IN THIS SECTION

• Course Enrollment
• Incompletes
• TA-ships

Course Enrollment

Students enroll in courses via TigerHub. Students meet with their advisers for guidance on the selection of courses, and then make an appointment with the director of graduate studies, who provides additional advice on course selection.

Incompletes

See the Graduate School’s policy on incompletes.

The department encourages students to complete all course requirements by the deadlines specified by the instructor for the submission of papers (whether dean's date or some other date). Students are discouraged from taking grades of incomplete, except for reasons of ill health or extraordinary personal circumstances.

Students are permitted to have only one incomplete in a departmental course on their record at any given time. The rules governing incompletes in departmental courses (i.e., courses taught within the Department of Art and Archaeology) are as follows:

• Incompletes are granted by the course instructor. However, a student who is taking an incomplete in a course must notify the DGS by the last day of classes.
• For a fall-term course, the extension may not go beyond the end of the second week of the spring semester. For a spring-term course, the extension may not go beyond September 1. The student's grade in the course will be based on the work submitted as of the extension. If the deadline arrives and a paper is still unfinished, it should be submitted in its unfinished state. If no paper is submitted by the deadline, the grade for the paper will be an F.
• Students from other departments enrolled in Department of Art and Archaeology courses cannot, of course, be held to our one-extension-per-semester policy. In any course taught by the department, however, they should have exactly the same right to an extension as the art and archaeology students in the course, no more and no less. It would be unfair to our own students to hold them to a two-week deadline if their work was going to be graded side-by-side with the work of students who had an extra month.

We recognize that courses offered by other departments and programs sometimes have built into them the expectation that students will continue to work on their research papers beyond the term in which the course is offered, and we do not wish to put our students at a disadvantage when they take those courses. We therefore place no restriction on incompletes in courses taken outside the Department of Art and Archaeology. However, a student who takes an incomplete in an outside course must so notify the DGS by the last day of classes, specifying exactly when the outstanding work will be submitted, and may not take an incomplete in any departmental course while carrying an incomplete outside the department.

All incomplete grades must be removed from a student's record before they take the general examination.

Note, finally, that instructors are under no obligation to give extensions. If, at the beginning of the course, the instructor states that it is their policy to give extensions only in case of illness, the two-week fall-term/four-week spring-term extension is not available to any (healthy) student, departmental or non-departmental. In other words, the purpose of the department's policy on incompletes is to set a limit on the extensions our faculty may grant; it does not oblige the faculty to grant extensions.

TA-ships

Serving as a Teaching Assistant

Every student is required to serve as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for a course in the Department of Art & Archaeology at least once, to acquire teaching experience in the field. A TA teaches one or more precepts (discussion sections) for a 100- or 200-level course in the department, and fulfills other duties associated with the course (see below). Students are eligible to serve as TAs beginning the second year of regular enrollment (G2). Per Graduate School policy, students in the first year of regular enrollment (G1) are not eligible to serve as TAs. Students who serve while completing coursework are offered a one-time reduction in their course load for the semester in which they serve as an TA.

In advance of course enrollment preregistration for the upcoming semester, all enrolled graduate students receive an email from the Graduate Program Administrator seeking applications for positions for that upcoming semester. The call for applications includes a list of courses for which, based on enrollment histories, the department expects to appoint TAs. To facilitate planning of graduate student schedules, the email calling for applications will also include a tentative schedule of graduate seminars to be offered in the department that semester. Additional courses may require TAs based on preregistration enrollment numbers. When that is the case, the GPA sends out a second call for applications listing additional opportunities after preregistration closes.

Graduate students must complete the formal application process to be considered for these positions. Before applying to serve, students discuss their plans with their advisers. Students then share their application materials with their advisers and request that advisers submit a brief statement of support to the GPA by the application deadline.

The GPA transmits applications for TA positions to individual course instructors, the department chair, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). Every decision to grant a graduate student a position as a TA for a specific course is based on the recommendation of the faculty member responsible for that course. The DUS and the department chair are responsible for the formal appointment as part of their oversight of the broader processes and practicalities of course scheduling and instructional staffing.

Three elements are basic to the appointment process for these positions each semester: student interest, faculty assessment, course enrollment, and availability of positions per the departmental budget of TA hours, which is allocated by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. As noted above, appointments are made by the department chair and the DUS in accordance with recommendations from the individual faculty members in charge of courses.

Some courses, such as ART 100, always require TAs. However, the number that will be required to run ART 100 in a given semester cannot be determined until course enrollments have been finalized. In the case of other courses, it may not be possible to determine whether any TAs at all will be needed until complete information on course enrollments for the upcoming semester is available.

Applications from all students interested in serving for a given course are evaluated by the faculty member in charge of the course. Application review includes consideration of students’ fields of specialization, transcripts, and years of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. For example, some students applying to serve are in Dissertation Completion Enrollment status (DCE, i.e. G6 or G7), while others are still completing coursework (G2). Some students may have Incompletes, while others may be looking to supplement prior teaching experience in ART 100 with specialized teaching experience in their field of expertise, or vice versa. A range of other scenarios may present themselves in a faculty member’s evaluation of a given pool of applicants.

Criteria typically taken into account in selecting TAs include the following:

• Considerations of qualifications and fit (based on field, course work, experience, etc.)
• Considerations of equity (for example, if two students have applied for one position, and one has already had an opportunity to teach, while the other has not)
• Considerations of funding and timing (for example, if two students have applied for one position, and one student is in the third year of enrollment and the other is in DCE status, a decision might be made to offer the position to the DCE student on the assumption that the third-year student will have opportunities to serve in future semesters).

