Ph.D. in Spanish

• Broaden and deepen knowledge of literary and cultural movements of the Hispanic world as well as engage students in larger issues pertaining to the role of the humanities in the contemporary world.
   
• Develop the research, analytical, and writing skills necessary for producing a solid dissertation and publishable articles in Hispanic Studies and adjacent fields.
   
• Acquire working knowledge of major theoretical trends and critical issues (past and current) in the fields of Hispanic Studies and in any other fields of specialization.
   
• Increase knowledge of broader historical, cultural, and socio-political issues surrounding the fields of Hispanic Studies and in any other fields of specialization.
   
• Develop an understanding of and professional competence in current foreign language pedagogy and instruction.

Overview of PhD Qualifying/Comprehensive Examinations

(Updated on May 3, 2024, revised October 2024)

Doctoral students must take their Qualifying/Comprehensive Examinations no later than the end of their third year of post-MA enrollment. Graduate students may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for an extension. The students should work closely with their primary doctoral advisor in all matters related to course selection and program planning. By the end of the second semester of the doctoral program at KU, the students will meet with their advisor to plan their areas of research/interest for their comprehensive exams and select two additional Advisory Committee members. Once formed, the student will meet with the Advisory Committee to ensure the fulfillment of all required coursework as well as other requirements for the degree. In addition, the Advisory Committee and the advisee should discuss choices for the written paper (area A) and the scope of the reading lists for the two area examinations (areas B and C). After the exam, the student must meet with their advisor to select Dissertation Committee members and develop a dissertation prospectus. This prospectus is then presented to the committee during the oral examination. For more detailed information, please consult the Graduate Handbook.

Before scheduling the PhD Qualifying Exams, the graduate student should meet with the primary faculty advisor to discuss the completion of coursework, degree requirements, and the credit hours needed (24 hours total beyond the MA degree). The advisory committee and advisee should fill out the PhD Advisory Form (.pdf) and submit it to the Graduate Studies Committee. 

Note: The Mentoring Agreement (.pdf) is required for doctoral students who are within 2 years of exhausting their maximum time to degree, which is currently five (5) years of study.

During the semester in which the doctoral oral comprehensive exam is completed and each fall and spring semester following, doctoral students must adhere to very specific enrollment requirements. PhD candidates must be continuously enrolled in Dissertation hours (Span 999) each fall and spring semester from the time they pass the doctoral comprehensive examinations until successful completion of the final oral examination (defense of dissertation). 

• Students enroll for a minimum of 6 hours each Fall and Spring semester until the total of post-doctoral exam Dissertation hours is 18. One hour each semester must be SPAN 999. In order to reach the 18-hour minimum in an efficient manner, it is highly recommended that students enroll in 9 hours of Dissertation (SPAN 999) in the spring and fall semesters.
• Once a student has accumulated 18 post-doctoral exam hours, each subsequent enrollment will be for a number of hours agreed upon as appropriate between the student and the doctoral advisor, the minimal enrollment each semester being 1 hour of SPAN 999.
• A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of credit at KU during the semester in which they graduate. Although doctoral students must be enrolled in SPAN 999 while working on their dissertations, according to current CLAS regulations, there is no absolute minimum number of SPAN 999 hours required for graduation.
• Students who live and work outside the Lawrence area may, under current University regulations, have their fees assessed at somewhat lower than the on-campus rate. Students must petition the College Office of Graduate Affairs before campus fees will be waived. 

Refer to Appendix A in the Graduate Handbook or policies at https://coga.ku.edu/post-comprehensive-enrollment. 

To avoid delays or additional costs, students are strongly advised to meet with the graduate program coordinator the semester before the oral comprehensive exam. The graduate coordinator will help you to develop an enrollment plan that meets all KU policy requirements, while also preventing unnecessary or avoidable fees.

Prior to beginning work on the dissertation, students should consult the “Guidelines for Dissertations (.pdf)".

