Doctoral Degree Requirements

Basic Credit Requirements

For successful completion of the PhD, the Graduate School requires a minimum of 51 credits, which includes coursework, independent study, and research credits. This requirement stipulates that at least 50 percent of these credits must be received in courses specifically designed for graduate work, which the Graduate School defines as: courses numbered 700 and above; courses numbered 300-699 that are specifically designed for graduate students in a graduate program; courses numbered 300-699 that assess graduate students separately from undergraduate students; courses numbered 300-699 that have a graduate student enrollment greater than 50 percent in a given semester. Credits taken towards the completion of a Master’s Degree in the Department of Communication Arts may count toward this requirement. Credits taken while enrolled as a graduate student outside of the Department and UW-Madison may count toward this requirement with the approval of the Graduate Committee.

Each area of graduate study within the Department, however, has further specific requirements for the completion of the PhD. The Department also requires that a minimum of 40 credits must be completed in residence. If you have any questions about these requirements, contact your advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, or the Graduate Coordinator.

Area-Specific Coursework Requirements & Breadth Requirement
Preliminary Exams
Dissertator Phase

Area-Specific Coursework Requirements & Breadth Requirement

Communication Science

If a student did not complete their MA coursework in the department, the following coursework is required:

CA 760: Advances in Communication Theory
CA 762: Communication Research Methods
Four additional Communication Science courses at the 500 level or above. One semester of thesis credits (CA 990) may count towards this requirement. Colloquium does not count towards this requirement.

The following coursework is required of all students:

At least two courses in statistics (See the list in the MA requirements)
At least one additional course in research methods from the following list
- C&E Soc 755, 960
- Comp Sci 770
- Coun Psy 788, 789
- Curric 788, 789
- Ed Pol 755, 788, 789, 955
- Ed Psych- 770, 771, 788, 789, 827, 945, 963
- ELPA 788. 789, 827
- Journ 811, 812, 813
- LSC 811
- Poli Sci 817
- Psych 752, 755, 770
- RP & SE 788, 789
- Soc 735, 751, 752, 754, 755, 955, 960
- Soc Work 945
At least four additional courses at the 700 level or above. At least one of these courses must be a seminar in Communication Science (CA 970). Only one of these courses may be an independent study (CA 799). Colloquium does not count towards this requirement.
Completion of a 9-credit minor
One credit of Communication Science Colloquium (CA 904) every semester

The choice of PhD minor option is made by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. Depending on their dissertation topic, students may need to fulfill a foreign language or tool requirement. The need for such a requirement is determined by the student’s advisor and doctoral committee. The mix of courses to be completed must reflect the following principles:

Build a solid theoretical and methodological foundation in Communication Science
Cover sufficiently broad areas in communication and related social science disciplines
Have at least one area of specialization. This program should normally be developed before the start of the second semester in residence. The course work must be approved by the student’s advisor and must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 3.75

A recommended set of courses would include:

CA 760
CA 762
One or two additional courses in research methods
Five additional Communication Science courses at the 500 level or above. One semester of thesis credits (CA 990) may count towards this requirement. One of these courses may be an independent study (CA 799)
Four additional courses related to one’s area of specialization at the 700 level or above (may count toward one’s minor)
Four to five statistics courses, which may count toward one’s minor, including the most relevant of the following: multiple regression or ANOVA and ANCOVA; factor analysis or other multivariate analysis; structural equation modeling; hierarchical linear modeling; nonparametric statistics
One colloquium credit per semester

Film

In addition to completion of the M.A., the Ph.D. program in Film requires 40 credits of coursework, normally completed in four consecutive semesters, with three courses and a weekly Film Colloquium every semester. Each course earns 3-credits and Colloquium earns 1 credit per semester.

Students in the Ph.D. program are expected to complete the following curriculum:

CA 955: Media Historiography; or CA 958: Film Historiography (3 credits)
One additional National Cinema or Modes and Practices or Power, Representation, and Identity course (See the lists in the MA requirements)(3 credits)
At least one 900-level graduate seminar offered by program faculty or as approved by the student’s advisor (3 credits)
Completion of a three-course PhD minor (9 credits)
Six elective courses (18 credits)
One credit of CA 902: Film Colloquium every semester (4 x 1 credit per semester).

