Contact Info

Contact:Graduate Program Administrator: Comparative Literature and Thought
Phone:314-935-5170
Email:complit@wustl.edu

To earn a PhD at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; pass certain examinations; complete all requirements for doctoral candidacy; fulfill residence and Mentored Experience Requirements; write, defend, and submit a dissertation; and apply for program completion (graduation) via Workday Student.

For the details of doctoral degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Doctoral Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 48 units
  • Degree Length: Five years 
    • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their coursework, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
  • Grade Requirement: A minimum grade of B– is required for coursework to count toward the degree.

Required Courses

The PhD in Comparative Literature program requires 48 units of course credit. This includes COMPLITTHT 5200 Introduction to Comparative Literature (3 units), as well as 9 additional units in core comparative literature seminars. Students who complete interdisciplinary graduate certificates will be required to enroll in additional units as specified by the certificate-granting department or program. PhD students put together a course of study with at least two areas of concentration, which include the remaining 36 units of elective course credit.

These rules regarding required courses taken at Washington University apply to students joining the department with a bachelor's degree. Students entering with a master's degree may already have fulfilled some of these requirements. The fulfillment of Washington University requirements with courses completed elsewhere should be discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies, who will make a determination about the transfer of credits.

Core Seminar Courses 

  • COMPLITTHT 5200 Introduction to Comparative Literature (3 units)
  • One course each in any three of the following four categories (9 units), one of which must be a 5000-level seminar with Comparative Literature. In rare cases, subject to approval, a course outside of Comparative Literature might fulfill one of these categories:
    1. Category I: Transcultural Studies
    2. Category II: Translation Studies
    3. Category III: Literature, Politics, and Society
    4. Category IV: Media Ecologies, Media Histories, Media Poetics

In addition, students must participate in a dissertation prospectus workshop in their sixth semester.

International Writer's Track

Students admitted in the International Writer's Track take four semesters of COMPLITTHT 5210 Literature in the Making (3 units), or the equivalent, as one area of concentration. 

Language Requirement

At a minimum, students need to demonstrate — in addition to superior skills in English — superior ability in at least a second language and reading skills in a third language. Beyond the minimum, the choice and number of languages required correspond to each student's areas of concentration. Each language, including English, will be verified by an expert in that language.

Qualifying Examinations

Progress toward the PhD is contingent upon the student passing examinations that are variously called preliminary, qualifying, general, comprehensive, or major field exams. The qualifying process varies according to the program. In some programs, it consists of a series of incremental, sequential, and cumulative exams over a considerable time. In others, the exams are held during a relatively short period of time. Exams may be replaced by one or more papers. The program, which determines the structure and schedule of the required examinations, is responsible for notifying the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, of the student’s outcome, whether successful or unsuccessful.

For information beyond what is presented in this Bulletin, please consult the program document, which can be accessed via the departmental website.

Doctoral Candidacy

Candidacy marks the transition from coursework and initial study to independent research and dissertation writing. At this stage, the student is considered prepared to contribute to their field through independent scholarship.

The status of candidacy for WashU Arts & Sciences doctoral students indicates a student has, at minimum, completed and passed their qualifying exam/paper and pre-candidacy requirements. Pre-candidacy requirements are determined by each PhD program. Those requirements may include, for example, completion of required coursework; completion of required foreign language exams; completion of the Mentored Experience Requirement; successful submission of the Title, Scope and Procedure form; and completion of the oral presentation to propose the dissertation to their Research Advisory Committee.

Pre-candidacy requirements include the completion of required coursework; the completion of the qualifying exams; the completion of the dissertation prospectus workshop; the submission of the Title, Scope, and Procedure form; and the completion of the oral defense of the dissertation prospectus. Students must advance to doctoral candidacy prior to the seventh semester.

Mentored Experience Requirement

Doctoral students, MFA in Writing students, and MFA in Dance students at Washington University must complete a department-defined Mentored Experience Requirement. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a degree requirement that is notated on the student's transcript when complete. Each department has an established Mentored Experience Implementation Plan in which the number of units that a student must earn through Mentored Teaching Experience(s) and/or Mentored Professional Experience(s) is defined. Each Mentored Experience Implementation Plan outlines how doctoral students within the discipline will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels. Some departments may elect to include Mentored Professional Experiences as an avenue for completing some units of the Mentored Experience Requirement. Doctoral students will enroll in ASGS 8005 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, ASGS 8010 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, or ASGS 8015 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience; ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience; or ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience to signify their progression toward completing the overall Mentored Experience Requirement for the degree.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A Research Advisory Committee (RAC) must be created no later than the end of the student's second year; departments may set shorter timelines (e.g., by the end of the student's third semester) for this requirement. As evidence of the mastery of a specific field of knowledge and of the capacity for original scholarly work, each candidate must complete a dissertation that is approved by their RAC.

A Title, Scope, and Procedure form for the dissertation must be signed by the committee members and by the program chair. It must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, at least one year before the degree is expected to be conferred or before beginning the eighth semester of full-time enrollment, whichever is earlier.