Doctoral Dissertation Committee

With your primary academic advisor, the doctoral student should discuss plans for a Doctoral Committee. The department suggests that all graduate students complete a Mentoring Agreement (.pdf) with their advisor, which will be revisited at least once a year to assure an appropriate degree timeline.

Doctoral committees are composed of a minimum of four (4) voting members. In the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the dissertation committee typically consists of five members of the graduate faculty: the initial three members are the core readers who have graded the comprehensive examinations; the fourth is another faculty member from the department; and a fifth member from outside the department will serve as Graduate Studies representative. Normally, the dissertation director will read all chapters as they are finished, and the committee will decide which of the other readers will read which portions of the dissertation along the way. The dissertation director normally chairs the doctoral committee. The College must approve the composition of the committee and authorize the naming of a chair.

In consultation with the primary academic advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the student can modify the composition of their committee after the PhD qualifying examination process is complete. Substitutions of the committee chair are prohibited after the Graduate Division of the College has approved the doctoral committee. If a committee chair needs to be replaced, the Graduate Division must approve the revised committee in advance of the exam. 

Final Oral Defense

During the last semester of writing the dissertation, the student must contact the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Program Coordinator to schedule the defense. The Graduate Program Coordinator will assist with the scheduling of the defense, the reservation of a room, and the pre-approvals required prior to the defense. The dissertation defense scheduling process should begin no later than two months prior to the earliest possible defense date. The examination request must be submitted at least three (3) weeks in advance of the intended examination date, as per KU Graduate Studies policy.

The student should send the final draft of the dissertation to the full committee via e-mail (or in hard copy if preferred) at least four weeks prior to the intended date of the dissertation defense to enable committee members to examine it fully. It is important to allow enough time for the full committee to read the dissertation and make comments before it occurs.

The University considers the defense a public event. The Director of Graduate Studies will publicize the defense and make a copy of the dissertation available for members of the University community to read. One digital copy of the defense version of the dissertation must be delivered to the Department office at least three weeks before the defense.

At the oral defense, questions and discussion will normally center on the dissertation but may also range beyond the thesis into related literary and theoretical areas. The grade (honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory) for the defense is determined by the majority vote of the five-member dissertation committee. If an Unsatisfactory grade is reported, the candidate may be allowed to repeat the examination on the recommendation of the department.

After the defense, the candidate should meet with the dissertation advisor to make any revisions resulting from the defense. The University of Kansas requires that all students whose degree programs require the defense of a dissertation must publish their research to fulfill degree requirements. The dissertation should meet all the formatting requirements laid out in KU's ETD Formatting Guidelines. 

Prior to submitting the dissertation, make sure all KU requirements are completed, information available at https://graduate.ku.edu/submitting. If there are questions about submission or other online technical details, contact the COGA Graduate Program Coordinator or the College of Liberal Arts Electronic Thesis Dissertation coordinator, Lauren Chaney, coga@ku.edu.

In extenuating circumstances (e.g., cases of illness, financial hardship, military leave, family responsibilities, or the pursuit of full-time activities related to long-range professional goals), students may petition for a leave of absence—typically for one semester or one academic year. An approved leave of absence allows a student to take a temporary break from enrolling in graduate coursework while remaining in good standing with the University and the department.

If a student wishes to request a Leave of Absence, the student should start by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Program Coordinator. If the Graduate Studies Committee supports the leave request, the Graduate Coordinator and Director of Graduate Studies will work with the student to complete the online Leave of Absence Petition Form and submit the form to COGA.

Students on Leave of Absence are automatically reactivated after their leave ends and are eligible to enroll for their intended semester back during the normal enrollment periods. See the KU Academic Calendar for the exact dates that enrollment begins. Upon return, the student must submit an updated “Mentoring Agreement” signed by the primary academic advisor. If at any time plans change and a student wishes to return and enroll before their leave is supposed to end, they may contact the Director of Graduate Studies to be reactivated early. For other relevant information about Leaves of Absence, see Appendix A of the Graduate Handbook.

24 June 2025

Dissertation Guidelines (.pdf)

Mentoring Agreement (.pdf)

Ph.D. Advisory Form (.pdf)