Procedural Guide for the Field of Medieval Studies

The Code of Legislation of the Graduate Faculty outlines the core policies governing graduate education at Cornell. This handbook complements the Code of Legislation and Graduate School policies by offering additional academic guidance specific to students in the field of Medieval Studies. 

The goals of the Medieval Studies Program are to provide a constructive, innovative, and cooperative atmosphere for students and faculty who wish to work in an interdisciplinary milieu; to train students to a high level of expertise in a primary subfield; to equip them with a close knowledge of one or more other relevant subfields; to expose them to the methods and tools of Medieval Studies scholarship; and to allow students and faculty mentors to develop new configurations and combinations of materials in, and approaches to, medieval culture. The interdisciplinary character of these pursuits is fostered by a collegial atmosphere within the Program, as well as by relations with the other departments in which the Field’s faculty and other graduate students pursuing medieval scholarship are located. The presence of alumni/ae in college and university posts throughout the country and abroad testifies to the quality and reputation of the Program.

The vitality of the Program is enriched by the Medieval Studies Graduate Association (MSGA), an independent, student-run entity. The goals of the MSGA include creating a forum for discussion and debate among medievalists in the College of Arts and Sciences, providing support for underrepresented groups and disciplines, and serving as an official channel for student communication with the Program and the Graduate School. The MSGA organizes academic and social activities, including a monthly Medieval Roundtable at which students share and comment on one another’s research, the annual Festival of Medieval Readings, and Reading Groups in a variety of languages and subjects. In addition, a separate, independent graduate student committee designs and organizes the annual Medieval Studies Student Colloquium (MSSC).

2.1 General Requirements

The general requirements for the receipt of the PhD in Medieval Studies, normally completed in six years, are:

• Maintaining good academic standing by receiving an “Excellent” or “Satisfactory” on the annual Student Progress Review (see ‎3.4 below); 
• Forming a complete special committee by the end of the third semester (see ‎3.2 below);
• Satisfactory completion of coursework requirements, maintaining (per Graduate School regulations) a minimum GPA of 2.25 (see ‎4 below);
• Passing the A Exam before the start of the seventh semester (see ‎5.2 below);
• Submitting a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh semester (see ‎6.1 below);
• Satisfactory completion of all language requirements and exams before scheduling the B Exam (see ‎5.1 below);
• Passing the B Exam, normally in the sixth year (see ‎5.3 below); the timing of the B Exam is ultimately determined by the student’s special committee based on readiness and progress toward completion (the Graduate School Code of Legislation requires students in PhD programs “to complete all degree requirements in no more than 14 registered semesters from the first registration in that particular degree program” [VI.I.2]);
• Submission of the thesis to the Graduate School (see ‎6.2 below).

2.2 Satisfactory Academic Progress and Academic Standing

To remain in good standing and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress, students must meet the academic requirements as outlined in the Code of Legislation, the general degree requirements outlined above (see ‎2.1 above), the other field-specific requirements outlined in this Procedural Guide, and any additional requirements specified by the Chair/Special Committee (see ‎3.2 below). 

These layers of governance work together to provide oversight and support for academic progress, while the policies help clarify and establish mutual expectations for achieving degree progress (see ‎9 below). 

3.1 First-Year Committee

The Program Director, who also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), appoints a First-Year Committee to advise new students. The committee is composed of three faculty members: the Director (chair) and two Program members selected by the Director. The committee advises students about course selection and language training, and facilitates the transition to Cornell and the Medieval Studies Program. The Director serves as the chair of record until a student chooses a Special Committee chair. First-year students meet with the committee during orientation, consult with the committee on course registration for the spring semester, and should schedule a final committee meeting late in the spring semester to review the year and discuss summer plans; students are encouraged to consult with committee members as needed through the first year.

3.2 Special Committee

The Special Committee consists of (at least) three members of the graduate faculty, a chair (also referred to as an advisor) and two minor members. The chair and at least one minor member must be Medieval Studies faculty. The primary function of the Special Committee is to facilitate the student’s progress toward the degree and a professional career. The Special Committee ensures a close working relationship between faculty and students and encourages freedom and flexibility in the design of each student’s degree program. Students should call upon their committee members for advice toward their formation as scholars and teachers, their professional trajectories, and career paths.

