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Boston College’s Ph.D. in English offers the opportunity to study with nationally recognized faculty in many periods, authors, and critical and theoretical streams. Candidates design their course of study from a wide range of courses, proceeding through a series of exams that culminate in a prospectus exam and the writing of the dissertation.

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Program Guidelines

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The small size of our doctoral program allows for an unusual level of access to faculty and flexibility in designing programs. Only four doctoral seminars, a course in Composition Theory, and an Advanced Research Colloquium are required; the rest of the Ph.D. candidate's work is built around graduate courses, tutorials, and directed research. Each candidate shapes his or her own program to prepare for three sequential oral examinations and a doctoral dissertation.

Learning Outcomes

The Ph.D. in English offers candidates the opportunity to study with nationally recognized faculty specializing in various periods, authors, and critical and theoretical traditions. Candidates choose from a wide range of courses and proceed through a streamlined series of exams, culminating in a dissertation prospectus exam and the writing of the dissertation. We prepare our students to teach, do research, and engage in service in a college or university setting. Given the challenging nature of the academic job market, we now also give our students opportunities to learn about and prepare for other kinds of careers, such as publishing, public humanities, and arts administration.

Upon completing the degree, students should be able to:

• Write academic articles and reviews at the scholarly level in informed, intelligible prose.
• Research, design and be examined on two long readings lists in major and minor fields of literary study of their choosing.
• Demonstrate mastery of an individual chronological and/or national literary field of their choosing.
• Choose or define a question in their chosen field of literary study, and write an effective dissertation on it.
• Teach courses in English effectively, at introductory and advanced levels, in the community college, 4-year college or university setting.
• Publish their research in peer-reviewed journals and present papers at conferences.
• Secure an academic or teaching position.

Graduate Courses

Program Highlights

Full funding.

All Ph.D. candidates are guaranteed to receive full-tuition scholarships and competitive stipends for five years. The stipend for 2023-24 is $30,000.

Individual Attention

We intentionally keep each entering class to four to five candidates to encourage extensive faculty/student interaction and mentoring.

Personalized Study

Candidates design their own field exams in consultation with their faculty advisors, and choose from a full range of graduate electives each year.

Our Faculty

Christina Klein

Ph.d. program director.

[email protected]

Dedicated to Teaching, Mentoring, and Research

The scholars who make up our graduate faculty have published prize-winning novels, short stories, creative nonfiction, and poetry; contributed articles to leading journals such as  PMLA ,  American Literature ,  Studies in English Literature ,  Victorian Studies , Composition Studies ,  ELH , and  GLQ ; and been anthologized in  Best American Essays  and  Best American Short Stories. They have won national awards from the NEH, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Humanities Center; edited anthologies, collections, editions, and series in feminist theory, religion and literature, post-colonial studies, and psychoanalysis; and served as officers for professional organizations such as the MLA and the American Studies Association. 

The faculty provide close mentoring at all stages including advising candidates on selecting courses, helping them publish their work, collaboratively designing exams, serving as teaching mentors, and acting as dissertation supervisors and readers.

Advanced Research Colloquium

Every two years we offer an Advanced Research Colloquium, which trains candidates in conference submissions, article publication, job market preparation, and dissertation writing.

Faculty Directory

Program Details

Language requirements.

• Examinations & Dissertation

Academic Standing and Evaluation of Progress

While the students' programs are planned to meet their own needs and interests, the following descriptions suggest what students' programs have looked liked in recent years. In the first and second years of the program every student takes a Ph.D. seminar each semester ("World Literature" in the Age of Globalization, Queer Theory and the Novel, Issues and Methods in American Studies, and Victorian Inequality to name some recent examples). In addition, students take other graduate electives, or enroll in a tutorial "readings and research" course directed by a faculty member while preparing for an examination. Students may also take graduate courses at Boston University, Tufts University, and Brandeis University. As the dissertation prospectus exam goes forward many students begin their dissertation work during their fifth year.

Candidates must demonstrate an ability to read two foreign languages or a working knowledge and application of one foreign language and its literature. They may demonstrate reading ability through successful performance on two translation examinations in which a short text must be translated adequately (with use of a dictionary) in two hours. They may show more extensive knowledge of one language and its literature by writing a graduate-level critical paper using original texts, or by producing a formal translation of a literary text or essay previously unavailable in English. Language tests from earlier graduate work are commonly accepted for one language.

In the second year candidates serve as teaching assistants in a course in British or American literature. In the third year, students usually teach First-Year Writing Seminar and Literature Core. In the fourth year candidates teach one English Core course and one elective in their own chosen field that they design.

Examinations and the Dissertation

Candidates proceed through a sequence of three examinations: a minor field examination completed before the end of the second year; a major field examination completed before the end of the third year; a dissertation prospectus examination. In collaboration with faculty members, candidates design examinations that will prepare them to work in a variety of periods, genres and literary approaches. Examinations can take a variety of forms: they may focus on teaching, literary theory, a single author or group of authors, a literary genre, or a literary period. Recent exam topics include Medieval Women Writers, Ecocritical Theory, The American Renaissance, Romanticism and Colonialism in the Caribbean Atlantic, The Gothic, a theory exam on the body, and a teaching exam on English Romanticism. The dissertation prospectus exam serves as the official approval process for the dissertation prospectus.

An informal and celebratory defense follows submission and acceptance of the dissertation.

Doctoral candidates are subject to annual review of academic progress toward their degrees. Each candidate is assigned an academic advisor with whom they will meet regularly and at the end of each academic year, the candidate is reviewed by both the advisor and the Ph.D. Director to assess and evaluate their performance in coursework, oral exams, and dissertation, as appropriate. All candidates are required to take their minor field exam by the spring of their second year, and will normally take their major field exam by the spring of their third year.

All graduate students are also governed by the  Graduate School of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Policies and Procedures .

Resources in the Boston Area

Ph.D. candidates have access to the rich offerings for graduate students in the Boston area. Aside from the wealth of local archival resources, candidates participate in seminars at The Humanities Center at Harvard University and in BC’s own Lowell Humanities Series, which brings internationally renowned writers and thinkers to campus. They can also take part in a wealth of courses, lectures, workshops, conferences, and symposia offered at area colleges and universities.

Consortiums

Boston College is also part of a Boston-area consortium that allows students to take graduate courses at Boston University, Brandeis University, and Tufts University. Our students can also take courses at the Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies at MIT, an interdisciplinary effort to advance research in women's studies. Faculty and students of GCWS are drawn from nine Boston-area colleges and universities.

Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies

BC Irish Studies

The BC English department is (with History) the most active contributor to our thriving Irish Studies Program which publishes the Irish Literary Supplement and offers institutional support to the refereed journal‚ Éire-Ireland .

Irish Studies

Religion and the Arts

Many members of the English department contribute to the BC-based journal  Religion and the Arts , edited by our own colleague, Professor James Najarian.

How to Apply

The application deadline for the Ph.D. program is January 2. The GRE is not required. Application forms should be accompanied by a personal statement, a critical writing sample of not more than 20 pages, transcripts, and three letters of recommendation, ideally from teachers who have recently evaluated the applicant's current work in the proposed field or area of focus.

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The graduate program in English provides you with a broad knowledge in the discipline, including critical and cultural theory and literary history. This solid foundation enables you to choose your own path based on the wide variety of areas of concentration. Our flexible program allows you to take courses outside the department to further explore your chosen field(s). Our program emphasizes excellence in writing, innovative scholarship, and eloquent presentations—important skills you will need in your future profession. The program and its faculty are committed both to diversity in its student body and in the diversity of thought and scholarship.

Examples of student theses and dissertations include “The Write to Stay Home: Southern Black Literature from the Great Depression to Early Twenty-first Century,” “Profaning Theater: The Drama of Religion on the Modernists Stage,” and “Sentimental Borders: Genre and Geography in the Literature of Civil War and Reconstruction.”

Graduates have secured faculty positions at institutions such as Brown University, Columbia University, and University of California, Los Angeles. Others have begun their careers with leading organizations such as Google and McKinsey & Company.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of English , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Unspecified | Medieval | Renaissance/Early Modern | 18th Century/Enlightenment | 19th Century British/Romantics/Victorian | Early American (to 1900) | 20th Century British | 20th Century American | Criticism and Theory | The English Language | Transnational Anglophone/Postcolonial | African American Literature | Drama | Poetry

Admissions Requirements

Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of English .

