Department of English
Graduate Program Policies

Adopted by the English Graduate Faculty 3 November 2000
Last modified September 5, 2003

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
General Requirement: At least a B.A. degree or equivalent, with credit in English equivalent to the TCU 30-semester-hour major and with sophomore-level credit in a foreign language. Applicants with less preparation may be admitted conditionally, but must take such additional courses as are prescribed by AddRan College and the Departmental Director of Graduate Studies.

Specific Requirements: For admission to either the MA or the PhD program in English, prospective students must present the following materials:

(1) A completed application form for admission to the Graduate Programs in the AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
(2) A completed application form for Financial Aid for Full-Time Graduate Study (if applicable).
(3) Undergraduate transcripts identifying the BA degree; postgraduate transcripts (if applicable).
(4) Recent scores from the GRE general examination. (International Students must also present official TOEFL scores.)
(5) A sample of critical or scholarly writing (15-25 pages) that demonstrates appropriate academic writing skills for success in a graduate program in English.
(6) A statement of purpose (500-1000 words) detailing how your academic background, intellectual interests, and professional goals match the program in English at TCU.
(7) Three letters of reference directly relevant to postgraduate work in English studies.

For application forms, admission deadlines, and other information about the application process, consult the English Graduate Studies web page at: http://www.eng.tcu.edu/GraduateStudies/GradIndex2.htm

REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
Students make appointments with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), who serves as advisor for all graduate students. The DGS maintains a record of graduate student progress toward fulfilling course requirements, and must be consulted each term during the pre-registration or registration periods. At least one week before pre-registration, a sign-up sheet will be posted on the DGS's office door; students then schedule appointments to fit their schedule. No student should use Frognet to pre-register, to add, or to drop courses without first consulting with the DGS.

FULL-TIME STATUS
The normal load for full-time graduate students is 9 hours per semester. The following expectations apply to various assignments:

University, Radford, and Green Fellows: a 12-hour course load per semester is expected for first-year students holding these appointments.

Departmental Assistants: a 9-hour course load per semester is the norm for DA appointments, who perform 15 hours of departmental work each week. During the semester prior to qualifying examinations, DAs may retain full-time status while carrying a 6-hour load.

Graduate Instructors: course loads for GI appointments vary between 9 and 6 hours per semester, depending on previous teaching experience and progress within the graduate program, as judged by the DGS. Teaching an undergraduate 3-hour course counts toward full-time status, so for example a GI enrolled for 6 hours of graduate course work would have a 9-hour load.

Dissertation year(s): anyone admitted to candidacy, engaged in writing a dissertation, and enrolled is considered full-time. Ph.D. candidates must complete at least 12 semester hours of dissertation guidance. In each of the first two semesters of dissertation work, a student enrolls for 6 hours; subsequently, students writing dissertations enroll for 1 hour per semester. Students who do not enroll for dissertation guidance cannot be considered full-time, even if they are actively engaged in research and writing. Unless doctoral students maintain full-time status, they cannot expect full access to TCU faculty or to library resources.

NB: anyone needing to verify full-time status while a student at TCU may obtain a letter to this effect from the Associate Dean of AddRan College.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
GAs are awarded tuition remission grants only. GAs with duties (18 tuition hours per year) are given the expectation of 8-10 hours of work for the department each week. Awards for GAs are made after all Fellowship, DA, and GI appointments have been funded; priority is normally given to doctoral students in good standing. For establishing full-time enrollment status, GAs follow the rules as those for GIs.
At the beginning of each term, the DGS invites department faculty to submit requests for GA time, then makes appropriate assignments; frequently, one GA will be assigned duties with two professors, with an indication of how many hours per week are owed to each. Once assigned to a member of the faculty, the GA reports to that professor, who serves as the student's supervisor and reports to the DGS on the student's performance. Duties assigned may include research, assistance with teaching, and related activities.

TIME LIMITS
For the Degree
The M.A. must be completed within five years from initial matriculation. The Ph.D. dissertation must be completed within six years after admission to candidacy.

For Financial Aid
Financial awards for new and returning students are made each spring by the Graduate Committee. All students are eligible for every award. New applicants must apply for aid by 1 February of the spring before their planned matriculation; returning students must also declare their interest each spring, following a notice from the DGS. For students entering the doctoral program with only a B.A., awards normally renew annually, for a total of 5 years of support (stipend and/or tuition waiver); for students entering with an M.A., awards normally renew annually, for a total of 4 years; for students in the M.A. program, awards normally renew annually, for a total of 2 years. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress toward the degree may have their request for renewed aid denied. (See "Good Standing" and "Completion of Prior Master's Degree.")