It is customary for some elective credits to issue from Independent Studies with faculty geared toward research surrounding anticipated dissertation topics. Electives may also support acquisition of advanced language skills or specialized disciplinary knowledge essential for future dissertation research.

Graduate students who enter the program at the Ph.D. level (i.e., M.A. in hand from another Film/Media program) are expected to cover any parts of the M.A. core curriculum not already mastered in prior graduate studies. Students should work with their advisors directly upon arrival to determine course equivalency and map out an effective course of study.

Media and Cultural Studies

The program requires 40 credits of coursework taken prior to taking prelims and advancing to dissertator status, as listed below:

At least 12 credits at 900 level or above in MCS
4 credits of CA 903 MCS Colloquium (1 per semester)
24 credits at the 300 level or above, 6 of which should be in MCS, the other 18 in Communication Arts or other departments in consultation with advisor
Of the above courses, 24 credits worth should be at the 600 level or above, not including MCS Colloquium (CA 903)

PhD students must complete a 9-credit minor. These may be taken as part of the 24 credits of 300-level or above requirements. Up to 6 credits of the minor requirement may be applied from MA coursework taken elsewhere, with approval of the advisor.

Following the completion of coursework for students with an MA from MCS or elsewhere, students must complete preliminary exams to advance to dissertator status. Then students must register for CA 903 (MCS Colloquium) and CA 990 (Research and Thesis) each remaining semester (for a total of 3 credits per semester).

Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture

For students who receive an MA in the UW-Madison Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture program, the PhD program requires 2 additional semesters of academic credits (not including CA 990—Research and Thesis). The required coursework includes:

9 credits of electives
Completion of a 9-credit PhD minor
1 credit of RPC Colloquium (CA 905) every semester

For students with an MA from another institution that is recognized by the Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture program as an equivalent to the MA in rhetoric at UW-Madison, the program requires 4 semesters of academic credits (not including CA 990—Research and Thesis). The program requires the following or equivalent classes that were satisfied during the MA to be completed for the PhD:

CA 570: Classical Rhetorical Theory
CA 571: Modern Rhetorical Theory; or CA 969: Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
CA 976: Rhetorical Criticism
Two Communication Arts courses at the 300 level or above
One class with primary content focused on issues of race and ethnicity

Those entering with an equivalent MA from another institution must also complete a 9-credit PhD minor and enroll in 1 credit of RPC Colloquium (CA 905) every semester.

Breadth Requirement

The 51 graduate-level credits required for the PhD include work in the doctoral minor. The minor requirement is designed to give breadth to the doctoral program and should expose the student to subjects and/or methodologies that expand upon and complement their primary area of study. The minor requirement can be fulfilled in one of three ways:

Option A (external doctoral minor): 9 credits in a single department other than Communication Arts
Option B (distributed doctoral minor): 9 credits forming a coherent topic, distributed across two or more departments other than Communication Arts, or, 9 credits forming a coherent topic among non-home area courses within Communication Arts
Option C (Graduate/Professional certificate): Requires successful completion of a Graduate/Professional certificate in a program outside of Communication Arts.

To pursue a minor in a single department other than Communication Arts, students should seek the approval of their advisor and consult with the outside department to learn about its requirements to receive a PhD minor.

To pursue a distributed minor, students should consult and seek the approval of their advisor in forming a coherent topic.

To pursue a distributed minor exclusively in Communication Science, students should consult with a faculty member from this area.

To pursue a distributed minor exclusively in Film, students may choose among the following courses:

Students with no prior film studies background are encouraged to take CA 350: Introduction to Film before enrolling in more specialized courses, but CA 350 will not count as one of the three courses in the minor track.
CA 454: Critical Film Analysis
CA 455: French Cinema or CA 456: Russian and Soviet Film
CA 463: Avant-Garde Film
CA 556: The American Film Industry in the Era of the Studio System
CA 664: Classical Film Theory
CA 665: Contemporary Film Theory
Special Topics and 900-level
900-level graduate seminars are regularly offered in a variety of advanced and specialized areas. A faculty member in the department can assist graduate students in selecting among these.

