English Writing Requirements for Doctoral Students

The Department has replaced the doctoral degree foreign language requirement by an English writing requirement. This writing requirement
is associated with the preliminary oral examination. The student must submit a document, typically 20 to 25 double-spaced pages long,
containing a discussion of: the foreseeable goals of the dissertation; a synopsis of the appropriate literature relevant to the problem; the research work accomplished to date (if any); and a discussion of the initial/next methods that will be undertaken to achieve progress towards those goals. The document must have written approval for good English and writing style as well as correct content by the student's thesis adviser and a faculty reader, appointed by the graduate program director, who is not a member of the Preliminary Examination Committee. This document must be given to the advisor and the reader at least two weeks before the oral presentation. The document should be given to the remaining members of the Preliminary Examination Committee at least one week before the oral presentation.

If the scientific content of the document is satisfactory, as evaluated by the Preliminary Examination Committee, but the writing needs improvement, the student will be advanced to candidacy, but the student must have a revised document approved by the end of the following semester. If the deadline for approval is not met, the student will be deemed not to be making satisfactory progress and may be subject to a reduction or termination of financial support.

International students may need extensive writing assistance from the ESL Tutoring Center established to provide exactly this kind of technical writing tutorial support. Tutorial assistance in writing, if needed, will also be provided to native students.

Below are some reference texts you might find helpful.

Betty Schrampfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar (3rd edition). Prentice Hall.

Nicholas J. Higham, Handbook of Writing for Mathematical Sciences, SIAM, 1998.

Jan Peterson and Stacy A. Hagen, Better Writing Through Editing. McGraw Hill -College.

Jan Frodesen and Janet Eyring, Grammar Dimensions: Form, Meaning, and Use.
Heinle and Heinle (Thomson Learning). (Series director: Diane Larsen-Freeman.)