Admission to the Ph.D. program requires the approval of the faculty and a master's degree in this department. For detailed requirements, see the chart on page two. Doctoral students usually take the examination after two years and defend their dissertations after approximately two more years. They are encouraged to take many different courses in order to discover areas of special interest, acquire the background necessary for the examination, and prepare for a dissertation as well as a career. Students take oral and written exams covering six literary periods and literary theory.
Student also has the option to be exempted from one or two literary periods and on literary theory.
To qualify for an exemption in a certain literary period, the student must have completed two courses in that period and must have received a minimum grade of B in each course. The written examination is given each February and September. Students must write at least half of their essays in French. Successful completion of the written examination leads to an oral examination by a jury composed of specialists in each of the six areas. The dissertation director helps in identifying and refining a subject likely to result in publication and to open future avenues of research.