To pursue a distributed minor exclusively in Media and Cultural Studies, students should consult with a faculty member from this area.

To pursue a distributed minor exclusively in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture, students should consult with a faculty member from this area.

All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any major/named option, doctoral minor, or graduate/professional certificate. To apply for a distributed minor in Communication Arts, an external minor in another department, or a certificate, please log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. The relevant coordinator will review your application for admittance and reach out to you if they have any further questions.

Preliminary Exams

The general guidelines here are meant to be complementary with the area-specific guidelines below; students should consult both and reach out to the graduate coordinator if any questions arise about how to reconcile them. Preliminary examinations are administered three times a year: in late August, at end of the fall semester, and at the end of the spring semester. Generally, students take their preliminary examinations in May or August. In the semester before a potential preliminary exam date (e.g., spring semester for August examinations, fall semester for May examinations), students should confer with their advisor to see if they are ready to take this step.

In consultation with the advisor, the student must form a Prelim Committee early in the semester in which the student plans to take exams. The committee, usually formed of three or four faculty members, will write questions for the exam, read the answers, and sit on a Prelim defense committee. At the defense, the Prelim Committee may decide to pass the student’s exam answers with honors; to pass the student’s exam answers; to attach a contingency to the successful completion of the exam; or to fail the student’s exam answers.

Early in the semester or summer that the student plans to take preliminary examinations, the student should notify the Graduate Coordinator of the makeup of his or her Prelim Committee. Two months before the anticipated examination dates, the student should approach the Prelim Committee and, in consultation with their advisor, schedule a time for their Prelim Defense. Fall and spring semester exams generally occur during finals week, while August exams generally occur during Welcome Week. The student should also confer with the Graduate Coordinator as to when exams will take place.

The preliminary examination typically emphasizes the student’s ability to synthesize and apply creatively what they have learned. Factual knowledge is not the sole focus of the examination; nor does it suffice merely to know what others think or say. Likewise, the preliminary examination should not be regarded simply as a repetition of exams and materials encountered in the student’s courses, although the questions often relate to coursework. Rather, the preliminary exams should demonstrate the student’s competent mastery of relevant areas within a field of study, and indicate the ability to define and propose a unique plan of research for the dissertation.

To take preliminary examinations, students must have completed all of the PhD coursework requirements of their area and their minor coursework. Students must also be in Good Standing, (see section VII: SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS). An outstanding grade of incomplete will bar a student from taking exams.

The expectation for the preliminary exams defense is that it will take place in person in Vilas Hall, with at least the student and the advisor present. That said, when factoring in the timing of the defense, availability of the participants, etc., exceptions and accommodations for virtual defenses can be made at the area level.

Preliminary exam defenses may not be recorded, unless an exception has been approved in writing at an earlier date by each committee member.

Sample examination questions are available upon request from the Graduate Coordinator.

Communication Science

Upon completion of coursework in Communication Science and the graduate minor, a PhD preliminary examination is administered in four areas.The writing component of the preliminary examination is followed by an oral defense.

Students are examined in the following areas:

Communication processes and contexts: Two separate exams on two major topic areas in the field focusing on theories and major empirical findings
Specialization: The student’s area of specialization; typically, the dissertation research dictates the area of specialization
Quantitative research methodology and theory construction: This portion of the exam may include questions addressing statistics, research design, measurement, and the construction and evaluation of theory

Students have their choice of two options for each of the four areas. They may either take a four-hour closed-book exam, or an eight-hour open-book exam. If the latter option is chosen, the student is expected to provide more fully elaborated and well-sourced critical analysis and synthesis

The student needs to clearly communicate with each faculty member from whom they are taking a prelim question about format and expectations when developing their reading list. After completing consultation with all members of the prelim committees, the student should communicate in writing with their advisor and the Graduate Program Coordinator on the format of each of the four exams.