A Doctoral Dissertation Guide and a Dissertation Template that give instructions regarding the format of the dissertation are available on the website of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Both should be read carefully at every stage of dissertation preparation.

The Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, requires each student to make the full text of the dissertation available to the committee members for their review at least one week before the defense. Most degree programs require two or more weeks for the review period; students should check with their faculty.

The Dissertation Defense

Approval of the written dissertation by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is strongly recommended before the student can orally defend the dissertation. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee that examines the student during the defense consists of at least five members. Normally, the members of the RAC also serve on the Doctoral Dissertation Committee. The dissertation committee is then additionally augmented to ensure that the following criteria are met:

  1. Three of the five members (or a similar proportion of a larger committee) must be full-time Washington University in St. Louis faculty members or, for programs involving Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partners, full-time members of a Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partner institution. All members must be authorized to supervise PhD students and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study. One of these three members must be the PhD student's primary thesis advisor, and one may be a member of the emeritus faculty.
  2. All other committee members must be active in research/scholarship and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study whether at Washington University in St. Louis, at another university, in government, or in industry.
  3. At least one of the five members must bring expertise outside of the student's field of study to the committee, as judged by the relevant department/program and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The approval processes outlined in the RAC section of the Doctoral Council bylaws also apply to the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including approval of each dissertation committee by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The student is responsible for making the full text of the dissertation accessible to their committee members for their review in advance of the defense according to program rules. Washington University in St. Louis community members and guests of the student who are interested in the subject of the dissertation are normally welcome to attend all or part of the defense but may ask questions only at the discretion of the committee chair. Although there is some variation among degree programs, the defense ordinarily focuses on the dissertation itself and its relation to the student's field of expertise.

Attendance by a minimum of four members of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including the committee chair and an outside member, is required for the defense to take place. This provision is designed to permit the student's defense to proceed in case of a situation that unexpectedly prevents one of the five members from attending. Students should not plan in advance to only have four members in attendance. If four members cannot attend, the defense must be rescheduled. The absence of all outside members or of the committee chair also requires rescheduling the defense.

Students, with the support of their Doctoral Dissertation Committee chair, may opt to hold their dissertation defense in person or by utilizing a virtual or hybrid format.

Submission of the Dissertation

After the defense, the student must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation online to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, by the established deadline for their graduation term. Dissertations must be submitted no later than three months after the oral defense of the dissertation. Petitions for an extension to the three-month limit may be submitted to the director of graduate studies for consideration and approval. 

The submission website requires students to choose among publishing and copyrighting services offered by ProQuest's ETD Administrator. Students are asked to submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates separately. The degree program is responsible for delivering the final approval form, signed by the committee members at the defense and then by the program chair or director, to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Students who defend their dissertations successfully have not yet completed their PhD requirements; they finish earning their degree only when their dissertation submission has been accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Master's Degree Along the Way/
In Lieu of a PhD

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 30

Students enrolled in the regular PhD program do not receive an MA along the way to the PhD. For cases in which a student chooses to or is advised to leave the program prior to earning the PhD, however, an MA in lieu of a PhD can be obtained on the basis of a written exam followed up by an oral defense, as long as the student has completed at least 30 units of coursework, including COMPLITTHT 5200 Introduction to Comparative Literature and three additional courses (9 units) in Comparative Literature on the graduate (5000) level.

Visit the Comparative Literature and Thought page
for additional information about this program.

As part of their degree requirements, PhD students must complete a program-defined Mentored Experience Requirement (MER) as per these guidelines. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plan (MEIP) is the written articulation of a program-defined degree requirement for PhD students to engage in mentored teaching activities and/or mentored professional activities, collectively referred to as the MER.

Mentored Experience Requirement (MER)

Philosophy of Teaching

Students earning a PhD in Comparative Literature, be it in the International Writers Track or the regular track, enter the program with a wide variety of life, professional, and academic experience. Likewise, they aspire to a variety of outcomes upon graduation. Some seek academic positions in the United States or elsewhere around the globe; some see their futures in other cultural sectors in which advanced skills in communicating, writing, and researching are at a high premium. Still others see themselves as public intellectuals or freelancers in the future and thus as needing maximum versatility to seize opportunities that come their way. In view of these diverse aspirations, the program offers a variety of options in mentored experiences and advises all students in consultation with faculty advisors to create an individual development plan that involves generating diverse portfolios that maximize their options upon graduation. We advise PhD students to self-assess when assembling their individual development plans and to choose one of the tracks described below with the idea of securing options, enhancing strengths, and addressing weaknesses.

Preparatory Engagement

Preparatory Engagement activities are those that represent an introduction to the foundational skills associated with teaching or communication. Pedagogical preparation engagement activities are normally completed before students are permitted to engage in assisting or teaching in a classroom.

All students must complete Preparatory Engagement. In our program, Preparatory Engagement will consist of participation in workshops offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning prior to the start of the first semester of teaching. These will include the following:

  1. At least two online Introductory Foundations in Teaching Workshops on effective strategies for active learning, facilitating discussions, classroom management, and presentation skills;
  2. A disciplinary group discussion focused on Comparative Literature and Thought or a related field; and
  3. An orientation to Canvas course management.

