Doctor of Philosophy.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Virginia
will be conferred upon the holder of a cultural baccalaureate degree of
this University, or (under the regulations mentioned below) upon the
holder of a similar degree from some other chartered institution of
learning who possesses a reading knowledge of French and German, and
who completes the prescribed graduate work in three cognate subjects,
chosen by himself from at least two Academic Schools, and approved
by the Academic Faculty; this graduate work to be pursued for at least
three years in the major subject, for at least two years in the primary
minor, and for at least one year in the secondary minor subject. It is
also provided that any student taking the second or third year of graduate
work in a subject may be required by the professor, with the approval
of the Academic Faculty, to attend such lectures or courses in any of the
Academic Schools as the professor may deem necessary.
The "reading knowledge" of French and German mentioned above
is intended to enable the candidate to pursue his chosen subjects through
the medium of books and periodicals in the French and German languages.
His ability to do this must be tested at the beginning of the
first year of his candidacy by examinations on these languages in the
presence of a committee consisting of the professor of the candidate's
major subject and the professors of French and German. In case of
failure on either or both of the examinations, he will be required to enter
the appropriate class or classes in one or both of the languages, and
will not be regarded as a regular candidate for the doctorate until he has
fulfilled the requirements in French and German. It is provided, however,
that any student who has already passed on the B course in either
or both of the languages at this University shall be considered as having
the requisite knowledge of either or both of them, as the case may be.
Graduate work done in other universities may be accepted in lieu
of resident work done here, provided sufficient evidence is furnished by
examination, written or oral, or both, that such work has been of a grade
similar to that required here, and has been satisfactorily performed, and
provided also that, while it shall be possible for a candidate to get
credit in this way for the whole of his secondary minor subject, every
candidate must take here at least one advanced course in his primary
minor, and at least one year's work in his major subject.
It is also provided that a candidate who is a professor, in charge
of the subject selected by him as major, in a chartered college or university,
may be allowed by the Academic Faculty to spend only two
years in resident work at this University. The graduate work of the
last year of candidacy shall in all cases be done at this University, unless
the Academic Faculty shall for special reasons direct otherwise.
Upon the completion of the approved courses, the candidate shall
submit to the Academic Faculty a Dissertation exhibiting independent
research in some branch of his major subject. The Dissertation must
be submitted not later than April 15 of the year in which the candidate
applies for the degree. Moreover, the copy presented for the Faculty's
approval shall be written (type-written, if feasible) on paper of prescribed
quality and size; shall be bound; and shall have certain prescribed
phrases on the cover and title page. If accepted as satisfactory by the
Faculty, this copy shall immediately become the property of the University.
If approved, the Dissertation must be printed at the candidate's
expense before the degree is conferred, and one hundred copies deposited
in the Library of the University; or, if this be impracticable on
account of lack of time, the candidate must deposit with the Bursar
a sum of money sufficient to have a hundred copies of the Dissertation
printed.
The instruction open to candidates for the Doctor's degree in each
of the Academic Schools is described in a preceding portion of the
catalogue. No graduate course can be counted for the Doctor's degree
unless the professor regularly meets the class not less than three hours
a week.
The conditions on which students holding baccalaureate degrees
from other chartered institutions of learning are admitted to candidacy
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy are as follows.
Each applicant should write to the Registrar of the University and
ask for a blank form of application to be filled out (partly by the applicant,
and partly by the President of the institution from which the
applicant has received a degree) and promptly returned to the Registrar
When the application has been duly considered by the Committee on
Academic Degrees and by the Academic Faculty, the applicant will be
informed as to the work which he, if accepted as a candidate, will have
to do in order to secure the Doctor's degree. The general rule will be
that unless his baccalaureate degree conforms with reasonable closeness to
one of the cultural baccalaureate degrees of this University in the nature
of its requirements, he must take such undergraduate courses here as will
supplement his deficiencies. In particular, he will be required to take
not only the graduate work in his three chosen subjects, but the undergraduate
courses as well, unless the Faculty is convinced that his work
done elsewhere in one or more of these subjects has been fully equal in
quality and quantity to the undergraduate work required in such subject
or subjects at this University. Moreover, the individual professor of any
of these three subjects may require the candidate to take his undergraduate
course, should he regard him as insufficiently grounded in the fundamental
facts or principles of the subject.