Students are required to select a Special Committee chair by the end of the second semester. By the end of the third semester in residence, the Graduate School requires that every doctoral student have a full Special Committee. Students choose the members of the Special Committee in consultation with the Special Committee chair. Students experiencing difficulty identifying an chair should contact the Program Director as early as possible. Failure to secure a chair by the end of the second semester and a full Special Committee no later than the end of the third semester will affect a student’s academic standing and funding, unless an extension has been granted by petition to the Graduate School.

Students are free to change the composition of their Special Committee at any time, although any change made after the A Exam requires a special petition to the dean of the Graduate School.  If a chair or committee member steps down, students must find a replacement within expected timeframes outlined in Code of Legislation to remain in good standing. Students may not remain registered in the Graduate School if they fail to reconstitute a committee. If a student is unable to find a new chair within the required timeframes, they will be withdrawn from the Graduate School.

Extraordinary requests about the student’s program of study must be submitted in writing to the Special Committee. If a request is approved by the Committee, the student must submit the request and the Special Committee’s approval to the Director. 

3.3 Major and Minor Concentrations

Faculty in the Field of Medieval Studies represent seven subfields: Archaeology, History, History of Art, Literature, Linguistics and Philology, Music, and Philosophy. Within each subfield, there are one or more concentrations (see ‎13 below). The composition of each student’s Special Committee must reflect one primary and (at least) one secondary subfield in which they seek to develop scholarly expertise; the chair represents the student’s major concentration, and the other minor members represent the student’s minor concentrations. At least one minor concentration must be in a subfield different from that of the major concentration, and one minor concentration may be chosen from a graduate field other than Medieval Studies, e.g., Anthropology. 

Here are four examples:

1. In the Medieval Literature subfield, a major concentration in Old English Literature and a minor concentration in Middle English Literature; in the History subfield, a minor concentration in Medieval European History.
2. In the Medieval History subfield, a major concentration in Science and Technology and a minor concentration in Chinese History; in the Medieval Literature subfield, a minor concentration in Medieval Chinese Literature.
3. In the Medieval Archaeology subfield, a major concentration in Medieval Archaeology and Material Culture; in the Medieval Literature subfield, a minor concentration in Hebrew Literature; and a minor concentration in Anthropology.
4. In the Medieval Music subfield, a major concentration in European Music; in the Medieval Literature subfield, a minor concentration in Middle English Literature; and in the Medieval History of Art subfield, a minor concentration in European Art.

3.4 Student Progress Review

Students are required to complete the Student Progress Review (SPR) each year; first-year students complete a shorter form of the SPR. The SPR supports regular communication, ensures written feedback between students and their chairs, and requires that students and their Special Committee have at least one formal conversation each year about academic progress (e.g., coursework, language training, and exam preparations), accomplishments, and future plans. Students complete an online form (normally due in late March) administered by the Graduate School, indicating milestones completed, accomplishments, challenges and plans. The Special Committee chair (or Program Director, for first-year students) responds in writing and indicates whether the student’s progress is excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement, or unsatisfactory. Feedback documented on the SPR will be made available to the student, all members of the student’s Special Committee, and the Director.

After students complete their portion of the SPR, Program faculty meet to review the progress and standing of all students. In the case of an “Unsatisfactory” or “Needs Improvement” SPR, the Special Committee chair, in conjunction with the Special Committee members and Director, will determine and document in writing the steps and deadlines that the student must meet to address concerns and restore good standing. In the event that a student’s progress remains unsatisfactory (e.g., steps are not taken and/or deadlines are not met), the student will no longer be in good academic standing and future funding is withdrawn (see ‎2.2 above).

Completion of the PhD program normally requires five semesters of full-time coursework. Students work with their chair and Special Committee to devise a course of study that meets their needs. 

All students are required to complete MEDVL 7777, “Introduction to Medieval Studies,” a proseminar offered bi-annually in the fall semester, and take (in addition to MEDVL 7777) twelve graduate seminars. These seminars may be in any department or program and need not be cross-listed with Medieval Studies, although students are expected and encouraged to take a wide range of courses cross-listed by Medieval Studies or offered by Program faculty. One of these seminars must be a field-approved course in paleography: MEDVL 6102 (Latin Paleography), MEDVL 6170 (The Archaeology of the Text from Chaucer through the Renaissance), or a graduate seminar focused on the manuscript transmission of texts in a premodern language (subject to the approval of the student’s Special Committee chair and Program Director).

