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Chicago Regulations

Chicago. Graduate Schools and Regulations. April, 1892

 

The new University of Chicago began its “work of instruction” in October, 1892. In a series of Official Bulletins an outline of the organization of its constituent divisions and departments  along with sundry regulations was published. The fourth Bulletin in the series was dedicated to the Graduate Schools of the University and it is transcribed below. Literally we have here a founding document, an institutional initial condition from which to trace the development of graduate education at Chicago. These organizational blueprints included the Department of Political Economy that James Laurence Laughlin signed up to build as its first head. 

__________________________

THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN, NO. 4.
APRIL, 1892.

THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS OF THE UNIVERSITY.

CONTENTS.

  1. The Schools and Their Organization.

1) The various Schools.
2) The Relation of the Schools to the Colleges.
3) The Courses offered in each School.
4) The Administration of the Schools.

  1. Admission to the Graduate Schools.

1) The Terms of Admission.
2) Method of Admission.

  1. Candidates for a Degree.

1) For A.M., S.M., Ph. M.
2) For Ph. D.
3) For LL. D.

  1. Regulations for the Selection of Courses.
  2. Non-resident Graduate Work.
  3. University Fellows.

1) Perquisites.
2) Basis of Appointment.
3) Service.
4) First Assignment.
5) Method of Application.

  1. Docents.

1) Basis of Appointment.
2) Amount and Character of Teaching.
3) Compensation.
4) Method of Application.

  1. Theses and Examinations.
  2. Departmental Journals.
  3. Special Regulations for the Graduate Schools.

__________________________

I. THE SCHOOLS AND THEIR ORGANIZATION.

  1. The Various Schools:

(1)* The School of Philosophy.
(2)* The School of Political Economy.
(3) The School of Political Science.
(4)* The School of History.
(5)* The School of Social Science.
(6)* The School of the Semitic Languages and Literatures.
(7)* The School of Sanskrit, Zend and Indo-Germanic Comparative Philology.
(8)* The School of the Greek Language and Literature.
(9)* The School of the Latin Language and Literature.
(10)* The School of the Romance Languages and Literatures.
(11)* The School of the Germanic Languages and Literatures.
(12)* The School of English.
(13)* The School of Mathematics and Astronomy.
(14) The School of Physics.
(15)* The School of Chemistry.
(16)* The School of Biology.
(17) The School of Geology and Mineralogy.
(18) The School of Civil Engineering.
(19) The School of Mechanical Engineering.
(20) The School of Electrical Engineering.
(21) The School of Mining Engineering.

The particular courses to be offered in each school will be announced in the University Calendar, to be issued in May. The remaining Schools will be organized as early as circumstances will permit.

Note.—The Schools designated with an * will be open for graduate work October 1892.

  1. The Relation of the Schools to the Colleges: For the sake of unity and of convenience, the work of the University Colleges is in each case organized in connection with that of the Graduate Schools, the same relation existing between the University Colleges and the Graduate Schools which exists between the Academy and the Academic Colleges.

 

  1. The Courses offered in each School:

(1) Courses intended exclusively for Graduate students.
(2) Courses intended primarily for Graduate students, to which, however, University College students may be admitted.
(3) Courses intended primarily for University College students, to which, however, Graduate students will be admitted.

  1. The Administration of the Schools: The administration of the schools will be conducted by

1) The President of the University.
2) The Dean of the Graduate Department, who shall be appointed by the Trustees, and who shall (1) take charge of the special correspondence of the department; (2) arrange in consultation with the heads of schools the courses of study to be offered from quarter to quarter; (3) present business for the action of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; (4) preside at the meetings of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and at the meetings of the University Council and of the University Senate, in the absence of the President; (5) co-operate with the University Examiner in arranging for graduate examinations; (6) personally meet and consult with all students entering the Graduate Schools, and give them a card of entrance; (7) assume general responsibility for the students in the graduate schools; (8) and serve in the University Council.*

*The University Council shall include (1) the President; (2) the University officers, viz., Examiner, Recorder, Registrar; (3) the Deans of all Schools, Colleges and Academies; (4) the Presidents of affiliated Colleges: (5) the Director of the University Extension Division; (6) the Director of the University Press. The Council shall hold stated meetings monthly, to discuss and decide matters relating to the general administration of the University.

