English, Ph.D.

About the English Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program in English permits students to prepare broadly across traditional divisions of period, geography, and genre, but demands also that students conduct specialized research in one area of specialization. The goal of this twofold approach to doctoral studies is to prepare students simultaneously to teach in multiple areas and to produce publishable scholarship and writing in their area of concentration. Students must demonstrate a reasonably comprehensive knowledge of literature and the ability to engage in original research.

Doctoral students in English may specialize in British Literature; American Literature; Comparative Literature, Globalization, and Translation (CLGT); Film and Media Studies; Linguistics; Book History/Digital Humanities; Literature, Social Justice, and Environment (LSJE); or Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, or nonfiction). Students may minor outside the department or create a secondary concentration within the department in one of the above areas or in technical communication.

Coursework for the Ph.D. generally amounts to 60 hours beyond the B.A. degree, including at least 48 hours of coursework in English. All students are reviewed annually for satisfactory progress. In addition, the student must pass written and oral qualifying examinations and prepare and defend a dissertation. Reading knowledge of two foreign languages or high competence in one language is required.