A graduate seminar is a course numbered at the 6000 level or above. Modern language courses and introductory instruction in research languages (e.g., Latin, Greek, Arabic, etc.) do not count toward the twelve graduate seminars required to complete the PhD. A graduate student is permitted to count an upper-level undergraduate seminar toward the graduate course requirement only if the student enrolls in an concurrent graduate-level directed readings course that supplements the undergraduate coursework with graduate-level engagement (e.g., a seminar paper, additional readings, etc.); such an arrangement requires the approval of the Special Committee (or First-Year Committee) and the professor who is teaching the course.

The selection of courses taken during the first two semesters is determined in consultation with the First-Year Committee; in subsequent years, students should consult their Special Committee. The normal course load for students on fellowship is three graduate seminars per semester; for students who are teaching, two seminars are usual. The Special Committee may allow or recommend adjustments according to circumstances. Students complete coursework by the midpoint of the third year, thus leaving time to prepare for the A Exam.

Students may find that they are interested in studying a subject about which no course is currently offered or is likely to be offered at Cornell during the period of their coursework. In these cases, students may request to take a “Directed Readings” (individual or group) with a faculty member. The faculty member and the student must agree at the outset about requirements for the course (meeting frequency, readings, essays, exams, etc.). Each department has a separate number for registering its Directed Readings; alternatively, students may register for a Directed Readings through the Medieval Studies Program.

The Program does not normally award any credit for graduate-level work completed before matriculating at Cornell. A student who enters the Program with advanced training in, e.g., Latin Palaeography (or Arabic paleography, Byzantine Greek palaeography, vel sim) may petition for release from the Paleography seminar requirement. The waiver must be requested prior to matriculation and, if granted, does not count toward twelve seminars required.

Graduate seminars are normally taken for a letter grade, but it is possible to take a seminar S/U (pass/fail) with the instructor’s permission and in consultation with the First-Year or Special Committee. No more than one graduate seminar can be taken S/U each semester (excepting modern language or introductory research-language seminars, which, if taken S/U, do not count toward the semester maximum, but also do not count toward the twelve seminars required). Graduate seminars taken S/U may count toward the twelve-seminar requirement. Audited courses do not count as part of a student’s course load and do not count toward the coursework requirement. 

No graduate student shall be permitted more than one grade of incomplete per semester. During the following term the student must complete the coursework for which the incomplete was assigned. The incomplete will become permanent after one year, per Graduate School policy (Code of Legislation VI.D.3), which may affect a student’s standing in the Program.

5.1 Language Examinations

5.1.1 Medieval Languages

All students are required to pass a Medieval Language Proficiency Exam; normally, this is in Medieval Latin, but students whose primary research language is non-European (e.g., Arabic, Hebrew, Byzantine Greek, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) are required to pass a comparable examination in the appropriate language. Medieval European vernaculars cannot be substituted for Medieval Latin proficiency. The Medieval Language Proficiency Exam must be attempted before scheduling the A Exam and passed before scheduling the B Exam. Students who do not pass the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam will not be allowed to schedule their B Exam; students who do not pass the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam by the end of the sixth year are no longer in good academic standing. 

The Program administers its own Medieval Latin Examination, adjudicated by the Medieval Latin Examination Committee, which satisfies the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam requirement. A student who prefers to take the Medieval Latin examinations administered by the University of Toronto’s Centre for Medieval Studies may do so at personal expense. A pass on either the Level One or Level Two exams administered by the Centre for Medieval Studies will satisfy the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam requirement. Students whose primary research language is non-European, at the discretion of the Special Committee and with the approval of the Director, take a comparable exam in the appropriate language. The exam texts and the standard for proficiency will be determined by the chair of the student’s Special Committee (or another faculty member designated by the chair) in consultation with the Director. 

To facilitate progress toward language acquisition and a timely pass on the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam, first-year students sit a Medieval Language Diagnostic Exam during the orientation to the Program. Normally, this is a Medieval Latin Diagnostic Exam, but non-European languages exams will be set in accordance with a student’s primary research language. Students who do not demonstrate competence required for enrollment in advanced literature or paleography seminars will be directed to appropriate courses or reading groups to acquire such competence. 

5.1.2 Modern Research Languages

Students are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in two relevant modern research languages other than English, e.g., German, French, Spanish, Italian, etc. The method of demonstration is determined by the Special Committee. Reading proficiency in the first research language must be demonstrated before the end of the sixth semester of study, and in the second language before the end of the eighth semester. 

Students who have native reading proficiency in a modern research language other than English that is relevant to their scholarship may count this language toward the research language requirement. 

