Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

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• Degree Requirements
  

       Master’s Degree

                o    Master of Arts
                o    Master of Science
                o    Master of Fine Arts
                o    Master of Public Health  

• Doctor of Philosophy    
• Graduate Academic Regulations
• Admission Information
  • Admission Procedure
  • Admission Requirements
• Financial Assistance
  • Fellowships
  • Assistantships
  • Loans and Part-Time Employment
• Special Programs and Centers
  

Although Thomas Jefferson’s original plan for the University contemplated graduate instruction, the first such department in the modern sense was not instituted until 1859-60 by Professor Basil Gildersleeve in the School of Greek. Shortly after the Civil War, a similar department was announced for the School of Latin. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was offered initially by the University as early as 1880 and was first awarded in 1885. No formal departmental organization for graduate study existed, however, until 1904. In that year, the Graduate School was established under regulations corresponding to the requirements of the Association of American Universities, in which the University of Virginia was the first southern university to hold membership.

The administrative offices of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are located on the first floor of Randall Hall (434-924-6739). The mailing address is University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400775, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4775.

Master’s Degres (Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Public Health)

The Master’s degree will be conferred upon the holder of an approved baccalaureate degree who has fulfilled within the designated time limit all requirements as set forth below. Successful candidates in the departments which offer both the M.A. and M.S. may upon recommendation of their departmental faculty elect the M.S. degree.

Academic Requirements No fewer than 30 credits of graduate courses, no more than 6 of which may be Non-Topical Research if the degree involves a thesis, must be successfully completed while enrolled as a graduate student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The program should be arranged in consultation with the professors concerned, approved by a faculty advisor of the major subject or department, and The courses may all be in one subject or department, but the candidate may, with the approval of his or her advisor, elect a limited number of appropriate courses offered in other departments. Only graduate courses (courses taught by members of one of the graduate faculties of the University) may be counted toward a graduate degree, and no extension, correspondence, home-study, or transfer courses will be counted toward the degrees of Master of Arts and Master of Science. Courses applied for a Master’s degree from one department may not be used to fulfill requirements for a Master’s degree in a second department of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Following the course descriptions for each department will be found statements of any special requirements, including language requirements,  in that department for the M.A. or M.S. degree.

Final Examination A candidate must receive a satisfactory standing in a final examination, oral or written or both, conducted by two or more faculty members designated by the candidate’s department. The result of the examination, with the names of the examiners, must be reported by the chair of the examining committee to the Graduate School no later than two weeks before final exercises.

Residency Requirement Master’s students must be enrolled in a minimum of two semesters of full-time study.  The only exception is for students who are enrolled in a GSAS approved part-time program.

Thesis Departments may include a Master’s thesis as one of the degree requirements. Consult departments directly for detailed instructions on the subject and method of the thesis.  For departments that require a final, formal thesis, the physical standards for the thesis and the deadlines for submission are found on the GSAS website.  They are the same guidelines as those for the Ph.D. dissertation.  Theses remain on file with the UVa Library System.

Time Limitation All work for the Master’s degree must be completed within five years from the first term of enrollment if the work is done primarily during the regular academic session and within seven years if the work is done primarily in summer sessions.
 

Master of Fine Arts

The Master of Fine Arts program is offered by the Departments of Drama and English. Students in these programs must meet the minimum GSAS academic requirements for a Master’s degree as well as any additional departmental requirements.

Master of Public Health

Students in this programs must meet the minimum GSAS academic requirements for a Master’s degree as well as any additional departmental requirements.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy will be conferred upon the holder of an approved baccalaureate degree who has fulfilled within the designated time limit all requirements as set forth by GSAS and his/her department.

Academic Requirements Constituting not less than 72 hours of graduate credit of which no more than 18 be Non-Topical Research, the program of studies must be successfully completed under satisfactory conditions of registration. The student may elect courses in more than one department or subject if they contribute appropriately to his or her program, but the entire program must be directed and approved by one department. With the approval of the supervising department and the dean, up to one third of the required hours of graduate work may be completed at another graduate school; also with the approval of the supervising department and the dean, up to one third of the required hours may be spent in dissertation research elsewhere.

