Joint PhD Graduate Programs
Historical Overview
Graduate Chairs
Doctoral Programs Committee
Advising
Required Courses in Women’s Studies
Policies and Procedures
Transferring Credits
Required Fee Totals
Master’s Degrees
Detached Study and Leaves of Absence
Joint PhD Student Handbook
The University of Michigan Women’s Studies Department offers four joint
interdisciplinary PhD options. It offers no stand alone PhD program.
The available joint PhD programs are in:
By choosing one of our joint PhD degrees, students benefit from:
- opportunities for interdisciplinary research and mentoring with a diverse faculty
community dedicated to excellence,
- an active cohort of students involved in both Women’s Studies and another discipline, and
- the intellectual and financial resources of a top-tier research university.
The joint degree is unique in that it combines grounding in one of four disciplines, training in feminist theories and methodologies, and interdisciplinary coursework in Women’s Studies. Students fulfill requirements in two units and pass a preliminary examination in both their disciplinary department and in Women’s Studies. In some cases, the dissertation project will be centrally located in the discipline and informed by feminist theory and/or methodology; in other cases, the project will exist at the intersection of the discipline and Women’s Studies as an interdisciplinary endeavor.
Historical Overview
In 1982, the Women’s Studies Department established a Graduate Certificate
to serve graduate students already enrolled in a terminal degree program. Functioning
as a supplement to a PhD or terminal degree, this 15-credit program sought
to offer formal training in a field that until then was either largely self-taught
or reflected only in dissertation research.
Twelve years later, we began to offer an interdepartmental doctoral program for small groups of students whose work cannot or should not be constricted by parameters of traditional disciplines. These doctoral students have the opportunity to acquire the conceptual and methodological tools grounded in the interdisciplinary perspective of Women’s Studies. With an interdisciplinary faculty committee that provides shaping direction from an early stage, these students benefit from the kind of collaborative mentorship necessary to develop and complete an interdisciplinary dissertation.
The first students were admitted to the joint doctoral programs in English
and Psychology in 1994, followed by History in 1999. During that period, the
Department committed itself to staffing a Graduate Chair position, which oversees
student progress and program policies. A joint doctoral program was approved
with Sociology in 2002, with the first students to be admitted in 2004. Although
there remain challenges, the joint doctoral programs have been extremely successful
as a doctoral experience, and their success has created a distinctive niche
for the Department nationally. In addition, the joint PhD programs have richly
benefited the Department as a whole: undergraduates profit from PhD students’ teaching
grounded in feminist pedagogy; faculty appreciate being able to engage in a
sustained manner with an individual’s training in an interdisciplinary
field; and students contribute to the production of knowledge in novel and
creative ways.
History of Women’s Studies Graduate Program
| 1982 |
Women’s Studies Certificate (18 credits) established |
| 1994 |
English
and Psychology joint PhD programs established |
| 1995 |
Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG) established,
including Community of Scholars Program for graduate students |
| 1996 |
WS Certificate reduced from 18 to 15 credits |
| 1998 |
First Graduate Chair in Women’s Studies |
| 1998 |
Abigail
Stewart, Anne Herrmann, Sidonie Smith, “The Joint Doctoral Program
at the University of Michigan” Feminist Studies 24:2 (summer
1998) |
| 1999 |
History joint PhD program established |
| 2001 |
WS 501 (proseminar for first year joint PhD students) created |
| 2004 |
Sociology joint PhD program established |
| 2006 |
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Studies Certificate Established |
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Women’s Studies Graduate Chairs
| 1998–99 |
Domna Stanton (Romance Languages) |
| 1999–00 |
Suzanne Raitt (English) |
| 2000–01 |
Domna Stanton (Romance Languages) |
| 2001–03 |
Peggy McCracken (Romance Languages) |
| 2003–06 |
Anne Herrmann (English) |
| 2006– |
Deborah Keller-Cohen (Linguistics) |
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Doctoral Programs Committee (DPC)
The Doctoral Programs Committee (DPC) handles all administrative and policy matters pertaining to the joint PhD programs.
The DPC:
- oversees the admissions process
- makes and coordinates funding decisions
- decides on curricular and policy changes
- tracks student progress
The committee is chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies and consists
of a liaison from each participating department. The liaison in most
cases will be a faculty member with a joint appointment in Women’s Studies and the department.
