The M.A. papers are submitted to the two-person review committee as early as possible in the second year, and no later than the seventh week of the fall semester. The student meets with the review committee before the end of that semester. The committee awards either a “pass” or a “fail” on the strength of the written work and the oral review. A pass may be awarded either with or without permission to continue to the M.Phil. In the case of exceptional MA papers, considered to be of publishable quality, the committee may recommend departmental “distinction”.

All second-year students enroll in MDES GR6008, the MESAAS research colloquium for second and third-year students. The colloquium provides a forum for peer discussion of M.A. papers or theses, and, for third-year students, the dissertation prospectus or grant proposals.

Students continue to take seminars in the second year and by the end of that year usually complete the course work for the M.Phil. degree, which requires at least four additional MESAAS (or advisor-approved) courses at or above the 4000 level. At least two-thirds of the courses required for the M.A. and M.Phil. must be MESAAS courses. Exceptions to this rule, which are rarely made, must be approved by both the advisor and DGS.

Language requirements for the M.Phil. degree are completed by the end of the second or third year. The dissertation sponsor is free to set higher standards, depending on the student’s field and project, but the minimum requirements are: High proficiency in a first MESAAS language (usually the one used to fulfill the M.A. language requirement), proficiency in a second MESAAS language, and reading competence in a third language (a research language, meaning a modern language other than English in which there is a substantial body of scholarship in the student’s field of study). High proficiency is normally achieved by completing a fourth-year language course or the equivalent, and proficiency by completing coursework at the intermediate (second-year) level. Reading competence is demonstrated by taking a proficiency exam, or the rapid readings and translation course (or equivalent) offered by other Columbia language departments.

By the end of the second year students are expected to have a dissertation sponsor to be considered in good academic standing. They should also be well on the way toward conceptualizing the principal foci of their M.Phil. reading lists. They should reach out to potential examiners to begin planning their lists. At least two of the three examiners should be members of MESAAS.

Departmental responsibilities and contributing to the intellectual collective

Teaching requirement: Beginning in the second year, students receive training and experience in teaching by serving as Teaching Fellows to assist faculty in undergraduate classes. The five-year Ph.D. fellowship includes three years in the position of Teaching Fellow. The timeline may vary depending on field research and external fellowships, but most students serve as Teaching Fellows in their second and third year, and in their fourth or fifth year.

Departmental colloquia: On select Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. throughout the academic year a departmental colloquium is held, in which MESAAS faculty (and sometimes scholars doing related work from other departments or universities) present their current research. The papers are circulated in advance. Other colloquia (including MDES GR6008, MDES GR8008, but also less formal meetings and workshops, which are not taken for credit, as well as the annual MESAAS graduate student conference) are dedicated to the intellectual development of the MESAAS community. Most of these are listed on the events page of the website. Graduate students are expected to attend departmental colloquia regularly and to contribute to the intellectual life of the department.

Summer research and language study: The department encourages students to use the summers following the first, second, and third years for intensive language training and for travel abroad to make preliminary investigations of libraries, archives, and other potential research sites. Preliminary research trips are especially intended to aid students in completing their M.A. thesis research (for first-year students), preparing for their grant applications (deadlines are typically the fall of the third year but some are earlier), and drafting their dissertation prospectus.

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After completing the required course work and language training, students prepare for the M.Phil. oral examination, normally taken by the end of the sixth semester. The exam is held in three areas, which are determined by the student in consultation with the three-member M.Phil. committee. Reading lists are prepared by the student and each normally covers about twenty-five books or a commensurate number of articles. In contrast to the dissertation prospectus (see below), which concentrates on a specific scholarly question, the reading list for an M.Phil. area covers a broader range of scholarship, encompassing the main literature and debates in a field of teaching and research. All three fields are examined on the same occasion.

Students continue to take the research colloquium, MDES GR6008, developing grant proposals and/or the dissertation prospectus. Those who plan to conduct research abroad in the fourth year must submit applications for external fellowships by the third year, and sometimes earlier. This may require preliminary work on the prospectus during the fall, and possibly the preceding summer, at the same time as preparation for the M.Phil. examinations.

The M.Phil. is awarded once the student has taken MDES GR5000, MDES GR5001, two semesters of MDES GR6008, completed a minimum of four courses with a grade of B or higher beyond the 30 points (obtained through course work or Advanced Standing) required for the M.A. degree, satisfied the three language requirements, passed the oral examination, and completed six Residence Units. (A Residence Unit is one semester of full-time study.)

Prior to beginning the writing of the dissertation the student submits a dissertation prospectus, generally by the end of their third year. Approximately 20-30 pages in length, the prospectus is defended before at least three members of the Ph.D. committee, usually within one month (and not more than six months) of completing the M.Phil. It should provide a clear statement of the scholarly problem to be addressed; a review of previous scholarship; a discussion of the student’s theoretical and methodological orientation to the problem; a provisional outline of the dissertation as a whole; a plan of research, including discussion of the texts and/or archives to be consulted, research sites chosen, and a timetable; and a bibliography of two to three pages. The fourth and fifth members of the committee may be chosen at this point, or at a later stage of the dissertation process.

After defending the dissertation prospectus, students pursue their research, often in the archives located in MESAAS regions (and, ideally, with the support of external fellowships). They also establish a timeline for the completion of their dissertation chapters. It is important to develop a regular schedule for writing, and to stay in close contact with the dissertation sponsor throughout the writing process.

All post M.Phil. students who are in residence are required to enroll in the MESAAS Dissertation Colloquium, MDES GR8008, a non-credit course that supports the writing of the dissertation. It provides a forum in which the entire community of MESAAS dissertation writers meets, bridging the department’s different fields and regions of research and serving as a valuable forum for feedback. The colloquium convenes regularly, on a schedule that is drawn up at the start of every term, with the oversight of the faculty sponsor(s). Each meeting is devoted to the discussion of one or two pre-circulated pieces of work (usually a dissertation chapter). Every participant contributes at least one piece of work each year. All share in the process of peer review.

All Post M-Phil students enrolled in the Dissertation Colloquium must participate in weekly meetings, i.e. present chapters/essays and read and give feedback on others’ submissions. As with all graduate seminars, registration alone is not acceptable, and nonparticipation will result in a failing grade. Students who are abroad on field work or on an external fellowship that includes workshopping their dissertation writing are exempt from participation in the colloquium during that time period. All other cases must be discussed with the DGS and approved in advance on a case by case basis.

After researching and writing the dissertation, the student defends it before a five-member dissertation committee.