FINANCIAL AID AWARDS
The following are the types of financial awards that the English Department offers. All positions may not be available every year. The department also reserves the right to reassign duties as needed.

The deadline to apply for financial aid for the coming year is February 1st.Unless as noted, all decisions are made by the Graduate Committee; applications and forms should be submitted to the DGS.
For additional discussion and detail, see the TCU Graduate Studies Bulletin's section on Financial Aid

Available only to New Applicants

Ida M. Green Doctoral Fellowship
One position. This appointment provides a stipend and 24 hours of tuition waiver. No assigned duties.

Rupert and Lillian Radford Fellowship
Two positions. Radford Fellowships provide a stipend and 24 hours of tuition waiver for students who will specialize in the study of rhetoric and composition. No assigned duties.

University Fellowship
University Fellows receive a stipend and 18 to 24 hours of tuition waiver. No assigned duties.

Available to all Students

Graduate Instructor
Teaches sections of 10803 or 20803, or occasionally sections of literature surveys. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, or if granted to a new student, previous academic work; at least 18 hours of graduate work completed; approval of the department chair.

Dissertation Fellowship
No assigned duties, but recipients are prohibited from holding other awards or teaching positions. In addition to a letter of application, submit a dissertation proposal (not necessarily an official prospectus), which indicates the scholarly/theoretical issues the dissertation will explore and any research methods to be employed.
Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, persuasiveness of proposal, potential contribution of the project to scholarship.

Associate Director of Composition
Assists the Director of Composition, who assigns all duties; the application process includes a personal interview by the DC. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, past performance in the composition classroom, approval of the DC, DGS and department chair.

Assistant Director of the Writing Center
Assists the Director of Writing Center, who assigns all duties; the application process includes a personal interview by the DWC. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, past performance in the composition classroom, approval of the DWC, DGS, DC, and department chair.

Departmental Assistant to the Directors of Undergraduate/Graduate Studies or Department Chair
Same as above, plus research skills; interview with the department chair, UGS or DGS. (One position.)

Assistant to the Radford Chair or Sherley Chair
Same as above; interview with the Radford or Sherley chair. (Two positions.)

Corder Fellow
Students who have been admitted to candidacy and have (1) made satisfactory progress on the dissertation and (2) given satisfactory performance as a GI may apply to become a Jim Corder Fellow, which provides one additional year of support. To become a Corder Fellow, graduate students must apply by 1 February and offer evidence of satisfactory progress and performance, which will be determined by the Graduate Committee, the student's dissertation director, the Director of Composition, and, finally, the chair of the department. Corder Fellows teach a total of four classes, at least one of which will be in the student's academic specialty and at the 20000-level or above. (One position.)

Graduate Assistantship
GAs receive only tuition-remission grants; stipends are not available for these positions. For duties, see "Graduate Assistants."

M.A. THESIS COMMITTEE SELECTION
The thesis committee is typically composed of three faculty members from the Department of English. When appropriate, a member from outside the department may be appointed. Master's thesis committees generally follow the guidelines and procedures outlined in the section concerning dissertation advisory committees.
After completing at least 12 hours of course work, the student first invites a faculty member to become thesis director. The director and the student consider who the remaining members of the committee might be, and the student then invites their participation. The thesis director then asks the Dean of AddRan College to appoint the committee.
While much shorter and less substantial than a dissertation, a thesis is in many ways quite similar. The director's, committee's, and student's responsibilities parallel the procedures and obligations outlined for dissertations, including a final public "defense" of the thesis (see below); the only notable exception in policy is that, unlike dissertations, M.A. theses receive letter grades.

ADMISSION TO PH.D. FROM MASTER'S PROGRAM
Students admitted only to the M.A. program at TCU must reapply for admission to the Ph.D. program; their record is subject to review by the department's graduate admissions committee: admission is not automatic.

COMPLETION OF PRIOR MASTER'S DEGREE
In special cases, students may be given provisional admittance to the Ph.D. program if they have not yet completed their Master's program. They will, however, lose any Fellowship, DA, GI, or GA appointment if they have not completed their Master's degree before the beginning of their second year in the TCU doctoral program.

