 | The University of Virginia record April 15, 1936 |  |
DEPARTMENT OF GRADUATE STUDIES
JOHN LLOYD NEWCOMB, B.A., C.E., Sc.D., LL.D.
President of the University
JOHN CALVIN METCALF, M.A., Litt.D., LL.D.
Dean of the Department of Graduate Studies
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE
The Dean and Professors Manahan, Mitchell, Benton, Snavely, Balz,
Jordan; for the Summer Quarter, The Dean and Professors
Faulkner, Kepner, Snavely.
HISTORICAL STATEMENT
While the original organization of the Academic Schools of the University
by Jefferson contemplated instruction of graduate grade in each
School, the first "post-graduate department" in the modern sense was instituted
in 1859-60 by Basil L. Gildersleeve, then Professor of Greek in the
institution. The degree of Master of Arts continued to be conferred upon
graduates in all six Schools of the University. Professor Gildersleeve conducted
graduate courses in the School of Greek; shortly after the Civil
War a "post-graduate department" was announced for the School of Latin.
Graduate courses were offered in individual Schools, but there was no general
department organization for graduate study until 1904. In that year the
Department of Graduate Studies was established as a regular co-ordinate
division of the University, with definitely prescribed 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 degree of Doctor of Philosophy had, however, been offered
by the University as far back as 1880, and the first doctor's degree was
awarded in 1885. From 1885 to 1935 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
has been conferred upon two hundred and forty-eight persons. The present
requirements for graduate degrees, with certain modifications, have been in
force since 1922.
THE GRADUATE HOUSE
The Graduate House, administrative headquarters of the Department of
Graduate Studies, is on West Lawn. Besides the Dean's office, this building
contains one large lecture-room for graduate classes and four seminar
rooms specially equipped for small groups of students and professors engaged
in advanced graduate work. At present the class-rooms are used for certain
advanced courses in the Schools of English and History. The Bruce Collection
of books for the use of graduate students in English is in this building.
of the University of Tennessee, an alumnus of the University, contains valuable
source material.
LIBRARY FACILITIES
The University Libraries altogether contained on July 1, 1935, a total of
248,580 volumes. Departmental libraries afford specialized collections in
science, classics, English, the social sciences, and education. The Medical
Library, now in the new Medical Buildings, is spacious and well equipped
for graduate study. Graduate students may, through the office of the
General Library, get certain books needed in research from other university
libraries on the inter-library loan system. Nearness to Washington makes
the Library of Congress and the Folger Shakespeare Library easily available
for graduate students.
GRADUATE CLUBS
There are regular weekly or bi-weekly departmental conferences of
graduate students and professors for discussion of topics connected with
graduate study. In the various physical sciences, in medical science, in the
social sciences, and in humanistic studies, graduate clubs, composed of students
and professors, are actively engaged in stimulating investigation and
publication in their respective fields. The scientific society of Sigma Xi is
an important organization for the advancement of technical knowledge, while
the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences furnishes a fruitful field of
activity. The University Committee on Research, while not specifically an
organization of the Department of Graduate Studies, is a valuable auxiliary
of the Department. This committee administers an annual appropriation
for promoting research in the various Departments of the University, especially
in the matter of the publication of the results of original investigation,
and so aids the general cause of advanced scholarship. An annual volume,
"Publications and Research," containing summaries of contributions by professors
and students of the Graduate Department, is issued by the University.
A list of doctoral dissertations, with abstracts, is published each September
for distribution among other universities.
SCIENTIFIC LABORATORIES
Each Scientific School occupies a separate building with an extensive
laboratory and a select departmental library. Statements in regard to laboratories
and general scientific equipment in the Schools of Astronomy, Biology,
Chemistry, Geology, Physics, and the Department of Medicine may be
found under the announcements of those Schools. More detailed information
is contained in the General Catalogue.
