About the Graduate Certificate

The Certificate in Comparative Literature and Society is granted by the Graduate School of the Arts and Sciences on the recommendation of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society. The certificate enables PhD candidates from ICLS Affiliated Departments to pursue comparative and cross-disciplinary work.

There are two tracks for the Certificate:

Candidates for the certificate are expected to declare their interest in ICLS at the time of application or by October 15 of their first year (in rare circumstances, second year students may be accepted) after admission to the Graduate School. They are required to meet with the Director of Graduate Studies at least once each year for the first two years of study. Detailed admissions information can be found here.

Students earning the Certificate in Comparative Literature and Society must fulfill the Certificate requirements while simultaneously fulfilling home department requirements (requirements for ICLS and for the home department overlap in some instances – please consult the ICLS Director of Graduate Studies and/or ICLS office for further details.) The steps for successful completion of the Certificate include:

a. Admission to the Program (Admission is competitive and limited. Admission to your home department does not guarantee admission to ICLS. ICLS Admission Review takes place in mid-April.)
b. Course and Language Requirement completion for the appropriate track. (Tracks are determined by your PhD home department.)
c. MPhil Requirements met.
d. Attending at least one ICLS Prospectus Workshop and Passing the Dissertation Prospectus Review by ICLS.
e. Attending the ICLS Graduate Colloquium series and considering presenting as part of the series.
f. Ensuring you have an ICLS faculty member on your Dissertation Committee.