"TRANSFERABLE" CREDIT
Doctoral program students who have completed a Master's degree in English studies at another appropriately accredited university may receive credit for as much as a full year of course work at TCU, normally only 6 courses (18 credit hours) but in exceptional cases up to 8 courses (24 credit hours). The DGS will assess a student's official transcripts, and make an appropriate judgment concerning such courses. When a student's earlier course work is incomplete, or in a disciplinary field other than English studies, or completed more than 6 years previously, such credits may not be transferable. Transfer credit is generally not available for students in the M.A. program.
(Technically, the department does not "transfer" credit, but instead certifies to the university that appropriate graduate coursework has been completed elsewhere; TCU requires that all doctoral students complete at least 30 hours of course work at TCU, not including dissertation guidance.)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
The requirement that doctoral students complete the equivalent of a second year of college-level language study with the grade of B or better may be met by accredited coursework. For students who have not completed the foreign language requirement prior to entering the doctoral program, several options are available:
1) At their own expense, students may enroll in foreign language courses while pursuing doctoral studies. Since these courses are not offered by TCU at the Graduate level, in most cases no TCU tuition hours may be used for this coursework. Students may "transfer" in coursework from other institutions, or enroll in undergraduate courses at TCU.
2) Students can meet their language requirement by scoring at the 50th percentile or above on the Graduate School Foreign Language Test offered at TCU's Counseling and Testing Center.
The test-which can be given in French, Spanish, Russian or German-has two parts: one concerns grammar and a second concerns reading comprehension, based specifically on humanities reading materials. No listening or oral skills are needed for this exam. Check with the Testing Center for appointments and fees.
3) Following the procedures outlined in the Graduate Studies Bulletin, faculty in the department may administer a translation exam.
4) When English is a student's second language, the department would normally consider the foreign language requirement to have been met.

DIRECTED STUDIES COURSES
Two types of directed studies courses are available; students may count toward their 54-hour degree only 6 hours of tutorial and only 3 hours of pedagogy emphasis.

The first type of directed study, a tutorial, entails registering in English 50970 to pursue readings on a specific topic, as arranged by a supervising professor, and with the permission of the DGS and the chair of the department. Directed studies of this kind are reserved for subjects not regularly covered by existing course offerings. Students may apply no more than 6 hours of this sort of tutorial toward fulfillment of the graduate degree requirements. It is the advice of the graduate committee that doctoral students preserve their two allotted directed readings for the semester directly preceding their qualifying examinations.

The second type of directed study available is a section of 50970 with a pedagogy emphasis. Students work closely with a professor's undergraduate class; no more than 2 graduate students may work with a single undergraduate class. The graduate student(s) will not only study the topic of the class, but they will also serve as apprentice teacher(s), assisting the professor in a variety of tasks-including research, planning, assessment, and teaching. Students may count one such directed reading toward the requirements of their degree.

Note: because of an idiosyncrasy in the University's numbering system, the department sometimes offers regular courses with the number 50970; these courses do not count against a student's restriction of 6 hours of tutorial and 3 hours of pedagogy emphasis.

FIRST-YEAR ASSESSMENT OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS
The major means of assessing graduate students at all levels are the admissions process, course grades, and qualifying examinations. However, a review of students during their first year in the program can help them adjust as quickly as possible and make the most productive use of their time in the program. The goal of first-year assessment is professional advising.
No later than 15 April each year, the entire graduate faculty will convene to discuss the progress of each first-year doctoral student. Subsequently, a professional advising session will be held between each student and an appointed committee of three faculty members primarily in the student's declared areas of interest.

INCOMPLETES
Students who experience unusual difficulty completing a course's requirements within the normal period may request from their professor a grade of Incomplete, which professors are free to grant or deny at their discretion. TCU University policy calls for all incomplete work to be finished before the sixtieth day of the next regular semester; when delivering the missing work, students must also submit an "I Removal Form," obtained from the Registrar. Requests for extensions of this university-imposed deadline can be granted only at the discretion of the professor, and only BEFORE the expiration of the "I Removal" permit.
The only exception to this set of university deadlines concerns students enrolled in thesis or dissertation guidance. Until a student successfully completes and defends a manuscript, incompletes for thesis and dissertation guidance "roll over" automatically; when an advisory committee director submits the grade form to AddRan College, these incompletes are then replaced by the appropriate grade.

