Advising
The Graduate Advisor provides assistance and general information about policies and procedures, funding opportunities and resources. In addition, entering graduate students are assigned a faculty advisor to assist in research planning and other substantive decisions. Students may change faculty advisors at any time, but all advisors must be core Women’s Studies faculty (see the list of affiliated faculty on the Women's Studies website). If you would like to choose an advisor whose name does not appear on the list, contact the Chair for approval. Students must inform the graduate advisor about any changes in faculty advisor.
 
Major Fields or Subdisciplines
A major field will be developed by the student with the assistance of the faculty advisor.  Examples include: feminist theory; women and health; sexuality; comparative gender roles; women of color; transnational feminisms. Click here for a list of faculty specialties.

Foreign Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in at least one foreign language is required. The language requirement must be satisfied before your qualifying oral exams. The language requirement may be satisfied in one of three ways: 1) By passing one full year of a university level foreign language course. 2) By completing a summer intensive language course. 3) By passing the appropriate language exam. See the Graduate Advisor for more information

Course Requirements
Doctoral students are required to complete the 40 units of coursework required for the M.A. degree and 20 additional units for the PhD degree. Units beyond the minimum may consist of practicums, 500-level courses or additional classroom units. TOTAL: 60 Units
 

Required courses include: 16 units of Women's Studies core courses: 201, 202, 210 and 204 (204 is a one-unit seminar sponsored by the Center for the Study of Women and must be taken for four quarters). 4 units of Research Methods (Social Sciences) or Critical Theory (Humanities).  See graduate advisor before enrolling in any of these courses. 40 units of electives, none of which can be 500-level courses (of the 20 units, 8 of these may be upper division undergraduate courses).

Please Note: Students are expected to be full time and enroll in 12 units per quarter.  Four of these units may be from the 500-level series upon approval of faculty member.  500 level courses do not count toward degree required units. Elective units should include three courses (12 units) in a field of emphasis. The courses should relate to the student’s major field and be part of a disciplinary or interdisciplinary area of study. Teaching assistants should enroll in Women's Studies 375 each quarter they hold a teaching appointment. These units will not count toward the degree requirements, but may be part of a 12-unit full-time course load. Students may enroll in up to 12 units of 599 (dissertation research) while completing their dissertation.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying Examinations
Before embarking on the dissertation, Ph.D. students must pass two written and one oral examinations. The written exams test the candidate’s understanding of women’s studies as a discipline (a “breadth” requirement) and of her/his major field (a “depth” requirement). The oral examination is a defense of the candidate’s dissertation proposal. No oral defense of the completed dissertation is required.

Pre-qualifying Written Examinations
The first written exam tests basic knowledge and understanding of the field of women’s studies – including feminist theory, current and historical debates within the field, methodological and pedagogical issues -- and is taken after completion of the core course series (WS 201, 210, 202). It is recommended that students schedule their breadth exam for the fall quarter of the second year, although it may be deferred until the end of that year.

The breadth exam is a three-day take-home designed and graded by a committee appointed by the Chair from faculty teaching in the core series. All committee members must find the exam satisfactory in order for the student to pass. This exam may be retaken once, within a time set by the grading committee, without petition.

The depth exam covers the student’s major field, and is designed by the faculty advisor with the assistance of other faculty as appropriate. It may be taken at any time after successful completion of the breadth exam and the minimum course requirements. The depth exam format is also a three-day take-home. The completed exam must be judged satisfactory by both the student’s advisor and the Graduate Chair (or designate). Students may retake this exam only by petition.

Qualifying Oral Examination
The oral qualifying exam is scheduled by the student only after: (1) passing both written pre-qualifying exams; (2) completing the dissertation proposal, subject to acceptance by the student’s faculty advisor; and (3) appointment of a doctoral committee in accordance with University regulations (see the Graduate Division website at:

http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/library/nominintro.htm

The doctoral committee administers the exam, which takes approximately two hours.

The members of the doctoral committee are chosen by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor, and subject to approval of the Chair. The committee must be comprised of the student’s advisor, two other women’s studies faculty, and one outside faculty member whose academic expertise relates to the dissertation topic. After successful completion of the oral defense, one of the two women’s studies faculty members may be excused from the committee, and the remaining members (designated the “certifying members”) become the candidate’s dissertation committee.

Students may retake the oral qualifying examination once without petition. Advancement to candidacy is dependent on successful completion.
 

Dissertation
Ph.D. candidates must satisfy the dissertation requirement with a dissertation prepared under the supervision of an advisor in the Women's Studies Graduate Program and approved by all three certifying members. An oral defense is not required unless a committee member (or the student) requests it.

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