Students who do not demonstrate reading proficiency in two relevant modern research languages will not be allowed to schedule their B Exam; students who do not demonstrate Students who do not demonstrate reading proficiency in two relevant modern research languages by the end of the sixth year are no longer in good academic standing.

5.2 A Exam (Admission to Candidacy)

The A Exam consists of (at least) three written exams, one in each of the student’s major and minor concentrations, followed by an oral examination based on the written materials, normally lasting about two hours. The oral A Exam is a public event to which faculty and graduate students in the field are invited. (See ‎14 below for full details on the preparation timeline and content of the A Exam.) 

Before the A exam can be scheduled, students must have attempted the Medieval Language Proficiency Exam (see ‎5.1.1 above), demonstrated reading proficiency in at least one modern research language other than English (see ‎5.1.2 above), taken MEDVL 7777, and completed twelve graduate seminars, including a field-approved paleography course (see ‎3 above). Students must submit the A Exam scheduling form on the Graduate School website at least seven days before the oral exam; the Graduate Field Assistant will circulate an announcement of the date, time, and location of the exam at least seven days in advance.

The Graduate School stipulates that graduate students must pass the A Exam before the beginning of the seventh semester (i.e., the beginning of the fourth year) in order to be considered in good standing. Any student who has not passed the A Exam (or successfully petitioned for an extension) before the beginning of the seventh semester is no longer in good standing. 

5.2.1 Exam results

See the Code of Legislation (VI.F.7.c) for Graduate School policy for details on the outcome of the A-Exam (“Pass,” “Conditional Pass,” and “Fail”). 

5.3 B Exam (Dissertation Defense)

The B Exam is a public, oral dissertation defense, adjudicated by the Special Committee, to which all faculty and students in Medieval Studies are invited. The student must file the B exam scheduling form at least seven days in advance of the exam, and the Graduate Field Assistant will circulate an announcement of the date, time, and location of the exam at least seven days in advance. The Code of Legislation requires students to submit a completed dissertation draft for committee review six weeks prior to scheduling the exam. The final, revised dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School within 60 days after the B Exam (as required by the Code of Legislation).  If the members of the Special Committee anticipate that the student will not be able make required revisions within 60 days, they will not permit the student to schedule the B exam. Candidates must submit the dissertation within seven years (fourteen semesters) of registration in the Program. Continuing beyond seven years requires an approved petition to the Graduate School.

5.4 Examination Outcomes

The outcome of an examination—“Pass,” “Conditional Pass,” or “Fail”—is determined solely by the students special committee, including all regular, proxy, ad hoc, and field-appointed members. See the Code of Legislation (VI.F.7) for Graduate School policy governing the outcome of the A Exam and the B Exam.

The Field of Medieval Studies awards a non-thesis master’s degree (an MA in Medieval Studies) upon successful completion of the A exam or in the case that the student fails the A Exam but the special committee agrees that the student has completed work consistent with the expectations for a master’s degree and is withdrawn from the Ph.D. program. See the Code of Legislation (VI.F.2) for Graduate School policy governing non-thesis Master’s Degrees.

6.1 Prospectus

Students are expected, in collaboration with their Special Committee, to develop a dissertation prospectus shortly after the completion of their A Exam. The prospectus must be approved by the Special Committee at a meeting held no later than the end of the seventh semester. The plans set forth in the prospectus may be modified as the candidate’s research and writing proceed, but significant changes of focus and structure must be approved by the Special Committee. The precise structure of the prospectus is determined in consultation with the Special Committee, but it generally includes:

• the nature of the question or problem to be examined in the dissertation;
• the importance of the question or problem to the discipline(s);
• a literature review, including but not limited to:
  • the views of earlier major scholars,
  • and what has not been addressed in the literature;
• a discussion of methodologies to be used;
• an outline of chapters; and,
• a bibliography.

6.2 Dissertation

The Special Committee establishes its own deadlines for the completion of dissertation work. Students should stay in contact with the members of their Special Committee at every stage of research and writing. An acceptable dissertation must satisfy the members of the Special Committee and meet the formal requirements of the Graduate School. Dissertations must be filed online; instructions and filing deadlines are found at http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/thesis-and-dissertation.

