas at Arlington offers courses of study leading to the Master of Arts in the Humanities. This course of study are designed to instill understandings across the spectrum of those fields traditionally identified as "the humanities." The Graduate Humanities program is not suited for those wishing to pursue a traditional disciplinary degree, because its views, subject matter and methods transcend those normally allowed in a single discipline. It aims to integrate different disciplines within the humanities, and to articulate connections across disciplinary boundaries. Coursework and examinations must reflect the methods and perspectives of the humanities.

The foundation of the program is a series of courses, taken at the outset of study, whose purpose is to teach heuristic and analytic methods and to enhance a student's ability to view complex issues from a variety of perspectives. Drawing on classical and contemporary approaches, the foundation courses present and illustrate the basic concepts and the theoretical frameworks within the humanities.

After the completion of the foundation courses, the Masters program in Graduate Humanities applies the methods and perspectives of the humanities foundation in integrating the subject areas of concentration. The program provides an excellent preparation for the pursuit of a doctorate in a specific discipline. Graduates of the program utilize these abilities in teaching, research, translation, the ministry, writing, government or social services, and many forms of business. Each student's course of study is planned individually and provides excellent training in a specialization within the context of the humanities' traditional focus on human goals, needs, and values.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The basic general admission and degree requirements are those of the Graduate School, as stated in the Graduate catalog. A student handbook is provided each student in the Graduate Humanities Program. Students are responsible for all information regarding rules, policies, and procedures as defined in the student handbook. All students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Foundations requirement - Three courses are required. All students must complete the Conceptual Bases of the Humanities (HUMA 5300) within their first two semesters in the program. Students must also take at least two of the remaining foundation courses: Approaches to the Study of Culture (HUMA 5303), Cultural Studies (HUMA 5304), Criticism, Language, and History (HUMA 5306), or Topics in Gender Studies (HUMA 5307).
• Foreign Language requirement - Students must demonstrate the ability to use one foreign language as a research tool in the humanities by means of a translation exercise.
• Scope requirement - For the remaining hours of coursework students will devise an integrated program of multi-disciplinary study within the humanities disciplines with the advice of their committees. Not more than 15 hours may be taken in any one discipline.

DEGREE PROGRAM

Master of Arts in the Humanities

Students may choose a thesis or non-thesis option. The thesis option requires 30 credit hours, 24 hours of course work plus 6 hours of thesis preparation. Thesis students must pass an oral defense of the thesis upon its completion. The non-thesis option requires 36 hours of course work and the preparation of a qualifying paper. Non-thesis students must pass a comprehensive examination at the completion of their program of study.
 

A Tentative Program of Work should be filed within the first 12 hours of course work.

ADMISSION

Potential students must apply for admission through, and supply all information and meet all admission standards required  by, the Graduate School.  In addition, the following information will be considered in determining the admission status into the Graduate Humanities Program:

1. a GPA no lower than 3.0 for all undergraduate work;
2. GRE scores falling in the range of or surpassing those submitted by typical students in our program: Verbal, 540-610; Quantitative, 540-640; Analytic, 580-640; Analytic Writing, 3-5;
3. three satisfactory letters of recommendation, as judged by the graduate advisor;
4. a satisfactory written summary of degree objectives, as judged by the graduate advisor.

Types of admission

Unconditional Admission: For unconditional admission students must meet all four requirements.

Probationary Admission: Students not meeting all of the requirements may still be considered for probationary admission; no single criterion will end consideration of an applicant.  Students entering the program under probationary status will be granted unconditional admission only after completing 12 hours of graduate courses, approved by the graduate advisor, earning no grade below B.

Provisional Admission: An applicant unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission.

Admission Deferral and Denial: Students will be denied admission or admission will be deferred if they perform poorly on all of the above criteria. A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.

FELLOWSHIPS

Fellowships, when available, will be awarded on a competitive basis. Nominees for the Graduate School Master's Fellowship in Humanities will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Candidates must be new students entering in the fall semester, with a minimum of 6 hours of enrollment in both long semesters to retain their fellowships.
• The minimum undergraduate GPA requirement is 3.00, as calculated by the Graduate School, plus a GPA of 3.0 for any graduate credit hours.
• Transcript of a completed bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A written statement explaining the applicant's reasons for graduate study in Humanities.

