If you are a prospective student interested in applying to begin graduate studies in TAPS at University of Chicago, please visit our prospective students page.
Students already enrolled in a PhD program at UChicago
Permission to pursue a joint degree is a privilege extended only to those students who have demonstrated in their work a record of uncommon excellence and who can convincingly demonstrate that they will be able to complete the requirements for each of the two degrees within the maximum time period a student is accorded enrollment status.
PhD students at UChicago interested in petitioning to join the joint PhD program in TAPS should begin by discussing this option with their Director of Graduate Studies and with the TAPS Director of Graduate Studies. They should subsequently meet with the Assistant Dean of Students for Admissions to discuss their interest and the process to petition for the joint degree.
Petition process
Students invited to make a petition should submit the following documents, along with the TAPS affiliation form, to the TAPS academic administrator.
- 400-600 word statement addressing your intellectual interests in the joint PhD (The committee wants to learn, among other things, why the questions or projects you hope to pursue require the joint degree.)
- Academic work already accomplished and work to be completed to meet the degree requirements of each program
- Pedagogical training already completed and training yet to be completed to meet the requirements of each program
- at least two letters of endorsement for the program, one from a faculty member in each department; letters should address why the joint degree is necessary for the applicant's doctoral work and the applicant's ability to complete the additional requirements within the standard framework for satisfactory academic progress
- A Note of endorsement from the DGS of your entry department
- a curriculum vitae
- TAPS-related critical or scholarly writing sample (up to 15pp)
- Sample of creative work (optional)
- Unofficial U of C transcript to date (available at my.uchicago.edu)
Petitions approved by the TAPS Graduate Admissions & Advising committee will be forwarded to the Dean of Students office for approval. See the Humanities Division’s page on Joint Degree Programs for more details about the process.