A written exam, based on questions submitted by faculty members, and lasting four hours is conducted.

An oral exam of 45 minutes follows within a week, based on the written exam.

At least two weeks before the exam, candidates must submit

A dissertation proposal of 1,500 to 2,000 words with a bibliography of 35 to 50 primary and secondary sources;

A document articulating three fields of study: one will be the candidate's primary field of study (with a bibliography of 30 to 35 primary and secondary sources), with two broader areas of knowledge contributory to the proposed dissertation (each with a bibliography of 20 to 25 entries). It is expected that there will be considerable overlap between bibliographies for the dissertation and for the fields of study.

A roster of the student's preliminary examination committee, usually composed of three members of the Penn faculty.

A take-home written exam is conducted over a period of three consecutive days, based on questions submitted by the preliminary examination committee. There will be a minimum of two questions in each field. Students will answer one question in each field for a total of three documented and footnoted essays, none of which may exceed 7,500 words inclusive of footnotes.

An oral exam (one hour) based on the above materials is conducted by the preliminary examination committee before the Graduate Group faculty.

Copies of the completed dissertation for each of the final dissertation committee members and one for deposit in the SAST Department's office must be submitted at least two weeks before the scheduled oral defense.

An oral dissertation defense (one hour) is conducted by the dissertation committee before the Graduate Group faculty, graduate students, and invited guests.