College of Arts and Sciences

Interim Dean: Sam Huckaba Joseph Travis; Associate Deans: Robert Contreras, Lois Hawkes, John Kelsay

The oldest college at the University, the College of Arts and Sciences has provided generations of undergraduate students instruction in the liberal arts disciplines that are essential for intellectual development and personal growth. Graduate degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences grew organically from these strong undergraduate roots, and the contributions of the college to graduate education have been integral to the evolution of the University. The first recorded master’s degree at the Florida State College for Women was awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences in 1908, and the first doctorate at The Florida State University was awarded in chemistry in 1952.

The College of Arts and Sciences comprises over thirty departments, institutes, centers and interdisciplinary programs. In addition to awarding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and heavily supporting the Liberal Studies Program, the College of Arts and Sciences offers an extensive array of foundation courses for pre-professional and professional programs.

Faculty within the college have earned national and international recognition for research, teaching, and distinguished service to the profession. Among the faculty are members of the National Academy of Sciences, Nobel Laureates, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and recipients of numerous other national and inter-national honors.

Graduate students within Arts and Sciences have received marks of distinction that include local, national, and international scholarship/fellowship awards.

Opportunities

Departments in the College of Arts and Sciences work with various programs, schools, and colleges to offer cooperative and interdisciplinary degree programs at the graduate level. Well-funded research opportunities for graduate students are extensive among the science departments.

Scholarships, Awards, and Assistantships

Teaching assistantships are available across the college. Annually, many students are supported by graduate assistantships. In addition to being eligible for the assistantships, students in the College of Arts and Sciences may apply for various types of graduate fellowships. Fellowship opportunities are available through The Graduate School. The application deadline for most fellowships is January 15th for awards beginning the following academic year.

Requirements

The College of Arts and Sciences offers the master of arts (MA), the master of fine arts (MFA), the master of science (MS), and the doctor of philosophy (PhD). In addition to reviewing the requirements highlighted below, students should consult all University-wide degree requirements and academic procedures for the master’s and PhD degrees as summarized in the “Graduate Degree Requirements” chapter of this Graduate Bulletin.

Admissions Criteria

Students who wish to pursue graduate study in the College of Arts and Sciences must apply through the Office of Admissions and must be accepted for graduate study by the intended department or program. The applicant must have an earned bachelor’s degree with a minimum upper division 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) or have earned a graduate degree. All applicants must submit test scores from a nationally standardized graduate admissions test that is acceptable to the program to which they are applying. Prospective graduate students who are foreign nationals must also earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based or 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL examination, 6.5 on the IELTS examination, or 77 on the MELAB examination. Individual departments and programs may set higher standards. For more detailed information about specific graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, students should consult departmental or program entries of this Graduate Bulletin.

Limitations on Supervised Teaching and Research Coursework

Students may be granted credit for supervised research and supervised teaching at the option of their department. A student may register for such activity more than one term, using the same numbers and, again at the option of the department, may count the hours in meeting residency requirements for the degree program. No more than three semester hours of supervised research credit and three semester hours of supervised teaching credit may be counted toward the master’s degree. The normal limit for candidates for doctoral degrees is five semester hours in each category.

Master’s Degree Requirements

Master’s degree students must complete their program of study within seven calendar years from the time of initial registration; master’s students do not, however, have to meet a specific residency requirement. A thesis-type master’s program requires a minimum of thirty semester hours, six of which must be thesis credits. A course-type master’s program requires a minimum of thirty-two semester hours. Students in the thesis program must register for thesis credits each term in which a substantial amount of work is being done on the thesis, even if the minimum of six semester hours of thesis has already been met. Students who have left the campus must register for at least two semester hours of thesis credit per term so long as they are receiving faculty supervision. Master’s students should consult regularly with their supervising professor about progress toward the degree.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Doctoral students must complete their degree requirements within five calendar years from the time the preliminary examination is passed. No student may register for dissertation hours prior to the point of the term in which the preliminary exam was passed. Dissertation hours may be added retroactively during the term in which the preliminary exam is passed, provided that an Admission to Candidacy Form has been filled with the Registrar during the same semester. A minimum of twenty-four dissertation hours is required for completion of the doctoral degree. Students admitted to candidacy must register for dissertation hours each term in which a substantial amount of work is being done on the dissertation, even after the minimum of twenty-four dissertation hours has been met. Students who are off campus must register for at least two semester hours of dissertation each term in which they receive faculty supervision.

The PhD residency requirement is satisfied as follows: after completing thirty graduate semester hours or being awarded the master’s degree, the doctoral student must be continuously enrolled for twenty-four graduate semester hours during any twelve-month period.

Effective with all committees appointed after August 24, 2009, the PhD supervisory committee must meet the new minimum university standard of four members with GFS (new Graduate Faculty Status definition). Included among these four members will be the University Representative who must hold not only GFS, but also be tenured faculty members. Annually, this committee will assess in writing the progress of the student, making copies of its report available to the Dean of the Graduate School, the department chair, and the Dean for Student Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Within a week of the dissertation defense, the University representative must file with the Dean of the Graduate School and the Dean for Student Academic Affairs in Arts and Sciences a report on the quality of the dissertation and adherence to University procedures governing the defense.

Final Term Registration

Students must register for at least two semester hours of thesis or dissertation credit in the final term in which a degree is granted. Non-thesis type master’s program students who have not previously registered for the comprehensive examination must do so the final term.

Clearance for Degrees

During the first three weeks of the semester in which the candidate intends to graduate, the student must formally apply for graduation through the Office of the University Registrar’s Web site. Those writing theses or dissertations must submit additional paperwork to the Graduate School. The completed thesis or dissertation manuscript must be submitted to the Graduate School by the official University deadline in order for the student to graduate that term.