Applicable only to students admitted during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Italian

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Italian offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Italian.

Admission

Program Name

Italian

Address

212 Royce Hall
Box 951535
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1535 

Phone

(310) 825-1147 

Email

allen@humnet.ucla.edu  

Leading to the degree of

M.A., Ph.D. 

Admission Limited to

Fall 

Deadline to apply

December 15th 

GRE (General and/or Subject)

GRE: General 

Letters of Recommendation 

3 

Other Requirements

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit one writing sample, of no more than 10 pages, in English or Italian, and a statement of purpose.

M.A.: Applicants who meet University minimum requirements are screened by the departmental committee on admissions. Admission on a provisional basis may be recommended in the case of applicants with deficiencies in preparation.

Ph.D.: Applicants with an MA degree from an Italian department in an institution in the U.S. which this department deems to be a peer institution can be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. Students with an M.A. degree from an institution in Italy which this department deems to be a peer institution can be admitted to the Ph.D. program but must pass the M.A. comprehensive examination no later than the end of the third quarter of graduate study. Students who enter the graduate program with a B.A. or equivalent degree or with a degree in a discipline other than Italian literature will be required to pursue the entire course of the M.A. program, taking the 12 required courses and in some cases additional courses as deemed necessary by the faculty before the M.A. comprehensive examination. As in the case of all M.A. students, their performance on the examination will determine whether they are allowed to proceed to the Ph.D. program. 

Master's Degree

Advising

Graduate students entering the M.A. program are requested to make an advising appointment as soon as possible.

Areas of Study

The M.A. degree in Italian is available with specializations in Italian literature, Italian language, and Italian cultural studies.

Foreign Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of one foreign language other than Italian is required. The choice of language must be approved by the graduate adviser. Students may demonstrate reading knowledge through departmental examination or successful completion of coursework through at least level 3. This requirement must be met at least one quarter before the comprehensive examination.

Course Requirements

Italian Literature Specialization. For both the comprehensive examination plan and thesis plans, 10 courses are required, including Italian 205A-205B, and 225. The other seven courses must be distributed in three main literary periods (with at least two courses in each period): Middle Ages, Renaissance, modern. If approved by the graduate adviser, two of these courses may be individual research courses (Italian 596) or upper division Italian courses. Related courses in another department, such as Art History 230, may also be approved. To receive credit toward the M.A. degree for such courses, students must petition the faculty in advance through a letter addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Italian Language Specialization. Prerequisites: a general grasp of linguistics equivalent to Linguistics 20 and 110, and a broad familiarity with Italian literary and cultural history. For both the comprehensive examination and thesis plans, 10 courses are required, including Italian 222A-222B and Linguistics 202 or equivalent. At least seven courses must be in the 200 series.

Italian Cultural Studies Specialization. This specialization offers two separate tracks: (a) medieval and early modern and (b) modern and contemporary. For both the comprehensive examination and thesis plans, nine courses are required and a minimum of five courses must be in the 200 series.

(a) Medieval and early modern:

One course in medieval/early modern Italian history (required)
Two courses in medieval/early modern Italian literature and cultural (required)
One seminar in the theory and practice of cultural studies
One course in medieval/early modern Italian art of architecture and urban design
One course in medieval/early modern Italian musicology
One course in medieval/early modern Italian thought
One course in medieval/early modern Italian political and juridical institutions
One course in the history of the Italian language

Approved courses include: Art History 200, 226A, 226B, 229, 230, 231, 240; Architecture and Urban Design 288; History 221A, 221B, 226A, 226B, 229A, 229B; Italian 214A, 214B, 214C, 214D, 214E, 214F, 215A, 215B, 216A, 216B, 216C, 216D, 216E, 217, 250A, 250B, 250C, 250D, 251, 252, 253A, 253B, 253C, 254, 255A, 255B; Philosophy 206, 207; Political Science 210A, 210B.

(b) Modern and contemporary:

Two courses in modern/contemporary Italian literature and culture (required)
One course in modern/contemporary Italian history (required)
One seminar in the theory and practice of cultural studies (required)
One course in film and media or theater
One course in design and/or architecture and urban design or art history
One course on modern/contemporary Italian thought
One course on political/juridical institutions of modern Italy
One course in geography or economics, anthropology, or folklore

Approved courses include: Anthropology 252P, 253, 260, M263P; Art History 200, 244, 245; Urban Planning 245; Economics 181, 241; Film and Television 206A, 218, 219, 270; History M230A, M230B, 231A, 231B, 234A, 234B; Italian 218A through 230B, 256A through 298; Musicology 200A, 265D, 265E, 265F; Philosophy 216, C219, C247, 280; Political Science 220, 231, 246B; Theater 202D, 202E, 202F, 202G.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

The department prefers that students follow the comprehensive examination plan, which consists of a minimum five-hour written examination to be given before the final examination period in the Fall and Spring quarters. Students may petition to substitute a master's thesis in lieu of the examination; however, this option is not encouraged. The examination tests the student's general competency and does not have major and minor fields of emphasis. Following the written examination, students must take an oral examination. If students fail either part of the examination, they may be reexamined once, subject to approval by the examination committee and the chair of the department.