TRANSFER AND UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT

No more than nine hours of transfer credit may be applied toward the M.A. To count toward a degree, this work must be included in a tentative degree plan, approved by the supervisory committee, the Graduate Humanities advisor, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Such work must have been completed no more than five years before enrollment at UTA.

Up to nine hours of advanced undergraduate course work may be applied toward the M.A., provided it was not counted toward a previous degree, if approved by the student's supervisory committee, the Committee on Graduate Studies, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students should be aware that this is done only in exceptional cases.

CONFERENCE COURSES

Conference courses are to be used only for situations in which no regular organized courses exist to cover the material to be studied. All conference courses require approval of the instructor, the student's supervisory committee, and the Graduate Humanities advisor two months before the beginning of the semester in which they are to be taken. A summary of requirements and bibliography for the course must be completed by the student, approved by the instructor, and a copy filed with the Graduate Humanities advisor at the beginning of the course.

At the end of the semester the original form, with a grade and the instructor's signature, should be sent to the Graduate Humanities office. The form is kept in the student's records. 

These guidelines apply to all conference courses taken by Humanities students. However, some departments have additional requirements regarding conference courses. It is the responsibility of the student to seek out and meet all departmental as well as Graduate Humanities Program regulations concerning conference course work.

REGISTRATION

Advising

Each student must confer with the Graduate Humanities advisor every semester before registration. If the graduate advisor is not consulted, or if he/she does not approve the student's choice of courses and/or standing in the program, the student will not be allowed to register. Telephone conferences can be scheduled during advising hours.

Courses with a HUMA prefix are added or dropped through the Graduate Humanities Program office; departmental offices handle adds and drops for courses listed in their departments. Dropping all classes for which a student is registered during any given semester constitutes withdrawal from the university and requires that the student be readmitted to the Graduate School before that student may re-enroll. Before mid-semester, drops are processed through the Advisor's office. To drop a course after mid-semester, a graduate student must file a petition to the Dean of Graduate Studies, which must be approved by the Graduate Humanities advisor and the Humanities Committee on Graduate Studies. The petition requires the signature of the professor and an indication of the student's standing in the course (passing or failing) at the time of withdrawal.

M.A. students must be enrolled in at least 3 hours of academic courses during the semester of graduation.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

The M.A. requires a reading proficiency in one foreign language before taking the Final Master's Examination. A "foreign language" may not be English or the student's native language if other than English. Which language is acceptable as "applicable to the student's field of study" is determined by the supervisory committee.

The foreign language requirement is met by successfully passing an examination prepared by a faculty member. The suggested procedure for a foreign language examination is as follows:

1. Scholarly articles are the most suitable choice for examination materials.
2. The examiner(s) and the supervisory committee should select cojointly the text for the examination.
3. The examiner should take as proof of comprehension of the text a competently written summary of and response to the main points of the argument.
4. The examiner is normally someone serving on the student's supervisory committee; if no one on the committee is prepared in the student's language area, a member of the Foreign Languages Department who is a member of the graduate faculty may serve as examiner.
5. A roster of possible examiners in various languages will also be kept in the Graduate Humanities office, to which students and supervisory committees may refer.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM

The Graduate Humanities Director/Advisor

The Graduate Humanities Director/Advisor is appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. His/her duties are as follows: answering inquiries concerning the requirements and subject areas comprised in the Graduate Humanities degrees; corresponding with students; evaluating admission applications and recommending the admission or non-admission of students to the Dean of Graduate Studies; advising graduate students in their initial selections of courses and supervisory committees, programs of work, and overall degree objectives. The advisor mediates, where possible, disagreements that arise between students and supervisory committees, and among faculty; conference with the advisor is the initial step in grievance and review processes that may be forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Committee on Graduate Studies

Each graduate program is governed by a Committee on Graduate Studies (CGS). The CGS for Humanities consists of at least one representative from departments in the College of Liberal Arts that offer graduate level courses and other programs that participate in the Graduate Humanities Program. Each representative must be a member of the graduate faculty and is appointed to the Committee on Graduate Studies by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Only these appointed members may vote on matters brought before the committee.

In addition to the appointed members, the Graduate Humanities Director/Advisor, all faculty members of Humanities foundations courses, and elected student representatives may attend and contribute to Committee on Graduate Studies meetings.