Film

Upon completion of coursework in Film and the graduate minor, a PhD preliminary examination totaling 24 hours of writing is administered. The exam consists of four open-book essay exams lasting six hours each and taken on separate days. The exams are to be written at home or at a place of the student’s choosing. The writing component of the preliminary examination is followed by an oral defense. The examination is typically administered in May or August; end of fall semester preliminary exams are administered only in the case of extenuating circumstances. The examination covers a combination of general and specialized areas in relation to the planned dissertation project, to be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor and major faculty. Three months before taking the preliminary exam, students will generate and share with their committee a reading list of relevant material as well as a brief description of the dissertation topic. Although examiners are usually Film faculty, with advisor approval, a non-Film faculty member may also be asked to serve as an examiner if their expertise is in a subject area central to the planned dissertation.

Summary

Four open-book at-home exams lasting six hours each (+ one hour break for lunch) over a period of two weeks maximum
Based on four lists of reading material circulated three months in advance of exam
Written in late April/early May or mid-late August of second year of PhD
Accompanied by an oral defense a week or two after exams (usually 1h30 in duration)

Rationale / Scope

The idea of each preliminary exam is to prove not only proficiency and graduate level expertise in a body of knowledge (as in comprehensive exams), but also an ability to critically intervene and contribute to scholarly dialogue in a meaningful, original fashion. Topics should be chosen with the intended dissertation topic in mind and should feed directly into that project. As such, reading lists and topics should be more specific and narrower than comprehensive exams (e.g.: instead of “feminist film studies,” a reading list might focus on “feminist production studies of experimental film”). Ideally, the student’s intended dissertation topic will divide into four tributary streams of literature and topic, but care must also be taken to ensure that each list fits the relevant committee members’ expertise.

The Committee

Students have the option of writing one exam per professor, for a total of four professors on the preliminary exam committee, or two exams with one professor (who should be the student’s intended dissertation advisor) plus one exam each with two additional professors, for a total of three professors on the preliminary exam committee. Exam committees typically consist of professors within Film, though you are allowed (subject to consultation with the advisor and to agreement by the professor in question) one professor from outside the area. Advisors must be within area.

Creating your Reading Lists

The preliminary exam process should begin more than a full semester before the exams are to be taken (thus, in Fall for April/May exams, and in Spring for August exams), as you should make an appointment with your advisor to discuss feasible and appropriate topics for examination, and the composition of your committee. If students are considering changing advisors for the dissertation, this meeting (if not earlier) is when they should discuss this with their current advisor. Shortly thereafter, students should have separate meetings with each prospective member of the committee to confirm the parameters of each topic. Each professor will work with the student to create a reading list for examination. Lists vary in size depending upon the breadth of the topic, the wealth of available literature, and the density of the literature being assigned. Generally, however, preliminary exam lists will consist of between 12 and 20 books, and 12 and 20 articles or book chapters. Each list should begin with a paragraph explaining what connects these readings and what the student is interested in exploring. Once the student has created four separate lists, they should return to their advisor for approval of all four. The student should then work with the graduate coordinator and the committee members to plan the exam times.

Scheduling the Exams and Defense

Students should discuss with their advisors when it is best to write prelims in terms of progress through the degree, but they should also check with the graduate coordinator about the financial ramifications of completing prelims them earlier or later, and consult with the Department of Communication Arts’ Graduate Handbook, and Graduate School rules (see here in particular) to learn the relevant deadlines. Early in the semester of the students’ exams and defense, advisors will notify them of the assigned times and days the faculty will be available for preliminary exam defenses that semester. In most cases, the exams will take place at set times/days in early May (usually during the first week after classes finish) or in late August (usually during welcome week). Defense dates will largely be determined by faculty availability, though extenuating circumstances with your schedule will also be accommodated. This means that students should allow for at least two weeks between their last exam and their oral defense, to allow committee members adequate time to read the responses. If necessary, a committee member may participate via Zoom, but this is not preferable. Once the date for the oral defense is set, students should contact the Graduate Coordinator to book a room (usually the Ewbank or Seminar Room, though 3155 would be an option too) and to schedule the timing of their exam.