Once a student has been appointed as a TA, the course instructor communicates specific expectations for the course.

The following are some of the norms pertaining to teaching in the department:

• At the beginning of each semester, the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning offers a required AI (assistants in instruction) orientation for first-time TAs. Full participation in that orientation is a basic expectation in the department. 
• TAs must be present and available throughout the entire semester to attend course lectures, teach precepts, participate in meetings with the course instructor and other TAs, hold office hours for students, and assist with teaching and grading. 
• Except in the case of extenuating circumstances (including illness), requests to be away from campus on the day of a course lecture, a precept hour, or a meeting of course staff must be made to the faculty member in charge of the course well in advance. Requests regarding a proposed absence of more than one day would typically be made before the start of the semester in which the course will be taught (this includes proposed absences to participate in academic conferences and travel related to other courses).

IN THIS SECTION

• Degree Requirements
• General Examinations
• Dissertation Topic Proposal
• Changing Dissertation Title or Topic
• Dissertation Completion Guidelines

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, candidates are required to pass the general examination in their subject, present an acceptable dissertation, and pass the final public oral examination (FPO). The Graduate School requires that all doctoral dissertations be written and submitted in English. The department holds the FPO examination after the Graduate School reviews and accepts the two readers’ reports and is satisfied that all other requirements have been met.

General Examinations

The general examination is designed to ascertain general knowledge of the student’s field of study, acquaintance with scholarly methods of research, and the ability to organize and present material. Performance on the general exam, assessed by department faculty, is used to determine a student's ability to complete a dissertation and the ability of department faculty to oversee the student’s proposed research. The general exam is comprehensive and is not restricted to the content of graduate courses. Before scheduling of the general exam may take place, students must have resolved any incompletes and fulfilled departmental language requirements. 

Graduate students in Art & Archaeology are expected to sit for the general exam in the field of study in which they were admitted (African and African Diaspora, Ancient Art and Archaeology, Byzantine and Medieval, East Asian, Islamic, Modern and Contemporary, Renaissance and Early Modern, South Asian). Per the rules of the Graduate School, the general exam committee consists of three or more members, all of whom should hold the rank of assistant professor or higher on the Princeton faculty. Any examiners who are not members of the Princeton faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher must have standing in the scholarly community comparable to committee members from the Princeton faculty. Any proposed external examiners must be approved by the Graduate School prior to the general exam date. Students who, with the approval of their adviser(s), seek to have a member of their general exam committee who does not hold the rank of assistant professor or higher on the Princeton faculty should confer with the Graduate Program Administrator at least three months before the proposed general exam date regarding the committee appointment process. 

Usually, the academic adviser with whom the student has been working closely since entering the program will serve as chair of the general exam committee. In the case of students with co-advisers, one of the co-advisers will serve as chair of the general exam committee and the other will serve on the committee as an examiner. General exam committees in African and African Diaspora, Ancient Art and Archaeology, and East Asian normally include faculty from other Princeton departments. General exam committees in other fields sometimes include Princeton faculty from outside the Department of Art & Archaeology. Details on the procedures and timing for assembling the committee for the general exam appear in the field-specific information below and should be discussed with the academic adviser(s) at least six months in advance of a planned general exam. 

The Graduate School designates three examination periods in which the general exam may be administered each academic year: a 21-day period in October, a 21-day period in January, and a five-week period in April and May. If preparing for the general exam in a semester during which the student is still enrolled in courses, the student is responsible for completing all course assignments according to the deadlines set by course instructors.

Students who pass the general exam ordinarily advance to Ph.D. candidacy, at which time they become eligible to apply for the incidental master’s degree in their field. However, there are multiple potential outcomes specific to a student’s situation.

These include:

• Pass and do not move on to doctoral candidacy: Provided all other pre-generals requirements are met, a student may apply to receive the incidental master’s at this stage (see “Qualifying for the M.A.” below).
• Fail with the option to retake the exam: Students who fail the general examination a first time may on the recommendation of the exam committee stand for reexamination within a year. The exam committee must communicate the recommendation for re-examination promptly to the DGS and the GPA following the first failed exam. The department will normally accept the exam committee’s recommendation and request the Graduate School’s approval for a proposed second attempt to pass the general exam. Students should note this important time constraint on retaking the general exam following a first failure: per Graduate School rules, no student should be readmitted to a fourth year (seventh term) of graduate study without having successfully completed the general examination; in addition, students seeking reenrollment into a fourth year (seventh term) must have a dissertation adviser of record in place. Students who fail the general examination a second and final time have their Ph.D. candidacy and enrollment terminated at the first of the month following that in which the examination was retaken.
• Fail with no option to retake the exam

Unless otherwise noted in the field-specific information below, the written part of the general exam last six hours, plus a one-hour lunch break. In all cases, the written part of the general exam must be taken between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The department will provide a laptop for students to complete the written part of the general exam. Students may bring snacks/drinks and a pen with scratch paper to the exam. Students may not bring any internet-capable devices (including cell phones) to the written part of the general exam.

Unless otherwise noted in the field-specific information below, a week before the scheduled date of the written part of the general exam, students submit to their general exam committee members and the GPA a brief sketch (no longer than one page, with no more than two pages of selected bibliography) of their plans for a dissertation research proposal. The sketch is to be discussed in the oral exam.

African and African Diaspora
Students in the African and African Diaspora field spend the first two years on coursework. In the spring of the second year, the student and the primary adviser(s) determine the exam committee members of no more than three. Normally, the committee will include at least two faculty in the African and African Diaspora field. Faculty in African Studies and other relevant areas of Art History frequently serve on exam and dissertation committees. The primary adviser(s) must approve the exam committee membership.

