MA & PhD Programs: English Graduate Committee

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English Graduate Committee

The English Department Graduate Committee is the governing body of the M.A. and Ph.D. program in English. It is composed of the members of the English Graduate Faculty, the Director of the Department, and at least two --one M.A., one Ph.D.-- elected student members. The Graduate Committee makes the final decisions on most matters concerning graduate students in English within the norms established for all graduate programs of the College of Humanities, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Río Piedras Campus and the University as a whole.

The English Department Graduate Coordinator is the elected chairperson of the Graduate Committee. He/she also coordinates Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants in consultation with the Associate Graduate Coordinator (or Liaison), the Seminar Room Director, other research project directors, the ESL Coordinator, and the Department Director.

Student questions and petitions should be directed in writing to the Graduate Coordinator as the chairperson of the Graduate Steering Committee. The Associate Coordinator and the Graduate Admissions Coordinator are also members of this committee; the Graduate Coordinator names the other members on a rotating basis. The Steering Committee works with the coordinator of the Graduate Committee to handle most day-to-day business of the graduate program. Student requests for examinations, credit transfers, extensions, waivers, etc. are screened in the Steering Committee and passed on with recommendations to the Graduate Committee as a whole. The Steering Committee also coordinates curricular revisions. The Graduate Committee as a whole must subsequently ratify almost all recommendations by the Steering Committee, but initial correspondence should be addressed to the Coordinator or to the Steering Committee.

In the event of an insurmountable breakdown in communication between a thesis student and his/her director or members of his/her committee, the problem may be referred (in formal written form) to the Graduate Steering Committee for resolution. The Steering Committee may effect a change in the director of the thesis or thesis committee members, in which case a new signed thesis proposal must be filed.

The Linguistics faculty, the Literature faculty, and the Caribbean Projects (Ph.D.) faculty are also standing subcommittees of the Graduate Committee. They meet and pass resolutions concerning their respective fields and interests for Graduate Committee ratification. All Graduate Committee members are also members of either the Linguistics subcommittee or ( and in some cases) the Literature subcommittee, determined by the area of graduate courses taught and fields of research.

The composition of the Caribbean Projects subcommittee is determined by (1) active research and publication in the field(s) of the program's specialization or (2) proposing and teaching a Ph.D. (8000-level) course.

The Graduate Coordinator is an ex-officio member of all subcommittees, but can also chair the pertinent subcommittee(s). The Graduate Liaison can also chair the pertinent subcommittee(s). Each subcommittee determines its internal structure.

Other administrative work of the Graduate Program is handled by the Admissions Subcommittee and by the Director of the Richardson Seminar Room, who with the Seminar Room librarian, directs the use and general management of the Seminar Room, including book ordering.