Writing Sample

The writing samples (one primary and one secondary) are highly significant parts of the application. Applicants should submit 2 double-spaced, 15-page papers of no more than 5,000 words each, in 12-point type with 1-inch margins. The writing samples must be examples of critical writing (rather than creative writing) on subjects directly related to English. Applicants should not send longer papers with instructions to read an excerpt or excerpts but should edit the samples themselves so that they submit only 15 pages for each paper. Applicants who know the field in which they expect to specialize should, when possible, submit a primary writing sample related to that field.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose is not a personal statement and should not be heavily weighted down with autobiographical anecdotes. It should be no longer than 1,000 words. It should give the admissions committee a clear sense of the applicant's individual interests and strengths. Applicants need not indicate a precise field of specialization if they do not know, but it is helpful to know something about a candidate’s professional aspirations and sense of their own skills, as well as how the Harvard Department of English might help in attaining their goals. Those who already have a research topic in mind should outline it in detail, giving a sense of how they plan their progress through the program. Those who do not have a research topic should at least attempt to define the questions and interests they foresee driving their work over the next few years.

Personal Statement

Standardized tests.

GRE General: Optional GRE Subject: Optional

While there are no specific prerequisites for admission, a strong language background helps to strengthen the application, and students who lack it should be aware that they will need to address these gaps during their first two years of graduate study.

While a candidate's overall GPA is important, it is more important to have an average of no lower than A- in literature (and related) courses. In addition, while we encourage applications from candidates in programs other than English, they must have both the requisite critical skills and a foundation in English literature for graduate work in English. Most of our successful candidates have some knowledge of all the major fields of English literary study and advanced knowledge of the field in which they intend to study.

Theses and Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for English

See list of English faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

PhD in English

The English Department offers small graduate seminars in a variety of fields and topics each term. Students may also take approved courses in other Tufts departments, as well as enroll in classes in a consortium of schools that includes Boston College, Boston University, and Brandeis University, and in the interdisciplinary Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality (GCWS) located at MIT. After undergoing supervised training to help them master the necessary skills, our PhD students gain valuable teaching experience, designing and offering their own courses as Graduate Instructors in Tufts' First-Year Writing Program. The Experimental College and the OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning provide additional opportunities for students to design and teach courses at Tufts. The strong training in pedagogy that the department provides and the experience our students gain as classroom instructors prepares our PhD candidates well for a competitive job market. Our recent PhD recipients have secured faculty positions, including on the tenure-track, as well as other academic positions, such as directing a writing center and in college and independent school administration. Our students have also been successful in winning prestigious post-doctoral fellowships, including multi-year teaching fellowships.

Program Requirements and Policies

Students entering with a BA will normally be evaluated and receive their MA after two years of classes.

Foreign Language Requirements

Students must demonstrate reading knowledge in  one approved foreign language  to receive a PhD in English at Tufts. Satisfaction of the Foreign Language Requirement should occur by the end of the third year, and may be completed by examination, by course, or any combination of the two. Graduate students may satisfy the language requirement by passing a two-hour examination in a foreign language. Exams are coordinated through the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and are offered in September, January and April each year. Contact the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  to make arrangements for taking an exam.  Native speakers of a language other than English may petition to waive the requirement by affirming that the language in question is relevant to their proposed area of doctoral study and by submitting relevant transcripts. Passing a course in "Reading Knowledge" will also be accepted as fulfillment of the foreign language requirement. Tufts offers two such courses, "French for Reading Knowledge" and "German for Reading Knowledge," which are only available during Summer Session. Boston University makes similar courses available to Tufts students during the academic year. Students may also present appropriate evidence of competence achieved in a foreign language in another graduate program.

Oral Examinations

During the semester after coursework is complete, students study for and take a two-hour oral comprehensive examination. No standardized list of texts is issued for this examination. Each student selects six fields from those below for which they will generate a set of works in consultation with faculty for the examination. One of the six fields may be a "special topic," which students design in collaboration with a member of the faculty.

• Old English Literature
• Medieval Literature
• Sixteenth-Century English Literature
• Seventeenth-Century British Literature
• Eighteenth-Century British Literature
• American Literature Before 1820
• Nineteenth-Century British Literature
• Nineteenth-Century American Literature
• Twentieth-Century British Literature or Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature
• Twentieth-Century American Literature
• Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Global Anglophone Literature (other than British or North American)
• Twenty-First Century Transatlantic (British, Irish, and American) Literatures
• Literary-Critical Theory
• Special Topic

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• PhD in English

The PhD in English at Boston University provides comprehensive training in all areas of literary studies in English. Coursework is offered in historical periods, individual authors, important literary movements, literary theory, and the history of criticism. Students develop a broad competence in all literary periods while moving to a more specialized knowledge of a single area or topic. World-class scholars lead small seminars, direct individual tutorials, advise independent student research, and provide professional mentorship, preparing students for careers as researchers and teachers in academia and beyond. To enter, at least a bachelor’s degree in English or a closely related field is required.

Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a PhD in English are expected to:

• Conduct original, publishable research in the field.
• Demonstrate a broad knowledge of theory and research across several subdisciplines in the field and speak effectively to professional and lay audiences about issues in these areas.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of one area of expertise.
• Follow ethical guidelines for work in the field.
• Effectively teach undergraduate students.

Course Requirements

To be awarded the PhD, the candidate must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in both terms. No grade below a B– will count toward the PhD.

Sixteen 4-unit courses (64 units) are required for the degree, of which not more than four may be taken in one term. Course requirements are as follows:

• At least thirteen courses must be elected from courses numbered 700 or higher. With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, one directed study course may be elected as one of the required courses.
• At least one course that focuses primarily on critical theory, critical method, or the history of criticism
• Medieval Literature–1660 or History of the Language/Linguistics
• Literature in English 1660–1860
• Literature in English 1860–Present

Doctoral students may, with the approval of their advisor, elect two 4-unit courses at the graduate level in related areas. A course elected to fulfill the foreign language requirement may be counted as a related course.

A limited number of courses are offered in Metropolitan College (MET) under the auspices of the Department of English and are approved for graduate units for students enrolled in the MA and PhD programs. For further information, see the Metropolitan College Bulletin .

Foreign Language Requirement

All students pursuing a PhD degree in English are required to demonstrate either advanced-level proficiency in one language or reading-level reading proficiency in two languages. Languages chosen must have relevance to literary studies in English; the Director of Graduate Studies determines which languages are appropriate to fulfill the requirement. The language requirement must be fulfilled before the PhD qualifying oral examination is scheduled.

Advanced proficiency is demonstrated by a placement test administered by a foreign language program at BU. Reading-level proficiency in a foreign language can be demonstrated in one of three ways: students can pass a noncredit graduate reading course in an appropriate foreign language; receive a B or better in a graduate-level literature course taught in a foreign language; or pass a translation test administered by a foreign language department. Note that courses taken for units cannot be taken as a fifth course in any term. The foreign language requirement may also be satisfied by receiving at least a B in a graduate-level course in Old English, if and when it is offered (Old English courses also count toward the courses required for the degree).

A student wishing to fulfill advanced proficiency in a language for which there is no available examination should consult the Director of Graduate Studies.

A student who successfully completes a literature course at the graduate level in a foreign language can count the course toward the 16-course requirement for the PhD.

Qualifying Examination

To be admitted to doctoral candidacy, the student must pass a comprehensive oral examination in a major area of literary study defined by the student in consultation with the advisor. The area chosen for examination is normally related to the student’s anticipated dissertation topic.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination

Candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in a dissertation representing original research or scholarship. A prospectus for the dissertation must be completed and approved by the readers, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Department Chair/Program Director. Candidates must undergo a final oral examination in which they defend their dissertation as a valuable contribution to knowledge in their field(s) and demonstrate a mastery of their field(s) of specialization in relation to their dissertation. All portions of the dissertation and final oral examination must be completed as outlined in the GRS General Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Any PhD student who has fulfilled the requirements of the master’s degree program, as stated here , can be awarded a master’s degree.