Exceptional students who complete all other degree requirements within two calendar years of entering this Graduate School may petition the dean to waive the third year of graduate work.

Following the course listings of the departments will be found statements of any special requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Dissertation The preparation of a dissertation exhibiting independent research in the candidate’s major subject is required. The advisory professor will periodically evaluate the student’s progress on the dissertation. If the student’s progress is judged to be unsatisfactory, the advisory professor may recommend a new topic or may recommend to the department that the student not be allowed to continue his or her graduate work. The student should consult the advisory professor in reference to any special departmental requirements relating to the dissertation.

The title of the dissertation is to be approved by the advisory professor. The dissertation must be submitted in completed form to the department for approval by the advisory professor and by the special examining committee (see below, under “Final Examination”).  Dissertations must be submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in the physical standards outlined on the GSAS website.

Final Examination A candidate must receive a satisfactory standing in a final examination, oral, written, or both. A dissertation committee will examine the candidate on the major subject and allied subjects as prescribed by the committee. The dissertation committee, under the chairmanship of the advisor professor, will consist of a minimum of four members from the graduate faculty, one of whom must be from outside a student’s home department and serves as a representative of the graduate faculty. Once the minimum GSAS requirements have been met, additional committee members from within the University or from other institutions may be added; individuals from other institutions may not serve as the Dean’s representative. Through its chair, the dissertation committee may invite other members of the departmental faculty to take part in the examination;  the doctoral examination may be given before the entire professional staff of the department concerned. The result of the examination, with the names of the committee members and their departmental affiliation, must be reported to the Graduate School  by May 1st for May graduation, August 1st for August graduation, and December 1st for December graduation (the next business day if any of these dates fall on a weekend).

The candidate shall not be admitted to the final examination before satisfying the foreign language requirement, if such is required by the candidate’s department. No candidate may be admitted to the final examination until the dissertation has been accepted. Preliminary examinations may, in addition, be required by individual departments.
  

Residency Requirement The minimum length of study for the Ph.D. is three years.  In exceptional circumstances, students may petition the associate dean of graduate programs to waive the third year of graduate work.  No degree candidacy will be approved unless the student has spent at least two consecutive semesters during the academic year in a Ph.D. program in full-time residential study at this University.

Time Limitation All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed within seven years from the first term of enrollment in the Ph.D. Program. In case of interruption of work by military service, time spent in service will be excluded from the computation of this seven-year period.

Certificate of Candidacy A Certificate of Candidacy may be awarded by certain departments to students who have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. degree except for the dissertation. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does not award these certificates. 

Course Enrollment  Students are required to register for 12 credit hours to be a full-time student. To avoid problems with tuition bills and financial aid, students must register prior to when tuition bills are generated.  The estimated cost of tuition and fees for graduate students can be found here: http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/estimated.php#GRAD12 Directors of Graduate Studies in each department and program will advise graduate students on specific course registration.

Registration is not complete until all fees have been paid or satisfactory arrangements have been made with Student Financial Services. Changes in a student’s registration record after the final day for dropping a course, including changing grading options, can be made only with the approval of the assistant dean and associate dean for graduate programs.

Every graduate studentmust be registered in the Graduate School during the semester in which he or she is an applicant for a degree.

Attendance Students are expected to attend classes throughout the session with the exception of University holidays. When necessary, excuses for absence from class are arranged between the student and the instructor of the course in question. Routine excuses for illness are not furnished by the Department of Student Health either to the student or to the instructor. On request of the assistant  dean of graduate programs, the Department of Student Health will evaluate the effect of any illness upon a student’s attendance and academic performance. Failure by students to attend lectures and other prescribed exercises in the courses for which they are registered may subject them to penalties for non-attendance.

Attendance Upon Examinations Written examinations are an essential part of the work of most courses in the Graduate School, and attendance at them is required of every student. Absence from examination will not be excused except for sickness on the day of examination attested by a physician’s certificate or for other cause which the graduate faculty by special action may approve. An unexcused absence is counted as a failure.