After these activities are completed, ongoing mentoring in pedagogy will take place within the MTE assignments. Assistants in Instruction (AIs) who plan a career involving teaching will be further encouraged (but not required) to take advantage of the offerings of the Center for Teaching and Learning, including the tracks in the Professional Development in Teaching Program and occasional workshops within Comparative Literature and Thought.

Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs)

Assistant in Instruction (AI)

An Assistant in Instruction (AI) is a PhD student who is directly engaged in the organization, instruction, and/or support of a semester-long course primarily taught by a faculty member. An AI receives mentorship from a faculty member related to best practices in classroom engagement, instruction in the field, interpersonal engagement, and other relevant skills. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each AI experience. To complete each AI assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for course numbers and details.

Units assigned to AIs will be either 10 or 15, depending on what students do in the course to which they are assigned.  

  • 10 units: The AI observes 3 hours a week for 14 weeks, during which time the AI confers with the instructor of record about the syllabus and class goals, keeps office hours, assists students with papers, assists with group work in class, and leads at least two discussions or gives two lectures (or a combination thereof). 
  • 15 units:
    • The AI teaches a discussion section attached to a lecture, attends all lectures and helps with logistics as necessary during the lecture, keeps office hours, assists with papers, and assists in grading.
    • The AI attends all classes and helps with logistics as necessary, keeps office hours, assists with papers, assists with grading, teaches all or part of at least two class sessions, and creates a fully fleshed-out and portfolio-worthy syllabus for a Comparative Literature and Thought course teachable at an institution such as Washington University.

Mentored Independent Teaching (MIT)

MIT is a semester-long experience for PhD students who engage as the primary instructor or co-instructor of a course under the mentorship of a faculty member as part of the MER. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MIT experience. To complete each MIT assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

The student serves in an MIT capacity (i.e., as the instructor of record under faculty mentorship) in a Comparative Literature and Thought course or in a course for a related program, such as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the Writing Program; or Global Studies.

Mentored Professional Experiences (MPEs)

The MPE is an unpaid professional experience for PhD students that allows students to develop skills and experiences relevant to their intended career outcomes. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MPE. To complete each MPE assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must submit the Mentorship Registration Request form for approval and register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

MPEs are 20 units and involve 150 to 180 hours of commitment per semester. Opportunities for MPEs will either be publicized by the Office of Graduate Studies or vetted internally by the Comparative Literature and Thought. These MPEs may include, for example, a semester interning at the St. Louis History Museum in the public education department or a semester working in Special Collections at Olin Library putting together an exhibit with both online and in-person components.

Required Pathways for Completion

Students work with their faculty mentor and their Director of Graduate Studies to plan how and when they will complete their MER. Students register during the normal registration period for courses in accordance with one of these approved pathways.

Comparative Literature and Thought offers two tracks of mentored experiences that require 50 to 80 units for completion:

  1. Diverse Teaching/Professional: This arrangement is intended to provide students with maximum flexibility in designing a path that aligns with their career plans. No student is required to enroll in more units than any other; differences in total units taken will be the result of different choices about which opportunities will be most productive for their professional goals. Students who wish to acquire additional teaching experience can sign up for a TIP. Any combination MPEs/MTEs completed via any combination of 10- and 15-unit  AI experiences, 20-unit MIT experiences, or 20-unit MPE experiences, with the following restrictions:
    1. Four total experiences;
    2. At least one MPE is required; and
    3. Total MER units for a pathway must be between 50 and 80.
  2. Professional Experience
    1. Four MPEs totaling 80 units

Track 1: 50-80 MER Units (AI + MIT or MPE)

Pathway #1
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #2
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #3
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take three times
Pathway #4
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take two times
Pathway #5
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take two times
Pathway #6
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #7
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #8
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #9
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #10
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take two times
Pathway #11
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #12
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take three times
Pathway #13
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #14
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times
Pathway #15
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time
Pathway #16
ASGS 8020 Take one time
ASGS 8120 Take three times
Pathway #17
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times
Pathway #18
ASGS 8020 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Track 2: 80 MER Units (Only MPE)

Pathway #19
ASGS 8120 Take four times

Optional Activity: Teaching Intensive Pathway (TIP)

The TIP is an optional pathway for those students whose career interests lie in academia or another field that would benefit from extended teaching experiences. This immersive experience allows students to further explore the breadth and depth of teaching best practices and pedagogy related to their respective field. Students who are interested in participating in this elective experience must formally request to participate, which is subject to program approval. Due to this experience being an elective, unpaid experience, students who participate in the TIP will not receive compensation.

Students who have completed Tracks 1 or 2 above may choose to apply for the TIP if they wish to expand their teaching portfolio. In this track, students will be able to further explore the breadth and depth of teaching best practices and pedagogy related broadly to Comparative Literature and Thought.

Optional Pathways for TIP

Pathway A
ASGS 8015 Take two times
Pathway B
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take one time
Pathway C
ASGS 8020 Take two times
Pathway D 
ASGS 8015 Take one time
Pathway E
ASGS 8020 Take one time