For further information about the graduate program in English, interested students should consult the department’s website or contact the department’s Director of Graduate Studies.

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Higher Degrees in English

The Graduate Program in English leads to the degrees of Master of Arts (AM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The AM is an integral part of the doctoral program, and therefore only students who intend to pursue the PhD are eligible for admission to the Graduate Program in English.

The Program

The program takes from four to seven years to complete, with the majority finishing in five or six years. The first two years are devoted to coursework and, in the first year, to preparation for the PhD Qualifying Exam (the “General” exam) at the beginning of the second year. The second and third years are devoted to preparing for the Dissertation Qualifying Exam (the “Field” exam) and writing the Dissertation Prospectus. The fourth, fifth, and sixth years are spent completing the doctoral dissertation. From the third year until the final year (when they are generally supported by Dissertation Completion Fellowships), students also devote time to teaching and to developing teaching skills. Students with prior graduate training or those with a demonstrated ability may complete their dissertations in the fourth or fifth years. Students are strongly discouraged from taking more than seven years to complete the program except under the most exceptional circumstances.

The program aims to provide the PhD candidate with a broad knowledge of the field of English, including critical and cultural theory. Additional important skills include facility with the tools of scholarship—ancient and modern foreign languages, bibliographic procedures, and textual and editorial methods. The program also emphasizes the ability to write well, to do solid and innovative scholarly and critical work in a specialized field or fields, to teach effectively, and to make articulate presentations at conferences, seminars, and symposia.

The minimum residence requirement is two years of enrollment in full-time study, with a total of at least fourteen courses completed with honor grades (no grade lower than B-).

The minimum standard for satisfactory work in the Graduate School is a B average in each academic year.

• A minimum of 14 courses must be completed no later than the end of the second year.
• At least ten courses must be at the 200- (graduate) level, and at least six of these ten must be taken within the department. Graduate students in the English department will have priority for admission into 200-level courses.
• Beginning with the incoming class of 2020-21, two proseminars are now required as part of the ten required seminars.
• The remaining courses may be either at the 100- or the 200-level.
• Students typically devote part of their course work in the first year to preparing for the “General” exam, focusing increasingly on their field in the second year.
• Students are strongly encouraged to take at least two courses that engage extensively with texts in Literary Theory. Such courses should introduce works by writers such as Freud, Barthes, Derrida, Foucault, de Beauvoir, Fanon, Gates, Bhabha, and Jameson, and texts such as  The Poetics  by Aristotle,  The Birth of Tragedy  by Friedrich Nietzsche,  Mimesis  by Eric Auerbach, and  The Theory of the Novel  by Georg Lukacs. We recommend students consult with mentors and the graduate office if they need help finding courses that introduce these and similar works of theory.

Proseminars

• Beginning with the incoming class of 2020-21, two proseminars will now be required as part of the ten required seminars.

• The first-year proseminar (taken in the spring semester of the first year) introduces students to the theories, methods, and history of English as a discipline, and contemporary debates in English studies. The readings feature classic texts in all fields, drawn from the General Exam list. This first-year proseminar helps students prepare for the General Exam (taken at the beginning of their second year); it gives them a broad knowledge for teaching and writing outside their specialty; and it builds an intellectual and cultural community among first-year students.

• The second-year proseminar has a two-part focus: it introduces students to the craft of scholarly publishing by helping them revise a research paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal by the end of the course. It thus gives students the tools to begin publishing early in their career. It also introduces students to the growing array of alternative careers in the humanities by exposing them to scholars who are leaders in fields such as editing, curating, and digital humanities.

Independent Study and Creative Writing

• Students may petition to take one of the 100-level courses as independent study (English 399) with a professor, but not before the second term of residence.
• Other independent study courses will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances and with the consent of the professor and director of graduate studies (DGS).
• Only one creative writing course, which counts as a 100-level course, may count toward the PhD degree course requirements.

Credit for Work Done Elsewhere (Advanced Standing)

Once the student has completed at least three 200-level courses with a grade of A or A-, a maximum of four graduate-level courses may be transferred from other graduate programs, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Transferred courses will not count toward the minimum of ten required 200-level courses, but will be counted as 100-level courses.

Incompletes

No more than one Incomplete may be carried forward at any one time by a graduate student in the English Department. It must be made up no later than six weeks after the start of the next term.

In applying for an Incomplete, students must have signed permission from the instructor and the DGS, or the course in question may not count toward the program requirements. If students do not complete work by the deadline, the course will not count toward the program requirements, unless there are documented extenuating circumstances.

Language Requirements

A reading knowledge of two languages is required. Normally, Latin, Ancient Greek, Old English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian are the accepted languages. Other languages, including ASL and computer languages, may be acceptable if the DGS deems them relevant and appropriate to a student’s program of study. Students may fulfill the language requirements:

(1) by passing a two-hour translation exam with a dictionary; (2) by taking a one-term literature course in the chosen language, when conducted in the language and/or the readings are in the language (DGS approval may be necessary in some cases) (3) or by taking two terms of Old English*, elementary Latin or Ancient Greek.

Any course taken to fulfill the language requirement must be passed with a grade of B- or better. Literature-level language courses count for course credit ; elementary language courses do not. *Please note that only the spring semester of Old English will count towards the graduate course requirement (as a 100-level course, or as a 200-level course in the case of ENG 200d) when taken to fulfill a language requirement.

Examples of past language exams can be found  here .

The (Non-Terminal) Master of Arts Degree

In order to apply for the AM degree, students must complete, with a grade of B+ or better, no fewer than a total of seven courses, including a minimum of four English courses, at least three of which must be at the graduate (200-) level, and one additional course that must be taken at the graduate level, but may be taken in another department. Students must also fulfill at least one of their departmental language requirements.

General Exam

At the beginning of the second year, students will take a 75-90 minute oral exam, based on a list of authors and/or titles which the Department will make available for each entering class in the summer prior to its arrival. The examiners will be three regular members of the department (assistant, associate, or full professors), whose names will not be disclosed in advance.

Candidates whose performance on the exam is judged inadequate will be marked as “not yet passed” and must retake the exam at a time to be determined. If candidates do not pass on the second attempt, they will not be able to continue in the program.

Note: Students must fulfill at least one language requirement by the end of the first year in order to be eligible to take the General Exam.

Field Oral Exam

The purpose of the Field Oral exam is twofold: to discuss an emerging dissertation topic, and to examine students' preparation in primary teaching and the scholarly field(s) they mean to claim, particularly field(s) related to the dissertation. Students should be prepared to display knowledge of the field(s) in general based on the books and articles listed in their field bibliography.

The order of events in the exam is up to the committee and student to establish beforehand, but typically the exam has two parts: a discussion of the field(s) in which the proposed dissertation situates itself and in which the student intends to teach; and a discussion of the dissertation topic. The exam should assess both the viability of the thesis topic and the preparedness of the student to pursue it at this time. The level of preparedness should be clarified between the student and committee in their meetings before the exam. The discussion of the dissertation topic should substantially aid the student in writing the prospectus, due six weeks after the exam.

In some field exams, there is already a clear idea of the dissertation, one that the student has already discussed with the committee. The discussion in the exam can thus dive more deeply into the details of the project. In other field exams, the student's dissertation project is not yet fully formed, and the exam actively contributes to fleshing out the formation of the project's scope and direction. The committee and student should agree beforehand on the specific format and scope of the exam.

The two-hour examination is typically taken before the end of the Fall Reading Period of the third year of graduate study, although it is possible to take it as late as the end of February, should the need arise. The exam is conducted by a three-person examination committee, chosen by the individual student, normally from among the tenured and ladder faculty of the English department, (the chair is chosen by May 15 of the second year, and the remaining examiners by no later than September 1 of the third year). One faculty member acts as chair of the committee and often assists the student in selecting other members. The committee, or some part of it, will likely continue to serve as individual students’ dissertation advisors.

During the exam, students are asked to describe and discuss their dissertation project, and to demonstrate an adequate knowledge both of the major primary works and of selected scholarly works in the field(s) as they relate to their dissertation.