The student consults with committee members to build a three-part exam reading list. The list varies but must cover areas of African and African Diaspora history represented by the two subfield faculty on the committee, in addition to that of the third (Art History or African Studies) committee member. The list must be approved separately by committee members at least five months before the exam date.

At least a week before the general exam, the student sends to the committee members a sketch of the dissertation topic (≈1000 words), and a short bibliography (2-3 pages). This sketch should be approved in advance by the prospective dissertation adviser(s). 

General exams must take place no later than May of the third year. The six-hour exam consists of written responses to one question from each of three sections reflecting the field expertise of the three exam committee members. The oral exam (≈ 90 -105 mins) covers the written exam and may include separate image-based questions, followed by discussion of the dissertation sketch.

Ancient Art and Archaeology
Typically, students in the Ancient Art and Archaeology program spend the first two and a half years in coursework. General exams are usually taken in the latter half of the third year. The general examination tests the candidate by means of an eight-hour written exam in Ancient Art and Archaeology, and a four-hour written exam devoted to the general area of the dissertation; these are followed by a two-hour oral examination covering materials related to both written exams. 

Byzantine and Medieval 
Most students in the Byzantine and Medieval field plan to sit for Generals in the January of their third year. Students preparing for the exam meet with their advisers on a regular basis during the semester prior to discuss their readings. 

The committee should be formed in the second half of the Spring semester of the second year in the program; further detailed guidelines for the exam preparation are also distributed at this time. The default committee is: Barber, Kitzinger, and a third examiner decided in consultation with the primary adviser(s). The committee formation and the reading lists are guided by balance between preparation for the dissertation proposal and general fluency in the medieval field; this may look different for each student. 

Prior to the written examination students submit three documents: a copy of the complete final reading list, a preliminary dissertation topic description, and a syllabus for an introductory course for a broadly defined Middle Ages. 

The written exam is completed in one day. Each examiner poses three questions; the student answers one from each examiner’s set. Written examinations must be taken between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The oral exam itself lasts 2–2.5 hours. The exam proceeds in four phases, with 20–30 minutes each devoted to discussion of the essays, the syllabus, and the dissertation topic. In addition, students are asked to demonstrate how they examine a work of art: manuscript or object facsimiles, images, and/or originals will be brought to the exam by the examiners. The examiners confer following these discussions; a de-brief with the student concludes the exam. 

East Asian
 

The prospective dissertation adviser serves as chair of the committee for the general examination, which normally takes place in the spring semester of the third year.

The general exam is designed to test the candidate’s ability to integrate general, topical, and area knowledge in related fields chosen from Art and Archaeology and East Asian Studies.

The general exam consists of: 
(1) a first-day examination in the general field of Chinese and Japanese art history and archaeology, with six hours of writing; the general exam committee chair assembles questions for the first-day exam from committee members from the Department of Art & Archaeology faculty; 
(2) a second-day examination in the field of the student’s dissertation; the chair of the general exam committee determines the format and prepares of questions for the second-day exam;
(3) a third-day examination in a related area of East Asian Studies administered by a general exam committee member from East Asian Studies with whom the student has studied; the EAS general exam committee member determines the format and prepares of questions for the third-day exam.

Modern and Contemporary (1750-present)
Students normally take the General Examination in October or January of the third year.

Students should meet with a prospective general exam committee chair by early March of the second year to discuss the composition of their general exam committee, with the aim of solidifying that committee by early April of the second year.

A student’s general exam committee consists of three members. The A&A faculty member who is the student’s prospective dissertation adviser normally chairs the committee, with two additional faculty members who hold the rank of assistant professor or higher at Princeton as the other two members.

Once the general exam committee is formed, the student must draft a reading list for the exam. The general exam reading list covers a selection of literature on art from approximately 1750 to the present. This selection will vary considerably from student to student. It is the student’s responsibility to draft a reading list in consultation with the general exam committee chair and the other general exam committee members, all of whom must approve the list no later than five months before the anticipated date of the exam. Modifications to the list after this point can be made, in consultation with the committee, but it is important to have an approved working list five months prior to the exam date to allow students adequate time to prepare and to manage their time.

A week before the scheduled date of the general exam, students submit a brief sketch of their plans for a dissertation research proposal sketch via email to their general exam committee members and the GPA. The sketch (no longer than two pages, with no more than two pages of selected bibliography) should be prepared in consultation with the student’s general exam committee chair and must be reviewed and approved by the exam committee chair prior to submission. The committee uses the dissertation sketch as a starting point for discussion in the final part of the oral examination.

The general exam consists of two components: a written exam and an oral exam.

The written part of the general exam consists of nine essay questions organized in three sections, with each section covering a chronological and/or thematic range within the broad period 1750-present. Students select one essay question from each of the exam’s three sections, for a total of three essays. The student is responsible for budgeting their time, but they are expected to spend roughly two hours answering each question.

The general exam committee chair is responsible for soliciting exam questions from the other committee members, for finalizing the questions, and for sending the exam document to the GPA no later than seven days prior to the scheduled written part of the general exam.

The precise parameters of the three sections of the written part of the general exam will vary depending on the student’s research focus, but the written part of the general exam must address a broad historical range. It is expected that the student will meet with the general exam committee chair in the spring of the second year to discuss the format of the exam, the scope of the reading list, and the student's proposed approach to preparing for the exam.

