USC School of Religion Doctoral Examinations

1. The USC School of Religion requires doctoral students to pass written and oral qualifying doctoral examinations before proceeding to their dissertation research. Qualifying doctoral examinations represent the culmination of students’ coursework and certify that students have acquired the knowledge necessary to become independent experts in their discipline. Exams should challenge students to internalize and synthesize their learning as a foundation for future dialogue, research, and leadership in the field. They can help students to orient dissertation research in terms of broader questions in Religious Studies. Not least, qualifying examinations certify them as future teachers who are well equipped to instruct others.
2. After a period of preparation, students should complete their doctoral examinations sometime during their third year of doctoral study, but no later than the end of the sixth semester. Students are responsible for completing the Appointment of Qualifying Examination Committee form and obtaining all the necessary signatures. The department will send this form to the Graduate School on behalf of the student, so it is imperative that students submit the completed form to the Religion administrator well before they begin scheduling their exams.
3. After passing qualifying examinations and advancing to candidacy, students should move on to their dissertation proposals immediately. Students should plan to submit the Appointment of Dissertation Committee form to the department within two months after their last exam.
4. These guidelines summarize the current qualifying examination procedures for the School of Religion. All departmental guidelines, however, are governed by and subject to the policies of the USC Graduate School. Students are strongly encouraged to review these policies. (See: http://catalogue.usc.edu/index.php)

1. All students will take one Theories & Methods examination in Religious Studies as well as three Field doctoral examinations selected in conjunction with the doctoral advisor. All exams are 24 hour take home exams. These four written examinations are to be followed by an oral examination. The oral exam will customarily take place within two weeks of the last written exam.
2. Doctoral examination questions should not be distributed to students in advance. Doctoral advisors may solicit questions from students as part of the preparation process, but this dialogue should not result in particular questions being decided upon before the doctoral examinations itself.
3. In coordination with their examiners and advisors, students will be responsible for collating reading lists for each exam. For the common Theories & Methods exam, such lists will typically comprise 20 to 25 titles. For field examinations, these lists may be substantially longer.
4. Theories & Methods. 
   • Part I will assign one general question about theories and methods in Religious Studies related to the assigned examination list. This list will begin with past syllabi from REL 500 and can be modified as the advisor and student wish. The Director of Graduate Studies can provide more extensive lists of suggested texts for consultation. Examiners for the Theories & Methods examination will typically be drawn from the faculty members who taught REL 500 to the student in question.
   • Part II will assign one question regarding a particular theme, method, or theorist of interest to the student.
5. Field examinations. All students will take three different kinds of field exams:
   • Main Field:
     This exam should address the major area of the student’s expertise and is usually administered by the student’s main advisor. It should not be related specifically to the student’s proposed dissertation topic (e.g., Food in Medieval Judaism) but should instead reflect the broadest compass of that research focus (e.g., History of Judaism). Main field examinations will be written at home as open-book examinations and will be administered remotely via email by the Religion administrator.
   • Cognate Field:
     This exam should address a secondary field of the student’s expertise. If the main field is Japanese Religions, then the cognate field might be Chinese Religions or South Asian Religions; if Islamic Theology, then perhaps Islamic Law or Islam and Gender.
   • Outside Field:
     This exam should represent a complementary but distinct area of study beyond Religion. While contiguous with the student’s main field, it should extend expertise into a new discipline, period, culture, genre, or method. Some representative examples include: Japanese Literature; Media Studies; Comparative Literature; Political Theory; Chinese History; or Gender Studies.

1. Completion.

Before proceeding to qualifying examinations, students must have completed all of their required coursework, including any outstanding incompletes. They must also have fulfilled the language requirements specified for their track, as outlined in Graduate Handbook, to the satisfaction of their doctoral advisor. At the discretion of student’s advisor, this may entail separate language examinations.

2. Notification.

In the semester preceding their desired examination, if not earlier, students should notify their advisors and the Religion administrator of their intent to proceed to qualifying examinations. Under the guidance of advisors, they should select area examinations, examiners, and a tentative timeline as soon as possible. Students will typically need to devote at least one semester in preparation for their exams, and during this time they may wish to reduce their course load or avoid Teaching Assistantships.

3. Examination Committee.

As mentioned above, students are responsible for completing the Appointment of Qualifying Exam Committee form well before the exam and for scheduling the examination dates with the Religion office. Examination committees should be comprised of five USC faculty members, at least three of whom must be faculty members from the School of Religion. Tenured, tenure-track, and RTPC faculty with appropriate expertise may all serve as Examination Committee members. All committees must include at least one USC faculty member with a primary appointment outside of Religion. Committee members must provide questions to the Religion office at least two weeks before the first written exam. Each examination can be administered by one or more faculty members, as the committee sees fit.

4. Written Examinations.

The four written examinations should be scheduled within no more than a two-week period, while still allowing sufficient time for rest between exams. In consultation with their committee and the Religion administrator, students are invited to select a schedule for their exams that works best for them. Completed written examinations will be forwarded for grading to the examination committee. All examiners will read all exams, but grades will only be assigned by the relevant examiner. Examination committees can assign the following grades: pass; fail with the option to retake all or some exams; fail without the option to retake. Students will be notified within two weeks whether they may proceed to the oral examination.

5. Oral Examinations.

The oral examination period is two hours. Any examiner may pose questions concerning any part of any examination. Examiners are also free to ask any other questions that they judge to be related to the examination lists. At the conclusion of the oral examination, following a brief recess, students will be notified immediately whether they have passed. Students who have passed the oral examination are advanced to candidacy. New doctoral candidates should submit the Appointment of Dissertation Committee form within two months.