Grades and GPA The standing of a graduate student in each course is indicated by one of the following grades: A+, A, A-; B+, B, B-; C+, C, C-; D+, D, D-; F. B- is the lowest satisfactory grade for graduate credit In courses where the grading option is Satisfactory(S)/Unsatisfactory (U), Unsatisfactory (U)  is considered to be a failing grade as is a grade of No Credit (NC).  Students with a grade point average below 3.00 for an academic year will be considered as not making satisfactory progress toward a degree. Students with a cumulative grade point average below 3.00 in the courses offered for a degree will not be considered to have satisfactory status with respect to earning that degree.  Students will be asked to leave a program/department if they are not in satisfactory academic status.

A report of IN (incomplete) on a graduate course is changed by the university registrar to a failing grade in 200 days from the date grades were due if the course is not completed by the end of the next regular semester. Courses in which no grade was recorded are changed to a failing grade within 30 days of the day grades were due. Failing grades recorded in this manner have the same effect on the student’s record and status as failing grades assigned by instructors. Unsatisfactory performance during any semester may be considered sufficient reason for placement on academic probation and/or being asked to leave a program/department.

Degree Conferral Any graduate student who wishes to become a candidate for a degree must file the degree application with the Enrolled Student Office, Randall Hall or on the web at: http://www.artsandsciences.virginia.edu/gradschool/index.html. All graduate degree applications must be submitted not later than October 1 if the degree is to be conferred at the end of the fall term, February 1 if the degree is to be conferred in May, or July 1 if the degree is to be conferred in August.  If these dates fall on a weekend, the next business day will be considered the official degree application due date.

The degree application must include a program of work arranged in accordance with the completed and in-progress degree requirements, a completed final exam form,  outlined. A transcript of the applicant’s previous academic record, attesting the content of his or her baccalaureate degree, must also be on file in the Enrolled Student Office .

Candidates who do not receive a degree in the semester for which their application has been approved must renew their application in proper form at the beginning of the semester in which candidacy for the degree is desired. Candidates who find that they will not be able to receive their degree in the semester for which their application was approved must remove their name from the degree list by notifying the graduate school registrar and providing the updated graduation term. If you change your graduation term to summer, remember to register for the summer term.

Voluntary Withdrawal A graduate student may not voluntarily withdraw from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences later than one week immediately preceding the beginning of course examinations. After discussing the reasons for the withdraw with his/her Director of Graduate Studies, an official application to withdraw must be obtained from the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science.This application must be approved by the dean, with a statement of the reason for the withdrawal. The student must report to the Office of the Dean of Students for an exit interview. The official withdrawal form will be forwarded to the university registrar, who notifies all other administrative offices of the withdrawal action.

A student who withdraws from the University for reason of ill health must notify the Department of Student Health, and subsequent medical clearance from the Department of Student Health is among the requirements for readmission of all students. To apply for readmission to the University, the student must submit an application to the academic dean’s office at least 60 days before the next University scheduled class registration.

Failure to comply with the above regulations will subject the student to suspension from the University by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Readmission After Voluntary Withdrawal Readmission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is not automatic; students with a break in enrollment the length of one semester to two years must complete the process to be reinstated to the Graduate School. Any absence longer than two years, requires the student to reapply to their program of study.

Enforced Withdrawal The student may be required to withdraw from the University if the academic advisor, the responsible departmental members and the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences determine that the student is making unsatisfactory progress toward a degree (See Grades, Voluntary Withdrawal, and University General Regulations).

Posthumous Degrees Eligibility for posthumous degrees extends only to students enrolled in B.A. and B.S. programs.

Admission Procedure

Application for admission must be made online at http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/gradschool/admissions/index.html. Official results of the Graduate Record Examination (General Test and for some departments one Subject Test)and two letters of recommendation from professors, preferably those who taught in the field of the major subject, are required in further support of the application. Upon acceptance to the graduate program, the application must be supported by official transcripts of the applicant’s entire academic record, including records of any advanced work which may have been done in another institution.  Additional materials are required by some departments. Applicants can apply to only one program in Graduate Arts and Sciences. The nonrefundable application fee of $60 is payable at the time of application. Since the application fee is nonrefundable, applicants are urged to read carefully the admission requirements before submitting an application. Since most decisions for admission are made by April 15, applicants are urged to submit their materials early for consideration. Deadlines for individual departments vary:  please see http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/gradschool/index.html for further information.