The two-hour oral part of the general exam begins with a discussion of the student’s answers to the written part of the general exam. The committee may ask the student to elaborate on an answer, or to respond to an exam question they chose not to address.  Next, each member of the committee poses additional questions that assess the student’s art-historical knowledge (based on their reading list) and their ability to spontaneously discuss works of art presented on-screen. The exam concludes with a discussion of the dissertation sketch and how the dissertation proposal might evolve in preparation for presentation later in the third year.

Renaissance and Early Modern (1400–1750)

Students generally take their general exam in the October or January of their G3.

It is the student’s responsibility to draft a reading list of the exam. Its scope corresponds to the period from the 15th to the 18th century and is tailored to the student’s specific subfields. The student should consult with their main adviser(s) and their committee members who have to approve the list no later than three months before the anticipated date of the exam. 

For the written exam, the main adviser collects nine questions to submit to the student the day of the exam (three per committee member). The student does not know who submitted which questions, which are presented in three groups, sorted by faculty member. The student must then choose to write on one question from each of the three groups. The oral exam begins with a discussion of the written responses to these questions, then proceeds to an open question period. This period often begins with slides of artworks, chosen by the committee members, but may also include questions without slides (e.g., on historiography). When slides are presented, candidates should propose attributions and dates. The candidate then discusses the artwork in dialogue with the committee members. 

At least a week before the general exam, the student sends to the committee members and the GPA a one-page sketch of their dissertation topic followed by a short bibliography (2-3 pages). This sketch should be approved in advance by the prospective dissertation adviser(s). 

Qualifying for the M.A.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully passes all parts of the general examination and completes all other departmental requirements (course work and language requirements). The incidental master's degree may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program in Art & Archaeology, provided that the following requirements for the awarding of the master's degree are met: for all fields, the completion of course work and language requirements; for the African and African Diaspora, Byzantine and Medieval, Modern and Contemporary, and Renaissance and Early Modern fields, the written part of the general exam; for the East Asian field, the general field exam and the East Asian studies field exam; for the Ancient Art and Archaeology field, the eight-hour written general field exam. In the case of students who apply for the M.A. on the basis of the completion of course work, language requirements, and only part of the general exam, once the M.A. degree is conferred, it is final, and a student becomes ineligible for all other degrees in the Department of Art & Archaeology.

Dissertation Topic Proposal

The following pertains to all students

Usually, the chair of a student’s general examination committee goes on to serve as the student’s dissertation adviser. When that will not be the case, time is of the essence for the student to formalize plans for a faculty member to serve as dissertation adviser and communicate that information to the Graduate Program Administrator (GPA), as no student can be reenrolled for the G4 year (the seventh semester of the Ph.D. program) without a dissertation adviser of record.

Students must submit a dissertation proposal and present it to members of the department according to the procedures detailed below.

Students may not be enrolled with in-absentia status before the dissertation proposal presentation has been completed successfully.

The dissertation proposal presentation is a departmental milestone. Neither the scheduling of the dissertation proposal presentation nor the composition of the dissertation proposal presentation committee requires approval from the Graduate School.

Dissertation proposal committees may include faculty from other Princeton departments, colleagues from the Index of Medieval Art and the Princeton University Art Museum, and, on rare occasions, faculty from other institutions. A scholar from another institution serving on the dissertation proposal presentation committee may participate either remotely or in-person. The department will reimburse scholars from other institutions for local travel costs (e.g., NJ Transit from New York City, or travel by personal car from Philadelphia); funding is not available for an honorarium or to support more costly travel or hotel accommodations for dissertation proposal committee members.

All students are encouraged to make a habit of attending dissertation proposal presentations beginning in the G1 year.

The following pertains to students in all areas except East Asian

Students who pass the general examination in the Fall Semester of the G3 year should present the dissertation proposal by the end of the Spring Semester of that year, unless the prospective dissertation adviser (or team of co-advisers) sets an earlier deadline.

Students who pass the general examination in the Spring Semester of the G3 year should present the proposal within the first month of the Fall Semester of the G4 year, unless the prospective dissertation adviser (or team of co-advisers) sets an earlier deadline.

The dissertation proposal consists of a written statement of an original research project in the student’s field along with selected bibliography. As soon as possible following the successful completion of the general examination, the student and the prospective dissertation adviser(s) discuss expectations for the scope and length of the dissertation proposal, confer about the composition of the committee for the dissertation proposal presentation, and set a schedule for the submission of a draft of the dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal committee usually comprises the same three (or more) faculty members as the general examination committee, with the prospective dissertation adviser serving as committee chair. In the case of co-advised dissertations, the co-advisers determine who will chair the committee and communicate that to the student. Either the prospective dissertation adviser or, with the adviser’s approval, the student manages the outreach to prospective dissertation proposal committee members.

The student confers with the prospective dissertation adviser and the dissertation proposal committee to set a schedule for submission of the proposal to the committee and to launch the scheduling process for the presentation of the dissertation proposal to the department. The student informs the GPA of several possible dates and times that are viable for the committee; the GPA finalizes a date, time, and location for the presentation, and communicates that information to the student and the committee.

The dissertation proposal must be approved by the prospective dissertation adviser before distribution to the full dissertation proposal committee. Once the prospective dissertation adviser has approved the dissertation proposal, the student shares the proposal with the committee according to a schedule determined in advance. Committee members may request to read the proposal in draft to provide suggestions for revision before the proposal is circulated beyond the committee.

At least three days prior to the scheduled dissertation proposal presentation, the student submits the dissertation proposal to the GPA for announcement to the A&A department’s faculty and graduate students.