Students are awarded a guaranteed five-year financial support package, on the condition that the student is making satisfactory academic progress (see ‎2.2 above) and performs satisfactorily in any assistantship capacity. A sixth year of support is available by application for students who remain in good academic standing and are making demonstrable progress on their dissertation. The five years of support include two years of Graduate School Fellowships (typically Sage Fellowships or other fellowships awarded by the Graduate School): a first-year fellowship (required) and a dissertation-year fellowship (normally the fifth year), with no associated teaching responsibilities; Sage or other Graduate School fellowship funding cannot be used beyond the twelfth semester, unless the student had secured external funding in an earlier term, in which case one or two semesters of dissertation-year fellowship may be used after the twelfth semester corresponding with the length of external funding. The Program normally grants but does not guarantee an additional semester of fellowship during the third year to allow students to focus on their A Exam. In years two through four, students hold Teaching Assistantships (typically a First-Year Writing Seminar instructorship).

The Program offers sixth-year funding contingent on demonstrated progress toward the completion of the degree. Students may apply for sixth-year funding at the end of their ninth semester by demonstrating reasonable progress on the dissertation and indicating the plan for its completion during the sixth year of funding. The application consists of a written dossier that includes: (a) all work completed on the dissertation thus far, (b) a letter from the applicant detailing a completion timeline and work to be completed in the sixth year, and (c) a letter from the Chair of the Special Committee in support of the application. The application is not a competition for limited resources—all students in good standing are guaranteed support. In exceptional cases and for demonstrable academic reasons, students still in good standing during their seventh year will receive continued support; after fourteen semesters, no funding will be provided by the Graduate School or the Program.

The Graduate School requires that students apply for external grants and/or fellowships in order to be eligible for their fourth-year summer funding and Sage fellowship. Most full-year external doctoral fellowships have application deadlines a year before the fellowships begin, so students will need to submit such applications at the beginning of their fourth year. To that end, each student should meet with the Special Committee chair in the spring of the third year to discuss the application process and to identify appropriate fellowships. The Graduate School maintains a database of doctoral fellowships: http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/fellowships. The Special Committee and the Program Director will help students find sources of funding, whether within Cornell or beyond, and with the application process. This is especially important for students whose research requires them to travel, e.g., to libraries, archives, or art galleries.

Students not on Graduate School fellowships or external awards are required to teach as part of their funding package. Medieval Studies students generally teach First-Year Writing Seminars (FWS) beginning in their third semester in residence, but students may also apply for teaching assistantships in other departments and programs, typically that of the primary subfield in which they specialize, e.g., English, History, or Philosophy, and they may teach language courses in the relevant departments. In such cases, students may be supervised by faculty members from those departments. 

Graduate students who teach an FWS are required to take WRIT 7100: Teaching Writing, a 1-credit course offered in the summer (for those teaching in the fall) or fall (for those teaching in the spring). The Knight Program accepts requests for graduate students to take WRIT 7100 concurrently while teaching in the fall, if there is a valid reason. Requests are decided on a case-by-case basis. Graduate students also have the opportunity to serve as interns in the Cornell Writing Center during the six-week summer session. These internships are competitively awarded and are not required.

Students submit their FWS course proposals at the end of the fall semester (for the next year’s fall FWS courses) and late spring (for the next year’s spring FWS course) and are subsequently notified in writing of their teaching assignment(s) and/or other funding sources for the following academic year. The teaching assignment is subject to change.

All graduate student Teaching Assistants are assigned a “course leader,” a member of the Medieval Studies faculty who supervises their teaching activities. The course leader meets with teaching assistants on a regular basis to discuss pedagogy and the progress of the course, and observes their classroom teaching at least once every term. Based on that observation, the course leader submits to the Director an evaluation of the student’s teaching and discusses the observations with the student. Students who teach under the auspices of another department or program may be supervised by faculty members from those departments; the Director solicits comparable observations from external course leaders.

All field policies will be enforced consistently across students and timeframes. A doctoral student is expected to design, execute, and manage an independent research agenda and meet their academic milestones in a timely manner. If a student is not meeting expectations, their Special Committee chair (and/or the Program Director) will provide timely written notice (as soon as concerns become evident) outlining the issues, outcomes, or potential consequences, including:

• written notice of a lack of academic progress or loss of academic standing (separate, and in addition to, the SPR);
• a clear explanation of the concerns and specific expectations for improvement;
• a reasonable timeline and opportunity to meet expectations before any adverse action (e.g., changes in funding status or withdrawal recommendations);
• further, all students should be provided with an opportunity to meet with the Program Director to discuss the concern and plan for improvement.