The twin purposes of the exam--representing the chosen field, and giving a first account of a dissertation project--are represented by two separate bibliographies, each consisting of primary and scholarly works, drawn up by the student in consultation with the examination committee. There may be considerable overlap between these two bibliographies.

At least four weeks before the exam, the student should meet with the committee, present the two bibliographies (of the chosen field(s) and of the dissertation project), and discuss the format of the exam.

The exam is graded Pass/Fail.

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus, signed and approved by three advisors (or two co-advisors, with a third committee member to be added at a later date), is due to the Graduate Office six “business weeks” after passing the Field Oral Examination. The “business weeks” do not include the Winter Recess, so a student passing the exam four weeks before Winter Recess begins, for example, would have another two weeks after the start of classes in the Spring Term to complete the prospectus.

The prospectus is neither a draft chapter nor a detailed road-map of the next two years work but a sketch, no longer than seven to ten pages, of the topic upon which the student plans to write. It gives a preliminary account of the argument, structure, and scope of the intended treatment of the topic. The overview will be followed by a bibliography.

The prospectus is written in consultation with the dissertation advisors, who will meet with students at least once in the spring of the third year to discuss the prospectus and to draw up a timetable for the writing of the dissertation.

In planning a timetable, students need to bear in mind (1) that two draft chapters of the dissertation must be completed by the middle of their fifth year, if they are to be eligible to apply for completion fellowships in their sixth year, and (2) that students generally enter the job market in the fall of their sixth year, with at least two final chapters and a third draft chapter completed. They should also remember that term-time fellowships and traveling fellowships may be available to them in the fifth year, but that these require applications which are due as early as December or January of the fourth year.  Note: The timetable described above can be accelerated if a student so wishes and is in the position to do so.

Article Submission and Professional Writing Workshop

Students are required to submit an article to a scholarly journal by the end of their 5th year (acceptance is not required). Failure to do so would result in the loss of good standing. This is encouraged for all students, but is a requirement beginning with the incoming class of 2015-16. In conjunction with this new requirement, the department has established a professional writing workshop open to English department students only. Attendance will not be required but expected of students in residence. Students will be expected to take the course at some time before the beginning of the 6th year, and ordinarily in the spring of their 5th year. The course will be graded Sat/Unsat.

Dissertation Advising

Students should assemble a group of faculty members to supervise the dissertation. Several supervisory arrangements are possible: students may work with a committee of three faculty members who share nearly equal responsibility for advising, or with a committee consisting of a principal faculty advisor and a second and third reader. In the first scenario, one of the three faculty members will be asked to serve as a nominal chair of the committee; in the second scenario, the principal advisor serves as chair. If the scope of the project requires it, students should consult the DGS about including a faculty advisor from a department other than English or from another university.

The advising mode chosen will be indicated to the department when the prospectus is submitted. Regardless of the structure of advising, three faculty readers are required to certify the completed dissertation. If it is deemed useful, chapter meetings between the student and the entire committee may be arranged in consultation with the chair.

The Dissertation

After the dissertation prospectus has been approved, candidates work with their dissertation directors or their dissertation committee. All of the designated advisors must approve the final work.

The doctoral dissertation is expected to be an original and substantial work of scholarship or criticism, excellent in form and content. The department accepts dissertations on a great variety of topics involving a broad range of approaches to literature. It sets no specific page limits, preferring to give students and directors as much freedom as possible.

Dissertation Defense

The Dissertation Defense will be a necessary part of receiving the PhD, though it will not be a pass/fail examination. The defense is required for all students who entered the program in 2007 or after.

The form of the defense is as follows:

• Each student’s defense will be a separate event
• In addition to the student and the advisors, the participants typically include any interested faculty and any interested graduate students
• The Graduate Office will announce the upcoming defense to all members of the department, unless otherwise specified by the student
• The event will start with a 15–20 minute presentation by the student and last at most 90 minutes
• If a student has left Cambridge and cannot return easily for this purpose, the defense may be held remotely

Arrangements will be overseen by the Graduate Office but conducted by the student (as with the Fields examination); students will be required to send an email to the Director of Graduate Studies and to the Graduate Program Administrator, with a copy to their advisors, indicating the day, time, and location of the defense.

The meeting for a November, March, or May degree must take place any time after advisors have signed off on the dissertation (by signing the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate) and, in the case of the May degree, at least a week before Commencement. In practice, however, the student will need to defend after advisors have signed off and before advisors disperse. That period will normally be between 1–14 May, and most probably in the early days of May. It is up to the student to coordinate the arrangements.

Students begin teaching in their third year*. Ordinarily they teach discussion sections in courses and in the department’s program of tutorials for undergraduate honors majors.

Preparation for a teaching career is a required part of students’ training, and Teaching Fellows benefit from the supervision and guidance of department members.

Teaching fellows are required to take English 350, the Teaching Colloquium, in their first year of teaching. In addition, they are encouraged to avail themselves of the facilities at the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.

*English graduate students wishing to teach in their 2nd year must have 1) passed Generals, 2) completed all required course work by the end of their first year OR must have previous comparable teaching experience, and 3) received written authorization from the Director of Graduate Studies and the GSAS Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid.

Doctoral Conferences "Colloquia"

The Department of English’s  Doctoral Conferences (commonly referred to as “Colloquia”) bring together students and faculty from Harvard and other institutions to discuss current research in literature. Colloquia meet regularly throughout the academic year, and all Harvard graduate students and faculty should feel free to attend any of them, regardless of primary field(s) of interest.

Careers and Placement Seminar

As students near the end of their dissertation writing, they may take a seminar preparing them to seek academic and other employment. Students learn about the job application process, develop cover letters and CVs, and practice presenting their work in interviews and job talks, all in a rigorous and supportive environment. Students should leave the seminar with strong materials for the job market, confident identities as the expert scholars and teachers they have become, and clear articulations of how they will contribute to literary studies in the years ahead. The seminar supplements and formalizes the extensive informal placement advising offered in the department.

Graduate Student Progress Timeline

This document  provides a year-by-year breakdown of requirements for satisfactory progress in our program.

• Guidelines for Admission
• Teaching Fellows
• Fellowships
• Graduate Prizes
• Resources for Grad Students
• English PhD Alumni Network & Placement Information

Department of English

Graduate Program Overview

Ph.D. Program in English at Princeton

The aim of the Princeton graduate program in English is to produce well-trained and field-transforming scholars, insightful and imaginative critics, and effective and creative teachers. The Ph.D. program is both rigorous and supportive. With two years of coursework and three years of research and teaching, all fully funded, it is possible to complete the degree in five years. We offer multiple funding opportunities for research fellowships in year six, should students need additional time for dissertation completion and for the academic job market, or for pursuing other career opportunities.

Princeton is a research institution with strengths across the disciplines, but it maintains a feeling of intimacy. In keeping with the goals of the University at large, the Department of English seeks to cultivate and sustain a  diverse , cosmopolitan, and lively intellectual community. Because this is a residential university, whose traditions emphasize teaching as well as research, the faculty is easily accessible to students and committed to their progress.

The  faculty  of the Department of English is notable for its world-renowned scholarly reputation, and commitment to teaching and close collaboration with colleagues and students. The faculty showcases wide-ranging interdisciplinary interests as well as a diverse range of critical approaches within the discipline. In addition to offering seminars in every major historical field of concentration, from medieval to contemporary literatures, we offer a wide range of theoretical specializations in fields such as feminist theory, gender and sexuality studies, psychoanalysis, Marxism, postcolonialism, environmental studies, political and social theory, and cultural studies. Students may also take courses in cognate departments such as comparative literature, classics, philosophy, linguistics, history, and art history.

Course of Study

The graduate program in English is a five-year program (with multiple opportunities for funding in year six) leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Students may not enroll for a Master of Arts degree. During the first two years, students prepare for the General Examination through work in seminars, and directed or independent reading. The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted the writing of a dissertation, and to teaching in undergraduate courses. Through numerous funding opportunities, we are able to offer sixth-year students generous research support.

Although programs are flexible, during the first two years graduate students normally take an average of three courses per semester, to complete the required 12 courses by the end of the second year. The comprehensive General Examination is then taken at the beginning of the third year of study.

Students must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages before the completion of the General Examination.