The following pertains to students in the East Asian program

The student should confer with the prospective dissertation adviser as early as possible during preparations for the general examination to discuss expectations regarding the scope and length of the dissertation proposal. The proposal should state the research problem, describe the state of the field, indicate the approach to be taken, and describe the expected contribution of the dissertation. There are two options for the timing of the dissertation proposal presentation: 1) at the end of G3 year after the successful completion of the general examination, or 2) in the first month of the G4 year. In preparation for the presentation, and in consultation with the student, the prospective dissertation adviser forms a committee comprising the prospective dissertation adviser and two additional members of the general examination committee. A fourth dissertation proposal committee member may be invited to join the committee at the adviser’s discretion. This optional additional committee member may come from within the Department of Art & Archaeology, from another department within the university, or from another institution, depending on the dissertation’s area of focus. The student sets a tentative date and time for the dissertation proposal presentation in consultation with the prospective dissertation adviser and committee and works with the Graduate Program Administrator to finalize the scheduling. A draft of the dissertation proposal must be submitted to the prospective dissertation adviser for review and comments at least two weeks before the tentative presentation date. At least three days in advance of the dissertation proposal presentation, the student submits the final version of the dissertation proposal to the GPA for distribution to all members of the committee and to the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Art & Archaeology.

The following pertains to all students

On the occasion of the dissertation proposal presentation, the dissertation adviser briefly introduces the student and the dissertation proposal committee members. The student then makes a circa 15-minute presentation of the dissertation proposal, which is followed by questions and comments from the dissertation proposal committee, other faculty (and museum curators) in attendance, and graduate students in attendance, in that order. The student responds to questions and comments. At the conclusion of the dissertation proposal presentation and the question and comment period, the student and all others except the committee members leave the room. The committee discusses the dissertation proposal to determine whether it is acceptable. The dissertation adviser communicates the results of the dissertation proposal presentation to the student and to the GPA.

Once the proposal is approved by the dissertation proposal committee, the GPA adds the student’s dissertation topic to a list that is submitted to the College Art Association each year.

Members of the dissertation proposal committee may go on to serve alongside the dissertation adviser as Readers or Examiners for the FPO examination, provided they meet the eligibility requirements set by the Graduate School, but this is not a formal expectation. The dissertation proposal committee does not automatically constitute an ongoing committee for the supervision of the student’s dissertation research and writing. 
 

Changing Dissertation Title or Topic

If, after a dissertation topic is presented and approved, a student wishes to change the topic, scope, or title of the dissertation in a significant way, the student's adviser should inform the director of graduate studies. The graduate committee will then consider whether the changes are substantial enough to require the student to present the new topic to the faculty for its approval.

Guidelines for Dissertation Completion and Final Public Oral Scheduling

Completion of the Dissertation and Planning for the Final Public Oral Examination

Looking ahead to their own dissertation work and eventual Final Public Oral examination, students should make a habit of attending FPO exams in the department, both within and beyond their specialized fields of study, as early as the G1 year. 

Students entering the final phase of dissertation writing should consult, in addition to this Handbook, the Dissertation & Final Public Oral Examination and the Advanced Degree Application Process sections of the Graduate School’s website. Students should bring any questions about the process first to their advisers and then, as needed, to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). 

At least three months before the tentative date for the FPO exam, if not earlier, the student meets with the dissertation adviser (or co-advising team) to discuss the formation of a committee for the FPO exam. The committee normally comprises four members, two of whom serve as Readers who prepare written reports on the dissertation that are submitted to the Graduate School as part of the dissertation approval process. Per A&A department custom, the adviser serves as the First Reader; the remainder of the committee comprises a Second Reader, who also submits a written report, and two Examiners who do not submit written reports but address questions and comments to the candidate on the occasion of the FPO exam. In the case of co-advised dissertations, the two co-advisers typically serve as First and Second Reader, in a configuration determined by the co-advisers; one of the co-advisers should take the lead in working with the student and the Graduate Program Administrator (GPA) to organize the FPO exam.

Per Graduate School rules, if a student presents a doctoral dissertation more than five years after having passed the general examination, the department is not automatically obliged to receive the dissertation for consideration. In such cases, the department must vote formally as a faculty whether or not to receive the dissertation for review and examination. The adviser(s) of a student who is looking to present a dissertation more than five years after having passed the general examination should alert the DGS and the GPA to the student’s plans as soon as the preliminary scheduling of the FPO exam is underway. The DGS will arrange for the faculty to vote on the matter in a timely way so that the planning of the FPO exam may proceed.

Assembling the Committee for the Final Public Oral Examination 

Once the student and the adviser have agreed upon a tentative timeframe for the FPO exam, the adviser contacts prospective committee members to request their participation in the FPO exam, taking into account the Graduate School’s rules and the department’s customs governing the composition of the committee for the FPO exam (see below). Also at this time, the adviser discusses with the prospective Second Reader and Examiners how much time each will require to evaluate the dissertation ahead of the FPO exam. When the committee’s availability has been confirmed, the adviser informs the GPA what the tentative date of the FPO exam will be and who the proposed members of the committee are. 

Submitting the Dissertation to the Adviser/First Reader, Second Reader, and the Department

Once the committee and the tentative FPO exam are in place, the candidate submits a full draft of the dissertation to the adviser, according to arrangements made in advance. The full draft should reflect the candidate’s confidence—on the basis of the adviser’s previous comments on, and suggestions for revision to, earlier chapter drafts—that the full draft of the dissertation will require only minimal revision (light editing) for final submission towards fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. At the time of submission of the full draft of the dissertation, the adviser and the candidate set a date by which the adviser will complete a reading of the full draft and return it to the candidate with comments and any requirements for revision.

