General Degree Requirements

 

A degree from the Divinity School is awarded following the completion of all stipulated requirements for the degree. These always include a minimum number of years in residence (click here for Residence Requirements), certification of foreign language competence (click here for Foreign Language Requirements), and the completion of all formal exercises specific to the various Degree Programs.

Residence Requirements

The University of Chicago requires all graduate students to register according to a two-stage residence structure, the length of which may vary according to degree program. The unit of residence is the academic year, which normally consists of three consecutive quarters of enrollment. Students in a degree program normally complete the residence requirement through continuous registration in the autumn, winter, and spring quarters of successive academic years. All students doing research leading to a degree, preparing for qualifying examinations, or writing dissertations must be registered. See the Student Manual of University Policies and Regulations for a detailed description of the University's Residence Requirements.

The following registration and residence requirements reflect a structure of graduate tuition that links charges to residence status. Students will be assessed the prevailing full tuition rate only for the period of Scholastic Residence. A lower level will apply to any years of Advanced Residence. Tuition is not charged for Pro Forma registration, though a fee is assessed each quarter. No tuition is assessed when a student is on a Leave of Absence. (See below for information on these designations.)

Scholastic Residence
All first-year students at the Divinity School register in Scholastic Residence, a period in which students usually are engaged in full-time coursework determined by the requirements of the degree program and the student's area of concentration. Full-time coursework normally consists of three courses per quarter.

Scholastic Residence Requirements by Degree Program:

A.M.R.S.	1 year
A.M.	2 years A.M. and M.Div. students will not be permitted to register for the second or third year of their programs if they have more than three incomplete grades outstanding. (An incomplete grade is marked as an “I” on a student’s transcript.)
M.Div.	3 years
Ph.D.	4 years (However, those who hold a master's degree at the time of matriculation normally have that requirement reduced to three years upon the recommendation of the student's area of study and the Dean of Students. Students who enter the Ph.D. program from the A.M. program at the Divinity School enter in the third year of Scholastic Residence.)

Advanced Residence
After completion of the required Scholastic Residence, all students register in Advanced Residence. M.Div. students who do not complete the degree during the period of Scholastic Residence may register for up to one year of Advanced Residence for the purpose of completing outstanding requirements for the degree. Ph.D. students may register in Advanced Residence for a maximum of eight years.

Students in Advanced Residence are eligible for all the privileges and rights of full-time students, such as access to the Primary Care Group (the University’s health service) and medical insurance coverage, University housing, computer facilities, libraries, career and placement services, and athletic facilities. Provided they are not employed twenty hours a week or more in a job unrelated to their dissertation research, and subject to other federal and state student loan policies, students in Advanced Residence are eligible for student loans and deferment of loan payments.

Pro Forma
A student in Advanced Residence whose dissertation research requires residence away from Chicago may register Pro Forma, upon recommendation from the area of study and approval by the Dean of Students. Normally students applying for Pro Forma status will have been admitted to candidacy and have had their dissertation topic approved by the Committee on Degrees. Renewal for a second year requires approval from the Dean of Students. Tuition is not charged for Pro Forma registration, though a fee is assessed each quarter.

Leave of Absence
Leave of Absence is a formal status for students in Scholastic Residence who suspend work toward a degree but who expect to resume work after a maximum of one academic year. Such leave must be approved by both the student’s area of study and the Dean of Students. If, at the conclusion of an approved Leave of Absence, studies are not resumed, the student will be withdrawn from the University. After the student enters Advanced Residence, a Leave of Absence can be granted only when involuntary causes, such as illness or injury, prevent progress in the program. A Leave of Absence from Advanced Residence must be approved by the Dean of Students. After any Leave of Absence, the student resumes residence at the point at which studies were interrupted. No tuition is assessed when a student is on a Leave of Absence.

Part-Time Enrollment
Graduate study at the University is normally full time, and references to a certain number of quarters of residence assume full-time enrollment. Any quarter in which a doctoral student is registered part time counts as one-half of a full quarter of residence in that status. Requests for part-time status must be approved by the Dean of Students in the Divinity School. In any quarter in which an A.M. or Ph.D. student is registered part time, the tuition charged will be one-half of the full tuition of the appropriate residence status.

Extended Residence
After the elapse of eight years in Advanced Residence status, students who have not completed their Ph.D.’s must enter the status of Extended Residence. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of every year they spend in Extended Residence, typically the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Extended Residence is not defined by the University as a full-time student status.

Students in Extended Residence are entitled to use of the University libraries, as well as access to faculty, e-mail accounts, and the University’s electronic network. They are not eligible for any of the other benefits associated with full-time student status. Students remain registered in Extended Residence until they complete their Ph.D.’s. If a student in Extended Residence receives a grant or fellowship requiring registration in full-time student status, the student will register in Advanced Residence for the duration of the fellowship.

Foreign Language Requirements

Students complete the modern foreign language requirement in the various degree programs of the Divinity School by passing the University of Chicago language examinations with a “High Pass” (P+). Administered by the University, the examinations test reading comprehension by requiring the translation into idiomatic English of short passages from scholarly publications.

Students in Biblical Studies are required to complete the Greek and Biblical Hebrew language requirements through completion of designated courses or through examination by the faculty.

Some other programs will require proficiency in other languages. Proficiency is demonstrated through course work or examination as prescribed by the relevant faculty.

Click here for information on Foreign Language Exam Preparation.