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Admission Requirements

All applicants must take the GRE General Test and, for some departments, the Subject Test in the proposed field of specialization. Inquiries concerning this testing program and application to take the tests should be addressed to the Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, www.gre.org or call 1-800-GRE-CALL.

The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in arts or in science from a collegiate institution of recognized rank. Other Baccalaureate degrees from such institutions may be acceptable upon approval of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Holders of the degree of Doctor of Medicine may be considered for admission as students in the Medical Science group.

The applicant should have a B average in their undergraduate program or the equivalent in terms of credit standards of the college from which the applicant comes, as estimated by the Dean of the Graduate School. Certain departments in this University, because of the large number of well qualified applicants, require a general grade average of B or higher.

Academic credits, undergraduate or graduate, earned more than 10 sessions, or 10 calendar years before the date of application for admission will ordinarily be considered no longer valid and therefore will not form a basis for admission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. At the discretion of the department in which the student proposes to work, such credits may be validated by an examination or examinations given at the University of Virginia.

The University offers financial assistance to students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences through a variety of programs: fellowships, assistantships, and loans.

Fellowships

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has a number of merit fellowships supported by endowments, gifts, and other sources which it offers to exceptional students. These fellowships are available to all students and are awarded on the individual’s academic achievements and promise. Fellowships are granted with the provisions that good academic standing is maintained and that the recipients remain in residence at the University during the award period. In addition to these fellowships some departments have merit fellowships with comparable stipends that are awarded by the department on the same basis as the Graduate School fellowships.

A student must be nominated by his or her department in order to be considered for a Graduate School fellowship. Students seeking admission to the Graduate School who indicate on the application for admission that they seek financial aid will automatically be considered by the department to which they are applying as candidates for fellowships. Returning graduate students should indicate to their department that they wish to be considered for a fellowship.

All fellowships, with the exception of the Jefferson Fellowships, are awarded for no longer than one academic year and are not automatically renewed. The Jefferson Scholars Graduate Fellowship carries a living stipend totaling at least $30,000 plus tuition, fees, and health insurance and is renewable for five years.

Assistantships

Assistantships and part-time instructorships are available in most departments. These involve teaching, grading, laboratory assistance, and other duties. The salary varies according to the duties and the amount of time required of the student. For information concerning assistantships, applicants should write directly to the Director of Graduate Studies of the department in which they are interested.

Out-of-state graduate students who are teaching assistants and are paid at least $5,000 may receive a tuition adjustment fellowship to pay the difference between the out-of-state and in-state tuition. Out-of-state research assistants and graduate assistants who are paid at least $5,000 may receive a tuition adjustment fellowship to pay a percentage (up to 100 percent) of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition.

Graduate teaching assistants who are employed at half-time or greater (10 hours or more per week) will have their in-state tuition and required fees (excluding activities fees) remitted during the semester of their employment.

Loans and Part-Time Employment

In addition to fellowships and assistantships graduate students may apply for financial assistance through the Office of Student Financial Services. All awards from federal loan or employment funds are based on need. To apply for assistance a University financial aid application must be submitted to Student Financial Services and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For further information or applications, contact Student Financial Services, P.O. Box 400207, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4207. 

In addition to the degree programs listed above, graduate instruction in arts and sciences is also provided through the following special programs and centers located on the Grounds of the University.

The Carter G. Woodson Institute The Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies was established in 1981 to promote interdisciplinary research on the histories of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Collaborating with departments and programs in the humanities and social sciences, the Woodson Institute administers the undergraduate major/minor degree in African-American and African Studies (AAS) as well as a minor in African Studies (AS). Through its internationally acclaimed residential fellowship program, the Woodson Institute awards pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to scholars pursuing research in a broad array of topics pertaining to the African diaspora.   To facilitate intellectual exchange throughout the University, the Institute organizes annual symposia, as well as a colloquium series featuring residential fellows, University faculty members, and distinguished visiting lecturers.  Through its publication series, sponsored by the University Press of Virginia, the Institute has advanced interdisciplinary scholarship in Africana Studies.  In its sponsorship and support of “local knowledge” initiatives–research related to Charlottesville and the broader Commonwealth of Virginia–the Institute has promoted its mission of educational outreach.