At least six weeks before the tentative FPO exam date, after completing final revisions to the manuscript according to arrangements made in advance, the student submits the complete dissertation to the adviser and, with the adviser’s approval, to the Second Reader. 

At least four weeks before the tentative FPO exam date, with the adviser’s approval, the student submits the following to the GPA: PDF copy of dissertation; copy of the dissertation title page, correctly formatted (sample title page); copy of the dissertation abstract (350 words or less). Also at this time, the student completes the Advanced Degree Application through TigerHub. Unless an earlier deadline has been set with the adviser’s approval, the candidate also submits the dissertation to each of the two Examiners at this time. The candidate is responsible for providing either hard or digital copies of the dissertation, or both, to all committee members per their preferences.

Reading of the Dissertation and Submission of Reader Reports

Without exception, Reader Reports must be submitted to the GPA no later than two weeks prior to the tentative FPO exam date. Both Reader Reports must be composed on the basis of the same version of the dissertation, and that version must be identical in pagination to the version submitted to the department four weeks prior to the tentative FPO exam date. 

By custom, Reader Reports are not shared among committee members until the Graduate School has approved the scheduling of the FPO exam. Only the student, the FPO exam committee, and A&A faculty may view the Reader Reports. Reader Reports, like grades, are written, official, and permanently maintained assessments of a student’s work; according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), such records may not be shared with other students without that student’s explicit permission. The student may request, in a letter sent to the DGS, to have the Reader Reports made available to the public in attendance at the FPO exam.

If the Second Reader concludes that the dissertation has serious flaws that prevent it from satisfying the department’s expectations for the Ph.D., the Second Reader does not submit a Reader Report. Instead, the Second Reader sends a brief statement of why the dissertation in its present form is unacceptable to the candidate, with a copies to the adviser, the DGS, and the GPA. This must be done no later than four weeks prior to the tentative FPO exam date. The candidate consults with the adviser and the DGS to determine how to proceed.

Once the Graduate School has authorized the scheduling of the FPO exam, the department is required to post prominently the date, time, and place of the exam for a minimum of three days between the Graduate School’s authorization and the date of the FPO exam, to assure the open, public character of the oral examination. 

During the period between the Graduate School’s authorization and the date of the FPO exam, the department makes a printed copy of the dissertation available in the GPA’s office. 

Rules Governing the Composition of the Committee for the Final Public Oral Examination

The committee for the FPO examination in A&A ordinarily comprises four members who variously serve as Readers or Examiners; the Graduate School refers to the role of each committee member on the occasion of the FPO as Principal Examiner. As noted above, the adviser, not the student, makes the invitations to serve on the committee. The following information explains what must be done per the rules of the Graduate School as incorporated into the practices of the department. Per Graduate School rules, two Principal Readers of the dissertation, the First Reader and Second Reader, must each submit a written and signed dissertation Reader Report to the department. Qualified First and Second Readers are those who are authorized to supervise doctoral dissertations in the University (such as regular faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher and certain others in senior research ranks). At least one of the two Principal Readers of the dissertation must be from the student’s home department. External Second Readers must be of comparable standing in another university or in the research community. If the dissertation adviser (also serving as First Reader) has emeritus status, the Second Reader must be an active faculty member of the A&A department. Dissertation advisers who wish to invite Princeton scholars who are not regular faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher (e.g., emeritus faculty members, colleagues from the Index of Medieval Art, the Tang Center for East Asian Art, or the Princeton University Art Museum) to serve as a Second Reader or an Examiner on an FPO exam committee should consult with the DGS and the GPA about the appointment process at least eight weeks in advance of the tentative FPO exam date. External Readers and Examiners proposed for service on the FPO committee must provide their curriculum vitae for approval first by the department’s Graduate Committee and then by the Dean of the Graduate School according to the scheduling norms of the department, in every case no later than eight weeks ahead of the prospective FPO exam date. Per Graduate School rules, the committee membership of a scholar from outside the University must be approved by the Graduate School prior to completion of the advanced degree application by the student.

Preparing for and Conducting the Final Public Oral Examination

The student consults with the dissertation adviser (or co-advising team) about how best to prepare for the FPO exam. 

Per Graduate School rules, at least three Principal Examiners must participate in every FPO exam, all of them normally members of the Princeton faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher; the Graduate School further specifies that at least two of the Principal Examiners on the occasion of the FPO must not have been Principal Readers (i.e., must not have served as First Reader or Second Reader) of the dissertation. Therefore, by custom in A&A, the committee for the FPO comprises four members, each serving at the FPO exam as a Principal Examiner: First Reader (dissertation adviser), Second Reader, First Examiner, and Second Examiner.

Per Graduate School rules, FPO exams are to take place in-person. In cases where an appearance for the FPO exam would constitute a substantial hardship for the candidate due to extenuating reasons, the DGS, acting on behalf of the department and with the approval of the adviser(s) and the other members of the FPO exam committee, may recommend to the Graduate School the virtual, video-conferenced examination of the candidate, with the department continuing to uphold in all other respects the open, public nature of the examination.  

Except when the virtual, video-conferenced examination of the candidate has been approved by the Graduate School, members of the FPO exam committee should be present in person for the exam. In extraordinary circumstances, the department may request that the Graduate School approve the virtual, video-conferenced participation of a Reader or an Examiner, but in no case may there be fewer than two FPO exam committee members who participate in person.

The printed copy of the dissertation previously accessible in the GPA’s office is made available to those in attendance at the FPO exam. 