3) Heads of Schools, who shall in each case (1) supervise in general the entire work of the school; (2) approve examination papers set in the school; (3) arrange, in consultation with the Dean, and with other instructors in the school, the particular courses to be offered from quarter to quarter; (4) examine all theses offered in the school; (5) edit such papers or journals as may be published by the University, on subjects relating to the work of the school; (6) conduct the Club and the principal Seminar of the department; (7) consult with the Librarian as to books and periodicals relating to the work of the school needed in the University or Departmental Libraries; (8) consult with the President and the Dean as to the appointment of instructors in the School; (9) countersign the course certificates of the School; (10) and serve in the University Senate.‡

‡The University Senate shall include (1) the President; (2) the University Recorder; (3) the Heads of Departments in all schools (professional and non-professional) in the University; (4) the University Librarian. The Senate shall hold stated meetings monthly to discuss and decide matters relating to the educational work of the University.

Remark.—In the absence of the head of a School, the instructor next in rank, will assume his duties.

 

II. ADMISSION TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS.

  1. Terms of Admission: Admission to the Graduate Schools of the University will be granted

1) To those who have been graduated from the University of Chicago with the degree of A.B., S.B., Ph B.
2) To those who are graduates of other institutions of learning of high standing, with degrees equivalent to those mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
3) To special students, of at least 21 years of age, not candidates for a degree, provided that (1) they can show good reason for not entering upon the regular course; (2) they can give evidence to the Dean and the particular instructor under whom they desire to study, that they are prepared to undertake the proposed subject or subjects; (3) they agree to adjust themselves to all the regulations of the University; (4) having been admitted, they maintain a standing which will warrant their continuance.
4) To honorary students, to attend the lectures offered, without undertaking the ordinary work of the class room. This privilege will be granted only in exceptional cases, upon application to the President of the University, or to the Dean of the Graduate Schools.

Applications for admission, in the case of students not graduates of this University, should be accompanied by testimonials as to character and scholarship; and, wherever possible, such testimonials should take the form of Diplomas, written or printed theses, or satisfactory evidence in some other form of the student’s fitness for admission.

  1. Method of Admission: Applications should be addressed to the University Examiner. In entering for the first time the Graduate Department of the University, the student is expected

(1) To obtain by correspondence, or in person, from the University Examiner, a certificate that he is entitled to preliminary admission.
(2) To obtain from the Dean a card certifying that he is entitled to entrance into the Graduate Department, if found to be prepared and competent in the special schools in which he desires to work.
(3) To consult with the heads of these schools, to arrange the courses of work with them, and obtain their signatures upon his card.
(4) To deposit with the University Registrar a guaranty for the payment of all fees and charges, and to obtain from him, upon payment of a matriculation fee of $5.oo, the stamp of his office upon this card.*

*The Registrar will furnish to the Dean of the Graduate Department a list of all students whose cards have been thus endorsed with the stamp of his office.

In entering upon any course of study, the student must present this card to the instructor.

 

III. CANDIDATES FOR A DEGREE.

  1. For the degree of Master of Arts, Master of Science or Master of Philosophy, the candidate will be required

(1) To have completed the corresponding Bachelor’s course.
(2) To have spent at least one year of resident study at the University in pursuance of an accepted course of study.
(3) To present a satisfactory thesis upon a subject which has been approved by the head of the school in which the principal part of the candidate’s work has been done.
(4) To pass a special final examination upon the work of the year.

  1. For the degree of Ph. D., candidates will be required.

(1) To have completed a Bachelor’s course, including an amount of Latin equivalent to that required for the Bachelor’s degree in the University of Chicago.
(2) To spend three years of resident study at the University in pursuance of an accepted course of study.
(3) To present a satisfactory printed thesis (see below) upon a subject which has been approved by the head of the school in which the principal part of the candidate’s work has been done.
(4) To pass a satisfactory final examination upon the work of the three years.

  1. For the degree of LL.D., candidates will be required.

(1) To have received the degree of Ph.D.
(2) To spend three years of resident study at the University, -in pursuance of an accepted course of study.
(3) To present a printed thesis (see below) upon a subject which has been approved by the head of the school in which the principal part of the candidate’s work has been done.
(4) To pass a satisfactory final examination upon the work of the three years.

