An emphasis is a specialization added to the regular doctoral degree. The emphases allow students to broaden their interdisciplinary dialogue with their chosen fields. Currently, students can choose between seven emphases according to their scholarly interests. Although adding an emphasis to the doctoral degree is optional, many students choose to do so for the benefits of breadth, versatility and interdisciplinary enhancement. Students can add up to three emphases. The workload for the emphasis is distributed over the total number of years spent completing your doctoral degree. Requirements vary; most include some combination of core seminars, qualifying courses, and a capstone project. Click on the links to find out more about the different emphases offered at UCSB.