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION, GOOD STANDING, AND PROGRESS TOWARD DEGREE:
A student is considered in good standing in the department as long as:
(1) the student accumulates no more than 2 Cs
(2) maintains a 3.25 GPA or better on graduate-level coursework undertaken after matriculation in the graduate English program.
(3) carries no more than 2 incompletes at any time
(4) remains current on all relevant fees.
(5) maintains satisfactory progress toward the degree, as determined by the DGS (for instance, advanced students who have been admitted to candidacy would normally be expected to complete, as a minimum, one dissertation chapter or the equivalent per year)
(6) Entering students who are admitted conditionally must also fulfill all conditions of their admission (such as providing final official transcripts from previous institutions) before the end of the first 12 hours of graduate study. Students who do not fulfill admissions conditions by this time will not be allowed to enroll in further graduate credits.

Students who do not maintain the above are considered to be on probation, and will be so notified by the DGS at the end of the semester. The Graduate Committee will not renew financial awards for students on probation. In addition, students who remain on probation for longer than one semester after being notified by the DGS must reapply to the graduate committee before being allowed to enroll in further graduate credits.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Typically the department offers no graduate courses in the summer, directed readings or supervision of theses or dissertations; nor does the department offer financial aid during the summer months.

The faculty recognize the bind this places on graduate students, and so offers these additional comments about summer activities. In recent years, graduate students have found summer teaching employment with the Fort Worth ISD, Tarrant County College, and other local schools. Some employment on the TCU campus is also available, and a few students will have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses for the department. In the past, these courses have included first- and second-year composition, English literature before and after 1800, and other introductory courses. While an open call is made each spring, preference, by the request of the graduate students, is given to students with the most seniority and experience.
But even if students are not teaching, few students take the summer "off." Those who have passed qualifying examinations usually work on their dissertations; those not yet admitted to candidacy study for exams; and most others can use the summer months to revise papers toward conferences or publication-which is precisely how the TCU faculty will use the summer months.

APPROVAL FOR OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT OF GRADUATE STUDENTS
Graduate students on full stipend seeking employment outside the University during the academic year must have the prior approval of both the department and the AddRan Dean's office. Interested students need to apply to the Dean's office by providing the DGS with a brief statement indicating the outside employment being sought, your current class load, your current departmental responsibilities, and what, if any, relationship there is between the employment sought and your graduate studies.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Graduate students are expected to abide by a generally-agreed upon set of professional expectations. In the "Profession of English," all students will encounter the statements on professional ethics written by our professional organizations-the MLA, ADE, and AAUP. Both the TCU Student Handbook and the Handbook for Faculty and Staff outline standards for behavior. These expectations include:
· Careful and accurate use of others' intellectual property, including proper attribution of their ideas and words. (See especially the "Academic Conduct Policy" in the TCU Graduate Studies Bulletin.)
· Respect for difference. Not only should we follow the University's statement on non-discrimination, but we must also respect the difference borne of methodologies and conclusions that conflict with one's own intellectual position. While vigorous debate is never unwelcome, such debate ought never to dissolve into personal acrimony.
· Maintain confidentiality when appropriate. As DAs, GIs, GAs and in other tasks, graduate students frequently have access to confidential information about other persons in the department, especially undergraduates. (GIs should read the appropriate sections the Handbook for Faculty and Staff on FERPA. The current Handbook for Faculty and Staff is available both in the Department of English and the TCU Library, which also houses all official TCU documents.)

Typically confidentiality would include matters concerning student grades and course performance, private conversations, the content of in- or out-of-class journals, letters of recommendation, or discussions about a student with a member of your supervising faculty. (See "Graduate Student Participation on Search Committees" for a more detailed example.)

In any matter where confidentiality may be an issue, immediately consult the DGS or the chair of the department.

DOCTORAL QUALIFYING EXAMS
Students may take qualifying examinations once they have satisfied the language requirement and completed at least 48 hours of coursework.

Exam Committees
Like dissertation advisory committees, qualifying exam committees organize and supervise a student's work. At least six months before the examination target date, the student invites a faculty member to become exam committee coordinator, who typically continues on as the student's dissertation director; the coordinator and the student consider who the remaining members of the committee might be, and the student then invites their participation.