  1. Work done in other Universities. Graduate work done in another University will be accepted as resident work in the University of Chicago, provided that

(1) The institution in which the work has been done is one of high standing; and
(2) Sufficient evidence is furnished that the particular work has been satisfactorily performed.

In no case will work in another University count for more than one year and a half of resident work in this University.

 

IV. REGULATIONS FOR THE SELECTION OF COURSES.

  1. The University Calendar will publish announcements of the particular courses offered during a given term or quarter. The Calendar will be published quarterly on the first day of June, September, December and March. Each number will contain (1) the preliminary announcements for the quarter beginning four months from the date of issue, and (2) the revised announcements for the quarter beginning four weeks from the date of issue.
  2. Students in continuous residence will select at one time two Majors and two Minors, the work of a quarter. The selection shall be handed to the Dean within six weeks of the date of the preliminary announcement. Permission to substitute other courses will be granted only when, for any reason, a course offered in a preliminary announcement is withdrawn in the revised announcement.
  3. Students who expect to resume work after an absence of a quarter or a term, and students entering the University only for a quarter or a term, must indicate their selection of, courses within one week from the date of the revised announcement. In case no selection has been indicated, a student may be admitted to a course only (1) by special permission granted by the Dean, and (2) after the payment of a special fee of $5.
  4. Advanced courses in a department may not be selected before the preliminary work in the department has been completed. An instructor, with the approval of the President, may make the completion of the studies in tributary departments a condition in the selection of courses.
  5. A candidate for a degree may not select more than two-thirds of his Majors or Minors during the three years of University work from one school.
  6. The student may not, without special permission, select his Majors and Minors during the three years of University work from more than three different schools.

 

V. NON-RESIDENT WORK.

In the Graduate Department of the University, non-resident work may be substituted for resident work, under the following conditions:

(1) The non-resident student shall be expected to matriculate at the University, and to spend the first year of the time required for the degree in residence, unless he is able to satisfy the head of the school in which his principal work is to be done, that he can do the introductory work in a satisfactory manner, when not in attendance.
(2) The non-resident work shall be performed under the general direction of the head professor.
(3) The final examination shall be passed at the University.
(4) Non-resident work will be accepted for only one-third of the work required for a degree.
(5) In reckoning the comparative time-value of resident and non-resident work, two years of non-resident work, if satisfactorily performed, will be regarded as equivalent to one year of resident work.

VI. UNIVERSITY FELLOWS.

University Fellowships will be assigned in accordance with the following terms and conditions:

  1. Twenty Fellowships will be assigned, each yielding the sum of $500 annually.
  2. Twenty Fellowships will be assigned, each yielding the sum of $300 annually.
  3. Honorary Fellowships, yielding no income and requiring no service, will be assigned as a mark of distinction in special cases.
  4. The appointment to a Fellowship will be based upon proficiency already attained in a given department. It is very desirable that the student should have already spent one year in resident study after receiving his bachelor’s degree. In making the appointment, special weight will be given to theses, indicating the candidate’s ability to do original investigation.
  5. Service. In order to cultivate independence on the part of the student, and to obtain for him the advantage which proceeds from practical work, each student on a fellowship will be expected to render assistance of some kind in connection with the work of the University. This assistance will consist, for the most part in service (1) as an instructor, either in colleges of the University, or in affiliated colleges; but in no case will a student be expected, or allowed, to devote more than one-sixth of his time to such service (while holding a fellowship, a student will not be permitted to do private tutorial work of any kind); (2) as assistant in the reading of examination papers; or (3) as an assistant on a University Journal.
  6. The first assignment of fellowships will take place June 15th, and applications must be made on or before May 15th.
  7. Method of application. Applications for a fellowship should be addressed to the President of the University. Such application should be accompanied by:

(1) A brief sketch of the life and work of the applicant.
(2) A catalogue of the institution from which he has received his bachelor’s degree, with the courses in which he has studied marked.
(3) Any theses or papers of a scientific character which have been prepared by the applicant, whether printed or otherwise.
(4) Letters or testimonials from former instructors in regard to the applicant’s ability in the particular line in which he applies for a fellowship. ,

 