The written exams must take place within a two-week period. Some students schedule them four days in a row; some spread them over the two weeks. Exams will need to be taken on days when the graduate coordinator (or a proxy) can proctor them, so please consult with the graduate coordinator in advance to confirm dates and times. Students should also choose (in advance) the order in which they plan to write the questions.

The Exam

On the day of each exam, students will be given a specific question to write on. Students should be sure to answer this question, not a question they wish had instead been asked. Students may cite sources other than those on their reading list, but since that list was created with purpose, students should endeavor to work primarily with those sources, revealing their knowledge of that material. Sometimes questions will specifically ask students to focus on particular readings; sometimes they will ask students to narrow their focus but allow you to select; or sometimes they will call for students to address all of the readings. That said, students should try to reveal their depth of knowledge, and avoid simply compiling bland, one sentence summaries of each item on the reading list, for instance. Merely knowing what a piece is generally about isn’t sufficient. Exam answers must be essays, too, not just a random collection of ideas and responses. Following each written exam, we recommend that students consider what they might have missed, what they wish they had said differently, and what else could be said, so that upon arrival at the defense they can add to the record.

The Oral Defense

Students should bring their exams to the defense so they can look them over and address specific comments in them. Please note that students should not bring food or drink for the committee: while a nice gesture, it has in the past – the Graduate Committee felt – turned into something of an arms race of gifts and baked goods, so just bring whatever sustenance you need personally.

The defense will begin with student being asked to leave the room so that the committee can discuss the answers and prepare for the defense. Then the student will be asked to enter the room again, and to begin by noting any general additions or comments (that span the entirety of the answers or that are applicable to each). Then the student and the committee members will discuss each exam in turn, beginning with a chance for the student to add extra comment before being asked clarifying, follow-up, and related questions. Committee members will read all four of the student’s responses, and all are invited to comment upon any of them in the defense, though they will generally “lead” the questioning of their “own” question(s). At the close of the oral defense, the student will once more be asked to leave the room, so that the committee can confer about the performance in the entire preliminary exam process. The student will then be invited back in the room and told the results.

Note, though, that the oral defense is also a natural spot to discuss the student’s progress through the degree in general, and thus the defense may entail broader discussion of the student’s place in the program, and of the feasibility of continuing within it.

The Result

Possible results include passing with distinction, passing, passing one or more questions while needing to rewrite or revise one or more other questions, being required to rewrite or revise all four questions, or failing. The exams must be passed to advance to writing a dissertation and to dissertator status.

Media and Cultural Studies

Overview

You write 4 exams. Each exam is open-book and written at home (or at a place of your choosing) over a course of seven hours (six hours + one hour for lunch). Prelims are typically written either at the end of April / beginning of May, or mid- to late-August. At least 10 days after the exams have been written, you will have an oral defense with your prelim exam committee.

The Committee

Your committee is made up of 3-4 members: your intended dissertation supervisor plus 2-3 other professors. You have the option of writing 1 exam per professor (4 members), or 2 exams with 1 professor (usually your supervisor) and 1 exam each with 2 other professors (3 members). Committees typically consist of professors within Media and Cultural Studies, though you are welcome (in consultation with your advisor) to include one professor from outside the area.

Creating your Reading Lists

At the beginning of the Fall semester of your last year of coursework, you should meet with your advisor to discuss topics for examination, committee members and general timeline for your exams (April/May or August). For students who may finish coursework at a non-typical time (i.e. midway through the academic year), discussions should begin in the previous Spring semester. If you are considering changing advisor for your dissertation, this meeting (if not earlier) is also when you should discuss this with your current advisor.

