Department of Romance StudiesAlthough the precise timing of the presentation and examination of the Portfolio Exam will vary, students must complete the process by the end of their third year in the program. Ideally, they will complete the Portfolio Examination and the Oral Examination of the Portfolio Exam during the fall of the third year, so that they can complete their Dissertation Prospectus Workshop during the following spring semester. Students, however, should begin thinking about the fields for their portfolio, and begin consulting with potential faculty advisors, during their first year in the program. The process of organizing and reorganizing the material they are producing in classes and in independent studies should help students identify their fields and examiners in a timely manner.
Once the student has completed all the work for the three fields included in the portfolio, the faculty examiner for each of the student's fields will evaluate the relevant field section of the student's portfolio, submitting a detailed written assessment to the student, the student's major advisor, and the DGS. Upon receipt of faculty assessments of all sections of the portfolio, the student's major advisor will review the portfolio in its entirety, including the intellectual agenda, at which point he or she will notify the student, other committee members, and the DGS as to whether the student may proceed to the oral examination.