Course Requirements

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of twelve courses over their first two years in the program, usually enrolling in three courses per semester.

Our distribution requirements are designed to acquaint each student with a diverse range of historical periods and thematic and methodological concerns. The Department values both historical expertise and theoretical inquiry, and assumes that our discipline includes the study of film, visual culture, and media studies.

Graduate Students in English must take courses in each of the following six areas:

• Medieval and Renaissance
• 18th Century and 19th Century
• Modern and Contemporary
• Race, Ethnicity, and Postcoloniality
• Gender and Sexuality

All distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The six-course distribution requirement comprises 50% of the courses required for the degree, leaving sufficient room for intensive coursework in areas of specialization. 

While some graduate seminars may cover more than one field, students may not use one course to fulfill two or more distribution requirements at the same time. For example, a medieval course with a substantial commitment to theory may fulfill either the medieval and Renaissance or the theory requirements.

Each entering student is assigned a faculty advisor who works with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in planning course selection in the first and second years. After successfully submitting and presenting the dissertation proposal during the spring of the third year, students choose three faculty members to serve as their dissertation advisers.

Graduate Action Committee (GAC)

The Graduate Action Committee (GAC) is a representative group of graduate students in the Department that advocates for graduate student with faculty and administration. Among its primary goals are representing the concerns of the entire graduate student body, promoting intellectual and social interaction between faculty and graduate students, organizing an annual speaker series of distinguished academics, and improving the quality of graduate student life at Princeton. Every graduate student in the Department is welcome and encouraged to participate in GAC.

Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI)

The Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI) is a four- or five-person elected group of students who meet at several points during the academic year with the chair, director of graduate studies, and one additional faculty member to represent graduate student concerns.

In addition to participating in a variety of seminars and colloquia organized by the Department and other units at the University, graduate students are welcome to organize colloquia of their own. These may involve the discussion of an article or problem, the presentation of a paper, or a forum for debate.

Graduate students who have passed the General Examination are required to teach in undergraduate courses. While the minimum Department requirement is four hours, most students teach more than this. Students may conduct sections of large lecture courses, or direct precepts in upper-division courses. This teaching is supervised by experienced members of the faculty. The Department and University also offer, on an annual basis, a teacher training seminar and workshop. Advanced graduate students may co-design and co-teach courses with faculty through the  Collaborative Teaching Initiative . 

Library Collections

In addition to the general collections of Princeton’s libraries, Firestone Library has a number of special collections that are particularly rich in materials for study: one of the most important collections of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the United States; works of the Restoration Period, with emphasis on drama; the theater collection, which contains materials for the study of theatrical history; extensive collections concerning the history and literature of the middle Atlantic and southern states; little poetry magazines; concrete and visual poetry; the Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American Illustrated books, 1670–1870; the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian Novelists; the J. Harlin O’Connell Collection of the 1890's and the Gallatin Collection of Aubrey Beardsley; and the archives of major American publishing houses. The extensive Miriam Y. Holden Collection of Books on the History of Women is located adjacent to the Department’s literature collection in the Scribner Room.

Job Placement

We offer strong support and deep resources for students pursuing careers inside and outside academia. Our Job Placement and Career Resources page provides details, as well as information and statistics about recent academic appointments.

Admission  and Financial Aid

Competition for admission to the program is keen. About ten new students from a wide range of backgrounds are enrolled each year. The Department looks for candidates of outstanding ability and intellectual promise who have the potential to be lively, effective, and sympathetic scholars and teachers. Its judgments are based on letters of recommendation, transcripts, a personal statement, and a sample of the candidate’s academic writing. GRE scores are not required. Facility in foreign languages is also taken into account. To access the online application, please visit the  Graduate Admission Office .

All admitted students are fully funded. Fellowships are awarded by the Graduate School on the Department’s recommendation. Students are also eligible to apply for competitive external and internal fellowships, such as those offered by the Graduate School, the Center for Human Values, and the Center for the Study of Religion.

English Department

The Department offices, lecture halls, and seminar rooms are located in McCosh Hall. There are two libraries in McCosh Hall: the Thorp Library, home to the Bain-Swiggett Library of Contemporary Poetry, and the Hinds Library, the Department’s reading room and lounge. There is also a separate English Graduate Reading Room in Firestone Library, where reserve books for graduate seminars are kept on the shelves. It is adjacent to the Scribner Room, the Department's large non-circulating collection of books and journals.

The Graduate School provides University housing for about 65 percent of the graduate student body. New students have first priority. Although housing in the Princeton area is expensive, many graduate students find convenient and attractive private housing, sharing accommodations or investigating neighboring towns. There are also opportunities for graduate students to apply for resident positions in the undergraduate colleges.

Visiting Princeton

Applicants for admission are welcome to visit the campus at any time, and  tours  of the campus are available. Once the formal admissions period is over by the end of February, admitted students will be invited to campus and will have the opportunity to visit seminars, and meet with faculty and current graduate students.

The PhD program in English prepares students for a range of scholarly careers in English through a combination of literary studies with writing and rhetoric. In literary studies, we emphasize American literature, Transatlantic and Caribbean literature, Early Modern literature, and the study of gender and sexuality.

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In writing and rhetoric, we emphasize teaching and assessing writing, community engagement, diversity and identity, and empirical research methodologies. We also have exceptional offerings in the digital humanities, including digital archiving, network analysis, digital editing and encoding, geospatial analysis, and text mining.

Students in the PhD program in English undertake a program of study designed to train them to be productive scholars, teachers, and leaders in their chosen fields. In coursework, students read and analyze the important texts, current issues, and critical methodologies of the discipline. Drawing on the breadth of this preparation, students demonstrate their ability to recognize and produce scholarly arguments in designing the three comprehensive field papers in areas of scholarly interest and competence corresponding to recognized and emerging fields of study. Finally, the dissertation provides an opportunity for designing a focused research project in consultation with a dissertation advisor.

Throughout the program, faculty work closely with doctoral students to develop their scholarly and professional identities in preparation for careers in academia. As students complete their studies, the department offers strong support for the academic job search, including workshops on stages from dissertation writing to the job market itself, individual advising, mock interviews, and a departmental dossier service.

Learn more about this PhD program in English from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities .

• All doctoral students receive full five- or six-year teaching fellowship funding
• Opportunities for involvement in research and teaching in centers including the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks; the Writing Center; the Digital Scholarship Group; and the Humanities Center as well as with individual faculty
• The department focuses particularly on the fields of American Literature; Transatlantic and Caribbean Studies; Digital Humanities; and Writing and Rhetoric

We have a high rate of placement for students conducting both local and national job searches. Our graduates have obtained tenure-track positions at four-year colleges and universities across the country and abroad, including: Columbia College (Chicago); the Florida Institute of Technology; Frankiln Pierce University; McKendree University; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; Middle Tennessee State University; the National Technical University, Norway; Oberlin College; Park University (Missouri); Providence College; Sterling College; Rhode Island College; Wesleyan College (Georgia); and the University of Puerto Rico. Other full-time placements include positions in departments of English and in writing programs at the American University of Dubai; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of Southern California; and Wheelock College (Boston). Tenure-track placements at two-year colleges include Bristol CC, Queensborough CC, and Quincy College.

Application Materials

Application.

• Application fee – US $100
• Personal statement
• Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
• English proficiency for international applicants
• Three letters of recommendation
• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – Optional
• Writing sample

Admissions deadline for Fall term: December 1

• Program Website

Request Information for PhD in English

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PhD and MA Graduate Admissions

Our application deadline is December 15th at 11:59 pm. Due to our application portal's technical specifications, the system may allow submission of applications after that deadline. No applications submitted after the December 15th deadline will be reviewed.

Application Procedures

Applicants to all graduate degree programs should apply online through  ApplyWeb . We do not accept paper applications.

For both the terminal M.A. and Ph.D. programs,  the application portal opens on  October 2nd  and closes on  December 15th  of each year. There is a short grace period after December 15th in which we will still accept letters of recommendation and official test scores. The Graduate Coordinator will follow up with you after December 15th if you are missing any of these elements and will provide a need-by date. Please note that the grace period is meant to allow recommenders to be a little late without negatively affecting your application, and should not be considered an alternate due date. Applicants should provide the December 15th due date to their recommenders. Applicants are ultimately responsible for ensuring that we receive their letters of recommendation.

