Requirements for Graduation

1. Students must complete 82 quarter units to fulfill the unit requirement for graduation.

2. A minimum grade of C is required in each completed course. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained.

3. Students must attend at least two-thirds of each course.

4. Students must successfully pass a Comprehensive Written Examination during the second year of course work. The M.A. degree is awarded when this has been achieved along with the completion of 45 quarter units.

5. Students who wish to earn the Ph.D. degree must file an Intention to Continue form during the second year of enrollment.

6. Students must pass an Oral Consultation pertaining to a concept paper for the dissertation.

7. Students must submit and defend an original dissertation accepted by the faculty.

Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is a two-part written exam that is taken during the second year of the program. Part I examines students’ understanding of theoretical perspectives pertaining to myth, as well as their ability to apply them to particular cultural traditions. Part II assesses students’ ability to reflect on myth in relation to depth psychology, literature, and cultural issues. In addition, an oral consultation takes place in the Dissertation Formulation course during the third year of the program. The purpose of this assessment is to raise critical questions pertaining to the proposed dissertation project. Students must successfully incorporate the critique of this consultation into their dissertation concept papers in order to be advanced to candidacy.

Doctoral Dissertation
The dissertation requirements include successful completion of the advanced research courses: Mythopoetic Images, Religious Studies Approaches to Mythology, Research Strategies for Dissertation Writing, and Dissertation Formulation. Students must produce an acceptable Dissertation Concept Paper before enrolling in Dissertation Writing. The dissertation committee is composed of a Chair, Reader, and an External Reader. Each member must possess an earned doctorate degree based on a dissertation, unless this requirement is waived by the Research Coordinator of the Mythological Studies Program.

For a full description of all requirements, consult the current edition of the Pacifica Student Handbook.