Elder Urges Modification Of Graduate Study Rules

J. Petersen Elder, Dean of the Gradnate School of Arts and Sciences, made four proposals for liberalizing the academic requirements of graduate students at the meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences this week.

The Faculty objected to the wording of part of his recommendations and they will be resubmitted with modifications at the next Faculty meeting early next month.

After completing eight half courses, according to Elder's plan, a student would register in terms of time spent studying in his department (i.e. full-time, three quarters time, half-time, or quarter-time) rather than in terms of courses.

Elder also proposed that a Department be permitted to excuse a student from final course examinations "whenever it has other adequate methods of evaluating his work."

He moved to cut down the often lengthy periods of study before students in some fields can receive their doctorates by suggesting that a graduate should take his preliminary or general examinations by the end of his second or third year of residence and should write his thesis by the end of the fourth year.

Elder explained that these proposals "would benefit a student in several ways: his self-confidence and self-responsibility would be thus increased; he would be given more uninterrupted time for continued work on what interests him; and in general, the quality of his education should thus be improved."