College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program
Doctor of Philosophy In Heritage Studies
|
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program
Doctor of Philosophy In Heritage Studies |
|
|
|
 | Applicants to the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program must hold a baccalaureate or master’s degree from an accredited institution. Applicants admitted to the program without a master’s degree will be required to have completed a minimum of eighteen hours of graduate work before they will be allowed to take level 7000 courses. |
| General Requirements for the Degree |
Doctoral students are required to complete a minimum of 45 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree. For student’s without a master’s degree, the Doctoral Advisory Committee and the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program Committee, on a case-by-case basis, may require additional hours of credit beyond the minimum of eighteen semester hours already indicated above. No more than nine credits earned while completing a master’s degree may be applied toward the 45 credit requirement unless approved by the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program Committee at the request of the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. Applicants admitted to the program without a master’s degree will be required to have completed a minimum of eighteen hours of graduate work before they will be allowed to take level 7000 courses. These eighteen hours are in addition to the 45 semester hours of credit required for the Ph.D. in Heritage Studies. If a student completed a portion of these eighteen hours before admission to the Ph.D. program, up to nine semester hours of those graduate level courses may be applied as Transfer Credit (see below). In some cases, documented work experience in the Heritage professions may be substituted for specific courses and, in exceptional cases, may be used as a criterion for admission.
| Master of Arts in Heritage Studies granted "en route" within Ph.D. Program |
Only students admitted to the Ph.D. program will be eligible for the Master
of Arts (MA) in Heritage Studies. This MA degree is granted “en route” to the
Ph.D. To receive this master’s degree, the doctoral student must complete the
requirements in core courses (12 semester credit hours minimum), specialty area
(12 semester credit hours minimum), and enrichment (12 semester credit hours
minimum) and present a portfolio of work appropriate for the master’s degree as
determined, read, and approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee.
This portfolio will be the basis of an oral comprehensive exam appropriate for
the master’s degree administered by the doctoral advisory committee. The
portfolio for the master’s degree will include, but may not be limited to, a
major example of the student’s work from each of the three divisions of courses
in the Ph.D. program (core, specialty, and enrichment). At least one of these
three major examples of the student’s work will be a significant presentation of
the student’s writing. All requirements for approval of credit in core courses,
specialty area, and enrichment that apply for the Ph.D. program also apply for a
doctoral student who requests the MA in Heritage Studies.
|
Advisory Committees |
It is the responsibility of the Doctoral Advisory Committee to work with a student to develop a specific course of study. Each student is expected to initiate this process by identifying a doctoral dissertation advisor who will chair the advisory committee. The members of Doctoral Advisory Committees must be drawn from Arkansas State University graduate faculty. Each committee must have at least three members. No more than two members may represent the same academic discipline. Committee membership is subject to the approval of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program Committee.
The Director of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program will serve as the initial advisor for students entering the program. In this capacity, the Director will institute a tentative curriculum for the student pending establishment of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. Before the end of the first twelve months after beginning the program full time, or before completing eighteen semester credit hours of study, the student in consultation with the Director is expected to have selected a dissertation advisor, formed a Doctoral Advisory Committee, and declared a course of study.
The course of study set by the committee must meet program requirements and match the student’s academic goals, scholarly aspirations and career preparation needs. Each Doctoral Advisory Committee will meet at least once a year to review the student’s progress. The committee is to review the student’s dissertation proposal and to provide guidance toward the successful completion of this substantial project. Once the student has passed the Comprehensive Candidacy Exam and has an approved dissertation topic, the Doctoral Advisory Committee may add new members to help with directing and assessing the dissertation work. In these cases, it is strongly recommended that, at least, one new member of the Doctoral Advisory Committee be an individual of national repute with extensive professional experience at an appropriate public program in cultural heritage.
Membership of advisory committees may be changed if either the student or a member of the committee feels that such a change is appropriate. The requested change must be reviewed and approved by Director of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program and then approved by the Program Committee.
| Doctoral Advisory Committee Chairs |
In order to be qualified to serve as a Doctoral Advisory Committee chair and to direct the research of doctoral students, a faculty member must be a member of the graduate faculty and must be approved for such service by the Graduate Council. Any member of the graduate faculty may be appointed to serve as an additional member of a doctoral committee.
| Degree Plan |
A course of study, to be developed by the student and approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee, is to be submitted to the Director of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program before the end of the first twelve months after beginning the program full time, or before completing eighteen semester credit hours of study.