Applications for submatriculation  are accepted until February 10th  of each year.   Students interested in submatriculating should be in touch with the Undergraduate Chair, the Graduate Chair, and their College contact (assigned and listed in Path@Penn ) before or during the application process. Each of these contacts provide important information about the submatriculation process.

We only accept full-time students for the M.A. and Ph.D. program , and do not offer part-time options for either program. All applicants are applying to begin in the fall semester of the following year. We do not accept applications for spring admission.

The application fee is $90 , payable via credit or debit card at the time of submission. 

NOTE: Application fee waivers are managed entirely by the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences, and individual departments do not have the power to grant them. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants should send a brief letter to Patricia Rea, Associate Director for Admissions, at  [email protected] , stating the reason for the request. This letter should be sent no later than  December 1st . Please be advised that the applicant must demonstrate a clear and compelling case of financial hardship.

Technical isues with ApplyWeb should be addressed to Technical Support ( [email protected] ).

Elements of the Application

In addition to your application form, which you will complete via ApplyWeb, we ask that you attach the following supporting documents to your application.

A personal statement.*  In the personal statement, all M.A. and Ph.D. applications within the Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences should address the following: Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have overcome adversity and/or experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study, please feel free to share how that has affected the course of your education. We are interested in your lived experiences and how your particular perspective might contribute to the inclusive and dynamic learning community that Penn values and strives to create. In the English Graduate Group, we ask that you discuss in this same personal statement your particular interest in our program, including why it is a good fit for your goals in graduate school. Your personal statement should not exceed 1200 words.

A critical writing sample.*  This should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages long and should reflect your writing abilities and most up-to-date critical thinking.  The writing sample must match one of your field interests or concentrations.  We strongly prefer a single, 20-page paper over two shorter papers that add up to 20 pages.

Three letters of recommendation.  These should be written by professors who know your work and can attest to your academic ability. Personal and other non-academic recommendation letters are strongly discouraged. Applicants should use the ApplyWeb system to submit letters. Applicants will submit the names, titles, and contact information of their recommenders, who will receive an emailed invitation to submit a letter on the applicant's behalf. If you or your recommenders have issues with this system, please email Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ) for troubleshooting.  Please do not submit more than four recommendation letters. 

Electronic versions of your academic transcripts.  These do not have to be official transcripts, but can either be a pdf downloaded from your student portal or a scanned copy of a paper transcript.  If accepted, you will need to provide a final, official paper copy of your transcript before you matriculate.

• Proof of English Proficiency.  Applicants with citizenship or permanent resident status in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand are not required to provide this, and their applications will automatically waive the requirement. Citizens of other countries may satisfy this requirement by either  1 ) submitting proof of having graduated from an institution where English was the primary language of instruction to Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator (in most cases, your transcripts will suffice), or  2 ) submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores . Our TOEFL code is 2986.  IELTS scores must be sent via mail to University of Pennsylvania, Department of English, 3340 Walnut Street, Rm 127, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Attn: Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator. The University of Pennsylvania only accepts hard copies of IELTS scores. Questions about individual cases should be directed to Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ).

*  For both your  personal statement  and  critical writing sample , please include  1 primary field of interest  and up to  2 additional fields of interest  at the top of the first page, or in the page's header. Your primary field of interest should match your selection of concentration on the ApplyWeb application form. Please choose from the following list:

• Medieval Literature
• Early Modern/Renaissance Literature
• Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature  (includes Restoration, Eighteenth Century, Early Romanticism, British Empire Studies)
• Nineteenth-Century British Literature  (includes Later Romanticism, Victorianism, British Empire Studies)
• Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century British Literature  (includes British Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary, British Empire Studies)
• American Literature through the Nineteenth Century
• Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century American Literature  (includes American Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary)
• American Studies/Ethnic Studies  (Asian American, Latino/a, Native American, Critical Race Studies, Transnational Americas)
• African American and Afro-diaspora Literature
• Contemporary Poetry & Poetics
• Postcolonial Studies  (Global South: South Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, East Asia)
• Film, Television, and New Media
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• Material Texts and Digital Humanities

Example: a student interested in the 18th-century British Novel, colonial discourse, and feminism would include at the top of their personal statement, “Primary: 18th-Century British Literature, Additional: British Empire Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies”

Example: a student interested in studying Latino/a literature, Latin American Literature, and Film would include at the top of their personal statement, "Primary: American/Ethnic Studies; Additional: Postcolonial-Latin America and Film, Television, and New Media." 

For International Applicants & Admittees

NOTE TO APPLICANTS FROM THE UK: we encourage UK applicants to apply for a Thouron Fellowship. The Thouron is a 1-2 year fellowship that pays for a Masters degree. Fellows who are admitted to our Ph.D. program may then continue with fellowship support from Penn. Note that the Thouron deadline is in November. Information and application materials are available on the Thouron.org website .

International Students admitted into the program should apply for their Social Security number as soon as possible so that they don't experience a delay in receiving their stipend.

Questions about the admission process? See our  Frequently Asked Questions  or contact Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator ( [email protected] ).

College of Social Sciences & Humanities

The Master of Arts in English launches students into the study of literature, writing, and rhetoric at the graduate level. The program offers two years of intensive study in the major fields of British and American literature, covering the debates and approaches that animate the discipline of English. Our MA graduates are fully prepared to proceed to study at the doctoral level, and their training in critical thinking, language skills, and cultural history has also proven to be fruitful preparation for a range of careers outside of academia.

The Master of Arts program gives students broad exposure to the current state of literary studies—its history, its methodologies, its ever-changing canon, and its production of new knowledge. The program offers study in all areas of English and American literature, and in rhetorical criticism, the teaching of writing, and the role of rhetorical practices in shaping disciplinary, institutional, and cultural knowledges and identities. The graduate program in English encompasses a spectrum of traditional literary fields from the medieval period to postmodernism, as well as rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and digital humanities. Research and teaching in interdisciplinary areas, including American studies, African-American studies, gender studies, and cultural studies, are also well represented within the program. At Northeastern University, graduate students in English may take full advantage of the opportunities that the greater Boston area affords as the site of rich cultural and educational resources.

Learn more about the Master of Arts in English from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities .

More Details

Unique features.

• Master’s students may be nominated for scholarships
• Opportunities for involvement in cutting-edge research in centers including the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks; the Writing Center; the Digital Scholarship Group; and the Humanities Center as well as with individual faculty
• The department has strong graduate faculty in the fields of American literature; transatlantic and Caribbean studies; digital humanities; writing and rhetoric

Graduates of our MA program are able to:

• Employ primary and secondary materials to analyze critical debates within subfields of English studies
• Demonstrate expertise in the history, theories, and methods of three chosen subfields of English studies pertinent to the student’s plan of research and teaching
• Formulate and defend original and critically significant arguments, communicating them effectively in genres relevant to English studies (e.g., research papers, conference presentations, digital projects)
• Design and conduct sustained, sophisticated, independent research using primary and secondary sources in order to make a critical contribution to subfields within English studies

Career Outlook

Many successful MA English graduates have been accepted to well-regarded PhD programs throughout the country, including Cornell, Loyola University Chicago, Notre Dame, Princeton, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York at Buffalo, the University of California-Davis, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Minnesota, and the University of Washington. Others have found the program valuable for enhancing their credentials and opening opportunities for advancement in a variety of fields, including teaching, publishing, writing, law, and business.

Looking for something different?

A graduate degree or certificate from Northeastern—a top-ranked university—can accelerate your career through rigorous academic coursework and hands-on professional experience in the area of your interest. Apply now—and take your career to the next level.

Program Costs

Finance Your Education We offer a variety of resources, including scholarships and assistantships.

How to Apply Learn more about the application process and requirements.

Requirements

• Application
• Application fee
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• The Foreign Credential Evaluation (FCE) is a required assessment of all transcripts and documents from non-U.S. accredited post-secondary education institutions. (Review the FCE requirements by country.)
• English proficiency for international applicants
• Writing sample

Are You an International Student? Find out what additional documents are required to apply.