Reading Lists
In consultation with three members of the department's graduate faculty, a student seeking admission to candidacy for the doctorate in English must establish reading lists identifying three distinct study areas and specific texts for which the student will be held responsible in the exam. Normally, each list will contain 20 to 30 principal books, journals, and/or their equivalent, with the list designed to represent both the depth and the breadth of an area. Students will also acquaint themselves with additional sources (e.g. "secondary" works) as directed by their committee and as is appropriate to the area of study. Both these principal texts and additional works may be sources for examination questions.
Each list is negotiated with, approved by, and signed by the appropriate member of the examining faculty; the list must then be approved by the DGS, both to provide a record for the student's file and to ensure consistency within the program. All lists should be finalized several months before the examinations, although individual committees reserve the right to make reasonable changes and adjustments.

Exam Format
Dates for qualifying examinations are determined by each student's examining committee, but must occur between September 1 and December 1; or between January 15 and May 1. Once a committee agrees on dates, those dates must be scheduled through the DGS with AddRan college.

The exam itself has two parts. The first is written, for depth of understanding; the second is oral, for breadth. The three written exams are conducted over a period of five working days. Students will receive each set of questions from the departmental secretary on the morning of the exam; while they will then have a full 9 hours for each written exam, the graduate faculty recommends that students spend approximately four hours writing. Each written examination will require the student to answer two of six questions generated by the student's full committee.
Examinations follow the "honor system," and are not proctored. Students MAY NOT USE ANY form of notes or secondary materials; however, with the consent of their examining committee, students may refer to their reading lists. Only blank paper and blank diskettes are to be used; the answers must be presented in a legible typescript. At the end of each day's writing, the student will xerox and distribute copies for the committee members, while, of course, retaining a copy in order to guard against having a set of answers lost or misplaced.
All three areas of the written exam must be passed, following a majority vote of the faculty committee, before the student may take the oral exam. Students failing one or more parts of the written exam must retake those parts again after a delay of at least three months. Retake exams will follow the same format as the first exam: students will receive 6 new questions on each exam area that they are being asked to retake and will, again, be asked to answer two of those questions. (See "Assessment" for students who elect to modify or substitute exam areas.) Within one week following the successful completion of the written exam, a two-hour oral will take place, divided equally among the three study areas; students failing the oral must retake the oral after a delay of at least one month. Following successful completion of the oral exam, the committee coordinator will inform the DGS in writing.

Assessment
Having fulfilled all other requirements for candidacy, students who pass both parts of their qualifying examinations, following a majority vote of their faculty committees, will be admitted to candidacy. Students whose performance (as assessed by a unanimous vote of their committees) ranks them in the top ten percent of TCU students taking such exams will be awarded a pass with distinction. Students with a marginal performance will be awarded a low pass, and given an unofficial warning.
Students who fail the same section of the exam twice will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program. Students who fail qualifying examinations on their first attempt may elect, with the unanimous consent of their supervising faculty committees, to modify or substitute any of the three areas before a second, and final, attempt; having previously failed a section of the exam, students who elect to change topics will have only one remaining opportunity to pass the examination.

DISSERTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The dissertation advisory committee is composed of four members of the Department of English. When appropriate, a scholar from outside the department may be appointed (see below). All committees are appointed by the Dean of AddRan College at the recommendation of the DGS.

Appointment
The candidate first invites a faculty member to become dissertation director. The director and the candidate then decide together who to invite to become the second member of the committee. Of the four members of the dissertation committee, no more than two will be specialists in the field of the student's project; the other two non-specialist members of the committee will be chosen by the candidate from a roster supplied by the DGS. (External appointees are the sole exception.) Because the dissertation advisory committee is likely to differ from the student's qualifying examination committee, it will not be appointed until the student has been admitted to candidacy. Once the committee is selected, the DGS requests that the dean make the appointments.
Once appointed, the committee may undergo modification. However, the committee may not be changed during the semester the candidate will graduate unless compelling cause is given, and approved, in a formal petition from the dissertation committee director to the DGS and the Dean of AddRan College.

