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Candidacy requirement

The culmination of doctoral study is the dissertation, a substantial written work of original research. The University requires doctoral students to show their preparedness and aptitude for this task by successfully completing a candidacy requirement. Through the candidacy requirement, students demonstrate that they have mastered the necessary tools to complete a dissertation successfully. These tools include familiarity and facility with the field’s core findings, literature, theoretical frameworks, and forms of argumentation.

In the Linguistics department, the candidacy requirement consists of either a substantial research paper, or two candidacy examinations. 

Students completing their candidacy requirement must register for LING 693.

  1. Timeline 

Students are normally expected to complete their candidacy requirement by the end the second year of their PhD program. The maximum time for completion of the candidacy requirement is three years from the start of the PhD program.

Information on the candidacy process also appears on the Linguistics graduate website:

  1. Procedures

When a student registers for LING 693, or beforehand, their supervisory committee is struck. The committee and the student decide collaboratively on one of the two options for the completion of the candidacy requirement (one candidacy paper, or two candidacy exams). This choice is recorded on the Program Form, which the student completes and returns to the department office.

2.1       Option A: Candidacy paper

One option for satisfying the doctoral candidacy requirement in Linguistics is to write an original research paper, suitable for presentation at a conference.

2.1.1    Supervision

The student’s doctoral supervisor, in consultation with the student, determines the supervisor of the candidacy paper. The candidacy supervisor, in consultation with the student, then determines the other two committee members, including an internal member (holding an appointment in the department), who is the second reader of the candidacy paper, and a third reader. In the usual case, the candidacy supervisor is the doctoral supervisor, and the second reader is the internal member of the student’s doctoral committee. The candidacy supervisor and the second reader provide feedback on the student’s candidacy research. The third reader reads and evaluates only the defense draft of the paper.

2.1.2    Proposal

The topic of the candidacy paper is determined collaboratively by the student and the candidacy supervisor. Broadly speaking, the candidacy paper is designed to set the student on the path to developing a dissertation proposal. For example, it could serve as a pilot study for the dissertation research.

Before beginning work on the candidacy paper, and normally by the beginning of the second year of the doctoral program, students must submit a proposal to the candidacy supervisor and the isecond reader. This proposal can be up to 5 double-spaced pages (no more than 1,500 words), plus a bibliography, outline, and timeline. The proposal must include:

  1. The goal of the paper, including how it addresses the topic decided by the candidacy supervisor and the student
  2. A brief outline of the research needed to complete the project, including the research questions to be investigated, the theoretical framework and methodology to be adopted, and an overview of relevant existing literature
  3. A preliminary bibliography of relevant research on the topic
  4. A preliminary outline of the paper, and a timeline of when the research and writing will be completed 

2.1.3    Submission of drafts

The candidacy paper is normally completed within two academic terms, including the proposal and the research ethics approval process, if any. While researching the candidacy paper, the student is expected to meet regularly with the candidacy supervisor, and may meet occasionally with the second reader. Suggested length of the paper is 35 double-spaced pages (roughly 10,000-11,000 words), including any examples, tables and diagrams, and excluding references.

 Once a complete draft of the paper is ready, its formal evaluation begins. The student can submit no more than three complete drafts before participating in an oral defense:

  • The candidacy supervisor reads and comments on a complete initial draft of the paper before the student passes a revised draft to the supervisor and second reader.
  • The second reader and the supervisor then read and comment on a complete second draft of the paper before the student submits the examination draft to the entire committee, including the third reader.
  • The committee then reads the examination draft of the paper. 

To expedite the review process, the student is expected to track or highlight changes when submitting more than one draft of the paper to the same reader. 

2.1.4    Assessment criteria

The quality of the candidacy paper is assessed by the supervisory committee according to the following criteria. The candidacy paper must demonstrate:

  • original research, worthy of publication or presentation at a conference;
  • knowledge of the literature and major issues in the field of study; and
  • ability to respond to, and think critically about, the relevant literature and major issues in the field of study

2.1.5    Oral candidacy examination

Once the candidacy committee has read the examination draft of the candidacy paper, the student meets with the committee for an oral candidacy examination. At the examination, the student gives a brief presentation, approximately 10 minutes long, to summarize the most important points of the candidacy paper. The members of the candidacy committee then ask the student questions, focusing on the paper and related research areas.

