"The Doctor of Philosophy and the Doctor of Musical Arts are the highest degrees conferred at UW-Madison. Neither is conferred solely as a result of any prescribed period of study, no matter how faithfully pursued. The PhD degree is a research degree and is granted on evidence of general proficiency, distinctive attainment in a special field, and particularly on ability for independent investigation as demonstrated in a dissertation presenting original research or creative scholarship with a high degree of literary skill." (Graduate School Catalog)

"The PhD ... degree program must be rationally unified, and all courses must contribute to an organized program of study and research. Courses must be selected from groups embracing one principal subject of concentration, called the major (see list of Majors and Degrees), and from one or more related fields, called the minor." (Graduate School Catalog)

Students who wish to enter the doctoral program must have a master's degree or its equivalent and the approval of the entire department as well as their major professors.

Students in the Department of Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who wish to proceed from the MA to the PhD program must formally apply through the Administrator. They should submit a statement of purpose that gives a clear indication of the direction their studies will take and a letter of recommendation from their major professors. The entire faculty will review the student's application and academic record, and the chair will notify the candidates of the results in writing.

Students' courses of study in the PhD program must meet the minimum requirements of the department and any additional requirements determined by the students' major professors. For example, language requirements will vary considerably according to their areas of specialization. At the beginning of or just prior to the first semester of PhD work, students should meet with their major professors to draw up a formal written description of additional requirements with specific courses noted wherever possible. The requirements may subsequently be modified upon agreement of both parties.

(Note: Courses taken in addition to basic requirements at the MA level may count toward the requirements of the PhD program.)

(The following example assumes the student has made a good start on a second foreign language and does not need to take extra art history courses. It also assumes the student will spend two semesters research time abroad. Specific cases will vary.)

The Minor Field

The program for the minor should receive formal written approval from the major professor and be listed on the Minor Agreement form kept on file in the department office. Courses taken in satisfaction of a language requirement may not be counted toward satisfaction of minor field requirements. Additional literature courses, however, are acceptable. Students should ask the Department Administrator for the "PhD Minor Agreement Form" one semester prior to taking the Preliminary Exam.

Each student will have a PhD committee to oversee his or her preliminary exams and dissertation prospectus. The committee is comprised of three members of the graduate faculty led by the major professor and including at least one other member of the department. The members should remain as consistent as circumstances, such as leave schedules, allow and should include at least one member, besides the major professors, reasonably familiar with the historical material central to the student's interest. The third member would likely be similarly qualified or have close theoretical/methodological interests. These members will form the core of the dissertation committee (see below).

The dissertation prospectus should be completed as soon as possible after preliminary exams, within a year at the latest (except in extraordinary cases). It is to be written before the majority of the research has been completed. It should readily convey even to the non-specialist the nature and import of the project. The main text should be twelve to fifteen pages in length and include the following components:

Prospectus Components

1) A brief description and statement of the central research question or problem and rationale for its merit and import as a scholarly contribution.

2) A critical overview and analysis of the state of current research, including an assessment of varying interpretations and a statement of how the proposed project differs and what it intends to add to the field.

3) A plan of research and statement on methodology.

4) A preliminary outline of chapters.

5) A research and writing schedule, including a description of planned research trips.

6) A substantial annotated bibliography.

Prospectus Colloquium

In the semester in which the dissertation colloquium is to be scheduled, students will present the prospectus to the PhD committee after consultation with the major professor.

At a mutually agreed-upon time the committee members will convene for the colloquium, a meeting during which the committee discusses the feasibility of the project and provides constructive advice. The committee should be comprised of a minimum of 3 professors but it is recommended that all 5 members of the dissertation committee be present. Although it is preferable that the student participate in person, this meeting can take place either with or without the student. At this stage the committee will determine whether the prospectus passes, passes with revisions, needs to be revised and resubmitted, or fails. It is understood that when completed the dissertation may vary in content or argument from the prospectus.

A public presentation of the dissertation topic or argument is encouraged at any point in the process.

After satisfying all language and course requirements, students take individual preliminary exams, which are intended to assess their up-to-date mastery of major artists and monuments and the scholarship and key issues in each of three fields. Students select the fields in consultation with their major professors.

Students must register their prelims with their major professors and the Department Administrator at least 8-weeks in advance. In order to do this, they must have removed all incompletes and progresses from their records, and must have fulfilled all course, minor, and language requirements. The office will then request the Graduate School warrants that authorize the administration of the exams. The Department Administrator retains them until the students pass or fail.

Students must be registered for at least two (2) credits of Art History 799 the semester they are taking the preliminary exam, except for summer.