Per A&A Department custom, the dissertation adviser introduces the candidate and the committee at the outset of the FPO exam. The candidate then delivers an introduction to the dissertation project (circa 20 minutes), which is followed by questions and comments from Readers, Examiners, faculty in attendance, graduate students in attendance, and any other attendees, in that order. The candidate answers questions and responds to comments. At the conclusion of the question-and-answer and comment period, the candidate, along with graduate students and other non-faculty attendees, leave the room. The Readers, Examiners, and any other Princeton faculty members in attendance discuss the dissertation and the FPO exam, and the FPO exam committee members determine whether both meet the standards for fulfillment of the requirements for the granting of the Ph.D. Once that determination has been made, the adviser calls the candidate, alone, back into the room and communicates the results of the FPO exam. 

In case the FPO exam is not sustained, the candidate may stand for it a second time after at least one year has passed. If unsuccessful a second time, the candidate is not permitted another opportunity to retake the FPO exam, and Ph.D. candidacy is terminated.

Students should consult the Advanced Degree Application Process section of the Graduate School’s website well in advance of a prospective FPO exam for up-to-date information on paperwork to be completed following a successful FPO exam.

Dissertation Binding

Per Graduate School rules, the vast majority of Ph.D. students will not be required to submit a printed bound copy of the dissertation to the Mudd Manuscript Library. However, students who have removed content from the PDF version of the dissertation to avoid copyright infringement are still required to submit a bound copy to the library with all content included. This un-redacted, bound version of the dissertation must be formatted according to the Dissertation Formatting Guidelines, and delivered by hand, mail, or delivery service to the Mudd Manuscript Library by the degree date deadline in order for the student to be placed on the degree list. For dissertation binding, see Smith-Shattuck Bookbinding. 

The Five-Year Rule

Ph.D. theses which are submitted to the department more than five years after the student has passed the general examination require a positive vote by the faculty in order to be received and read. More generally, the period of "five years past generals" is a timeframe within which certain benefits (e.g., library privileges) are extended even if the student is not formally enrolled.

Ten-Year Rule

If an ETDCC student has not been in touch with the adviser after ten years, the department, with the adviser's permission, will inform the Graduate School to remove them from our list.

Benefits and Status after the Final Public Oral Examination

Enrollment typically ends the first of the month following the FPO. Students should review the timeline on the Graduate School’s website to understand when enrollment and benefits end following the FPO. Any exceptions must be discussed with Academic Affairs in the Graduate School.

IN THIS SECTION

• A&A Grad Student Representative Positions
• Symposium Organizers
• Graduate Student Government (GSG) Department Representative

A&A Grad Student Representative Positions

Graduate Representative Committee (3)

The members of the Graduate Representative Committee (GRC) work with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) as a conduit between the graduate students and the Department. They serve as advocates for the graduate students, communicate important or relevant information about the Department and its ongoing operations to the graduate students, and work with the DGS and Department Chair to address matters regarding the graduate program, including curricular matters, as they arise. The GRC normally includes three graduate student members, two from the G1-G3 years and one post-general-exam student. This configuration may vary from year to year, depending on student interest and availability. Members of the GRC serve a one- or two-year term, with a goal of maintaining some continuity of membership from year to year. Responsibilities are as follows:

• Meet once a month during the Fall and Spring semesters with the DGS and Department Chair and, as necessary, additionally with the DGS
• Attend Department meetings twice per semester to report on graduate student events, initiatives, and issues
• Perform administrative tasks involving graduate students, such as soliciting student feedback on Department initiatives and making nominations for a speaker for the department lecture series
• Consult and collaborate with other graduate student representatives on an as-needed basis

Graduate Museum Representative(s) (1-2)

The Graduate Museum Representative(s) serve as a liaison between the Department’s graduate students and the Princeton University Art Museum to create opportunities for student engagement with Museum staff, programs, and collections. The Graduate Museum Representative(s), at their discretion, may develop projects with the Museum’s Education Department, including projects that create connections to or collaborations with other areas of the museum, such as curatorial, conservation, and editorial. At their discretion, Graduate Museum Representative(s) may coordinate with the Museum’s McCrindle Interns and/or the Museum’s undergraduate Student Advisory Board (SAB). Depending on student interest and availability, there may be 1 or 2 Graduate Museum Representatives. The Graduate Museum Representative(s) serve a one-year term.

Graduate Library Representative (1)

The Graduate Library Representative acts as a liaison between the Department’s graduate students and Marquand Library to facilitate regular and consistent communication concerning daily operations, service policies, and access issues. At the at the discretion of the Graduate Library Representative, occasional special projects such as exhibitions or events may be proposed. The Graduate Library Representative serves a one- year term.

Total Annual Budget: $3000

The annual budget may be used by any of the above representatives for scholarly or social events, initiatives, and programming. This includes meals for meetings held to facilitate the work of the representatives. Limit per person per meal: $35.

Symposium Organizers

Students who organize and host the art and archaeology graduate student conference, normally held in the spring, send a draft of the proposal of the conference/workshop and a budget to the department's graduate committee for approval each year by October 1 for spring a conference or May 1 for a fall conference. No conference planning may begin prior to the committee's approval. Responsibilities have typically included: designating a conference topic/title; drafting a call for papers and circulating it to other graduate programs; applying for funding from the Graduate School as well as other University academic departments; managing the departmental contribution of $4,000 allotted for the conference (in consultation with the Graduate Administrator); choosing and inviting keynote speakers in consultation with the faculty; reviewing submitted abstracts and inviting graduate student speakers; helping invited speakers arrange travel to and accommodation in Princeton; organizing a dinner for invited speakers; working with the Graduate Administrator to arrange catering services for the event; promoting the event on campus and beyond; and recruiting department students and/or faculty to serve as discussion moderators. Ideally, symposia and workshops should reflect the diversity of fields of the department.