Outside Members
Members of the TCU Graduate Faculty from departments other than English may serve on dissertation advisory committees when their expertise is pertinent to a student's project; usually no more than one such outside member is authorized for any committee. Students wishing to include an outside member will, in consultation with their dissertation director, identify an appropriate scholar and secure his or her consent. The DGS will then forward this name, along with names of the other committee members, to the Dean.
A faculty member from another institution may be appointed to a dissertation committee when he or she possesses special expertise not to be found among the TCU Graduate Faculty; usually no more than one such outside member is authorized for any committee. It is the candidate's responsibility to identify the prospective member, obtain his/her consent, and secure approval from the DGS. The person proposed must meet all criteria for appointment to the TCU Graduate Faculty; therefore, he or she must send to the department chair a statement of willingness to serve and a full, professional CV. If appropriate, the department chair will forward to the dean a nomination for adjunct graduate faculty status; if that request is approved by the dean, the DGS will recommend the appointment of the committee, as specified above.

Dissertation Prospectus
Immediately following admission to candidacy, students prepare a dissertation prospectus to clarify the dissertation project and to provide direction for research and writing. Typically, the statement should include a brief review of the scholarly literature and a brief statement of the scope and the significance of the topic. The prospectus should also include a time-line for the completion of the project. (See "Appendix: Dissertation Prospectus.")
After approval by the director, the prospectus is circulated to committee members for suggestions and comments.
The purpose of the dissertation is to give the student experience in reviewing a body of literature, researching a significant subject, and writing a book-length study of that subject. Therefore, a dissertation is an original investigation of a topic of significant interest to scholars. The writer must take and defend a position, not merely recite and rehearse what others have said. The text's bibliography must reflect the historical and contemporary scholarship pertinent to the field. The dissertation gives a student a thorough knowledge of a scholarly subject, and provides a solid foundation for future teaching and continuing publication.
The manuscript itself must follow all of the requirements set out in the AddRan College document Manual for Thesis and Dissertations.

Dissertation Procedures
The dissertation director has the primary responsibility for dissertation procedures and should make timely and detailed responses to the candidate's work in order to allow for needed revision. Following the deadlines published each term by AddRan College, the candidate also needs to allow the director and members of the committee ample time to read and respond to chapter drafts. Final approval of the manuscript comes from the unanimous consent of the entire dissertation advisory committee: a candidate's failure to respond to committee members' recommendations may result in the refusal of a committee member to "sign-off" on the dissertation.
Once the committee is appointed and the prospectus approved, the dissertation director helps the candidate plan procedures to be followed. For example, some members of the committee may wish to see the manuscript as it develops chapter by chapter; others may wish to see the manuscript only when a first draft is finished. But no matter what procedures individual committees adopt, candidates must regularly report to the full committee on their progress, including updated projections of forthcoming drafts.
A dissertation lecture (or "defense") will not be scheduled until the full committee has approved the final draft. Both the candidate and the dissertation director are responsible for following the AddRan deadlines, which will permit the committee sufficient time to read the text, and the student sufficient time to rewrite. Candidates should be aware of and respect AddRan deadlines, which call for a notice of the dissertation lecture at least two weeks before the lecture date, and also a copy of the manuscript for approval by the dean of AddRan College at least two days before the defense.

Dissertation Lecture
A dissertation lecture is a final step in the candidate's Ph.D. program. After the committee has approved the dissertation manuscript, the candidate and the director in consultation schedule the public lecture, which all faculty and graduate students in the department are invited to attend. Because the lecture is a required part of the academic program, the candidate will consult with the full committee before inviting family or friends to the lecture. A defense of the dissertation's central argument, the candidate provides a 20 to 30 minute account of the dissertation; the dissertation advisory committee then interrogates the candidate for another 60 to 90 minutes. The purpose of the lecture and defense is to share research results with TCU's scholarly community, and to prepare students for other professional discussions of their research, such as at conferences, seminars, or job talks.
Once the dissertation is successfully defended, the candidate becomes a Doctor of Philosophy, and for any interested party the DGS will write a letter attesting to that fact. Following the dissertation lecture, the student's director submits the appropriate grading form to AddRan College; students must then complete all remaining paper work, pay fees, and submit final copies of the dissertation for binding. The student may then attend the next graduation ceremony.

Dissertation Grades
Dissertations are evaluated as no-credit, pass, and pass with distinction.
As determined only by a unanimous vote of their faculty committee, students whose performance ranks them in the top 10 percent of TCU students completing the dissertation will be given departmental honors. Students would then list this honor on their CV, beside the date of graduation, as "Ph.D. with distinction."

