Master of Arts and Master of Science
Master of arts degrees are offered in the fields of community development and planning, education, English, international development and social change and teaching. Master of science degree are offered in the fields of environmental science & policy and geographic information science for development and environment.
Residency: An academic year (generally eight course units) of study in residence is a minimum requirement for a master’s degree. Individual departments or programs may require longer periods of residency.
Foreign Language: Language or other special requirements are included in the department listings in this catalog.
Course and Examination Requirements: Each student must complete at least eight course units in a program approved by the department. One course may be a research course devoted to the preparation of the thesis. Credit for a maximum of two course units at another institution may be approved by the dean of graduate studies and research upon recommendation of the department.
Thesis: The thesis is written on a topic in the field of the student’s special interest under the supervision of a member of the department and in a style, length and format that is appropriate to the problem being researched. A Formatting Guide for theses is available online at http://www.clarku.edu/graduatestudentresources.cfm
Nonresident Students: Students who have completed all their in-class course work and are finishing their degree requirements off campus must continue to register each semester until graduation as nonresident students. The nonresident student status fee is $200 each semester for a maximum of three years.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of philosophy degrees are offered in biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, economics, geography, history, physics and psychology. Only well-qualified candidates with proven ability in their special fields of study will be encouraged to proceed to the degree of doctor of philosophy.
Residence: The minimum requirement is one year of full-time study (eight course units) beyond the M.A. or its equivalent in part-time work, in residence. If the master of arts or master of science has been earned at Clark, this requirement is in addition to the residence requirement for that degree.
Foreign Language: Each graduate department sets its own language or related requirements as the student’s field of research may demand and must report such requirements in each case to the dean of graduate studies. If a language is required, either a testing service or on-campus tests are employed at the discretion of the department.
Preliminary Examination: Upon completion of preparation in the fields of study, a prospective candidate takes a preliminary examination set by the major department. This examination may be written or oral, or a combination of both. The chair of the department may invite other scholars from within or outside the University to participate in the examination.
Dissertation: A dissertation, which is expected to make an original contribution to a specialized field of knowledge, is required of each candidate. The dissertation, approved by the chief instructor or dissertation committee, is presented to the examining committee at the final oral examination. An abstract of the dissertation, not exceeding 350 words, is approved by the dissertation advisers. Four weeks before the degree is to be conferred, a presentation-quality copy of the dissertation, together with two official title pages, an academic history and an abstract must be delivered to the University format adviser. At the same time, one or more copies of the dissertation and of the abstract may be required by the major department. The title pages and academic history forms can be obtained online. The presentation-quality copy of the dissertation must be computer printed as prescribed in the format guide located on the Graduate School Web site.
The dissertation becomes part of the permanent collection in the University library. A microfilm copy of each dissertation is made by Proquest of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is available for duplication on request to that company. The abstract is printed in Dissertation Abstracts International.
Articles published in referred journals may be accepted in lieu of a dissertation with the approval of the department and the graduate dean.
Nonresident Students: Students who have completed all their in-class course work and are finishing their degree requirements off campus must continue to register each semester until graduation as nonresident students. The nonresident student status fee is $200 each semester for a maximum of three years.
Graduate Scholarships, Fellowships and Assistantships
Graduate fellowships and scholarships are provided for well-qualified students by the University from endowed funds and from other sources. Financial aid to graduate students also is available in the form of grants from a number of special funds and, in some departments, from sponsored research grants. Students who receive awards must obtain permission from the department before accepting employment. Application for a scholarship or fellowship to begin in September should be made before Feb. 15 to the chair of the department or director of the program in which the applicant expects to do major work. Late applications, after endorsement by the department, go to the dean of graduate studies for final approval.
Research Fellowships
These fellowships may be awarded to graduate students who have fulfilled their residence requirements and who are pursuing a full-time doctoral program on campus.
Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistants, generally only offered to doctoral students, are assigned a variety of duties according to the needs of the department. Responsibilities include conducting discussion sessions, supervising laboratory sections, holding tutorial sessions and grading papers and projects. Assistantships typically involve a commitment of approximately half time (an average of 17-1/2 hours a week). A tuition-remission scholarship or fellowship accompanies this award. Additional support up to a 12-month stipend is available in some departments.
Assistantships
Assistantships are available in several departments. Assistantships involve a variety of services, including research with appropriate stipends, and usually provide the student with experience that will be useful in later professional work.
Graduate Fellowship, Scholarship, and Department Funds
Stipends for fellowships and scholarships are provided by endowed funds. For further information about these funds, contact the department.
|
