Requirements Checklist

 The RCR is a two-day workshop offered every spring that focuses on the proper ethical and moral conduct of research. Although the focus is primarily on responsible research practices for the sciences, all graduate students are required to attend and earn the RCR certificate to graduate. The RCR consists of two 7-hour sessions (approx. 9 am – 4 pm) that are filled with presentations from graduate faculty and other experts. At the end of the second day, an open-book exam is administered.

Helpful Hints

• Registration is required to attend. Look for an email from the graduate school or visit the RCR website at the beginning of spring semester to find registration instructions.
• Plan to take the RCR during your first or second spring semester of coursework (MA students should take it their first spring semester).
• The RCR is an excusable absence. Inform your professors at least two weeks before the RCR that you will be missing class to attend.
• Bring a book, a computer, or work that you can easily do while listening.
• Keep all of the hand-outs and make sure you receive the official emails from the RCR. You will need all of the slides and hand-outs from the workshops to pass the final exam.
• Students who receive their MA at Howard and are continuing in the PhD program do not need to do the RCR again.

For more information, visit: http://www.orrchoward.com/RCR.html

The Graduate Expository Writing Exam is different from the department diagnostic writing exam that you will take in your ENGG 200 Research Methods class. The Expository writing exam is administered once at the beginning of each semester by the Graduate School through their Program for Academic Support Services (PASS). The exam consists of a 500-word essay that you will write in a two to three hour period on a topic chosen from a provided list. The essay is then evaluated on a 6-point rubric and must be passed with a 5 or 6 to receive a certificate. Once available, certificates can be picked up from outside Dr. Gwendolyn Bethea’s office (rm. 310 in the graduate school).

Helpful Hints:

• Registration is required. The registration form can be found here and should be emailed to Dr. Bethea.
• If you received a 5 or higher on the writing section of the GRE, you do not need to take the Expository Exam. You will need to provide proper documentation to the office of Dr. Gwendolyn Bethea in order to receive your certificate.

For more information, visit http://www.gs.howard.edu/pass/default.html

The Foreign Language Examination is offered through the Department of World Languages and Cultures. Students are required to pass one exam in one language. The exam consists of translating a passage from your chosen language into English with the use of a dictionary over a two hour period of time. This is a written exam and does NOT require you to speak your chosen language. The exam takes place once a semester and is proctored by the Languages department on a Saturday, usually in Locke Hall.

Helpful Hints:

• Bring your own dictionary!! This cannot be emphasized enough. A dictionary is allowed, but one will not be provided for you.

• It is often easier to walk upstairs to the department office of World Languages and Cultures (LKH 350, directly above the English office) to enquire about registration for the Graduate Foreign Language Exam. Registration is completed by filling out a short form they will provide.
• On the registration form, you will be asked about your emphasis. While you can simply write “English” or “Literature,” writing something with more detail like “English with an emphasis in African American Literature” can sometimes lead to your passage being something more relevant to your work and therefore easier to translate.
• While you can take language classes to fulfil the requirement instead of the test, the test is not something that should cause you a lot of stress and is easily passed with a working knowledge of the language. If you feel like you need to review or brush-up on your chosen language, ask the Department of World Languages and Cultures for names of professors who specialize in that language and then ask those professors directly if they would be willing to help you review. 

 The Graduate Qualifying Examination is an English Department requirement that must be fulfilled before you can apply for candidacy. All coursework must be complete before you can take the GQEs. GQEs are offered once a semester, usually a week before the semester begins. As an MA student, you should plan to take the GQEs in January of your second year.

The Basics:

For the MA GQEs, you will be required to test in two areas of study—including: American, African American, Caribbean, English Renaissance, Restoration and 18th Century, 19th Century British, 20th and 21st Century British, and Literary Criticism. For each area of study, you will have 4 hours to write 2 essays. Exams for each area are administered separately within the same week. You will not have access to any books or internet. Essays can be written by hand or can be typed on a computer provided. Each exam will have around 6-12 questions from which you must choose 2 to answer. There is no official length requirement, but most people write at least 4 pages for each question. Grading is blind, meaning that professors do not know whose essay they are grading and you will not know who graded your essays.