Faculty liaisons for 2007–08:
WS and English: Petra Kuppers
WS and History: Valerie Kivelson (Fall); Nancy Hunt (Winter)
WS and Psychology: Lilia Cortina (Fall); Abby Stewart (Winter)
WS and Sociology: Margaret Somers
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Advising
In English, students choose an advisor their first year. Second- and third-year
students are generally advised by their preliminary exam chairs. In History,
a student is assigned an advisor in the student’s field. Second- and
third-year students are generally advised by their preliminary exam chairs.
Psychology students will work with their PSYCH
619 advisor. If the 619 advisor does not have an appointment in WS, joint students
may seek out someone who holds a joint appointment in WS and Psychology as
their joint program advisor and WS mentor. In their second and third years,
WS and Psychology students will continue to be advised by their 619 advisors
and/or their joint program advisor, as well as the faculty liaison.
In Sociology, students are assigned an advisor who is joint with Women’s Studies and Sociology, from year one until the student decides on a second prelim area (WS891) or dissertation topic.
Required Courses in Women’s Studies
The four joint doctoral programs in Women’s Studies all have the same basic Women’s Studies course requirements. Additional requirements are stipulated by each department.
WS 501: Proseminar in Women’s Studies (1 credit)
This course introduces students to graduate study in the joint Women’s Studies PhD program. It is intended to give new students a place to form community, to meet Women’s Studies faculty, to think about Women’s Studies as a discipline and the nature of interdisciplinary study, and to begin to discuss professional issues.
Core Courses
- WS 530: Feminist Theory (3 credits)
This course provides an interdisciplinary exploration of various schools of feminist thought. It examines ways in which feminist scholars across the disciplines have theorized power and difference with regard to gender, race, sexuality, class and nation. It also explores the relationship of particular theories to both the production of knowledge and political practice.
- One of the following three courses (3 credits):
These courses are designed to examine various methodological issues in feminist scholarship in relation to paradigms developed by the disciplines. Students in English and History will generally take either WS 601 or WS 603; students in Psychology and Sociology will generally take either WS 602 or WS 603.
WS 601: Approaches to Feminist Scholarship in the Humanities
WS 602: Approaches to Feminist Scholarship in the Social Sciences
WS 603: Approaches to Feminist Scholarship on Women of Color
- WS 891: Advanced Research
[3 credits Psychology & History; 3 (if completed over one term) or 6 credits (if completed over two terms; i.e. 3 credits twice) Sociology & English)
- Additional coursework: 9 credit hours
Joint students take nine hours (typically three courses) of graduate coursework in addition to their three core courses. These are chosen from among Women’s Studies offerings and courses cross-listed with Women’s Studies and other departments. Courses cross-listed with your own department may be used to fulfill this requirement. At least one of the additional courses must be an interdisciplinary course and must include substantial coverage of theoretical issues. Students are also encouraged to include among these courses that focus on sexuality studies and global feminisms.
Cognate Requirements
The Rackham cognate requirement is automatically fulfilled by students enrolled in Women’s Studies joint PhD programs.
Additional Requirements
Reviews
Third-, fourth-, and fifth-term reviews are meant to provide academic advisement and signify confidence in the student’s potential to continue in the joint PhD program. Please consult descriptions of individual programs for more information.
Women’s Studies 891 and Preliminary Examinations
Preliminary exams are conducted according to the requirements of each department. WS 891 is an advanced research project conducted under the guidance of an individual faculty member in the context of an interdisciplinary committee. The 891 project and its discussion at an oral exam serve as the preliminary examination in Women’s Studies.
Students work closely with a faculty member (in the context of a committee) on an interdisciplinary research project. The 891 is meant to provide a bridge between coursework and work on the dissertation; it is also meant to integrate knowledge and methods acquired from both Women’s Studies and the discipline. Students enroll in this class by registering under a faculty member’s INDI (individual instruction) number. Please consult the 891 examination procedures described under each program.
Dissertation Prospectus/Proposal
The prospectus is a student’s proposal or plan for dissertation research and writing. Please see the individual program descriptions for specific information. Please remember to file a copy of your prospectus with the Women’s Studies Graduate Office.
Language Requirement
Please see the individual program descriptions. PhD students in Women’s Studies and English and Women’s Studies and History cannot advance to candidacy without meeting the language requirement for their programs.
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Policies and Procedures
Petitioning
Requests for exceptions to any Women’s Studies program regulations must
be made to the Women’s Studies Director of Graduate Studies. In some
cases, the Director of Graduate Studies may wish to consult the DPC. A Petition
for Modification or Waiver of Regulation form may also need to be filed
with Rackham.
