Italian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill

Ph.D. Program

Full Requirements

Throughout the course of study, students work closely with the Italian Graduate Advisor and all the Italian faculty. The purpose of such close collaboration is to conceptualize a dissertation topic in an early stage and then focus the doctoral studies around it. Students are also encouraged to prepare for the job market by presenting papers at conferences and eventually writing articles for submission to journals. The Italian faculty is available not only to guide the dissertation project, but to mentor students in the first stage of their professional development.


Degree Requirements

  1. successful completion of six courses (18 credit hours) within the Italian section
  2. comprehensive written examinations
  3. enrollment in no more than six credit hours for the dissertation
  4. writing and defending the dissertation

Distribution of credits

  • 3 credit hours (1 course) in Literary Theory and Methods of Research (Italian 706); if waived, another course in Italian is required.
  • 15 credit hours (5 courses) in the Italian section
  • 6 credit hours (equivalent of 2 courses) for the dissertation

Foreign language requirements

Students are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in a language other than English and Italian. The choice of language is approved by the Italian Graduate Advisor and depends on the students’ interests and areas of specialization. Students specializing in medieval and Renaissance periods are usually advised to choose Latin, while students specializing in the modern period are advised to choose French, German, or Spanish.

Proficiency in Latin may be demonstrated by (1) passing an annual test of intermediate Latin prepared by the Department of Classics, or (2) providing an official college transcript with at least one course in Latin literature, including texts read in Latin.

Proficiency in French, German, or Spanish may be demonstrated by any of the methods described in the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate School of Arts and Science Bulletin, or by receiving a grade of P or better in a graduate course taught in that language.


Comprehensive written examinations

In the spring semester of the second year, students take a comprehensive written examination that tests their broad knowledge of Italy’s literary culture. Based on the students’ coursework and their in-depth reading in all periods and areas, the written examination consists of five individual exams taken over a week. Students may be exempted from two of these exams, if they have taken at least two courses in that area.

  1. Middle Ages
  2. fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
  3. seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
  4. nineteenth century
  5. twentieth century

Dissertation

The dissertation is meant to contribute significantly to the knowledge and understanding of Italy’s literary culture. The initial idea for the dissertation is often discovered in a course, and it always requires a well-defined theoretical approach, extensive research, and close consultation with the dissertation director. The candidate may take an independent course with a faculty member no later than the third semester of the doctoral program in order to lay the groundwork for the preparation and writing of the prospectus.

Students should invite a faculty member to direct their dissertation at an early stage of the project’s development; together with this dissertation director and in close consultation with the Italian Graduate Advisor, they then select four additional faculty members to serve on the dissertation committee; the Graduate Advisor submits in writing the names of the committee members to the Director of Graduate Studies. Students discuss the prospectus in front of the entire dissertation committee, which either approves the project or recommends further research. Upon approval of the prospectus, students begin work on the dissertation under the guidance of the dissertation director, who answers questions and return drafts in a timely fashion.

With the director’s approval, the student presents the complete dissertation to each committee member at least one month ahead of the scheduled defense. At the beginning of the defense, the candidate summarizes the dissertation’s major findings and then answers questions presented by the committee members. The dissertation may be approved, even though it may require minor modifications. If the dissertation is not approved, the committee presents clear directives for the candidate, and a new defense is scheduled only after all the committee members judge the dissertation to be satisfactory.

Ph.D. students are encouraged to pursue a minor in another Romance language and literature or in an allied discipline taught at the university.

M.A. students who continue their studies and pursue a Ph.D. receive support for five years. Students who are accepted into the Ph.D. program are normally supported for four years.

More: M.A. Program

Ph.D. Synopsis

Requirements

  1. successful completion of six courses in the major
  2. comprehensive written examinations
  3. enrollment in no more than six credit hours for the dissertation
  4. writing and defending the dissertation

Distribution of credits

Eighteen credits beyond the M.A. to be distributed as follows:

  • 3 credit hours (1 course) in Literary Theory and Methods of Research (Italian 706); if waived, another course in Italian is required.
  • 15 credit hours (5 courses) in the Italian section
  • 6 credit hours (equal to 2 courses) for the dissertation

Additional components

  • Foreign language proficiency in Latin, French, German, or Spanish
  • Discussion of the dissertation prospectus before five faculty members
  • Oral defense of the dissertation before five faculty members

Checklist for Ph.D. Students

Year 1

  • fall semester: coursework
  • spring semester: coursework

Year 2

  • fall semester: coursework; preparation for exams and prospectus
  • spring semester: exams; prospectus

Years 3 and 4

  • dissertation

Ph.D. students are encouraged to pursue a minor in another Romance language and literature or in an allied discipline taught at the university.

M.A. students who continue their studies and pursue a Ph.D. receive support for five years. Students who are accepted into the Ph.D. program are normally supported for four years.

More: M.A. Program

Italian Studies
CB 3170, Dey Hall
UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3170
(919) 999-9999
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