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The QP will be written in the third or fourth term semester of residence: students entering the program in the fall will write their QP in the spring termsemester, G2. The Qualifying Paper proposal should be submitted to the department by October 1 or February 1 of the third or fourth semester of residence, respectively. To maintain satisfactory status in the graduate program, the completed and approved Qualifying Paper (with signed QP cover form) should be submitted electronically as a PDF to the Department Administrator not later than February 1 or June 1 of following the 3rd or 4th semester of residence. Exceptions to this policy will be discouraged.
The QP will be a substantially revised and in-depth advanced version of a paper written for a HAA graduate seminar or any other course at Harvard in one of the preceding two or three termssemesters. Papers written for courses at other institutions, before or during enrollment in the HAA program, are not admissible. G2s should discuss their proposed QP with the faculty members who will serve as readers on the committee, requesting suggestions on areas of development, revision, and scholarly potential not realized in the graduate seminar paper.
The QP will be no longer than about 10,000 words of text and notes; double-spaced; with a separate bibliography; illustrations with captions; and applies standardized references and citations ; illustrations with captionsthroughout.
The QP will be credited as a course on the 300 level , fail or pass(HAA 385) and graded pass/fail; typically, a student will take three regular courses while working on the QP, making a total of four courses. The QP proposal form should be submitted at the beginning of the term for fall or spring semester—on October 1 or February 1—for approval by the DGS.
Reader Information
The QP will be supervised by a first and a second reader. Although the first reader will be the primary responsible faculty member, the second reader will also be involved at an early stage.
A third reader will be consulted reader—identified on the QP Proposal form—will read the QP only when the first two readers cannot agree upon the its evaluation. If any of the proposed QP readers are scheduled to be on sabbatical leave during the academic year in which it is written, the student must secure the faculty member’s participation in the process. Faculty on sabbatical leave are under no obligation to serve on QP committees.
All three readers will be informed about, and agree to, their roles in the first week of the term. Students have a responsibility to make sure their advisers know they are readers and ensure a smooth process.
The QP supervisors (readers 1 and 2) The student should arrange meetings with their three readers in the weeks before the deadline for the submission of the QP Proposal to the DGS. These meetings are an opportunity to establish the topic, areas for development and new research, and preferred submission schedules for reading drafts and providing feedback. It is important that the student and QP readers have a common understanding of the process and timeline. Students carry the responsibility of organizing these meetings and providing updates to their QP committee members.
The QP readers 1 and 2 meet regularly with the student, read drafts in a timely manner, and make comments and suggestions. Expectations or the involvement of QP supervisors who are on sabbatical should be made clear before the termIf any of the student’s proposed QP readers will be on sabbatical during the semester in which the QP is written, it is important to clarify expectations well before the semester.
The first meeting should be scheduled in week 1 or 2 of the termsemester. Meetings should take place at least once every four weeks in scheduled office hours or by appointment.
Paper Submission
The final version of the QP will be submitted to the QP supervisor and the second reader on the first day of the first week of the exam period. The QP cover form is submitted with the final version to the readers.The paper should be presented to the two readers in draft form for criticism for commentary and suggestions during the fall or spring semester prior to its submission in final formcomplete draft. If the draft is deemed unsatisfactory, the student will receive written criticism and suggestions from the advisers readers and meet with them to discuss revisions. If the draft is not acceptable after two revisionsrounds of revision, the paper will be given to a third reader. The faculty will then make the third reader identified on the QP Proposal form. The final complete draft of the QP will be submitted to the first and second readers by the first day of the first week of the examination period. The completed QP cover form is submitted along with the draft to both readers. The faculty will then reach a decision concerning the student's degree candidacy. Following successful completion of the Qualifying PaperQP, the student will discuss with the main field adviser their overall performance and general status in the department with the DGS and their primary adviser. This assessment will determine whether or not a student is recommended to continue as a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. If the QP is deemed unsatisfactory, the student will be asked to withdraw at the beginning of the 5th semester.
The final decision of the readers will be made by the end of exam periodexamination period in either the fall or spring semester.
A copy of the QP with the signed cover form should be submitted to the department by February 1 or June 1.
In case of a fail failing grade, the student must re-enter the whole procedure, with a different topic, at the beginning of the next termsemester. This is option is only granted in exceptional cases, however, and after consultation with the student’s advisers and the entire faculty. If this permission is not granted, the student will be withdrawn from the program. If it is granted, the first fail will put the student into unsatisfactory progress status in the graduate school. In unsatisfactory status the student is not eligible for financial aid or support from teaching fellowships in the G3 year. Two fails will mean that the student has not fulfilled the departmental requirements and that he or she they will be withdrawn permanently from the program.