Doctoral degrees in Comparative Literature and Society are granted in conjunction with several other affiliated departments. Prospective students apply directly to an affiliated department (see affiliated department list), clearly indicating their interest in ICLS on the cover of their application or in the subfield section in the Application Part 1. Continuing students may apply to ICLS after completing an M.A. degree in a national or area literature or by completing a comparable course of study in another discipline.
The training in a home discipline establishes the intellectual and linguistic foundation for comparative study and constitutes an important asset for later professional activity. Students in the language and literature departments, English, and Classics are eligible to earn the Ph.D. in the home department with a Concentration in Comparative Literature and Society. Students in other humanities departments, social sciences departments, and the Schools of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Law, and International and Public Affairs earn degrees in the home department and/or program and a Certificate in Comparative Literature and Society. Application forms are available on line from affiliated departments or from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
All admitted students must take the course Introduction to Comparative Literature and Society (G4900) in the first year of graduate study; students who are admitted to the program after they have enrolled at Columbia should take the introductory course in the first year after admission. The main focus of Ph.D. work may be either one or more linguistic and literary traditions or work in history, anthropology, art history, or other affiliated Columbia departments and schools. Upon receipt of the application, the Center sets up an advisory structure to determine the program of study for each student.