Graduate Student Government (GSG) Department Representative

One student is nominated to serve as the department representative on the Graduate Student Government (GSG). The department representative is required to attend all meetings of the GSG, which are held on the first Wednesday of each month. If the representative is not able to attend a meeting, she or he is expected to select a proxy to attend on her or his behalf. The mission of the GSG is "to advocate the interests of graduate students at Princeton, to provide a forum for free and open discussion of matters affecting graduate students, and to provide financial and organizational support for social events within this community." This mission is carried out through monthly meetings, during which resolutions for new initiatives are proposed and voted upon. In addition to the monthly meetings, representatives are able, but not required, to participate in four subcommittees—campus relations, facilities, health and life, and academic affairs—which allow for greater control and discussion of the nitty gritty of graduate life. The representative has the opportunity to vote on how GSG resources are spent and to participate in the planning and hosting of GSG-sponsored social events.

IN THIS SECTION

• A&A Graduate Student Conference
• External Symposia
• Graduate Lounge
• Resources

A&A Graduate Student Conference

Students who organize and host the art and archaeology graduate student conference, normally held in the spring, send a draft of the proposal of the conference/workshop and a budget to the department's graduate committee for approval each year by October 1 for spring a conference or May 1 for a fall conference. No conference planning may begin prior to the committee's approval. Responsibilities have typically included designating a conference topic/title; drafting a call for papers and circulating it to other graduate programs; applying for funding from the Graduate School as well as other University academic departments; managing the departmental contribution of $4,000 allotted for the conference (in consultation with the Graduate Administrator); choosing and inviting keynote speakers in consultation with the faculty; reviewing submitted abstracts and inviting graduate student speakers; helping invited speakers arrange travel to and accommodation in Princeton; organizing a dinner for invited speakers; working with the Graduate Administrator to arrange catering services for the event; promoting the event on campus and beyond; and recruiting department students and/or faculty to serve as discussion moderators. Ideally, symposia and workshops should reflect the diversity of fields of the department.

External Symposia

Annual External Symposia

Annually, the department selects students to speak at the Frick Collection and the Barnes Foundation symposia. Students may submit abstracts for both symposia, but they may speak at only one. Since the rules for each symposium are somewhat different, the selection process is separate for the two talks. Open to enrolled graduate students only.

Frick Symposium on the History of Art

The Frick symposium, normally held on a Friday and Saturday in April, invites the Department of Art and Archaeology to select one student to represent Princeton. The symposium offers an opportunity for students to present original research in any field of art history in a public forum. Students must have the written approval of their adviser. There is no restriction on the subject matter of the paper, but it must not have been previously published or presented at any other symposium or conference. It need not be on the student's dissertation topic. Time limits for each paper are strictly enforced. Preference will be given to enrolled graduate students who have not presented previously at either the Frick or the Barnes symposium. With prior approval, the department will normally reimburse student presenters for transportation expenses and one night's lodging.

Barnes Foundation Graduate Student Symposium/Philadelphia

This symposium brings together graduate students from nine mid-Atlantic colleges and universities to present current research in the field of art history. The Department of Art and Archaeology is able to select one student to represent Princeton. The date for this symposium usually falls in late March or early April. The symposium offers an excellent opportunity for students to present original insight or new interpretation of an art-historical work in a public forum. Students must have the written approval of their adviser. There is no restriction on the paper's subject matter to be presented, although students whose research is interdisciplinary in nature are encouraged to apply. The paper selected must not have been previously published or presented at any other symposium or conference. It need not be on the student's dissertation topic. Time limits for each paper are strictly enforced. A faculty member, normally the student's adviser, must agree to be present at the symposium to introduce the department's speaker. Preference will be given to enrolled students who have not presented previously at either the Frick or the Barnes Symposium. With prior approval, the department will normally reimburse student presenters for transportation expenses and one night's lodging.

Graduate Lounge

A Graduate Lounge with mailboxes and a kitchenette is available for all use by grad students. Graduate students are responsible for cleaning up after themselves. 

Resources

Copyright & Intellectual Property

The department strictly adheres to University policy regarding copyright and intellectual property.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Counseling and Psychological Services supports the psychological well-being of the Princeton University community, and their services are available at no cost to currently enrolled Princeton students and their eligible dependents. 

Davis International Center

The Davis International Center offers specialized support for international students and scholars at Princeton University. Their team of advisers can assist international students with questions about their immigration status.

Graduate Listserv

The department maintains a listserv for informal correspondence among graduate students. To post to the listserv, email [email protected].

Replies to any message sent using the listserv will be sent to the entire group; to contact the sender only, reply directly in a separate email. To unsubscribe from the list at any time, send a blank email to [email protected]

Graduate Resources Sharepoint Site

A&A Graduate Resources is a digital resource library for students in the department. In the Generals folder, students can find PDFs of selected texts. This folder has sub-folders separated by field, and each field's sub-folder has an Excel document that functions as a catalog of the contents. The site also contains examples of successful fellowships and job applications. The site is meant to be dynamic and helpful at various stages of grad students’ academic careers, so please feel free to return often. Additional contributions are also appreciated as we continue to grow this resource for current and future A&A students.

University Health Services

University Health Services provides Medical Services in the McCosh Health Center.