Graduate

Assyriology MA Requirements

Students completing the MA must be enrolled full-time and complete a minimum of 36 units (or nine courses) of coursework at the graduate or undergraduate upper-division level. Of this, six courses, or 24 units, must be at the graduate level and taken for a letter grade. Students will also have to successfully complete a set of MA examinations by the end of their second year. Language MA examinations will depend on the student’s area of focus and past coursework and include reading cuneiform texts with both a take-home and in-person component. For the history and literature/religion examinations, the student will work with their advisor to compile a reading list for each exam. Reading lists must be submitted by the start of the quarter in which the student plans to take the exam. The format of all exams is at the discretion of the professor, and exams will be targeted to the student’s area of focus. Students must pass one modern research exam for the MA; this is generally French or German but other languages (Italian, Arabic) may be considered after consultation with the student’s advisor.

MA Examinations

• First ancient language (primarily Akkadian)
• Second ancient language (Sumerian, Hittite, or other)
• History of primary area of study
• Literature or religion of primary area of study
• Modern research language exam

Assyriology PhD Requirements

Students must be enrolled full-time in coursework and maintain good standing during the course of their PhD. Students will complete their PhD comprehensive examinations by the end of their third year of coursework. Additional time may be given to students also completing an MA, particularly if added coursework is required. Comprehensive examinations include: two ancient language exams and three content exams, generally in the history and literature/religion of the primary area or language of study and a third examination in the student’s secondary area of focus. Ancient language exams will include the reading of seen and unseen texts from handcopy or photograph, with both a take-home and in-person component. To prepare for their content exams, students will compile a reading list on each examination area by the start of the quarter in which they will take that exam. The final format of all examinations is at the discretion of the professor. Students must also complete their second modern research language exam. If a student enters the program with an MA, they must complete both modern research language examinations before they can advance to candidacy. Students will advance to candidacy by the end of their fourth year; to do so, students must successfully assemble a dissertation committee and defend their prospectus, with the goal of completing this oral defense midway through their fourth year. For the prospectus defense, students must prepare, present, and defend a dissertation prospectus on their original topic.

PhD Examinations

• • First ancient language (primarily Akkadian)
  • Second ancient language (Sumerian, Hittite, or other)
  • History of primary area of study
  • Literature or religion of primary area of study
  • History, literature, or religion of secondary area of study
  • Second modern research language exam

PhD Examinations

Students must complete and submit a dissertation that demonstrates their mastery of the topic and represents an original contribution to the field. At the discretion of their advisor, students will also be required to successfully present and defend their work in a final dissertation defense.