Fully Funded PhD in South Asian Studies at University of Pennsylvania

About PhD Program,

The Department’s PhD curriculum provides a rigorous training in South Asian languages, literature, culture, and history that serves as a foundation for research and teaching in higher education. The Department emphasizes both linguistic expertise as well as in depth disciplinary knowledge. Students will gain exposure to a wide variety of approaches and methods in the study of South Asia, and will also learn how to deal with a diversity of research materials (including texual, documentary, enthographic and material). Penn is one of the leading departments in the US and has trained generations of scholars working on South Asia for over a century.  Penn offers many resources for interested students, including one of the country’s leading research libraries on South Asia, with over 3500 Indic ms. and over 200,000 printed volumes related to South Asia.

PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,   

The course of study toward the degree of Doctor of Philosophy requires a minimum of twenty course credit units (CUs). As part of these 20 CUs, students must take:

• 4 CUs in advanced-level courses in a language of concentration*
• 2 CUs in intermediate-level courses or higher in a research language (advisor and Grad Chair must approve 2nd language)*
• 3 electives
• 1 final CU may be used for research connected with the preparation for third year Candidacy Exams (formerly ‘Preliminary Exams’) and a dissertation proposal. This is typically an independent study.
• You must fulfill allof your language requirements before you will be permitted to take your candidacy exam in your third year.
• At least five courses (NOT including language courses and independent studies) must be taken with five DIFFERENT core Faculty of the South Asia Studies department and members of the South Asia Studies Graduate Group in the first two years.  These professors include: Prof. Daud Ali, Prof. Greg Goulding, Prof. Ketaki Jaywant, Prof. Lisa Mitchell, Prof. Davesh Soneji.

A qualifying paper will be due by the end of the exam period of the third semester. The qualifying paper is expected to be a 20–30 page pre-prospectus research paper which frames a potential doctoral research question, and places it in conversation with existing scholarship. The paper should utilize primary source materials or preliminary fieldwork.

Before submitting the qualifying paper, during the third semester, the student should form a committee of three members. It is strongly suggested that one of the members be outside the standing faculty (the member can be a member of the South Asia graduate group). Upon submitting the paper, the student is expected to meet with the committee no later than the fourth week of the fourth semester and receive feedback on the paper. The committee will then approve or reject the paper by the end of the fourth semester. The paper will also be made available to all standing faculty.

Passing the qualifying paper is required for further advancement. If the committee rejects the paper, the student will be dropped from the program at the end of the fourth semester, and encouraged to apply for a terminal MA degree.

PhD Funding Coverage,\

All PhD applicants who are accepted into the SAST program are automatically offered a 5-year Benjamin Franklin Fellowship. This fellowship covers tuition, fees, health insurance, and a living stipend for five years.  The stipend varies annually but currently runs about $40,500 per year (paid over twelve months).

PhD students who are US citizens or permanent US residents may also apply for the Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships available through Penn. Each FLAS replaces one year of Ben Franklin Funding (it is NOT in addition to), but if a student is awarded two years of FLAS then they are eligible for up to $1500 in additional Vishwabarathi Funding from the SAST Department.

Application Requirement,

• Academic transcriptsof undergraduate courses and grades, and any previous graduate work
• Personal statementof your academic goals
• Recommendationsfrom at least three professors or others familiar with your academic abilities
• Writing Sample35 pages or less of your original work (this can be a portion of a larger work)

The same application is used by applicants from either the U.S. or abroad. An admissions committee within the Graduate Group makes decisions regarding admission, with the approval of the Graduate Dean.

Application Deadline,

Jan 01, 2025

Application Fee,

The application fee is $90.00. Payments must be made by credit card