As a reflection of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, each student is expected to develop a course of study tailored to his or her own scholarly interests, research program, and proposed career direction. The specific quantity and content of each student’s course of study will be worked out with that student’s Advisor and the Doctoral Advisory Committee within the parameters set forth for the program as a whole. General course requirements are outlined below and in the section of the Graduate Bulletin entitled Program of Study for the Ph.D. in Heritage Studies.
| Level of Work Required |
45 semester credit hours are required for completion of this program. Only in the most exceptional cases will any class that is not designated as master’s or doctoral-level (5000 and above at Arkansas State) be accepted. These exceptions must be approved by the Doctoral Advisory Committee, the Program Director, and the Program Committee. Doctoral Advisory Committees also will take great care when approving any course at the 5000 level. Special justification will be needed for such courses and typically no more than six semester hours of 5000 level course work will be approved for a student’s program of study. With permission of the professor, advanced master’s level students may enroll in doctoral level Heritage Studies classes.
| Transfer Credit |
No more than nine (9) master’s level credit hours earned before admission to the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program may be applied toward the 45-credit-hour requirement unless requested by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee and approved by the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program Committee. Decisions regarding acceptability of transfer credits are to be made by the Program Committee, upon recommendation from a student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee, within the context of that student’s course of study and subject to approval by the Graduate School. Students will be held responsible on the comprehensive candidacy exam for the content of all courses within their course of study.
| Grades and Credit |
Courses completed during prior master’s work must have received a grade of B or better to be credited towards the degree. A single grade of C will be accepted for courses in the Ph.D. program. A second instance of a grade of C or a single instance of a grade below C will be cause for the review of the student’s status within the program by the Heritage Studies Program Committee. After such review, the Heritage Studies Program Committee may recommend dismissal of the student from the program.
| Comprehensive Examination Structure |
After completion of the curriculum and the practicum, the Doctoral Advisory Committee will schedule a comprehensive examination of the student’s work in the doctoral program. The format of the exam for all students is established by the Heritage Studies Program Committee. Successful completion of this examination along with approval of a dissertation proposal allows the student to be formally recognized as a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies.
The comprehensive candidacy examination is designed to test general knowledge of Heritage Studies as well as the student's expertise in specialized areas of research and interest. Students are expected to take this exam in the first full semester following completion of all course work in the course of study. The exam has a mandatory oral component. In advance of this oral exam, a student prepares a portfolio. Exams will be administered no later than one week before the close of fall and spring semesters. Students intending to take comprehensive candidacy exams must notify the program director no later than the end of the sixth week after the beginning of classes in the semester in which they intend to take the exam. Students should be aware that the oral candidacy exam will consist of both a defense of the portfolio, including the dissertation proposal, and wide-ranging questions concerning concepts and readings from the student's coursework. It is expected that during the coursework leading up to the candidacy exam, students will be thoughtfully considering the readings and issues encountered. By the time the student reaches the candidacy exam, he or she should be able to respond with some level of specificity and sophistication, both practical and academic, to questions regarding these works and issues.
Each student will create a Portfolio that will be examined by the Doctoral Advisory Committee which also will serve as the examination committee. The Portfolio must be available to the committee one month before the scheduled exam. The exam itself will consist of an oral interview of no more than two hours during which the student will explain and defend what is in the Portfolio.
The Portfolio will contain:
| A major example of the student’s work from EACH of the four-course clusters in the curriculum (the core, specialty area, and enrichment). These THREE EXAMPLES from the student’s course work are improved and enhanced before they are placed in the portfolio. These THREE items will demonstrate breadth and depth in terms of the student’s studies. At least one of these should be a significant example of the student’s writing. |
| A meaningful essay of no more than twelve-hundred (1,200) words that gives the student’s scholarly and intellectual explanation of what is "Heritage Studies", accompanied by an annotated list that the student can defend as important sources for understanding "Heritage Studies." This list will contain twenty (20) sources, at least ten (10) of which must be books. The list may also include important articles, films, archives, festivals, museums or other substantial examples that are vital for the interpretation of "Heritage Studies." |
| A written report that assesses the student’s 300-hour Practicum accompanied by a letter from the supervisor, or coordinator, of the Practicum. |
| The final version of the student’s dissertation proposal |
The oral exam is conducted by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. In case of failure, the exam may be retaken if the committee feels that improvements in the Portfolio are justified and can be carried out by the student within an additional period of time as specified by the committee. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.
| Admission to Candidacy |
A student may apply for admission to candidacy upon successful completion of the oral component of the comprehensive candidacy examination.