LEAVES OF ABSENCE
Leaves of absence from the graduate program will be granted for good cause. Students seeking such a leave should consult with the DGS at the earliest possible date; the DGS will then present the student's case to the dean of AddRan College, who will make a final determination.
Students requesting a leave of absence should be aware that no financial awards-no tuition waiver, no stipend, or no residue of a stipend-will be credited or paid during the period of the leave, but all time limits remain in effect. Persons receiving leaves of absence may return to the program without submitting a new application for admission; however, if new or reinstated financial aid is desired, a new application must be filed, in accordance with the deadlines and conditions negotiated at the time the leave of absence was granted.

GRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION ON SEARCH COMMITTEES
Serving on a search committee for new faculty is one of the most important service tasks within a department; nothing less than the future of the department is at stake. Continuing faculty will be selecting a new colleague who can augment strengths and provide new directions for the program. Graduate students will be helping shape the future of the department while at the same time preparing for their own job searches, since participation will give students a clearer sense of audience and format.
Members should expect to spend a considerable time (10-40 hours, depending on the number of applicants) reading applications. At the initial round, this will involve a letter and a CV for each candidate, and in the second round lengthy writing samples, letters of recommendation, and other materials of standard academic dossiers, including transcripts. Additional time (5-10 hours) needs to be scheduled for the deliberations of the search committee. Individual search committee chairs will designate specific procedures for each committee.
Generally, for each search committee two faculty members will be elected by the department faculty; one will be appointed by the chair of the department. Graduate students will nominate, by election, their own voting representative to each committee; nominations will then be submitted to the department chair, who makes all graduate student appointments to search committees. Third- or fourth-year students will have the most experience to draw upon, but if they are embarking on their own job search they may wish to withdraw from consideration to focus on their dissertation and the rigors of the job market.
Serving on a search committee entails strict observance of confidentiality and professional ethics. While it is always appropriate for committees to discuss priorities in assessing relevant qualifications among applicants, needs of the program, and definitions of merit, dossiers remain private documents and their contents should be treated as confidential material. For example, quotations from letters of recommendation should not be shared with those outside the search committee; and once the search has concluded, any copies of confidential material should be destroyed.
Search committee discussions should also be treated as confidential. Comments about individual applicants' shortcomings or personal qualities must remain within the committee. Once the campus visits are scheduled strict confidentiality regarding dossiers and search committee deliberations should be observed, even while it may be appropriate to compare notes with colleagues on general impressions of a candidate's non-confidential materials, such as the writing sample, campus interviews, or job talk. Search committee members may share their general impressions, but the search committee's selection is considered confidential until announced at a faculty meeting.
Individual members of search committees will have contact with the candidate at a number of points during the interview process-even afterward. It may be appropriate to contact candidates about professional business or common research interests, but no search committee deliberations should be shared.
Any search committee member with questions or concerns about the ethics of committee service is encouraged to approach the search committee chair, the DGS, or the chair of the department.

GRADUATE PROGRAM COMMITTEE
The English Department's graduate programs are supervised by the Department's Graduate Committee, which is composed of 4 to 6 members of the regular faculty, as appointed by the chair of the department, and an elected graduate student who has an equal vote (except on any matter concerning a current graduate student). An advisory body to the DGS, the Graduate Committee establishes and enforces policy; it also makes financial aid decisions each spring.

APPEALS PROCEDURE
Grade appeals should follow the procedures outlined in the TCU Student Handbook and the Handbook for Faculty and Staff. Other appeals specifically related to English Department graduate program or its policies-such as matters concerning the DGS's judgment about "transferable" credit, faculty committee selection, GA appointments, or the limit on directed readings-should begin with a petition to the DGS, then move to the Graduate Committee; matters not satisfactorily resolved by the DGS or the Graduate Committee may be appealed to the chair of the department.

APPENDIX: DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS
· An opening statement of 1,000 to 2,000 words generally addresses matters such as:
1. Nature of the problem
2. Scope of the problem
3. Need for study (significance)
4. Method of study
5. Scheme of study (chapter outline)
6. Availability of research materials
7. Time-line for completing the manuscript (a realistic time-line is 2-3 years)

· Bibliography
The content of a provisional bibliography depends on many variables, but while the prospectus' bibliography should be selective it should indicate the range of significant scholarly materials, both primary and secondary, as appropriate to the student's scholarly discipline.