The East Asia Center was founded in 1975 to provide a forum for faculty and student interest in East and Southeast Asia.  The Center is an interdisciplinary organization of faculty, each of whom is a full member of a department. Asia-related and Asian language courses are taught as part of the various departmental curricula. The Center administers the interdisciplinary MA and MBA/MA degree programs in East Asian Studies, encourages and coordinates Asia-related activities, including a lecture series and outreach programs, and administers a travel grant program for student and faculty travel to Asia.  The East Asia Center, along with the South Asia Center and the Tibet Center, is one of the component units of the Asia Institute. The East Asia Center is designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education.

The South Asian Center The Center for South Asian Studies at the University is one of the nine federally funded National Resource Centers for the Study of South Asia—its diverse peoples, languages, cultures, religions, and history. Coordinating academic studies, outreach programs, and research relating to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet, the center offers a wide range of courses in languages and the disciplines, a comprehensive library, and substantial fellowship and assistantship awards, as well as educational and cultural programs in the community.

Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service was created in 1931 as the Virginia Institute of Government. In 1987 the Tayloe Murphy Institute was folded into the program and the entity was renamed for Professor Weldon Cooper.  With research programs in government, public policy, business and economics, and demographics, the center brings multiple perspectives to the study of Virginia. It assists both state and local governments in the commonwealth with research into specific issues, management expertise, planning, and social and economic data. The center also sponsors professional education programs for government managers and elected officials, and it operates civic education programs like the Virginia Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. In all its work, the center aims to apply the University’s resources to improving the public life of Virginia.  Senior staff members are University faculty who frequently teach courses in their respective fields. The center employs both work-study students, who serve as office staff, and graduate research assistants, who gain firsthand experience in research and government by participating in center projects. The center’s publications program makes readily available a wealth of data on Virginia to supplement students’ course work in political science, economics, history, and sociology. Besides its central offices in Charlottesville, the Center maintains offices in Richmond, Southside (Danville), and Southwest Virginia (Wise County).

The Center for Russian and East European Studies serves as a resource for research and scholarship in the field of Russian and East European studies. The center does not offer courses of its own, but a Certificate in Russian Studies is awarded graduate students who obtain an M.A., a Ph.D., or a professional degree in a department or professional school and meet certain other requirements. An interdisciplinary graduate degree in Russian studies is offered under the auspices of the Slavic department; for further details see the entry on the Slavic department in this Record.

Center for Survey Research (edits forthcoming, per Amy) The Center for Survey Research (CSR) enhances the research capabilities of the University by making available the technical resources needed for survey research of the highest scientific quality. CSR produces, and helps others produce, academically visible and innovative research that contributes to substantive knowledge in the social sciences and related fields, and advances the ongoing technical development of scientific survey methods. The center assists faculty in their research as well as government agencies, private foundations, businesses, and non-profit organizations by consulting and carrying out project design, data collection, and data analysis.

In addition to its expert research and teaching faculty, CSR’s staff includes graduate research assistants, undergraduate interns, and part-time student employees who gain firsthand knowledge of the theory and practice of survey research. The center works with faculty, staff, and students from all schools in the University.

The Miller Center The Miller Center is a nonpartisan institute at the University of Virginia focused on the presidency, policy, and political history that works to inform public debate and national decision-making. It is the leading organization in the country looking to provide historical insights for the policymaking challenges the country faces today. These insights put today’s policy debates in perspective and point toward a framework for practical, lasting solutions. The Miller Center’s groundbreaking work in conducting the official presidential oral history projects of every administration from Jimmy Carter through George W. Bush, and in transcribing and annotating the secret White House tapes of FDR through Nixon, gives the Miller Center unparalleled ability to bring context and insight to policy challenges. This work provides first-hand accounts of how previous administrations have dealt with difficult and complex issues. Our scholars are leaders in their fields, publishing with Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Cornell, and the University of Chicago, among others, studying political decision-making and its impact on policy development, with regards to the presidency and to U.S. policy more broadly. The work of the Miller Center’s roughly 50 faculty and staff in its offices in Charlottesville and Washington is summarized in three words:  “History. Policy. Impact.”  For more information, visit millercenter.org.

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