After the question period, the student is excused, and the candidacy committee discusses the paper to determine whether it is acceptable. The candidacy paper, as presented at the oral examination, is assessed as follows:

  1. The candidacy paper is acceptable.
    • No further work on the paper is required.
  1. The candidacy paper is acceptable subject to minor revisions.
  • The student has two weeks to complete the minor revisions, which are then approved by the candidacy supervisor.
  1. The candidacy paper must be revised and resubmitted.
  • The student revises the paper (based on written comments from the committee), and resubmits it to the committee.
  • The paper can be revised only once, and the revised paper must be defended within three months of the initial defense.
  1. The candidacy paper fails.
  • If the revised paper does not meet department standards, the student is required to withdraw from the PhD program.

Immediately after the meeting of the committee, the supervisor communicates the committee’s decision to the student and to the Graduate Advisor. Once a candidacy paper has been judged as meeting the required standard, the student passes the candidacy requirement.

2.2       Option B: Two candidacy exams

2.2.1    Supervision

The student’s doctoral supervisor, in consultation with the student, determines the membership of the candidacy committee. In the usual case, the candidacy committee members are appointed as the student’s doctoral committee.

2.2.2    Setting the exams

The supervisory committee is responsible for setting two candidacy exams in distinct research domains. The candidacy exam process is normally completed within two academic terms. The timing of the two exams (in parallel or in sequence) and the content of the exams is determined by the committee in consultation with the student; for example, one exam could be based on findings from the literature relevant to the topic, and the other on relevant methodological approaches. For each exam, the student is expected to collaborate with the committee in generating a reading list. Based on these readings, the committee sets two exam questions. The student then has one week to write an exam paper responding to one of these questions. This paper must be entirely their own work, written without assistance from the supervisory committee. Suggested length is 20 double-spaced pages (5,500-6,500 words). The committee then reads the exam paper, and the student meets with the committee for an oral examination. The same procedure is followed for the second exam. For exams conducted in parallel, the second exam is normally scheduled within two weeks after the successful completion of the first exam. For exams conducted in sequence, the second exam is normally scheduled within one term after the successful completion of the first exam. 

2.2.3    Assessment criteria 

The quality of each candidacy exam paper, as presented at the oral examination, is assessed by the supervisory committee according to the following criteria. Each exam paper must demonstrate:

  • Knowledge of the literature and major issues relating to the chosen exam question
  • Ability to respond to, and think critically about, the literature and major issues relating to the chosen exam question

2.2.4    The first exam

The first exam paper is read by the entire committee in parallel. The committee has two weeks to read the paper, then the student meets with the committee for an oral candidacy examination. At the examination, the student gives a brief presentation, approximately 5 minutes long, summarizing the most important points of the candidacy exam paper. The members of the candidacy committee then ask the student questions, focusing on the chosen exam question and related research areas.

After the question period, the student is excused and the candidacy committee discusses the exam paper and determines whether it is acceptable. The paper, as presented at the oral examination, is assessed as follows:

  1. The candidacy exam passes.
    • No further work on this exam is required.
  1. The candidacy exam fails.
  • The student has one week to retake this exam on a similar or new question, based on the same reading list as the initial exam.
  • Each exam can be retaken only once. If a retaken exam paper does not meet department standards, the student is required to withdraw from the PhD program.

Immediately after the oral examination, the supervisor communicates the committee’s decision to the student and to the Graduate Advisor.

2.2.5    The second exam

The student must pass the first exam before proceeding to the second. The second exam is scheduled by the committee in collaboration with the student, normally to begin within two weeks of the successful completion of the first exam. The procedures for the second exam are the same as for the first. 

When both candidacy exams have been passed, the student passes the candidacy requirement.

  1. Passing the candidacy requirement

Once a student has passed the candidacy requirement under either Option A or Option B, the candidacy supervisor communicates this to the student and to the Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor then issues a memo of confirmation to the Graduate 番茄社区 and Records Office (GARO), signed by the student’s doctoral supervisor and the Chair of the Department of Linguistics.