Helpful Hints:

• If you decide to type your essays, bring a personal USB drive to save your exams.
• Bring food and drink for the exam.
• If you have to leave the room during the exam, even to use the bathroom, it will cut into your 4 hours. You will also have to sign in and out of the room.
• Essay questions are written by professors who teach that area. Talking to professors is a great way to review.
• You can ask the Graduate Adviser for previous exam questions the semester before you plan to take the exam.

Registration:

You will be prompted by the department, most likely via email, to register for the GQEs by completing a form. You can also ask the Graduate Adviser about registration towards the end of your last semester of coursework (your third semester).

Preparation:

Knowing dates, authors, and the context of your text are the very basics of preparing for GQEs. In addition to answering the question, you will be asked to know both literary theory as well as literary texts for each area of study. It is recommended that you also demonstrate a knowledge of the critical discourse in each field by acknowledging scholars of each field in the course of your essays.

The professors who teach each area will be part of writing and grading the exams. Talking to professors and asking for direction in reviewing for the GQEs is a great way to help you know what to focus on as you prepare. Professors can also help give you a sense of what they will be looking for in each essay.

During your last semester of coursework, you can ask the Graduate Adviser for previous exam questions to help you study. Practicing using old exam questions is one of the best forms of preparation. However, studying for the GQEs is different for everyone. Knowing your own learning style is helpful in preparing.

Click here for more suggestions on preparing for the GQE’s.

Surviving:

Your exams are not likely to happen back-to-back (i.e. if your first exam is on Monday, your second exam is not likely to be on Tuesday). It is recommended that you limit your study on your day(s) between exams. You should have done the majority of your studying by that point and taking a break to relieve stress and rest on your off-days will be very important for staying sane on your exam days. Maintain a regular sleep schedule leading up to and throughout exam week and make sure you drink plenty of water—you want your brain to be in optimal condition for the exam!

What happens if I fail an exam?

If you earn a C+ or lower on any exam, you have failed the exam. You may retake the exam only once. If you fail more than one, the policy for test taking still applies, so you must retake all exams at the same time. However, you do not have to retake the exam(s) at the next testing session. 

 The Graduate Qualifying Examination is an English Department requirement that must be fulfilled before you can apply for candidacy. All coursework must be complete before you can take the GQEs. GQEs are offered once a semester at the beginning of the semester and will be coordinated by the student and the student’s GQE committee.

The Basics:

There are two components—one written, one oral—to the GQE examination for PhD students. The written component involves students writing two essays at home in response to questions that are developed by students and their committees. Questions will be emailed to students the day of their exam. Paper one will deal with two areas of study chosen from American, African American, British, and Caribbean literatures. Paper two will deal with a third field of study that the student plans to focus on in their dissertation. Note, this means that the student’s dissertation field cannot be included in the two area of studies used to write paper one. While the first paper is a comparative analysis, the second paper is more like a preparatory essay for the dissertation proposal. The oral component will be an oral defense that will be scheduled within thirty days of the written exam, except under extraordinary circumstances. The oral exam is designed to give students an opportunity to fill in any gaps that may occur in the written portion of the exam and to demonstrate subtle nuances of understanding and mastery in each of the three fields.

The entire exam will be overseen by a 3 person committee composed of English graduate faculty chosen by the student and the graduate adviser. The chair of this committee should be either a faculty member with expertise in the area of study students plan to write their dissertation and will likely be the chair of their dissertation committee. Students will nominate the members of their committee to the DGS at least 6 months before the exam. Students must obtain approval from the DGS and the English Department Chair before they can proceed to work with the committee.

Preparation:

As the GQE is an open-note, take-home exam, the preparation should be the most intensive part of the exam. 6-8 months before taking the exam, students will work with their committee to compile a GQE reading list for each of the three chosen areas of study. The reading list should be comprised of approximately 20 or so texts for each of the three areas of study (50-60 texts total) that reflect the student’s interests as well as represent a general overview of each particular field.

More preparation suggestions coming soon…. 

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