ORGANIZATION
The immediate direction of the Department of Graduate Studies is vested
in the Dean and an Administrative Committee of eight professors, appointed
those professors in the Academic Schools and the Medical School who offer
graduate courses. Courses marked C are primarily for graduates and advanced
under-graduates; those marked D are for graduates only, and usually
for advanced graduate students, candidates for the Ph.D. degree. In the
Department of Medicine the regular courses are evaluated as C courses;
elective, special and research courses, and seminars as D courses. The prerequisites
for each course are indicated, varying from 6 to 12 session-hours
of college work. The various Schools, or departments, fall into four general
divisions, or groups, as follows:
Group I—Languages, Literature, Fine Arts and Music.
English, French, German, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, Biblical Literature, Architecture, Music.
Group II—Social and Philosophical Sciences.
Commerce, Economics, Education, History, Philosophy,
Psychology, Political Science, Sociology.
Group III—Mathematical and Natural Sciences.
Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics,
Physics.
Group IV—Medical Sciences.
Anatomy and Anthropology, Biochemistry, Dermatology
and Syphilology, Histology and Embryology, Neurology,
Clinical Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, Pathology,
Pharmacology, Physiology, and Surgery.
REGISTRATION
Every graduate student, new or old, is required to register at the office
of the Dean of the Department, Graduate House, West Lawn, after consultation
with the head of his School. All women students must first register
at the office of the Dean of Women, 16 East Lawn. The first three days of
the session are devoted to registration. Every applicant for admission to the
Graduate Department as a candidate for a degree must file with the Dean an
official transcript of his college record. Admission to the Department does not
necessarily imply acceptance for candidacy for a degree. All applications
will be passed upon by the Committee on Rules and Courses of the Department
of Graduate Studies early in the first term, and each applicant will be
formally notified by the Dean of the tentative approval of his candidacy. The
final approval of his candidacy will depend upon his record during the first
term, or quarter, of his residence.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Admission to the Department.—For admission to the Department of
Graduate Studies a baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution of collegiate
rank is required, for men and women alike. For students in the
Medical Science Group, the M. D. degree will be accepted in lieu of a baccalaureate
must be advanced to candidacy by the Committee on Rules and Courses
upon formal application, as set forth below.
Advancement to Candidacy for a Degree.—Any graduate student who
wishes to become a candidate for a degree must file with the Dean of the
Department his application on a blank form to be secured from the Dean's
Secretary. This application must include a proposed program of work arranged
in accordance with the requirements for the several degrees as stated
below, and must be accompanied, in case the applicant does not hold an academic
degree from this University, by an official transcript of the applicant's
academic record made out by the Registrar of the institution from which the
baccalaureate degree was received, and by a catalogue of that institution,
marked to show the courses of study pursued. The application will be submitted
by the Dean to the Committee on Rules and Courses, who will consider
it in conference with the professors concerned. The Committee will
have the right to require that the applicant add to his program any courses,
undergraduate or graduate, considered necessary to supply his deficiencies,
or to enable him to pursue with profit the courses he has selected. When
the program has been finally approved, the Dean will report to the applicant
his advancement to candidacy for a degree.
It should be distinctly understood that graduate degrees are not conferred
merely upon the basis of the number of courses passed, or of the
length of time spent in resident or non-resident work, but upon the basis
of the quality and scope of the candidate's knowledge, and his power of
investigation in his chosen field of study. Candidates whose training and
attainments are inferior cannot expect to secure a degree in the normal
length of time estimated below for the respective degrees.
As a prerequisite to full candidacy for a Master's degree, at least 6 collegiate
session-hours, or 12 semester-hours, of foreign language (ancient or
modern) credit are required. A reading knowledge of foreign languages
may be attested by an examination.
REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREES
Master of Arts.—The degree of Master of Arts will be conferred upon
the holder of a degree of Bachelor of Arts who has fulfilled the following
requirements:
(1) The successful completion, in not less than one full year of resident
graduate work, of the program of studies approved for the candidate by the
Committee on Rules and Courses, as embodied in his formal application for
advancement to candidacy. This application must be submitted early in the
session in which it is expected that the degree will be conferred. The program
must form a consistent plan of work, to be pursued with some definite
aim, and grouped around some one subject to be known as the candidate's
Major Subject, the name of which will be incorporated in the body of each
diploma conferring the degree. The program should be arranged in consultation
with the professors concerned, and must be approved in writing
the Dean of the Department of Graduate Studies, after consultation with the
candidate. Ordinarily, courses aggregating 12 session-hours, or 24 semester-hours,
are required of candidates for a Master's degree. These courses may
all be in one subject but the candidate may elect one or two minor subjects.
Ordinarily, 3 session-hours, or 6 semester-hours, will form a course in the
minor subject.
(2) The preparation and submission of a thesis, to be accepted as satisfactory
by at least two professors in the candidate's Major Subject. Two
copies of the thesis, typewritten on paper of good quality, 8½ by 11 inches,
and bound in stiff board or cloth covers, must be deposited in the office of
the Dean of the Department of Graduate Studies not later than May 15
of the year in which it is expected that the degree will be conferred.
The back of the cover must bear the title of the thesis and the writer's
name, and the title page must carry the author's name, degree, and the subject
of the thesis, followed by the words: A Thesis Presented to the Graduate
Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Master
of Arts.
(3) A final comprehensive examination, oral or written, after the acceptance
of the candidate's thesis, conducted by the candidate's major professor
and two or more of his departmental colleagues.
Master of Science.—The degree of Master of Science will be conferred
upon the holder of a degree of Bachelor of Science who fulfills requirements
corresponding to those stated above for the degree of Master of Arts. The
degree of Master of Science, like that of Master of Arts, is regarded as a
cultural rather than a professional degree and the prerequisites for candidacy,
including a reading knowledge of foreign languages, are estimated accordingly.
No extension or correspondence courses will be credited toward a Master's
degree.
Doctor of Philosophy.—The degree of Doctor of Philosophy will be conferred
upon the holder of a baccalaureate degree who has fulfilled the following
requirements:
(1) A reading knowledge of French and German sufficient to enable the
student to use these languages for purposes of research. This knowledge shall
be attested by examinations in those languages set by the candidate's major
professor, or by some one in his School designated by him. Examination
papers shall be read and marked by professors in the Schools of French and
German. The language examinations of candidates for the Ph.D. degree should
be held by October 1 of the session preceding the final academic year of candidacy
for the degree. Credit in this University for not less than 3 session-hours in B
courses in either language may, on the approval of the School of the candidate's
Major Subject, be accepted as satisfying the requirement in that language. Upon
recommendation of the professor of the Major Subject, and at the discretion of the
Graduate Committee, some other foreign language may be substituted for either
French or German.
(2) The successful completion, in not less than three full years of graduate
work, of the program of studies approved for the candidate by the Graduate Committee
as embodied in his formal application. The application for advancement to
candidacy should be submitted to the Dean not later than October 15 of the session
preceding the final year of candidacy for the degree, and must be submitted by
October 15 of his final year. The program of studies must include a Major
Subject, pursued for at least three years, and a Minor Subject, pursued for at
least one year. The Minor Subject must be closely related to the Major Subject,
and the program as a whole must contribute to the mastery of some definite field
of knowledge as an object of study and research. The name of the Major Subject
will be incorporated in the body of the diploma conferring the degree. At least
one year of advanced graduate study, preferably the last, must be spent in
residence. By special permission of the Graduate Committee the student may be
allowed to complete his dissertation in absentia under the direction of his advisory
professor.
(3) A dissertation exhibiting independent research in the candidate's
Major Subject, to be submitted in complete form to the Special Departmental
Committee of which the candidate's advisory professor is chairman, not later
than May 1 of the final year of candidacy. Three typewritten copies must
be sent to the Dean's office, before the conferring of the degree. Two of these
copies will be deposited in the General Library; one copy will, upon request,
be turned over to the department or school in which the dissertation was prepared.