Thesis Plan

Every master's degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research.

This plan may be approved for research-oriented students of exceptional merit. Students who have completed the first year of graduate work with at least a 3.7 grade-point average may be nominated by one of the faculty members of the department for application to the thesis plan. If the nomination is accepted by the faculty, a three-member thesis committee is submitted to the Graduate Division for appointment. At this point the student must have completed Italian 205A-205B and at least two other graduate courses in Italian. On acceptance, the guidance committee helps the student choose six more graduate courses in preparation for the thesis.

The thesis must be at least 50 pages long and formatted in accord with University regulations. The thesis must be submitted in the sixth quarter of graduate work. After completion of the thesis, students must take an oral examination that tests knowledge in the field of the thesis and general competence in Italian literature.

Time-to-Degree

The time to the master's degree is two years or six academic quarters. Normally students should plan to complete their 10-course requirement by the end of the fifth quarter of study.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Continuing students who proceed toward the Ph.D. degree in Italian following completion of the department's M.A. program are urged to select, within the first quarter and in consultation with the graduate adviser, a faculty member to serve as their adviser who may or may not become the chair of their doctoral guidance committee. New students in the Ph.D. program in Italian are introduced to the faculty in a general meeting and are urged to consult with the departmental graduate adviser regarding their program and selection of a faculty adviser.

Students should select their doctoral committee at least three quarters prior to Part II of the qualifying examinations. The doctoral guidance committee prepares and administers Part II of the written qualifying examination after the 10-course requirement and other preparatory work have been completed, normally within six quarters after completion of Part I.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Two centuries of Italian literature selected from the medieval, Renaissance and baroque, or modern areas comprise the major fields; two other centuries of Italian literature selected from any of these areas comprise the minor fields.

A student may select a major or minor in a literary genre outside of the department if is related to the student's major field of specialization and meets with the approval of the entire faculty.

Foreign Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of two of the following foreign languages is required: Latin, French, German, or Spanish. The choice of languages must be approved by the graduate adviser. Students may demonstrate reading knowledge through departmental examination or successful completion of coursework through at least level 3. A foreign language used to satisfy the requirement for the M.A. degree in Italian may be applied toward partial fulfillment of this requirement. The language requirement must be satisfied before taking Part II of the qualifying examinations.

Course Requirements

In addition to those required for the master's degree, at least 10 other quarter system courses, of which no more than two 596 courses may apply, are required. Students also must take such courses as their guidance committee prescribes for the qualifying examinations (such as Italian 596 or 597). All courses in the 200 series from Italian 201 on upward in number, may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program who have not previously taken Italian 205A and 205B or the equivalent are required to take them as soon as possible. For a course to be deemed equivalent to Italian 205A and 205B, students submit a detailed letter of petition addressed to the Director of Graduate Study and the faculty. To count two relevant courses taught in other departments at UCLA toward the 10 courses required for the Ph.D. in Italian, students must petition the faculty in advance through a letter addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

The comprehensive examination for the M.A. degree in Italian serves as Part I of the written qualifying examinations for the Ph.D. degree. The department also requires both written and oral qualifying examinations (Part II), which must be taken during the same academic year, although not necessarily during the same quarter. Normally taken no later than six quarters after completion of the M.A. degree, the written examination consists of two parts: a six-hour examination in the student's major field and a five-hour examination in the minor field. All students, including those with an M.A. degree in Italian with a specialization in Italian literature from UCLA, should expect to take Part II of the examinations at the end of the sixth quarter in residence. No sooner than two weeks after completion of the second part of the written examination, and after having written a detailed prospectus of the Ph.D. dissertation to follow, students take a two-hour University Oral Qualifying Examination on the major, the minor, and the prospectus. A summary of requirements entitled Regulations for the Ph.D. Examination is available in the department. In case of failure, the student may be reexamined on unanimous approval of the guidance committee, after at least one academic quarter of additional residence.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

Completion of all coursework, examinations, and the dissertation for the Ph.D. degree should occur no later than six years from beginning of graduate status.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for termination is made by the departmental faculty.