Doctoral Degree

The Department of Ethnic Studies offers the Ph.D. degree in the interdisciplinary field of Ethnic Studies. Students proceed through the graduate program from coursework to exams to fieldwork and writing the dissertation. The Ph.D. program prepares students for teaching and research careers in the private and public sector.

Coursework All students, including those who have a master’s degree at the time of admission, must complete the basic core curriculum.

Course Requirements The core Ethnic Studies graduate curriculum consists of two theory courses (ETST 200 and 201), one methodology course (ETST 203), and a graduate proseminar on professionalization (ETST 405). Where appropriate, students are encouraged to take an additional course in methodology (quantitative or qualitative), in addition to ETST 203. Students are also required to enroll in and attend the Ethnic Studies Colloquium during each quarter of the first two years of graduate work.

During the second year students will begin to select courses that are relevant to one or more of the following areas of specialization:

Area I: Theories of Race and Power

Area II: Cultural Politics and Production

Area III: The State, Law, and Social Transformation

Students are also encouraged to supplement regular curricular offerings by initiating individual or small-group reading courses with appropriate Ethnic Studies faculty (ETST 290’s etc.) or with cooperating faculty in other CHASS departments.

First-year core requirements:

ETST 200 (Fall) History of Ideas in Ethnic Studies

ETST 201 (Winter) Contemporary Theories in Ethnic Studies

ETST 203 (Spring) Methodologies in Ethnic Studies

ETST 289 (Fall, Winter, Spring) Departmental Colloquium

Second-year core requirements:

ETST 289 (Fall, Winter, Spring) Departmental Colloquium

ETST 405 (Fall) Graduate Proseminar on Professionalism

Research and Teaching Requirements A student’s program must include at least one academic quarter of supervised research through enrollment in ETST 297 and/or by working as a research assistant. The equivalent of at least one academic quarter of college classroom teaching is also required of all students.

Grades A student must complete courses in the core curriculum and the specialization areas with a grade of “B” or better in each course.

Ph.D. Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Written Qualifying Examination Graduate students are required to successfully complete a Written Qualifying Examination by the end of the spring quarter of their second year. The exam will test the student’s knowledge of the methodological and theoretical foundations of the field of Ethnic Studies and will cover material from the required core courses as well as courses in the student’s area(s) of specialization. This exam is evaluated by a faculty committee. If the student passes this exam, the committee will recommend awarding of the M.A. degree in Ethnic Studies. If the M.A. is awarded, or if the student already has an M.A. in Ethnic Studies, the faculty then votes on whether or not the student should continue in the Ph.D. program.

Oral Qualifying Examination Students must compose, in consultation with a committee consisting of three to four faculty members, three written field statements that pertain to theoretical, methodological, and substantive foci related to the preparation of their dissertation.

Graduate students are required to successfully complete an Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of the winter quarter of their third year in which the student must display mastery over his/her three fields. If the oral exam is passed, the student will advance to candidacy.

Dissertation Prospectus The Ph.D. candidate must also submit, no later than the fall quarter of their fourth year, a written prospectus outlining the topic, thesis, methods, resources, and timeline for the completion of the dissertation. The candidate must hold a Prospectus Meeting with Dissertation Committee members for final approval of the dissertation prospectus.

Foreign Language Requirement There is no formal language requirement. However, in certain research areas a language requirement may be required if it is deemed that the language is germane to the student’s research. In those cases where foreign language is required, competency can be established either by presenting evidence of satisfactory completion of the UCR Language Placement Exam, or by means of a translation test administered by the Graduate Affairs Committee.

Dissertation and Presentation Doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy will research and write a dissertation under the guidance of a Dissertation Committee. The dissertation should focus on a specific aspect of the candidate’s fields of study, and must conform to the format prescribed by the Graduate Council. After the Dissertation Committee approves the completed dissertation, the candidate must formally present his/her dissertation as part of the Departmental Colloquium series. Normative time to degree: The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. degree is six years.