The dissertation shall be typewritten upon paper of good quality, 8½
by 11 inches, and substantially bound in stiff covers; pasteboard covers are not
acceptable. The cover shall bear the title of the dissertation with the author's
full name and academic degree or degrees, and in addition the following
words: A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of
Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The candidate
is expected to arrange, at the earliest possible date, for the publication of the
dissertation, either as a whole or in part, as the department or school concerned
shall direct, and to deposit fifty-two copies of the printed dissertation
in the University Library. In case, however, the dissertation should be
issued by an established publishing house and thus become generally available,
only six copies need be deposited in the University Library.
Each dissertation, when finally submitted, must be accompanied by an
abstract of one thousand to two thousand words, to be approved by the
department or school. This abstract, or summary, will be published in a
bulletin for distribution among other universities. No dissertation will be accepted
without this attached abstract. A fee of $25 toward the editing and publication of
this annual bulletin of summaries must be paid by the candidate for the Ph.D.
degree before the conferring of the degree.
(4) A final examination, oral, written, or both, in addition to all examinations
in course, upon such phases of the Major Subject and of allied subjects,
as the Special Committee (described below) shall prescribe. Ordinarily no candidate
may be admitted to the final examination until his dissertation has been
accepted. Preliminary examinations may, in addition, be required by individual
Schools, as stated under the announcements of these Schools.
Upon approval of the dissertation, the Dean will appoint, upon nomination
of the School concerned, a Special Committee of not less than three professors
under the chairmanship of the professor of the candidate's Major Subject, and
including a representative of the Graduate Committee. This Special Committee
may, through its chairman, invite other members of the departmental faculty to
take part in the examination of the candidate. It is recommended indeed that
the doctoral examination be given before the entire professorial staff of the
School concerned. The result of the examination should be promptly reported
to the Registrar.
Grade.—A graduate student's standing in a course is indicated by one of
the following symbols: A, B+, B, C. A, B+, and B are passing grades:
A is distinguished, B+ is very good, B is satisfactory, C is unsatisfactory.
Failure to attain the grade of B on any one term will invalidate candidacy
for the degree in the current session.
Only graduate courses may be counted toward a graduate degree.
Summer Session.—The Master's degree may be won by properly qualified
persons in three full Summer Quarters. In no case will this degree be conferred
without resident graduate study during three quarters, the equivalent
in time of the long session. Not more than two graduate courses each
term of the Summer Quarter will be credited toward the degree except by
special permission of the Dean and the Committee concerned. At least 12
session-hours, or 24 semester-hours, of graduate courses are required for
the Master's degree.
A candidate for the Master's degree in the Summer Quarter must register
with the Dean of the Graduate Department and submit a program of studies
in accordance with the regulations prescribed for admission to candidacy for
that degree in the long session. In addition to the preparation of a thesis,
a final examination, written or oral, upon the program of study and acceptable
to the professor of the candidate's Major Subject in the long session
of the University, will be required. Candidates for degrees at the Summer
Quarter Convocation must hand in their theses by August 1 and take
their final comprehensive examinations as soon as their theses have been approved.
Graduate Students in the Summer Quarter must complete the courses of
study for their Masters' degrees within five summers after admission to full
candidacy. Graduate students are strongly advised to continue their residence
during one or more terms of the long session. Candidates for degrees
at the Summer Quarter Convocation must notify the Graduate office of their
intentions at the beginning of the Summer Quarter. Each candidate must
submit for departmental approval to the chairman of the department concerned
the subject of his thesis.
Fellowships.—A list of Fellowships available for graduate students will
be found on page 170.
A special Bulletin of the Department of Graduate Studies is issued each
year. This contains detailed information as to courses and regulations of the
Department, and should be consulted by persons interested. This Bulletin and
further information will be supplied by the Dean of the Department of Graduate
Studies.
| The University of Virginia record April 15, 1936 | |