Graduate Certificate
CEMERS, Binghamton University’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, offers a graduate certificate at both the Master’s and doctoral levels as part of its larger mission to promote innovative interdisciplinary work on topics that fall between late antiquity and the early modern era.
The graduate certificate program is intended to foster the highest levels of concentrated work both within departments and across departmental lines, enabling students to build an interdisciplinary program in either Medieval or Early Modern Studies.
Two tracks are offered for the graduate certificate: Medieval (late 4th through 15th centuries) and Early Modern (15th through 18th centuries).
Note: Students interested in the certificate program must be admitted to the University through a department. A letter of application should then be submitted to the CEMERS Graduate Committee, which consists of CEMERS faculty from departments granting graduate degrees. The program’s Director of Graduate Studies presides over the CEMERS graduate committee (applications should be sent directly to the DGS). The committee reviews all applications. Its members may also mentor certificate students through the program.
After the application has been approved, the student still needs to submit the Add-on certificate application form through the Graduate School.
- Medieval Track - (late 4th through 15th centuries)
Minimally, five 4-credit, 500-level courses are required (overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and minimum of B in each of the required courses).
- Two of the five courses should be taught by faculty from outside the student’s degree-granting
department.
- One of the two courses will be chosen from among the interdisciplinary “501” graduate seminars parented by CEMERS and offered each year; by petition, this course may be substituted with another seminar with a demonstrable interdisciplinary component, offered through a department other than the student’s own.
Students may, in exceptional cases, petition the Graduate Certificate Committee to accept one of the five courses at the 400-level.
Proficiency is required in languages appropriate to the course of study (one at the Master’s level; two at the doctoral level), to be demonstrated by means acceptable to the degree-granting department.
For doctoral students, reading proficiency in research languages relevant to their research is required. This requirement may be met by passing a translation exam set by the dissertation advisor and deposited on file in the CEMERS office. For students working on the Latin West, this language should be medieval Latin unless otherwise specified by the dissertation advisor; the requirement for medieval Latin may be met either by passing a 500-level course (minimum “B”) in the subject (offered on campus at least once every two years) or by passing a translation exam set by the dissertation advisor or the instructor of medieval Latin and deposited on file in the CEMERS office.
Evidence of having taken an intensive language course in another research language may also substitute for a translation exam in that language. A determination of equivalency will be made on a case-by-case basis.
To assist doctoral-level candidates who need to acquire a research language above and beyond the two languages required by the home department, funds may be available through CEMERS for summer “immersion” courses in Latin, Greek, classical Arabic, or classical Chinese (students may petition for funded study of other medieval or ancient languages). For doctoral students working on the Latin West, funds may also be available for summer courses or institutes in medieval Latin paleography. Applications are to be made to the Graduate Certificate Committee and must include documentation concerning the program of study in which the student plans to enroll. *see note 1
Funding may be available through CEMERS for dissertation research abroad. Applications, including an itemized budget, are to be submitted to the Graduate Certificate Committee and reports are to be filed upon completion of the trip. *see note 2
Upon completion of coursework and prior to graduation, each doctoral candidate for the certificate will present a chapter from the dissertation in a public lecture sponsored by CEMERS.
With completion of the requirements, the awarding of the certificate will be noted on the student’s transcript and formalized at graduation ceremonies.
Notes:
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts and shall be returned if the course of study is not completed.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts and shall be returned if the course of study is not completed.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts.
- Two of the five courses should be taught by faculty from outside the student’s degree-granting
department.
- Early Modern Track - (15th through 18th centuries)
Five 4-credit, 500-level courses are required (overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and minimum of B in each of the required courses):
- Two of the five courses should be taught by faculty from outside the student’s degree-granting
department.
- One of the two courses will be chosen from among the interdisciplinary “501” graduate seminars parented by CEMERS and offered each year; by petition, this course may be substituted with another seminar with a demonstrable interdisciplinary component, offered through a department other than the student’s own.
Students may, in exceptional cases, petition the Graduate Certificate Committee to accept one of the five courses at the 400-level.
Proficiency is required in languages appropriate to the course of study (one at the Master’s level; two at the doctoral level), to be demonstrated by means acceptable to the degree-granting department.
For doctoral students whose research requires a reading facility in a third language (e.g., Latin, Greek, classical Arabic, Ottoman Turkic, Classical Chinese), funds may be available through CEMERS for intensive summer “immersion” courses. (Students may petition for funded study of other languages.) Applications are to be made to the CEMERS Graduate Committee documenting the program of study in which the student plans to enroll. *see note 3
Funding may also be available through CEMERS for dissertation research abroad. Applications, including an itemized budget, are to be made to the Graduate Certificate Committee and reports are to be filed upon completion of the trip. *see note 4
Upon completion of coursework and prior to graduation, each doctoral candidate for the certificate will present a chapter from the dissertation in a public lecture sponsored by CEMERS.
With completion of the requirements, the awarding of the certificate will be noted on the student’s transcript and formalized at graduation ceremonies.
Notes:
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts and shall be returned if the course of study is not completed.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts and shall be returned if the course of study is not completed.
- Funding will be in the form of reimbursement after submission of receipts.
- Two of the five courses should be taught by faculty from outside the student’s degree-granting
department.
Graduate Assistantship
The CEMERS Graduate Assistantship is generally awarded to an advanced Ph.D. student who is ABD, i.e., finished with course work and beyond their qualifying exams at the time of appointment.
The work of the GA involves editorial assistance to the journal Mediaevalia and other publications (copy-editing and proofreading) and participation in all CEMERS programming (assistance at CEMERS conferences, setting up and attending the talks in our lecture series, and helping to chaperone speakers). The CEMERS GA is expected to attend all CEMERS-sponsored events, which will enrich the student’s experience with interdisciplinary scholarship and provide invaluable opportunities to establish contacts and exchanges with scholars in different fields and from other institutions. The CEMERS GA may also be asked to serve as liaison between visiting speakers, when on campus, and CEMERS faculty and students. The GA-ship in CEMERS requires approximately 15–20 hours of work per week; the rest of the GA’s time should be dedicated to the student’s own research and writing.
There is a shared office designated for the CEMERS GA, with a computer and printer. Located across the hall from the CEMERS office, it is next to the CEMERS seminar room and just down the hall from Bartle Library.
Nominations, which should come from dissertation advisors and include a letter of recommendation and the candidate’s CV and statement of interest, should be sent to the CEMERS Director. If you would like to be nominated for this assistantship, please speak with your dissertation advisor.