The Graduate School requires each student to form a supervisory committee, which the Dean of Graduate Studies must approve. Because of the integrated nature of the Graduate Humanities Program, individual supervisory committees are particularly important. Students should provide prospective committee members with a short summary of their degree objectives along with a listing of courses they propose including in their tentative programs. The following guidelines incorporate both Graduate School and Graduate Humanities Program regulations.

1. Committees consist of at least three members, one representing each of the following areas: the primary area of concentration (this person chairs the committee), the secondary area(s) of study, and the Humanities foundation member (usually one of the faculty that the student had as instructor in one of his/her foundation courses, other faculty who teach, or have taught, foundation courses may also serve as humanities foundation members of supervisory committees).
2. The supervisory committee as a whole is responsible for design and direction of the student's program. The committee specifies which foreign language will be required of the student, gives preliminary approval to the student's program of course work, and formulates and evaluates the M.A. final examination.
3. A Humanities student should form a supervisory committee and file a Tentative Program of Work approved by that committee upon completion of 12 to 15 hours of course work. The Graduate Humanities advisor may refuse to advise for registration any student with more than 18 hours who has not formed a committee and filed a tentative program of work.
4. Supervisory committee members must be members or associates of the UTA graduate faculty . In addition, other UTA faculty may serve as additional members of committees, if the student, his/her supervisory committee, and the Dean of Graduate Studies, agree that such participation is in the student's best interest. Any exceptions to these rules must be petitioned to, and approved by, the Dean of Graduate Studies. In addition to the required UTA graduate faculty, students may petition to the Graduate School for permission to add an additional, external member to his/her committee (normally either faculty from other institutions or persons with relevant professional credentials); in such cases a curriculum vitae or resume of the external person must be submitted with the petition for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

EVALUATION OF EXAMINATIONS

The decision of a majority of the supervisory committee with the approval of the CGS will prevail in determining a student's compliance with the degree requirements as stated in the Graduate Catalog.

DEGREE OPTIONS

Thesis

Students choosing the thesis option (24 hours of coursework plus 6 hours of thesis preparation) must submit a prospectus describing the thesis prior to the commencement of research. The prospectus must be approved by the student's supervisory committee. The prospectus should include a statement of the hypothesis, a brief review of the literature, a discussion of the significance of the topic, a description of the humanities perspective employed, a tentative outline, and a preliminary bibliography. After approval of the prospectus the student may enroll for thesis credit (HUMA 5398 or 5698).

The thesis should be a substantial original essay on a humanities topic. Although focusing on a specific subject, the thesis should be informed by the humanities perspective that the student has acquired in his/her course work. When the chair of the student's committee judges the thesis to be ready, the full committee will meet with the student for an oral defense of the thesis. Two weeks prior to the oral defense the student must file a Request for Scheduling the Final Master's Examination. Upon completion of the defense the committee submits a Final Master's Examination Report to the Graduate Humanities advisor.

Non-thesis

Students choosing the non-thesis option (36 hours of course work) must submit a qualifying paper and pass a comprehensive examination at the completion of their program of study.

M.A. Paper: The M.A. paper is a central part of the Humanities Program. The purpose of the paper is to provide an integrative experience for the student. In the paper the student demonstrates that he/she is capable of applying a humanities perspective to the particular topic chosen. The article-length paper brings together the two defining elements of the program: specialization in a particular area and the utilization of the unique humanities perspective. The student must demonstrate that he/she is capable of integrating these two elements.

M.A. Comprehensive Examinations: The student arranges the date of the examination in consultation with the supervisory committee and in accordance with the Graduate School deadlines. At least two weeks prior to the Final Master's Examination, the student must file a Request for Scheduling the Final Master's Examination in the Graduate School. In order to allow time for securing committee signatures on this form, the student should contact the Graduate Humanities advisor at least one month in advance of the Master's Examination. Students must have completed the foreign language requirement and their qualifying paper prior to scheduling the examination.

Guidelines for the examination are as follows:

1. The written component of the examination is generally between four and six hours in length, and may take place on a single day or over a period of up to three days. Students may write on word processors provided these are set up at the university in a room designated for the exam by the committee chair. The apportionment of the exam questions should be decided on by the student and the committee during the semester of the exam. The committee may elect to have two highly integrative questions, one integrative and two more specific questions on a group of materials especially central to the student's program as a whole, or three questions of equal length and depth. All committee members read and evaluate all of the exam questions.
2. M.A. candidates are examined only on the course work completed. Prior to the examination students should confer with their supervisory committee regarding the specific topics and readings over which they will be examined. After the written portion of the examination has been evaluated by the supervisory committee, an oral examination may be requested, if the Committee wishes the student to develop and clarify answers given on the written examination.
3. Following the completion of the examination the chair of the student's supervisory committee submits a Final Master's Examination Report to the Graduate Humanities advisor.

