PhD Program Requirements

There are six main requirements in the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies' PhD program: 

  1. Fulfilment of the residence requirement
  2. Fulfilment of course requirements
  3. Fulfilment of language requirements that vary according to the student’s major area of study
  4. Successful completion of field examinations
  5. Successful completion of the prospectus defense
  6. The writing and successful defence of a dissertation

For timelines, please see Academic Milestones: PhD Program by Year. 

  • Students must complete a minimum of 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) with no individual course grade below B-, including:

    • DRA1011H Sources and Concepts in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies I

    • DRA1012H Sources and Concepts in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies II

    • DRA1013H Modelling New Scholarship in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies

    • DRA1014H Teaching and Learning in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies

    • DRA5002H Research Development

  • Demonstrate reading knowledge of a language other than English by passing an approved language examination no later than the end of Year 2. Students may also be asked to qualify in other program-related languages.

  • Pass field examinations at the end of Year 2.

  • Pass the prospectus defence during September to October of Year 3.

  • Present a thesis on an approved topic embodying the results of original investigation which shall be judged to constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge of the field.

  • Pass an oral examination on the subject of the thesis.

The PhD program provides funding for 4.5 years. 

A PhD candidate must demonstrate a reading competence in a language other than English. This should be either French or another language useful or necessary in the student’s scholarly work.
 

Examinations and Courses to Fulfill Language Requirements 2022-23

The following exams are open to graduate students who need to fulfill language requirements. Students may contact the relevant graduate department to register for the exam or for more information.  

LANGUAGE/GRAD UNIT             DATE AND TIME                        LOCATION  

CLASSICS                                  September 8, 2022, 10-12 pm    Room LI205. Lillian Massey Building 125 Queen’s Park             

Note: Non-Departmental Qualifying Latin Examination. Bilingual dictionaries are allowed. Students must register with Coral Gavrilovic (k.gavrilovic@utoronto.ca) at least two weeks in advance of the exam. Consult the department for the date of the spring examination.  

ITALIAN                                         February 17, 2023, 1-3 pm           Room TBA  

Note: Bilingual dictionaries are allowed. Students must register with the Italian Studies graduate coordinator (italian.grad@utoronto.ca) at least two weeks in advance of the exam. We also require from students the name and email address of their home graduate coordinator so that we could inform them about the results of the examination.  

SLAVIC  

Note: Exams are offered on an individual student basis twice a year, normally in late October or in February, but are not scheduled unless required. Students who wish to take an exam in any of the following listed languages (Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Finnish) should contact slavic@utornoto.ca at least one month in advance and indicate which language they wish to be tested in, which department requires the test, and what kind of test is required (e.g. reading competence, speaking fluency, writing). 

SPANISH & PORTUGUESE          November 4, 2022, 10-12 pm         Details to be provided to students who register 

 Note: Students who would like to sit for a Spanish or a Portuguese exam must register with Prof. Susan Antebi (spanish.graduate@utoronto.ca) at least two weeks in advance of the exam. Students should write stating the language of the exam, and providing the name and email address of their home graduate coordinator so that we could inform them about the results of the examination. Bilingual paper dictionaries are allowed.  

EAST ASIAN STUDIES 

Note: Students who need to be examined in Mandarin, Korean or Japanese should contact eas.grad@utoronto.ca 

FRENCH 

FSL6000HF – Reading French, Tuesdays, 4-6 pm                                  Carr Hall, 406 (L0101 in PER) 

FSL6000HS – Reading French, Tuesdays, 4-6 pm                                  Carr Hall, 406 (L0101 in PER) 

Note: Open to Masters and PhD graduate students who need to fulfill their graduate language requirement. On a case by case basis, students with prior language qualifications can access the exam-only option (still with course registration) after prior screening by the home department in support of the exam-only option. For more information, visit: https://www.french.utoronto.ca/other-courses/fsl-6000-reading-french-course  

GERMAN 

GER6000H F – Reading German, Fridays, 2-4 pm                                 HS100 

GER6000H S – Reading German, Fridays, 2-4 pm                                 HS100 

Note: In this course German reading knowledge is taught following the grammar-translation method designed for graduate students from the Humanities. It is an intensive course that covers German grammar with focus on acquiring essential structures of the German language to develop translation skills. The course is conducted in English, and consequently participants do not learn how to speak or write in German, but rather the course focuses exclusively on reading and translating German. Prior knowledge of German not mandatory. By the end of the course, students should be able to handle a broad variety of texts in single modern Standard German. This course is not intended for MA or PhD students in German. 

Field Exam (May of Year 2): This field exam has two parts. It will examine two fields relevant to the student's areas of research and teaching expertise. Both parts will be written as a take-home exam in essay form, responding to exam questions and requiring original interpretations of the exam material.

 
View the full dissertation process at Academic Milestones: PhD Program by Year. 
For thesis information, please visit Producing Your Thesis on the School of Graduate Studies website. 
 
For more information about the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies requirements, please visit Academic Milestones: PhD Program by Year. 

What constitutes good academic standing?

The Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies defines good academic standing following the School of Graduate Studies' Maintaining Good Academic Standing requirements.