Admissions Details Learn more about the College of Social Sciences and Humanities admissions process, policies, and required materials.

Admissions Dates

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Our Faculty

Northeastern University faculty represents a broad cross-section of professional practices and fields, including finance, education, biomedical science, management, and the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside you to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.

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By enrolling in Northeastern, you’ll be connected to students at our 13 campuses, as well as 300,000-plus alumni and more than 3,500 employer partners around the world. Our global university system provides you with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally and serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.

Below is a look at where our Humanities & Social Sciences alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.

Where They Work

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• City of Boston
• Liberty Mutual Insurance
• Fidelity Investments
• State Street

What They Do

• Business Development
• Community and Social Services
• Media and Communication

What They're Skilled At

• Public Speaking
• Social Media

Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on  Linkedin .

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MA/PhD in English Language and Literature

Program Overview

Our MA/PhD in English Language and Literature is an integrated program that allows students to earn an MA on the way to the PhD. We do not admit students for a terminal MA degree. The program receives over 250 applications of admission each year and typically enrolls an entering class of 10-14 students, all of whom receive funding.   

The MA/PhD program offers two tracks: one in Literature and Culture, the other in Language and Rhetoric. Within each track, students will develop individualized programs of study in close consultation with faculty mentors. Intellectually, there is substantial connection between work in these areas of the department: faculty teaching in the Language and Rhetoric track are certainly thinking about matters of culture, just as faculty teaching in Literature and Culture clearly attend to the nature and politics of language. Students in either track can and do take courses in the other.

However, these two tracks offer distinct forms of professional training and accreditation: students in the Literature and Culture track are trained to conduct research and to teach in literary and cultural studies (e.g., in fields such as Victorian literature, ecocritism, or contemporary speculative fiction). Students in the Language and Rhetoric track are trained to conduct research and to teach in areas broadly related to language-in-use (e.g., in fields such as composition studies, rhetoric, history of English, applied linguistics, literacy, and writing pedagogy). Their research might study practices in the composition classroom or might address topics in discourse analysis, language policy, and translingualism. On completion of the PhD, Literature and Culture students are qualified to apply for jobs teaching in their area of literary or cultural study; students in Language and Rhetoric are qualified to apply for jobs in rhetoric and composition studies, applied linguistics, or writing program administration. When applying to the program, applicants must choose between these two tracks and may not apply to both simultaneously.

Department faculty work across a range of historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, 19 th , 20 th , and 21 st centuries) and methodological frameworks with a focus on the study of discourse, literacy, textuality, genre (including speculative fiction and SF), gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, postcoloniality, indigeneity, disability, environment, media, and public culture. For a fuller snapshot of the work we do, please consult our faculty profiles . 

Application Information

Application materials are due December 1. (If December 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the deadline is the following Monday.)  Offers of admission are usually made by mid-March.  

• How to Apply
• Application Checklist

For frequently asked questions, please see our  MA/PhD FAQ  page. 

Funding Opportunities

We offer a funding package to all admitted MA/PhD students. The funding package includes a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a monthly stipend during the academic year through an Academic Student Employee position. In general, duties include teaching one English class, assisting in a large lecture and leading quiz sections, or assisting in program administration.

PhD students also have opportunities to compete for fellowships and scholarships offered through the Department of English.

• Check out our other Funding Opportunities

MA/PhD Degree Requirements

MA/PhD degree requirements can be found here: PhD Degree Requirements .

Students who enter our PhD program without a related master’s degree will be required to complete an MA in the first two years. More information can be found here:  MA/PhD Degree Requirements: Master's Degree .

Placement & Alumni

A recent survey of our graduates from 2008-2018 showed the following employment rates:

• 43% in tenure-track positions
• 43% in other academic positions (not tenure-track)
• 8% in professional careers

Dissertation abstracts from recent graduates can be found here: Graduate Research .

Check out our  PhD Alumni Spotlight page where recent alumni have shared their current job placements, highlights from their time at UW, and advice for current and prospective students. 

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English

Graduate education.

UConn English is a vibrant, supportive, and diverse intellectual community where graduate students develop as writers, thinkers, scholars, and teachers.

Our department offers MA and PhD programs in English . Students in these programs engage with traditional and cutting-edge fields to study the full range of English literature written across the globe. Click on the buttons below to learn more.

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Our Community

UConn English graduate students are part of a welcoming, collaborative community with a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion . They are active participants in UConn’s graduate employee union and work together through the English Graduate Student Association to enhance the graduate student experience in the Department of English.

Our graduate professors are passionate educators, engaged mentors, and highly-respected scholars in their fields. Students have direct access to faculty through courses, seminars, and research. They also gain hands-on experience in teaching and public engagement. As a result, UConn English alumni flourish in positions in academia, administration, and the nonprofit and private sectors.

Areas of Interest

​​UConn English graduate students specialize in historical periods and fields from Medieval to twenty-first century literature, from multiethnic literature to poetics to children’s literature. Their work engages in a range of methodologies, including those drawn from postcolonial theory, adaptation studies, disability studies, anti-racism, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

Our students also engage in specialty communities, such as the Creative Writing Program ; connect their research to their pedagogy through upper-level teaching; and complete graduate certificates in areas like Digital Humanities and Media Studies, American Studies, Human Rights, College Instruction, and Literary Translation.

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Campus and facilities.

The UConn English graduate program is housed in the Austin Building on the dynamic main campus in Storrs, nestled among the lovely hills of northeastern Connecticut. We are half an hour from Hartford, just over an hour from New Haven, Boston, and Providence, and about two hours from New York City.

Members of our community therefore benefit from the high quality of life that comes with living in an affordable suburban area located among several of America’s greatest cities. Graduate students also enjoy the proximity of archives such as the American Antiquarian Society, the Beinecke Library, the New York Public Library, the Pierpont Morgan Library, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. On the Storrs campus, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the Homer Babbidge Library has strengths in human rights, children’s literature (including the Maurice Sendak papers), alternative press publications, and fine press and artist’s books.

Faculty and Research

The Department of English is home to more than 50 full-time graduate faculty members , whose books, articles, scholarly reputations, and engaged teaching help make UConn one of the top public research institutions in the nation.

English faculty approach their work as archivists and cultural studies scholars, as literary theorists and creative writers, using methodologies from areas as diverse as disability studies, gender and sexuality studies, postcolonial theory, and childhood studies. We pride ourselves on our coverage of nearly all major specialty areas .

Funding and Teaching

Full-time students in all three UConn English graduate programs receive tuition waivers, a living stipend, and access to university health insurance. This funding is supported by guaranteed teaching assistantships, through which our graduate students gain valuable classroom experience in our innovative First-Year Writing Program, which is dedicated to writing across technology, collaborative learning, and small class sizes.

MA/Ph.D. and Ph.D. students are also guaranteed one semester in which they teach two courses that speak to their professional interests, such as genre courses, literature surveys, major author courses, advanced writing courses, or courses focused on a literary period or theoretical approach. Our department values and strives to support our graduate students as teachers as well as scholars.

Learn more about graduate student funding.

Awards and Contests

The Department of English supports a range of annual awards and writing contests that recognize students for outstanding achievements in creative writing and teaching.

Learn more about English awards, contests, and scholarships.

Career Development

Our program is distinctive in its support of graduate students as they meet the demands of an increasingly competitive job market.

In their first semester, all MA and MA/Ph.D. students enroll in a three-credit course on pedagogical theory, a one-credit teaching practicum, and a one-credit exploration of graduate study. MA/Ph.D. and Ph.D. students also take a three-credit seminar on professional development, in which they explore research activities such as academic publishing, conferencing, and grant writing while learning about classroom strategies and careers open to Ph.D. alumni.

Students also receive one-on-one support from a member of our Job Market Committee as they develop materials from cover letters and CVs to diversity statements and teaching philosophies. This support has helped our students earn positions in academic settings and beyond across the country.

View recent placements of our graduate alumni.