The topics of for each list are chosen in consultation with the committee members and must be approved by your advisor. Each list should begin with a paragraph explaining what connects these readings and what you are interested in exploring. Topics should be chosen with the intended dissertation topic in mind, and reading lists should be more specific and narrower than comprehensive exams (e.g.: instead of “feminist media studies,” a list might be on “feminist production studies of the television industries”). Lists vary in size however, preliminary exam lists will consist of between 12 and 20 books, and 12 and 20 articles or book chapters. Final versions of your lists should be sent to, and approved by, your supervisor.

Scheduling the Exams and Defense

With the lists finalized, contact the Graduate Coordinator and your advisor to plan exam and defense times. In most cases, the defense will take place at set times/days in early May (usually right after classes finish) or in late August (usually during welcome week), though exact defense dates are determined by faculty availability. You can choose when you want to write the exams, so long as you clear that time with the graduate coordinator who administers your exam. You should allow for at least 10 days between your last exam and your oral defense, so committee members have time to read your responses. If necessary, a committee member may join by video call, but this is not preferable. Students should consult the Graduate Coordinator and/or the Grad School’s rules to learn the relevant deadlines and the ramifications of not meeting them.

The Exam

You must write the exams over a two-week period, and at times when the Graduate Coordinator or a proxy can proctor them on your behalf. You may do them in back-to-back days or spread them out with break days in between. You also choose (in advance) the order in which you write the questions. On the day of each exam, you will log into Canvas where you will find a specific question to answer. Be sure to answer this question, not a question you wish had instead been asked.

The Oral Defense

The defense will begin with you being asked to leave the room so that your committee can prepare for the defense. You will return to the room and you will defend each exam in turn, beginning with a chance for you to add extra comments. Bring your exams to the defense so you can look them over and address specific comments in them. At the close of the oral defense, you will be asked once more to leave the room, so that the committee can confer about your performance, and then you will be invited back in and told the results. While rare, and usually only for students with unsatisfactory progress in the PhD program, the oral defense can also be a natural spot to for you and your committee to reflect on your progress in the program, and of the feasibility of you continuing on to the dissertation phase.

Please note that you should not bring food or drink for the committee: while a nice gesture, it is not necessary; just bring whatever sustenance you need personally.

The Result

Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture

Upon completion of coursework in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture and the graduate minor, a PhD preliminary examination totaling 12 hours of writing is administered. The writing component of the preliminary examination is followed by a two-hour oral defense.

Students take 12 hours of written examinations divided across four concentrations:

Rhetorical theory: students will assemble and engage a set of scholarly publications primarily on rhetorical theory as well as related theory.
Rhetorical discourse: students will assemble a series of primary and related materials (e.g. speeches, archival documents, websites, images, places, monuments, fieldnotes, interview transcripts) that they will engage critically.
Critical method: students will assemble and engage a set of scholarly publications on a rhetorical method (e.g. criticism, fieldwork, historiography, digital ethnography).
Special topics: The student will also write three hours in an area of specialization determined in consultation with the student’s advisor and doctoral committee.

Students who enter Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture without an MA in a cognate program usually take preliminary examinations by the end of the spring semester or in late August of their third year in residence. Students who enter the program with an MA in a cognate program ordinarily take preliminary examinations by the end of the spring semester or in late August of their second year in residence.

Students should schedule at least 7 days between their last question date and the oral defense.

Dissertator Phase

Upon passing the preliminary examination, the student enters the dissertator phase. Dissertators must enroll in CA 990 each semester. In order to stay in Good Standing, students cannot receive a grade of U (Unsatisfactory) in successive semesters; it is thus imperative that students continue to make progress with their dissertation research and writing.

The Dissertation Proposal

The student begins the dissertator phase by writing a dissertation proposal. The aim of a dissertation proposal is to articulate a scholarly question or problem and a plan for addressing it. The proposal should:

Identify and explain the significance of the dissertation topic
Analyze the state of the scholarly literature on the topic
Describe preliminary arguments or hypotheses the dissertation will investigate
Identify the primary research sources for the dissertation
Sketch out a research and writing schedule

Students should develop the proposal in consultation with their advisor. During this process, students must consult with their advisor and committee regarding the appropriate length of the dissertation and any area-specific guidelines for the structure and development of the dissertation. The department recognizes that a dissertation may take the form of a single book-length monograph or a series of publishable journal articles.

