The following requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Columbia University Faculty of Political Science were published in the Columbia University Bulletin of Information. Announcement 1920-1921 of Courses offered in History, Economics and Public Law. The date of publication of the Bulletin is January 31, 1920 which is two weeks before the Faculty officially approved the requirements proposed by the Committee on Instruction. This would suggest that in this matter the Faculty served as a rubber-stamp for its Committee on Instruction.
Of particular interest are two resolutions that follow these requirements, one that would have opened all courses to women (unless the professor in charge objected!!) and a second proposed by the economist Henry Seager to allow greater flexibility in the choice of a second foreign language. The women’s resolution was tabled (!) and the language resolution was adopted.
Minutes of the Faculty of Political Science
Feb. 13, 1920
Upon motion of Professor [Carlton J. H.] Hayes [Professor of History] on behalf of the Committee on Instruction, the Faculty then approved the following requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, as a substitute for the requirements adopted by the Faculty at its meeting on March 28, 1919, and set forth on pages 468 to 471 of the Minutes of the Faculty:
I. Requirements
- General. The degree is conferred upon such students as shall satisfy the requirements as to preliminary training, residence, languages, subjects, and dissertation.
- Preliminary Training. The candidate must have received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University or from some other approved university or college, or have had an education equivalent to that represented by such a degree, and must have been regularly accepted as a graduate student by the University Committee on Admissions.
- Residence. The candidate must have pursued graduate studies for at least two academic years, one of which must have been spent at this University, and the other of which, if not spent here, at an institution accepted as offering courses of similar standard. A year’s residence at this University is defined as registration for and attendance upon courses aggregating not less that thirty tuition points distributed over a period of not less than one academic year or its equivalent.
- Languages. The candidate must have demonstrated his ability to express himself in correct English and to read at last one European language other than English and such additional languages as may, within the discretion of the Executive Officer of the appropriate Department, be deemed essential for the prosecution of his studies. Normally, the language requirements for each subject are as indicated in the following paragraph.
- Subjects. The candidate must have familiarized himself with one subject of primary interest and at least one subject of secondary interest, chosen from the following list of subjects. Information with reference to the scope of each of these subjects and special departmental requirements may be obtained from the Executive Officer of the Department within which it belongs.
Ancient History (French, German, Latin, and Greek)
Medieval History (French, German, Latin)
Modern European History (French & German)
American History (French or Spanish or Portuguese)
Political and Social Philosophy (French, German, and Latin)
American Government (French or German)
European Governments (French and German)
Constitutional Law (French or German)
International Law (French and either German or Latin)
Roman Law and Comparative Jurisprudence (Latin and either French or German)
Economic Theory, History, and Statistics (French and German)
Public and Private Finance (French and German)
Social Economic Problems, including Labor, Industrial Orgnization, Trade, Transportation, etc. (French & German)
Sociology, Historical, Statistical and Political (French and German)
Social Legislation and Statistics (French and German)
- Dissertation. The main test of the candidate’s qualification is the production of a dissertation which shall demonstrate his capacity to contribute to the advancement of learning within the field of his selection. Such dissertation must give evidence of the candidate’s capacity to present in good literary form the results of original researches upon some approved topic. The dissertation must be printed in a form acceptable to the Faculty before the degree will be awarded.
II. Procedure
- Notice of Prospective Candidacy. As soon as possible after the beginning of his graduate residence the student shall give notice of prospective candidacy to the Executive Officer of the Department in which the subject of his primary interest lies, and in consultation with him make a choice of subjects.
- Languages and Written Work. As soon as possible after giving notice of prospective candidacy, the student shall submit to the Executive Officer of the Department concerned an essay or other paper giving satisfactory evidence of his ability to make researches and to express himself in correct English. At the same time the student shall be tested, by some officer of instruction designated by the Executive Officer of the Department, as to his ability to read the required languages; language tests are normally given in October and February.
- Examination on Subjects. Having pursued graduate studies in this University, or in some other institution approved by it, for the equivalent of at least six months after the satisfactory completion of the tests on languages and written work, the student, upon the advice of the professor in charge of the subject of his primary interest or of his researches, shall make application, through the Executive Officer of the Department concerned, to the Dean for examination in subjects. Such application may be made at any time, but to secure the examination in any given academic year the application must be made before April 15. The applicant will be notified by the Dean of the date of his examination. This examination is an oral examination, which may be supplemented by a written examination when required by the Department concerned, and is conducted by a committee of the Faculty appointed by the Dean. By it the applicant will be expected to demonstrate an adequate knowledge of the subjects of his primary and secondary interest and of the literature pertaining thereto.
- Matriculation. Upon the successful passing of the required examination in his subjects, the applicant will be recommended by the Executive Officer of the appropriate Department to the Dean for matriculation, which is admission to candidacy for the degree.
- Dissertation. Soon after beginning his graduate residence, the student should choose the subject of his dissertation. His investigations and researches may be pursued either in connection with the work of some research course or under the direction and supervision of some member of the Faculty independently of any course. In either case a very considerable part of the time of the candidate or prospective candidate for the degree should be devoted to work upon his dissertation. The dissertation may be completed either during the period of residence, or in absentia. In advance of its being printed for presentation to the Faculty it must be approved by the professor in charge and accepted by the Executive Officer of the Department concerned. Such acceptance, however, is not to be construed as acceptance by the Faculty.
- Final Examination: Defense of the Dissertation. At least one month in advance of the time at which he wishes to present himself for the defense of his dissertation, but not later than March 15 in any academic year, the candidate must make application therefor to the Dean, who will thereafter notify him of the date of the final examination. This examination is an oral examination conducted by a Committee of the Faculty appointed by the Dean. By it the candidate will be held to a defense of his dissertation in respect of its content, the sources upon which it is based, the interpretations that are made, the conclusions that are drawn, as well as in respect of the candidate’s acquainted with the literature and available sources of information upon subjects that are cognate to the subject of his dissertation.
On behalf of the Committee on Instruction, Professor Hayes then presented the following resolution:
RESOLVED: That all courses offered under the Faculty of Political Science, except those in which the Professor in charge objects, be open to women graduates.
Upon motion the Faculty voted to lay this resolution on the table.
On behalf of the Committee on Instruction, Professor [Henry Rogers] Seager [Professor of Political Economy] then moved the following resolution, which was adopted:
RESOLVED: That the foreign language requirement prescribed as “normal” in the Faculty regulations governing the award of the doctorate may be modified: either by the substitution of another language for a prescribed language, with the approval of the Department concerned; or by the omission of a prescribed language, with the approval of the Committee on Instruction on the recommendation of the Executive Officer of the Department concerned; provided that one European language other than English shall be required.
Source: Columbia University Archives. Minutes of the Faculty of Political Science 1920-1939. Minutes of February 13, 1920, pp.488-493.
Image Source: New York Public Library Digital Collections, Image ID 68250.