If a student fails to meet the conditions of that plan, the Special Committee in collaboration with the Program Director (DGS) will consult with the Graduate School to review the case and determine next steps. This can include academic withdrawal from their degree program and the Graduate School accompanied by documentation showing that the process above was followed, and in accordance with Graduate School policy and the terms of the CGSU-UE Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Graduate students will be given an opportunity to respond or appeal as outlined by the Graduate School and CGSU‑UE policies. Final decisions will be documented and archived by the DGS and GFA and the Graduate School.

Per the Code of Legislation, the Graduate Faculty requires all research degree students to complete responsible conduct of research (RCR) training. This includes training on authorship, peer review, and avoidance and consequences of research misconduct. This training is through the Cornell Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA) and must be completed before the end of the second semester (Code E.2.a.).

11.1 Conference Grants

The Graduate School provides conference grants to graduate students who are invited to present papers or posters at professional conferences. Award amounts are based on geographic location, not actual expenses. Full-time students are eligible for one conference grant awarded per year from July 1 to June 30 and must be registered at the time of the award and be within time to degree limits. For information and deadlines, please refer to the Conference Grant Application found on the Graduate School website.

The Medieval Studies Program offers, as resources allow, additional funding for graduate student travel to conferences. Students must first speak with the Chair of the Special Committee about how the funds will be used. If appropriate, students may submit a request for conference support to the Director and the Graduate Field Assistant, which must include the following:

• Name of conference and title of paper to be given. 
• Budget (including travel costs, lodging, food).
• Other sources of funding (pending or confirmed) and the dollar amounts awarded or anticipated.

Funds from the Program must be requested prior to travel. Once the student has returned to campus and receipts have been submitted, funds will be applied to the student’s bursar account.  

11.2 Travel and Research Grants

The Graduate School awards a small number of research travel grants for academic year, research-related travel in the United States and abroad. These grants are for travel that is directly related to dissertation research, not conference travel. For detailed information and deadlines, please refer to the Research Travel Grant Application found on the Graduate School website. Research and Travel Grants are also available through the Einaudi Center for International Research.

The Medieval Studies Program offers, as resources allow, additional funding that can be used to support smaller-scale research needs (e.g., imaging fees for primary sources, image rights for publications, summer workshop or institute tuition, etc.). Students must first speak with the Chair of the Special Committee about why the funds are needed. If appropriate, students may submit a request for research support to the Director and the Graduate Field Assistant, which must include the following:

• Research needs and rationale. 
• Budget (including invoices, fee schedules, etc.).
• Other sources of funding (pending or confirmed) and the dollar amounts awarded or anticipated.

11.3 Facilities

Medieval Studies Student Mailboxes are located in the Literatures in English Mailbox Room, 252 Goldwin Smith Hall; they are available when the English Office is open. 

The Medieval Studies Graduate Student Office is located at Goldwin Smith Hall 340A, which has a shared computer with printer and scanner, work and meeting spaces, small library, lounge, tea and coffee, fridge and microwave, etc. Keys are distributed to all students by Marion Penning.

First Year (first and second semesters):

• Complete required coursework (normally six seminars) + MEDVL 777 (if offered in fall of first year)
• Complete Cornell Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA) Training
• International students who do not speak English as a first language must complete a TA assessment
• Submit “Pre-EPC Form” to propose a First-Year Writing Seminar (end of first semester)
• Submit the First-Year Student Progress Review (SPR) (second semester)
• Appoint Special Committee Chair (by end of second semester)
• Take WRIT 1700 (summer after first year) or secure permission from the Knight Institute to take concurrently during the fall semester

Second Year (third and fourth semesters):

• Complete required coursework (normally four seminars) + MEDVL 777 (if offered in fall of second year)
• Appoint full Special Committee (by end of third semester)
• Attempt Medieval Language Proficiency Exam (end of fourth semester)
• Meet with Special Committee to establish a format and timeline for the three subfields of A-exam (by end of fourth semester)
• Submit the Student Progress Review (SPR)

Third Year (fifth and sixth semesters):

• Complete remaining required coursework (normally two seminars)
• Demonstrate reading proficiency in first modern research language (by end of sixth semester)
• Attempt Medieval Language Proficiency Exam if not already passed (end of sixth semester)
• Complete A-exam (before start of seventh semester)
• Submit the Student Progress Review (SPR)

Fourth Year (seventh and eighth semesters):