APPENDIX: WRITING THE DISSERTATION

Most graduate students experience certain difficulties in writing dissertations. (Begin with the fact this it will be the first time most students will write a scholarly document longer than a seminar paper.) The best advice about researching, writing, and editing your text will come for your dissertation advisory committee. But don't neglect the informal but extraordinarily practical alternative: a writing group with other students who are "dissertating."
Other sources are worth a look, such as the All-But-Dissertation site http://www.ecoach.com, the Dissertation Doctor http://www.dissertationdoctor.com, or The Art and Science of Avoiding the Dissertation http://www.dissertationdoctor.com/articles/avoiding.html.
It's still possible to use those antiquated, archaic things called books. See especially Joan Bolker's Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day (Holt, 1998), Ann Lamont's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anchor 1995), and Eviatar Zerubavel's The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books (Harvard UP, 1999).

APPENDIX: THE JOB SEARCH
Students usually go on the job market only after they have made substantial progress on their dissertation. Occasionally, students recently admitted to candidacy go on the market, but as ABD they will be eligible only for a fraction of available jobs, and generally never for a tenurable appointment. Searching for a job can occasionally be exhilarating, but it is never fun, so it is imperative that you prepare early. For advice on how to plan and then conduct the job search, you should consult several sources. Read job guides, such as the one by English Showalter The MLA Guide to the Job Search (New ed. 1998. New York: MLA), or the tips offered in the TCU Graduate Student Survival Guide (maintained by graduate students in Reed 309). Visit MLA's webpage <http://www.mla.org/> for advice to job seekers in English studies or modern languages. You might also consult the Graduate Student portal at <http://www-personal.umich.edu/%7Edanhorn/graduate.html>, which contains information useful to graduate students at any stage of their careers.
But all graduate students should follow one or another form of the following steps:

· Consult your dissertation advisory committees early, and at every stage of the process; when possible, also consult with new faculty who have recently been on the job market.

· At least two years before going on the market, begin to monitor hiring trends, as represented by the MLA Job Information List (JIL) and statistics compiled by MLA, NCTE, and ADE.

· At least one year before going on the market, serve as a graduate student representative to a departmental search committee.

· Prepare early: while the first round of applications generally follows the October publication of the JIL (which now appears on the web), you will need to begin preparations at least two, perhaps even three, months in advance. Early preparation is especially crucial since throughout the time you'll be on the market you'll also be teaching, finishing your dissertation, and working on conference papers. Finding a professional position is emotionally-draining: don't make it any worse than it has to be.

· Solicit letters of recommendation:
ask for such letters at least 8 weeks before you will need them on file, giving your
referees ample time to prepare a good letter
provide referees with a current CV, a representative writing sample, and a statement of
the kinds of jobs for which you'll apply (or your sample cover letter)
never forget to coach your referees.

· Craft an application cover letter (or letters)
A cover letter should be a polished, highly rhetorical, professional document
Cover letters are job- and specialty-specific (a generalist will have different letters for
positions in literature and in composition)
A letter
Identifies the advertised job
Assesses an applicant's suitability for the position
Summarizes the nature of an applicant's research and training
States qualifications as a teacher
States availability for interviews (as at MLA or CCCC)
Repeats addresses, including email and phone numbers
Adds contact address for 15-30 December, if necessary.

· Create a dossier file at the Career Center. A dossier typically contains
Your current CV
An informal transcript of courses taken and grades received
A statement of teaching philosophy
A detailed dissertation abstract
Three to five letters of recommendation
at least one from dissertation director, about scholarship
at least one on teaching, based on direct observation
A writing sample or samples.

· Get teaching observed, and detailed in one letter of recommendation.

· Prepare a writing sample (or samples): 20-30 page self-contained illustration of skills as a critic and a scholar.

· Search for job openings in
JIL (access to the web version of the JIL will be provided by the department's
membership in ADE, but for a fee paid to MLA you may choose to receive a
hard copy by mail)
Chronicle of Higher Education
Websites and listservs appropriate to specific specialties
Many community colleges advertise openings only in local papers.

· Practice interview skills
Develop a list of typical and job-specific interview questions:
Describe your dissertation and research?
To specialists
To non-specialists
How would you teach course X?
What books would you use? (have a sample syllabus)
Practice:
Talk to your cat
Mock interviews with faculty.

· Budget your expenses (at least six months in advance)
Subscriptions for JIL (see "search for openings," above), or internet access
Travel to the relevant conferences, airport shuttles, registration, and hotel
Xeroxing and postage

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