| Continuous Enrollment |
Prior to the comprehensive candidacy exam, any leave from the program of six months or less must be approved by the Program Director. Any leave of six months or longer must be approved by the Director and the Program Committee. Students who have taken leave from the program for more than two years, at the determination of the Director and Program Committee, may be required to apply formally for readmission and to update specific courses. Students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing the comprehensive candidacy examination. They must maintain a minimum of one semester hour of dissertation credit during each regular semester, including at least one summer term each year, until the dissertation has been accepted by the Dean of the Graduate School.
| Time to Degree |
All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight calendar years of admission to the program. Requirements subsequent to the comprehensive candidacy examination must be completed within four calendar years of the date of successful completion of that examination. Students exceeding the time limit may be required to repeat the comprehensive candidacy exam, replace out-of-date credits with up-to-date ones, and/or show other evidence of being current within both the core curriculum and the student’s areas of specialization. Extension of the eight-year requirement will be granted only if a student has obtained prior approval from his or her Doctoral Advisory Committee, the Heritage Studies Program Committee and the Arkansas State University Graduate School.
| Dissertation |
Approval of Dissertation Research
The student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee must approve the dissertation proposal at the Comprehensive Candidacy Exam. As the student progresses in completing the dissertation, minor modifications of the proposal may be approved by the chair of the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee who is also the director for the dissertation itself. Any major changes in the dissertation proposal require the approval of the on-campus members of the expanded Doctoral Advisory Committee. Students are also advised to seek the appropriate institutional approval of proposed research, as necessary, from the Institutional Review Board.
| Dissertation Defense |
After the research is completed the student will submit a draft to his or her advisory committee. Upon the recommendation of the committee, the candidate will arrange with the chair of his or her advisory committee to schedule and conduct an open, public presentation of the results to which members of the faculty and master’s and doctoral students will be invited. On the same day as this presentation, the candidate will also be required to orally defend the dissertation before the expanded Doctoral Advisory Committee including any new members from outside Arkansas State University such as cultural heritage professionals. Arrangements for the public presentation and dissertation defense will be made through the Heritage Studies Program Office. Students are advised to be aware of the deadlines set by the Graduate School for submission of defense results and dissertations.
The defense must occur at least four weeks before the date of graduation. The defense is failed if more than one negative vote is cast by the members of the Doctoral Advisory Committee who are members of the Arkansas State University graduate faculty. In this case the student is placed on probation. A student who fails the defense must wait at least one semester before attempting a second defense of the dissertation. A second public presentation will not be required. If a repeat defense is failed, the Doctoral Advisory Committee will recommend the student’s removal from Ph.D. candidacy standing.
| Final Form |
The completed dissertation may consist of several elements, such as a museum exhibition curated by the student or a video documentary. Nonetheless, all dissertations will include, at least, an extensive written statement that places the dissertation in its scholarly, intellectual context as a representation of heritage studies. Other important parts of the dissertation project may be written as well and a completed dissertation may include extensive appendices. The written component of the dissertation will follow the style and format requirements from the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style unless an alternate scholarly style is approved by the Doctoral Advisory Committee and the Graduate School. It is the responsibility of candidates to assure that this written component of the dissertation follows the appropriate, designated format. Before submission to the Graduate Dean, the entire on-campus membership of the advisory committee must approve the completed dissertation. Candidates will submit five copies of the written component of the dissertation. The bound copies will be on file with the ASU Library, the Heritage Studies Program Director, the Graduate School, and the chair of the advisory committee. The remaining copy will be given to the student.
| The Abstract |
Candidates will be responsible for the preparation of an abstract of the dissertation, which will be submitted at the same time as the completed dissertation project. The abstract must not exceed 300 words and will be bound with the written component of the dissertation.
| Deadline for Submission |
The completed dissertation and abstract, signed by all members of the advisory committee, must be in the office of the Dean of the Graduate School by the deadline set for accepting dissertations. The date for each semester and summer term is given in the University Calendar.
| Checklist for the Last Semester Before Graduation |
In the last semester before graduation, candidates must:
1. Register for the Graduation fee.
2. File an intent to graduate form with the graduate dean by the relevant deadline.
3. Complete the oral defense of the dissertation.
4. Pay the fee for binding the dissertation.
5. Submit five copies of the dissertation for binding and microfilming. This is detailed in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses.
If you have questions concerning any of these policies or procedures, please contact the director of Heritage Studies, Dr. Clyde A. Milner via email at cmilner@astate.edu or the Associate Director, Dr. Brady Banta at bbanta@astate.edu .
|
|
