Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures: Slavic Languages and Literatures PhD; Field: Slavic Literatures

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students will complete the program in the field of Slavic Literatures. Although the program has been designed for completion in four years, many students require five years to complete all of the requirements.

PhD Program; Field: Slavic Literatures

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures' additional admission requirements stated below.

  • An appropriate University of Toronto master's degree with a minimum A– average in graduate courses and demonstrated research competence.

Completion Requirements

Students are normally required to:

  • Demonstrate proficiency in the language of the major field of study during the session's first week. Undergraduate language courses may be required. These are not tabulated as part of graduate program course requirements. Successful completion of all coursework in these remedial undergraduate courses is part of a student's good progress in the PhD program.

  • Complete SLA1010H Slavic Proseminar prior to taking comprehensive examinations.

  • Complete a major field of study and a minor field of study program.

  • Complete 9.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) from the list below. Students may be given a course exemption up to 3.0 FCEs for work completed in the MA.

    • SLA1040H Methods of Teaching Slavic Languages if not previously completed. Students who provide evidence of satisfactory completion of an equivalent course to SLA1040H may be exempted from this course.

    • If specializing in Russian, Ukrainian, or Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, students must complete SLA1104H Introduction to Old Church Slavonic.

  • Minor field of study programs should include 2.0 FCEs from any one of:

    • Croatian and Serbian Languages and Literatures.

    • Czech and Slovak Languages and Literatures.

    • Polish Language and Literature.

    • Russian Language and Literature.

    • Ukrainian Language and Literature.

    • A cognate discipline, with departmental approval (e.g., cinema studies, comparative literature, drama, history, philosophy).

  • Maintain a minimum annual average of A– to continue in the PhD program. Poor performance in one session (below a B average) may result in the termination of a student's PhD eligibility.

  • Acquire a working knowledge of a Slavic language other than their major field of study language of study or complete at least two approved undergraduate courses in a Slavic language that is different than their major field of study language of study by the end of Year 3. A working knowledge is defined as proficiency equivalent to a second-year course. Students must also satisfy departmental requirements for their major field of study language. Students who do not major field of study in Russian most often choose it as their second Slavic language.

  • Demonstrate a reading knowledge of French or German.

  • After successful completion of coursework and the French or German language requirement, students must pass written comprehensive examinations in the major field of study field and written and oral comprehensive examinations in the special field. The major field of study field exam cannot be taken if students have any outstanding coursework.

  • By the time of their major field of study field exam, students should have chosen their supervisor and the rest of their committee (in consultation with the supervisor).

  • Dissertation.

  • Residence. In Years 1 and 2, students must take courses and be on campus full-time to participate fully in the PhD program's activities.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 4 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 6 years full-time