Students are encouraged to take advantage of the individual and careful advising that is possible in a small graduate program such as ours. Many fine students who have done well in the department's doctoral program came from the M.A. program. Students who make this transition have their course work requirement for the doctoral program reduced by one year and are assured of at least two years of funding for their doctoral study. It should be stressed that completion of the M.A. degree does not automatically qualify the student for admission into the department's Ph.D. program. This program is for the scholar rather than the generalist or the pure practitioner.
Students wishing to apply for the Ph.D. program make a formal application during the second year.
D. program is intended for students with only a B.A. who show outstanding potential for doctoral-level study. During the first two years, students complete the same degree requirements as M.A. students, including the thesis, and will receive the M.A. degree at the end of that period. In most circumstances, students in this program should take at least one graduate seminar each quarter. A diagnostic exam taken at the end of the fall quarter of the second year will be used to determine whether the student should be allowed to continue work toward the doctoral degree. The exam will be based on courses taken by the student and will test the capacity for synthesizing ideas.