Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online at https://utexas.box.com/v/UTAustinGraduateHandbooks. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.

Master of Arts

To earn the Master of Arts degree with a major in comparative literature, the student must complete either 31 semester hours of coursework, including the six-hour thesis course, or 34 hours of coursework, including the three-hour report course. The student must also demonstrate a high degree of competence in one world language and sufficient competence in a second world language. Additional information about these requirements is available from the graduate advisor.

Doctor of Philosophy

To be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the student must have earned a master’s degree in comparative literature, in a single world language and literature, or in a related discipline such as art history, folklore, or philosophy. In addition, they must have passed the qualifying examination, which tests the student’s knowledge of literary theory and critical methodology and of the first world language and literature.

The student is expected to take at least 30 semester hours of coursework beyond the Master of Arts level, including six semester hours for the dissertation. Each student must also pass a comprehensive examination, which is normally taken upon completion of coursework, and a prospectus examination, which must be taken by the end of the fall or spring semester after the semester in which the student passes the comprehensive examination. The student must then write a dissertation, which may involve, for example, the comparison of works, traditions, themes, writers, or periods from two or more different literatures and cultures. The dissertation may involve the study of literature and some other discipline. It may be a substantial translation, equipped with a general introduction analyzing the work chosen and/or discussing the problems and theory of translation and provided with detailed, explanatory notes. It may be some other project that the student designs under the supervision of the dissertation committee and that satisfies the aims and interests of the program. Each student should develop a thorough command of two world languages, and proficiency in either a third world language or a relevant area of study. For the purposes of the comprehensive examination, a student may designate as the third area of study either the third world language or another discipline related to the program—for example, an interdisciplinary field, a set of courses linked by a critical or theoretical question, or a topic in cultural studies.

Complete information about the world language requirement, course requirements, and the qualifying and comprehensive examinations is available from the graduate advisor.