For Communication Science students, an alternative to the traditional dissertation is a 3 paper sequence dissertation. The three papers must create a programmatic line of work in which the papers address a similar research topic or build on one another.
Paper 1 must be published before the dissertation defense (and can be based on the master’s thesis).
Paper 2 must be new work (not based on the master’s thesis) and should be submitted to a journal before the dissertation defense.
Paper 3 must be written in the form of a journal article the student plans to submit but is still in progress and is in a position to be shaped further by the dissertation committee.

Before the student may proceed with writing the dissertation, the proposal must be approved by the student’s advisor and dissertation proposal committee, which consists of 3-4 Communication Arts faculty members. The Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture area requires that a copy of the dissertation proposal be sent to the committee members at least 14 days ahead of the defense; students from other areas should consult their committee for submission deadline requirements. A student and advisor may choose to add outside members to the proposal committee, but this is not required. (For copies of past proposals, please see the Graduate Coordinator). While writing the dissertation, a student must obtain the approval of the advisor for modifications to the dissertation that depart significantly from the proposal.

The Dissertation Committee

Once the proposal has been approved by the proposal committee, the student must form a dissertation committee. Often, the members of the proposal committee serve on the dissertation committee, but the membership of the two committees may differ. The Graduate School sets the baseline rules for composition of the committee (See https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/committees/) and then graduate programs are expected to craft additional language to meet departmental requirements. For Comm Arts then, doctoral committees/final oral examination committees must meet the following criteria:

The chair or one of the co-chairs of the committee must be graduate faculty from the student’s program.
The committee must have at least 3 other members, with at least 2 members from at least two University of Wisconsin—Madison graduate programs (ours and another; affiliate faculty in our department can satisfy this requirement). Note that former UW-Madison graduate faculty can satisfy this latter requirement up to one year after resignation or retirement.
At least one member of the committee must be a faculty member external to the Communication Arts department (i.e. another department or another institution; affiliate faculty in Communication Arts *do not* satisfy this requirement)
One member of the dissertation committee may be emeritus faculty, or academic staff, but only those within 1 year of retirement will count to meet committee membership requirements.
All members of a student’s dissertation committee must be designated as “readers.” According to the Graduate School, “Readers are committee members who commit themselves to closely reading and reviewing the entire dissertation.”
All committee members have voting rights. To receive a doctoral degree, students cannot receive more than one dissenting vote from their committee on the final degree warrant.

A student must consult with their advisor in determining the composition of the dissertation committee. With advisor approval, those wishing to draw upon the expertise of faculty outside their area may add extra members to their committee. Or, in cases in which a faculty member outside the home area has highly relevant expertise, the advisor may approve the substitution of one Communication Arts faculty member from outside the student’s area for one of the three within the area. However, requests for a double substitution (i.e., for only one member of the committee to be from the home area) must be forwarded to the Graduate Committee. In written form, these requests must be supported by the advisor, and must clearly articulate the pressing intellectual grounds for the proposed committee constitution. Approval is rare, given concerns that graduates from each of the four areas be evaluated by faculty in those areas.

Some possible sample committee compositions might include:

Sample Committee #1 – 4-person committee

Reader 1 – Committee Chair who is a faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 2 – Faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 3 –Comm Arts faculty member who is an affiliate faculty in another UW graduate program
Reader 4 – Faculty member from a different institution

Sample Committee #2 – 4-person committee

Reader 1 – Committee Chair who is a faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 2 – Faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 3 – Emeritus professor from student’s home area or another area in Comm Arts
Reader 4 – Another faculty member from another UW grad program

Sample Committee #3 – 5-person committee

Reader 1 – Committee Chair who is a faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 2 – Faculty member from student’s home area
Reader 3 – Academic staff member from Comm Arts
Reader 4 – Faculty member from another UW grad program
Reader 5 – Faculty member from student’s home area or another institution