Satisfactory Progress
Satisfactory progress is defined as maintaining an appropriate academic record, reaching the various stages of progress in the program at or near the expected time, and, for students supported by GSIships, giving evidence of satisfactory teaching. Cases of students not maintaining satisfactory progress will be reviewed by the Graduate Director and referred, if necessary, to the DPC.
To maintain satisfactory academic standing, graduate students must make satisfactory progress toward their degrees and have a minimum Rackham cumulative grade point average (GPA) of “B” (5.0 on a 9 point scale) as well as a minimum GPA of “B” for all graduate courses taken for credit and applied towards the degree programs. Students who fall below this average are placed on academic probation.
Please keep in mind that
- Students are expected to finish Incompletes in a timely manner.
- The Women’s Studies Program takes satisfactory progress into account in awarding teaching support and internal fellowships.
- Students are expected to complete the degree within 10 terms of support.
Stages of satisfactory progress will differ in each program; please consult the individual program descriptions for English, History, Psychology or Sociology for more information.
Please keep both Women’s Studies and your department informed of any exceptions made to requirements and your progress on requirements. If your progress involves filling out forms, please file them with both units.
Transferring Credits
All transfer of credits must be discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies in both Women’s Studies and your department.
For additional information, also review Rackham’s guidelines.
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REQUIRED FEE TOTALS (RFTs)
Students enrolled in Rackham must accumulate a minimum number of credits for
which Rackham fees are assessed, called the Required Fee Total (RFT). No more
than nine credits may be counted toward a full term (five in a half term),
regardless of the number of academic hours elected.
Doctoral students must accumulate at least 68 fee hours (which is typically achieved by the end of the 9th term). At least 36 fee hours must be accumulated prior to candidacy.
If you have an MA degree that is relevant to your doctoral program at Michigan,
you may apply to have your Required Fee Total requirements reduced by 18 RFTs.
The reduction in RFTs will be made when the Office of Academic Records and
Dissertations receives a memo from your department or program verifying the
relevance of the master’s degree with an enclosed official
transcript from the institution that granted the degree.
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Master’s Degrees
The University of Michigan does not offer joint Master’s degrees. You may, however, receive an MA in English, History, Psychology, or Sociology on your way to completing the requirements for the joint Women’s Studies PhD.
To receive an MA from your department while continuing in the joint Women's Studies PhD program, you must complete all requirements for the MA as stipulated by your department. To request the MA:
- Complete a Rackham “Dual
Degree/Program Application” form, available
from either Women's Studies or your department.
- Apply for graduation via Wolverine Access
You are not required to request an MA degree. If you wish to receive the diploma, you must file the application whether or not you plan to attend graduation ceremonies.
MA Degree in Women’s Studies
The MA in Women’s Studies is only available to students who are leaving the joint PhD program after two years. Students who choose to leave the program or, in exceptional cases, are asked to leave the program after a formal review, may request an MA degree in either Women’s Studies or their discipline. To receive an MA in Women’s Studies, students must meet the requirements for candidacy, have at least 30 graduate credits and may not be continuing students.
You may receive an MA degree only three times a year: end of Fall term (December), end of Winter term (April) and end of Spring/Summer term (August). If you do not submit the necessary paperwork by the Rackham deadline, you will not receive your degree until the end of the following term. Exact deadlines vary year to year.
For additional information, please see the “Applying
for Graduation and Deadlines”
section on Rackham’s site.
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Detached Study and Leaves of Absence
Detached Study
Students who go on detached study must fill out a Rackham
Detached Study Form.
This form must be signed by the Graduate Director of either Women's Studies or your department.
The period of detached study must be no longer than 12 months.
In order for a student to retain library privileges, a copy of the detached study form must be taken to the Graduate Library Circulation Services desk or an email message can be sent to grad.library.cir@umich.edu. In order to retain email privileges, the detached study form must be submitted to the ITD accounts office in the basement of the Michigan Union.
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Leave of Absence
To obtain a leave of absence, a student must write a formal letter of petition to the Graduate Chairs of both Women’s Studies and the department. There is no special form. If a student has not yet achieved candidacy and takes a leave of absence for one academic year or more, that student must apply for readmission to the joint PhD program.
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Joint PhD Student Handbook
To view and print a copy of the Joint PhD Student Handbook, click here (PDF).
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