The preliminary exams consist of two parts, one written and the other oral. They may occur in either order. The written exam is a 7-day research and writing project on a question assigned by the major professor and read by all the members of the candidate's Ph.D. committee. In the oral exam, the members of the PhD committee each ask questions of the candidate for about 30 to 45 minutes. As soon as possible, before the exam, students should establish the scope of the questions in one or more meetings with each examiner and confirm the agreement in writing.

The department will notify each student who takes prelims about the results of the examination within two weeks of the completion of the examination.

If a student fails either part of the preliminary examination the first time, the committee may permit him or her to re-take the entire examination. This option, however, rests entirely with the committee.

A dissertation committee comprised of the members of the PhD committee and two additional members will oversee each dissertation. At least three of the total number will be members of the Art History Department.

"Once you achieve dissertator status you are expected to maintain continuous registration until completion of the doctoral degree." (Graduate School Catalog) Dissertators need to register each fall and spring semester for three (3) credits of Art History 990 to maintain continuous registration. Dissertators are not permitted to register for any other courses as the dissertator tuition is significantly lower and the necessary course work will have been completed by the time a student takes prelims.

The Dissertation

The dissertation is a book-length study in which the candidate demonstrates a full range of scholarly skills. It should show insight and originality in the questions it proposes to answer. It should present evidence of thorough research in primary and secondary sources. Candidates in art history, visual culture, and material culture should also show their ability to analyze visual and material evidence. Arguments should be clear, well-written, and persuasive both to specialists and to other scholars outside the major field.

Each candidate must defend the dissertation before his or her dissertation committee. The candidates should inform the Department Administrator when they plan to defend. She will prepare the necessary documents and submit them to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will return the warrants with the following brochures: The Three D's, Dissertation Guide, Reader's Page, Publishing Your Dissertation, Survey of Earned Doctorates (the warrant will be retained by the Department Administrator and the candidate will receive the brochures and title page). The Department Administrator schedules the examinations and notifies the committee members.

Candidates should submit at least half of their chapters to their major professors as they complete them in the first year of writing. The professors should return the individual drafts in a timely fashion, normally in three to four weeks for each chapter. Some candidates may need as much as an additional year to undertake sufficient revisions.

Students who plan to graduate in May should submit more polished drafts of at least two thirds of their dissertations to the members of their PhD committees by October 15. Those planning to graduate in December should do so by February 28. The students should receive their readers' comments in a written report by November 15 (or March 31). Students should not expect the department to send out assurances of graduation to potential employers until this phase is successfully completed.

By February 28 (or October 15), the candidates should submit complete drafts, including full notes, bibliography, and illustrations to the entire dissertation committee. Candidates who miss the February deadline should not expect to receive degrees in May and run the risk of having to wait until the following December since faculty are not available in the summer.

At least two (2) months before the oral defense of the dissertation, the candidates must obtain the form for establishing the examining committee (titled PhD Final Oral Committee Approval Form) from the Department Administrator. The dissertation defense should occur no later than April 30 to allow time for final changes to the manuscript. Under no circumstances should committee members be asked to read material in the last two weeks of any semester.

Students who do not defend their dissertations within five years of passing their preliminary examinations without an excellent excuse will be asked to retake the exams.

After a successful defense, the candidate should make an appointment with the PhD Examiner, Room 217 Bascom Hall, phone 262-3011, and take the library copy of the dissertation, title page, the signed abstract, and all of the completed forms to the Graduate School for approval. Students are required to do this in person. The student then goes to the Bursar to pay a microfilming and depositing fee. The Graduate School PhD Degree Office now handles sending the dissertation to be microfilmed, bound and catalogued. The abstract will be published in Dissertation Abstracts. (See http://www.grad.wisc.edu/admin/academicservices/ddd.html, Step 3-5, for further instructions)

Your PhD dissertation must be your own work. If it is the result of research enterprises in which others have collaborated, you must present a substantial portion representing your own contribution.

Publication of the doctoral dissertation is required. The University uses University Microfilms Inc. (UMI), Ann Arbor, Michigan, to publish the thesis on microfilm and to publish an abstract of the dissertation in Dissertations Abstracts, a monthly publication. You must pay the cost of microfilming the dissertation and publishing the abstract.

Three copies of the dissertation are needed: one library copy on 25% rag content, 20 lb. weight paper, and two xerox copies. The library copy is for deposit in the University of Wisconsin Memorial Library and the other two are for the major professor and the student (after the oral exam). The Graduate School does the filing of the dissertation for the student.

The student must also prepare an abstract of not more than 350 words. The purpose of the abstract is to give a succinct account of the dissertation, and it should include these items: statement of problem; procedure or methods; results; and conclusions. The student must prepare one original abstract and four xerox copies. For proper format consult the handout "Dissertation Guide."