In exceptional circumstances, the student may seek a formal co-advisor for their dissertation committee. The Department recognizes two situations in which this may be appropriate: (1) the student’s dissertation project genuinely pursues an interdisciplinary topic that requires the equal involvement of a faculty member in Communication Arts and a faculty member in another department at UW-Madison; (2) the student’s advisor retires or resigns from the University, and the student cannot complete the dissertation within one year of the retirement or resignation, which requires the student to seek a new advisor in the Department. In both cases, the student must first obtain the approval of their advisor in Communication Arts (for situation 2, this person is the newly selected advisor). If the student’s advisor agrees to a co-chair arrangement, the student must submit a written request to the graduate committee and receive its approval.

The Dissertation Defense

The dissertation committee serves as the Final Oral Committee, before whom the student must defend the completed dissertation manuscript. As the student nears completion of the dissertation manuscript, the student, in consultation with the advisor, should check the Graduate School degree deadlines and consult with the committee to determine a date for the defense of the dissertation. The Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture area requires that a copy of the dissertation be sent to committee members at least 21 days prior to the oral defense; students from other areas should consult their committee for submission deadline requirements. Students should also be mindful, in planning a defense date, of committee member travel plans. Moreover, since the meeting with the committee often generates required revisions to the dissertation, defenses should be scheduled well in advance of the Graduate School’s deposit deadlines as well as a candidate’s personal deadlines for completion, so that the revisions can be made properly.

Once a date has been determined, the student should convey this information—along with the names of the committee members—to the Graduate Coordinator at least three weeks before the scheduled date. This is necessary so that the Graduate Coordinator may order a Final Dissertation Warrant from the Graduate School. The Final Dissertation Warrant is the official document that is signed by the student’s committee and submitted to the Graduate School to indicate that the student has received their PhD.

The Department considers the physical presence of all committee members during the defense to be in the best interests of the student, since this allows for full scholarly interchange and the most conscientious and rigorous advising of dissertators. The expectation for the dissertation defense is that it will take place in person in Vilas Hall, with at least the student and the advisor present. That said, when factoring in the timing of the defense, availability of the participants, etc., exceptions and accommodations for virtual defenses can be made at the area level. It is the student’s responsibility to work with the staff of the Instructional Media Center to arrange a secure, reliable means of real-time participation for any virtual/remote committee members. Students are responsible for booking the room for the defense. Graduate Committee policy is that students not bring food or drink for committee members. Dissertation defenses may not be recorded, unless an exception has been approved in writing at an earlier date by each committee member.

Defense meetings typically last two hours, but they may take longer. Sometimes, at the beginning of the meeting, the committee may request the candidate to leave the room while it discusses the dissertation manuscript. The committee also may ask the candidate to begin the meeting with a brief oral presentation that provides an overview of the project. At the end of the meeting, the committee will ask the candidate to leave the room while it confers on a decision. The committee may decide to pass the dissertation without revision; to pass the dissertation pending revisions, which may be supervised by the advisor or the full committee; or to fail the dissertation. In some cases, a second meeting with the committee may be required following revisions.

For information about formatting and depositing the dissertation, see:

https://grad.wisc.edu/current-students/doctoral-guide/

In accordance with Graduate School policy, doctoral students must orally defend and deposit the dissertation within five years of passing the preliminary examination. In rare instances, a student may appeal this time limit by requesting that their advisor submit a written request to the Graduate Committee and the Graduate School Degree Coordinator.

https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/?policy=fiveyearrule

https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/?policy=timelimits

Note that students will be expected to pay tuition fees for the semester in which they deposit their dissertation (including Summer), unless they are employed as a TA, PA, RA, or lecturer. Students who are on fellowship and deposit their dissertation during the academic year will not be responsible for tuition fees; students who are on fellowship and deposit their dissertation during the summer will be responsible for tuition fees. Considering these variations, students should consult the Graduate School’s cut-off dates for semesters.