VII. UNIVERSITY DOCENTS.

University docentships will be assigned in accordance with the following terms and conditions:

  1. The appointment to a docentship will be restricted to those who have received from an approved institution the degree of Ph. D.
  2. The Docent will be permitted to offer courses of instruction under the direction of the head professor in his department, in the Colleges of the University, and in the Graduate Department, but in no case shall he be allowed to do more than one-half of the work of the full instructor, it being expected that the remainder of his time shall be devoted exclusively to original investigation.
  3. The Docent shall receive in compensation for his work a proportionate amount of the tuition fees of those who attend his courses, which shall be reckoned as follows: $8 from each student attending a Major course, and $4 from each student attending a Minor course.
  4. Method of application. Applications for a docentship should be addressed to the President of the University. Such application should be accompanied by:

(1) A brief sketch of the life and work of the applicant.
(2) A catalogue of the institution from which he has received his bachelor’s degree.
(3) A detailed statement of the work for which the degree of Ph. D. was granted.
(4) Any theses or papers of a scientific character, which have been prepared by the applicant, whether printed or otherwise.
(5) Letters or testimonials from former instructors in regard to the applicant’s ability in the particular line in which he applies for a docentship.

 

VIII. THESES AND EXAMINATIONS.

The following are the requirements of candidates for the degree of Ph. D., with reference to theses and examinations:

  1. Each student is required to prepare a thesis upon some question connected with a major subject. This production must be scholarly in character, exhaustive in its subject matter, and must constitute an actual contribution to knowledge.
  2. The subject must be submitted for approval to the head professor at least 12 months before the date of the final examinations; the thesis itself must be submitted in written form to the head professor 3 months before the date of the final examinations, and, after acceptance, 25 printed copies of the same must be deposited in the Library within 30 days of the date of the final examinations. Accepted theses will become the property of the University.
  3. In addition to the regular term examinations, during the period of residence, the candidate for the degree of Ph. D. will be required to pass a final written and oral examination, the latter to be conducted by the professors of the school in which the candidate has done his principal work, in the presence of professors representing at least three different schools of the University. In no case will the candidate be admitted to the final examination until his thesis has been accepted.
  4. Candidates for the degree of A.M. will not be required to print their theses. The subject must be submitted for approval to the head professor at least six months before graduation, and the thesis, at least two months before graduation.
  5. Candidates for the degree of LL. D. will not be received until further notice.

 

IX. DEPARTMENTAL JOURNALS AND PUBLICATIONS.

  1. Each school of the Graduate Department will issue, through the University Press, either a journal or a series of papers relating to subjects connected with the schools. Such publications will include only papers of a scientific character.
  2. The editorial work will be performed in each case by the head professor of the school, assisted by the other professors and instructors connected with the school. In the case of regularly-published journals, the names of all permanent instructors connected with the school shall be placed upon the title page as associate or assistant editors.
  3. The financial responsibility for publication will be assumed by the University. Members of the University contributing to the Journals will receive no honorarium.
  4. While one purpose of such publications is to furnish a medium for the publication of material prepared by those who are connected with the University, contributions from others will also be received, at the discretion of the editor.
  5. Each article, editorial, book review or statement of any kind, appearing in a University publication, shall be signed by the writer. For such matter, the writer, not the University, will be responsible, but the editor shall assume responsibility for the admission of the article or statement.
  6. Publications received in exchange, and books received for notice, shall be the property of the University Library.

 

X. SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS.

  1. Quarters and Terms. The year shall be divided into four quarters, beginning respectively on the first day of October, January, April and July, and continuing twelve weeks each, thus leaving a week between the close of one quarter and the beginning of the next. Each quarter shall be divided into two equal terms of six weeks each.
  2. Classification of Courses. All courses of instruction given in the University shall be classified as Majors and Minors. The Major will call for 10 hours of class-room work, or its equivalent, each week, the Minor for 5 hours of class-room work, or its equivalent, each week. All courses shall continue six weeks, but the same subject may be continued through two or more successive terms, either as a Major or a Minor.
  3. The Work of Professors and Teachers. Each resident professor or teacher shall give instruction 36 weeks of the year, 10 hours a week, or its equivalent; no instructor shall be required to give instruction more than this amount.
  4. The Vacations of Professors and Teachers. A professor or teacher may take as vacation any one of the four quarters, according as it may be arranged; or, he may take two vacations of six weeks each at different periods of the year.
  5. Substitution and Extra Work. A professor or teacher, if he desire, may teach two quarters 5 hours a week, instead of one quarter 10 hours a week. For every quarter or term in the year he may teach beyond the three quarters required, and for every extra Minor in the quarter or term he may teach in addition to the 10 hours a week required, he shall receive either an extra two-thirds pro rata salary or an extra full pro rata vacation. A teacher who has taught three years of 48 weeks each, or six years of 42 weeks each, will thus be entitled to a year’s vacation on full salary.
  6. Adjustment of Vacations. No work will be credited for extra vacation or extra salary except that which may have been accepted by the President, the Dean of the Graduate Schools and the Heads of the Schools concerned. All vacations, whether extra or regular, shall be adjusted to the demands of the situation, in order that there may always be on hand a working force.
  7. Tuition-Fee. The fee for instruction shall be $35.00 a quarter. Besides the tuition fee there shall also be an incidental fee of $2.50 a quarter, and a library fee of $2.50 a quarter. To students entering the University for the first time there will be a charge of $5.00 as a matriculation fee. The fee for graduation is $10.00.
  8. Full and Partial Work of a Student. Each student doing full work shall be required to take one Major and one Minor during each term of a quarter, but a student by special request may, for good and sufficient reasons, be permitted to take one Major or two Minors, in which case he must furnish satisfactory evidence that he is making a proper use of all his time.
  9. Vacations of Students. A student may take as his vacation any one of the four quarters; or, if he desire, two terms of six weeks in different parts of the year.
  10. Rooms in Dormitories. (1) As soon as a sufficient number of dormitories is erected, students will be advised to make their residence in these rather than in rooms rented in private houses. Special dormitories will be provided for women. University officers will be given rooms in the dormitories, and in this way a closer intimacy encouraged, not only between students themselves, but also between instructors and students. (2) The cost of rooms in the dormitories will be from 50 cents to $3.00 a week. The occupant of a room must notify the Registrar six weeks beforehand of his intention to give up a room. (3) The occupation of a room thirty-six consecutive weeks will entitle the occupant to a reduction of 20 per cent., to be refunded at the end of the term. (4) Rooms may not be sub-rented. (5) Application for rooms should be sent to the University Registrar.
  11. Payment of University Bills. Quarter-bills including the tuition-fee, the incidental-fee and the library-fee will be delivered at the beginning of the quarter; if not paid within two weeks of the time they are issued, the student will be liable to be prohibited from reciting. Term-bills (for six weeks) instead of quarter bills (for twelve weeks) will be issued only when the student has notified the Registrar beforehand that he will be absent after the following term. A student who, for any reason, leaves the University in the middle of a term (six weeks) shall pay the full bill for that term. A student who enters the University, intending to remain only six weeks, must indicate this purpose at the time of entrance.
  12. General Expenses of a Student. The following table will furnish an estimate of the annual expenses for 36 weeks of a student in the University.
LOWEST. AVERAGE. LIBERAL.
University bill: tuition $105.00 $105.00 $105.00
University bill: incidentals 7.50 7.50 7.50
University bill: library 7.50 7.50 7.50
Rent and care of room 18.00 72.00 100.00
Board 125.00 175.00 225.00
Fuel and light 15.00 20.00 25.00
Washing 15.00 25.00 35.00
Text-books and stationary 10.00 20.00 50.00
Sundries 10.00 40.00 60.00
$313.00 $472.00 $615.00

 

  1. Opportunities for Self-Help. The University Steward, under the direction of the University Council, will conduct an employment bureau for the aid of students desiring to earn money to assist them in defraying their expenses while attending the University. Through this agency it is hoped that opportunity will be afforded to secure, for one hundred students, work which will yield to each the sum of at least one hundred dollars. Application may be made after May 1, 1892, to the University Steward.

 

Source: University of Chicago. Official Bulletin, No. 4 (April 1892), 11 pages.

Image Source:  View of the University of Chicago campus from the Ferris Wheel of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.   University of Chicago Photographic Archive, apf2-02561 , Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library