GRADUATION SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS

The following items must be filed in the Graduate School and the required fees paid by the deadlines set by the Graduate School calendars.

1. All graduating students must file an Application for Graduation and pay the Diploma Fee in the Office of Dean of Graduate Studies.
2. Students must also file:
1. the Application for Candidacy;
2. a Request for the Final Master's Examination;
3. the Final Master's Examination Report.

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SUMMARY OF FORMS

APPLICATION

1. Request to Graduate School or program for catalogue and program requirements
2. Admissions procedures and materials in Catalogue submitted to Graduate School:
• Satisfactory GRE scores
• 3 letters of academic recommendation
• transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work (after summer, 1995 junior/community college transcripts will no longer be required); satisfactory undergraduate GPA for the last 60 hours for admission
3. Graduate Admissions Worksheet sent to a graduate advisor when all admissions materials have been received; the graduate advisor evaluates candidate and recommends to the Dean of Graduate Studies the status of admission. The Dean of Graduate Studies makes the final determination and sends a letter to the student advising him/her of the decision.
4. If admitted, student is sent Graduate Student Registration Permit, which he or she must have to be advised and to register.

READMISSION

If student drops out of active enrollment for one fall or spring semester, he or she must apply for readmission through the Graduate School, which issues an Application for Readmission to the Graduate School. When the student submits this form to the Graduate School, it is forwarded to the Graduate Humanities advisor.

CHANGE OF GRADUATE MAJOR - GRADUATE "PROGRAM"

A student admitted to one graduate program, for example, the M.A. in English or History, may transfer to the Graduate Humanities Program prior to the completion of a degree, if the Graduate Humanities advisor approves and if the graduate advisor of the old program gives a positive recommendation. (Similarly, students admitted to the Humanities M.A. program may transfer to another graduate program.) To initiate this process the student obtains a Request to Change Graduate Program from the Graduate School.

WITHIN THE FIRST 12 HOURS OF COURSE WORK

The student must complete HUMA 5300 and one other Foundation course. The student must file a Tentative Program of Work which identifies all courses proposed for inclusion in the degree, and which establishes the student's areas of study and committee, on Tentative Program of Work, Page Two. If more space is needed for listing courses, use the Tentative Program of Work-Continuation Sheet.

THESIS PROSPECTUS

Students choosing the thesis option must submit a Thesis Prospectus before writing the thesis. The prospectus must be approved and signed by all the members of the student's committee and filed with the graduate advisor.

M.A. QUALIFYING PAPER

In the final semester of course work, students choosing the non-thesis option should confer with the supervisory committee regarding the preparation of the M.A. qualifying paper. This paper should be a comprehensive integration of the student's Humanities program, applying the principles and methods learned in the program to a specific topic. The paper should demonstrate that the student is capable of applying a humanities perspective to the particular topic chosen. The Master's Qualifying Paper Report will be used by the student's committee to certify the student's successful completion of the Qualifying Paper.

M.A. EXAMINATION

All students must submit a Request for Scheduling of the Final Master's Examination. This must be filed at least two weeks prior to the examination. After the examination, the student's committee chair completes and circulates to the student's committee the Final Master's Examination Report.

Faculty Appendix A

THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR

As the summary of the student's supervisory committee indicates, the supervisory committee as a group performs functions that in more standardized curricula would be overseen by a program advisor. The committee in the Graduate Humanities Program is responsible for guiding the student's final selection of courses for the program of work, aiding the student in defining a statement of degree objectives, and ascertaining that the courses and objectives conform with program-wide policies and objectives.

The chair of the committee, as the convener and director of the supervisory committee, is responsible for seeing that the student understands the steps toward completion of a degree, and for explaining the procedures used in completing these steps. The chair should insure that the student has completed all the degree requirements, including the student's satisfactory completion of the language requirement, within the first two weeks of the semester in which the Exam is to be taken.

The role of the chair in the supervision of student theses is particularly crucial. The chair must insure that the thesis is conceived and executed in a manner consistent with the humanities perspective and meets the standards established by the program. The chair of the non-thesis student's committee is responsible for deciding when the student is ready to take the M.A. comprehensive examination, approving the qualifying paper, and formulating the comprehensive exam.