• Submit the dissertation prospectus for Special Committee approval (by end of seventh semester)
• Apply for an external grant and/or fellowship (as a condition for continued funding)
• Demonstrate reading proficiency in second modern research language (by end of eighth semester)
• Attempt Medieval Language Proficiency Exam if not already passed (end of eighth semester)
• Submit the Student Progress Review (SPR)

Fifth Year (ninth and tenth semesters) and Sixth Year (eleventh and twelfth semesters):

• Submit an application for sixth-year funding to the Program Director (by the end of ninth semester)
• Apply for external grants and/or fellowships
• Pass the Medieval Language Proficiency Examination (prior to scheduling the B Exam)
• Submit complete dissertation draft to Special Committee (six weeks before B Exam)
• Submit final dissertation to Graduate School no more than 60 days after the B Exam
• Submit the Student Progress Review (SPR) each year

Below is the list of the seven subfields represented by faculty in the Field of Medieval Studies (left-hand column) and the Concentrations—which may be either major or minor—within those subfields (right-hand column). Students choose a primary subfield and three concentrations: one major concentration and two minor concentrations (for examples, see ‎4.3 above).

N.B: The following list is not exhaustive and is subject to revision based on changes in field membership, changes in faculty interests, and the dynamic nature of interdisciplinary work.

Students typically dedicate the third year to reading and research for their A Exam (see ‎5.2 above) and at least one semester to the completion of the written components. Preparatory work is to be agreed upon with the Special Committee as a whole, although the individual exams, one in each of the three concentrations, are completed separately with each faculty member. Students submit all written work in advance of the oral A Exam. At the oral A Exam, the student and Special Committee engage in a conversation about written work submitted by the student in advance.

14.1 Timetables for A Exams

Students are advised:

• to consult with (potential) Special Committee chair and/or members in the second semester of their first year to discuss faculty expectations for the A Exam, including prerequisites, such as coursework or languages;
• to begin discussing the format and content (see ‎14.2 below) of the A Exam with the Special Committee in the first semester of the second year.

Students are required:

• to submit for approval by the Special Committee a plan for the A Exam (approximately one page), specifying the concentrations to be covered and how the student plans to fulfill the requirements in these concentrations before the summer after their second year;
• to demonstrate reading proficiency in one modern research languages other than English, by a method determined by the Special Committee, prior to the A Exam.
• attempt the Medieval Language Proficiency exam as a prerequisite for taking the A Exam; 
• submit the A Exam scheduling form on the Graduate School website;
• to complete the written component of the exam and submit materials to all members of the Special Committee at least two weeks in advance of the oral exam date;
• to pass the oral A Exam at the end of the sixth semester (ideally) or before the start of the seventh semester (at the latest);
• to submit a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh semester: plans set forth in the prospectus may be modified as the candidate’s research and writing proceed; significant changes of focus and structure, however, should be approved by the Special Committee.

The Graduate Field Assistant is required:

• to announce the date, time, and location of the oral A Exam at least one week in advance.

14.2 Format and Contents

There are no standard requirements for the format and content of an A Exam. The Special Committee is free to customize the A Exam to individual student needs. Although no exhaustive list can (or should) be made, typical examples of the work required in a major concentration include:

• a polished research paper (approximately twenty-five to thirty pages) representative of the writing that will be required for the dissertation, complete with bibliography and such scholarly apparatus as may be appropriate; the research paper may serve as the basis for a dissertation chapter.
• coursework (usually with the Special Committee chair) designed to give the student extensive knowledge in a concentration, and an extended research paper building upon that coursework.

The following are typical examples of the work required in a minor concentration:

• a reading list provided by the Special Committee member, tailored in consultation with the student (as appropriate), culminating in timed writing exercises, an annotated bibliography and literature review, or the like;
• student research generating a customized bibliography on a specific topic, culminating in a research paper, a literature review, etc.;
• a series of short papers written over the course of a semester in conjunction with regular meetings with the Special Committee member;
• detailed study of a key primary source or set of sources and the pertinent secondary literature, yielding a written analysis appropriate to disciplinary conventions;
• preparation of a syllabus for a projected course on a specific topic, including both assigned readings and outlines of lectures, assignments, etc.;
• coursework (usually with the Special Committee member), yielding a final research paper.

In the oral A Exam, the members of the Special Committee ask questions regarding the individual exams and all submitted written material; the examination concludes with a discussion of the significance and coherence of the intended thesis topic.