In addition to the courses required in the core and area of specialization, students in the program are required to complete course work in a minor area defined by the faculty in the student's area of specialization. All students must take qualifying exams in the core, and specialization components of their specific areas of study. Qualifying exams in the minor area are not required. A major review takes place after the end of the third semester. Course performance, first-year summer paper performance, and the qualifying exams are reviewed in this meeting.
Some areas also review student progress upon completion of the first year of study.
Upon satisfactory completion of the review at the end of the third semester, students complete their course work and second-summer research papers. Progress on this work is reviewed after the student's fifth semester of study. Following the fifth semester review, students present a dissertation proposal, first informally to one or more faculty members and then more formally in a seminar. On the basis of this seminar, the general faculty offers informal advice on the feasibility of the proposal. The major requirements for the Ph.D. degree is the doctoral dissertation.