 

Faculty Appendix B

STUDENT SUPERVISORY COMMITTEES

The Graduate School requires each student to form a supervisory committee, which the Dean of Graduate Studies must approve. Because of the interdisciplinary, integrated nature of the Graduate Humanities Program, individual supervisory committees are particularly important. Students should provide prospective committee members with a short summary of their degree objectives along with a listing of courses they propose to include in their Tentative Programs of Work.

The following guidelines incorporate both Graduate School and Graduate Humanities Program regulations:

1. Humanities students must form a committee and file a Tentative Program of Work approved by that committee upon completion of 12 to 15 hours of course work. The Graduate Humanities advisor may refuse to advise for registration any student with more than 18 hours who has not formed a committee and filed a Tentative Program of Work.
2. Committees consist of at least three members, one representing each of the following areas: the primary area of study (this person chairs the committee), the secondary area(s) of study, and the Humanities foundation courses.
3. The supervisory committee as a whole is responsible for design and direction of the student's program of study.

 

Committees:

• must approve the student's Tentative Program of Work.
• may approve up to 9 hours of transfer credit to be applied toward the M.A.
• may approve up to 9 hours advanced undergraduate course work to be applied toward the M.A.
• must approve, at least 2 months prior to the beginning of the semester in which they are to be taken, any conference courses the student wishes to take as part of the program of study.
• decide which foreign languages are acceptable as applicable to the student's field of study.
• must check that the student has completed all degree requirements.
• evaluate the M.A. Final Examination and submit a Final Master's Examination Report.

Thesis option:

• must approve the thesis prospectus.
• must evaluate the student's thesis and oral defense.

Non-thesis-option

• must approve the M.A. qualifying paper prior to the scheduling of the M.A. Final Examination and submit a Master's Qualifying Paper Report.
• formulate the M.A. Final Comprehensive Examination.

 

Faculty Appendix C

THESIS SUPERVISION

The chair of the student's supervisory committee is the person primarily responsible for guiding the student through the entire thesis process. The chair must, in consultation with the student and the other members of the committee, critically evaluate the prospectus, insuring that it embodies a humanities perspective, involves original research, and meets the standards established by the program. As the research and writing of the thesis progress, the chair must monitor the student's progress and insure that he/she is following the guidelines that have been established.

Thesis Defense

The chair of the student's supervisory committee must decide when the student's thesis is ready for the oral defense. The student then files a Request for Scheduling the Final Master's Examination with the Graduate School two weeks prior to the defense. The committee members jointly decide whether the student has passed the defense and file the Final Master's Examination Report.

 

Faculty Appendix D

M.A. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS (NON-THESIS)

Scheduling

The student arranges the date of the examination in consultation with the supervisory committee. At least two weeks prior to the final Master's Examination, the student must file a Request for Scheduling of the Final Master's Examination. The student must have completed and had approved their article-length paper prior to the scheduling of the examination. The Request for Scheduling of the Final Master's Examination cannot be filed until the student has satisfied the language requirement and all other degree requirements. The satisfaction of the language requirement is determined by the student's committee, following the guidelines of the Graduate School stipulated in the Graduate catalog and the Humanities Program, also stipulated in the catalog.

M.A. Comprehensive Examination Guidelines

1. The examination consists primarily of a written exam; an oral exam may be held in addition to the written exam, if the examining committee so desires.
2. The written component of the exam is between 4 and 6 hours in length, and may take place on a single day or over a period of up to 3 days.
1. 2-3 hours are devoted to the candidate's primary area of study.
2. 1-2 hours are devoted to the candidate's secondary area of study.
3. approximately 2 hours are devoted to the foundations courses.
3. M.A. candidates are examined only on the coursework completed.
4. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the Graduate Humanities Program, each member of the examining committee reads the candidate's entire exam, not merely that portion of the exam pertaining to the committee member's respective area.
5. When all committee members have read the exam, the chair calls a meeting of the committee for the purpose of evaluating the exam. If a member of the examining committee believes the candidate has not submitted an acceptable answer on an area, the candidate has the opportunity to rewrite that portion of the exam or do additional work to satisfy this committee member.

M.A. Examination Report

Following the examination the chair of the student's supervisory committee submits a Final Master's Examination Report to the Graduate Humanities advisor.

 

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