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MA/PhD Program

Ohio State's PhD Program in English trains students in advanced research, writing and teaching skills in a number of areas in English studies. With over 60 faculty members and 90 graduate students, our program hosts one of the largest, most vibrant intellectual communities in English studies in the country. While engaged in their advanced study, our graduate students make significant contributions to the department’s intellectual community: they teach courses, participate in department-sponsored scholarly activities and present their research in publications and at internationally-recognized conferences. Our program has trained noted scholars specializing in a range of areas in English, including rhetoric and composition, narrative theory, folklore, U.S. ethnic and postcolonial literature and all historical periods of English literature — from the Anglo-Saxon era to present day.  We have also trained a number of students who have gone into a variety of non-academic careers, including in nonprofit administration, software development and corporate training and strategy.

The Ohio State University's MA/PhD program in English welcomes applications from students who have earned a bachelors or masters degree and who wish to specialize in any of the many fields in English studies that the Department of English covers.

Click here for application information .

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

All students pursuing their PhD in English must complete the following major components of our MA/PhD program. The accordions below provide information about how students may fulfill each of these components. For an overview of the program, please see the representative timelines below that show roughly when in a graduate student’s career they can expect to pass each milestone. 

Each student must take a minimum total of 36 credit hours to earn an MA in English on the way to the PhD. Students who enter the program with a BA typically earn the MA at the end of their second year. Specific course requirements include the following:

• English 6700.01: Introduction to Graduate Study in English (three credits)
• A course in critical theory (three credits)
• Two courses to fulfill the breadth requirement (six credits)
• English 6781: Introduction to the Teaching of First-Year English (three credits)
• English 8903: Teaching College English (three credits, repeatable)
• English 6998: Research in English: Portfolio Preparation (variable credit hours)

A note about letter grade and S/U class numbers

When you register for courses on  Buckeye Link , you will find that each course has been decimalized and has a ".01" and ".02" number.  The ".01" number is to be used to register for the graded section of the course, and the ".02" number is to be used for the S/U section of the course. The decimalized versions are available so that students can choose whether to take the course for a grade or S/U designation. For example, there are two listings for English 6746: Introduction to Graduate Study in British Literature of the Romantic Period. English 6746.01 is the graded section and English 6746.02 is the S/U section, but the course meets on the same day(s) and at the same time(s).

Critical theory requirement

Students must take at least one course in critical theory (three credits); this course must be taken for a letter grade. The critical theory requirement can be fulfilled through the following courses:  English 6760.01: Introduction to Postcolonial Literature and Theory English 6761.01: Introduction to Narrative and Narrative Theory English 7861.01: Studies in Narrative and Narrative Theory English 7891.01: Seminar in Disability Studies Theory Additional courses in English or other departments can be petitioned to count.

Breadth requirement

Each student must complete two courses to add breadth to the student’s program (six credits total). These courses must be taken for a letter grade and conform to the following guidelines:

• Students concentrating on literature or theory after 1800: Two courses in pre-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, etc.
• Students concentrating on literature or theory before 1800: Two courses in post-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, film, etc.
• Students concentrating in non-literary fields: Two courses to add breadth as determined in consultation with the faculty advisor and the director of Graduate Studies

Graduate workshop requirement

In addition to their regular coursework, MA/PhD students must complete two graduate workshops by the end of their fourth year in the program (preferably before candidacy).

The graduate workshops provide opportunities to enrich the department's formal graduate curriculum by regularly bringing in scholars from other institutions to discuss their recently-published and current work with students and faculty. Typically, the department is able to offer three to five workshops per academic year, which rotate among fields. Each workshop is organized by a faculty coordinator, and students enroll by signing up with the Graduate Studies office.  

The visiting speaker participates in two events: a public lecture or other kind of formal presentation, open to all members of the department and university community; and a closed session with graduate students who have enrolled in the workshop. For the smaller workshop, the visiting speaker assigns a text or group of texts for discussion (their own work or some other work relevant to the speaker's current interests). Students read the assigned texts on their own and submit short position papers to the faculty coordinator. The completion of these short essays, in combination with student participation, determine whether a student receives a grade of "S" (satisfactory) or "U" (unsatisfactory) for the workshop.

S/U grading guidelines

Individual faculty set the specific guidelines for S/U versions of graduate courses. The typical expectation for a grade of "S" (satisfactory), however, is that students complete readings, contribute meaningfully to class discussion and satisfactorily complete readings-related assignments that enrich discussion (e.g., writing brief reading responses, posting comments to Carmen discussions and/or leading in-class discussions on readings). Students taking a graduate course for S/U credit will typically not be expected to write longer papers or to complete and present on independent research projects.

Independent study

Graduate Independent Study courses require the approval of the director of Graduate Studies. Students interested in pursuing an independent study should consult with the appropriate faculty member at least a semester in advance. The faculty member should then prepare a one-page request that briefly outlines 1) the rationale for the independent study (e.g., why the student is unable to pursue similar work in regularly-scheduled courses) and 2) the syllabus for the independent study (e.g., list of readings, schedule of meetings, specific assignments or projects to be completed).

Students who enter with an MA from another program or another institution will typically transfer 30 hours, which means they will typically need to earn a minimum of an additional 56 credit hours for the PhD. Specific course requirements include the following:

• English 6700: Introduction to Graduate Study in English (three credits)     
• Critical theory requirement (three credits)
• Breadth requirement #1 (three credits)
• Breadth requirement #2 (three credits)
• English 8996: Research in English: Candidacy Exam (variable credit hours)
• English 8999: Research in English: Dissertation (variable credit hours)

Each student must complete two courses to add breadth to the student’s program (six credits total). These courses must be taken for a letter grade and conform to the following guidelines:

• Students concentrating on literature or theory after 1800: Two courses in pre-1800 literature, rhetoric, folklore, etc.

Students may fulfill this requirement through coursework completed at their MA institution.

The graduate workshops provide opportunities to enrich the department's formal graduate curriculum by regularly bringing in scholars from other institutions to discuss their recently-published and current work with students and faculty. Typically, the department is able to offer three to five workshops per academic year, which rotate among fields. Each workshop is organized by a faculty coordinator, and students enroll by signing up with the graduate studies office.  

Graduate Independent Study courses require the approval of the director of Graduate Studies. Students interested in pursuing an independent study should consult with the appropriate faculty member at least a semester in advance. The faculty member should then prepare a one-page request that briefly outlines 1) the rationale for the independent study (e.g., why the student is unable to pursue similar work in regularly scheduled courses) and 2) the syllabus for the independent study (e.g., list of readings, schedule of meetings, specific assignments or projects to be completed).

English 8903 is a teaching internship with a faculty member, which students must complete before they can be assigned to teach any of the 2000-level literature, language or folklore courses. English 7881.02: Teaching Basic Writing, 7881.03: Teaching of College Composition in English as a Second Language and 7881.04: Teaching Business and Professional Communication may be substituted for English 8903 by students whose teaching interests include basic writing, English as a Second Language (ESL) and/or business and professional writing. However, English 8903 will be a prerequisite for teaching the relevant 2000-level courses (just as the English 7881 series is now a prerequisite for teaching the specialized writing courses).

English 8903 carries one to three credit hours. The course may be repeated. In order to coordinate their teaching interests with scheduled courses, students planning on taking English 8903 should also consult the undergraduate course offerings and faculty teaching them.

Faculty and students will have considerable flexibility in constructing the day-to-day details of the apprenticeship, but a typical pattern would look something like this:

• Student and professor agree to do English 8903 in an upcoming semester.
• When the book order requests are distributed, the professor and student meet to discuss which books they will use and why. 
• At some point before the course starts, the professor and student meet to discuss the course syllabus. They consider such matters as the objectives of the course and how best to design the schedule of readings, the students' writing assignments and the classroom atmosphere so that those objectives can be met.
• Before each class, the professor and student meet to talk about the session's goals and the pedagogical means they will use to meet them. In addition, they consider how the goals of the upcoming session fit in with the overall goals of the course. (For all class sessions but the first, this meeting might occur an hour or so before walking into the session.)
• Before each writing assignment (including exams), professor and student discuss what they want to achieve and how they might design the assignment to reach those goals.
• The professor must take responsibility for all grades assigned in the course, but the student may assist in grading by reading, commenting and assigning possible grades to a subset of the papers or exams. Since the student is an apprentice and not a TA, however, the point of this work is not to lighten the faculty member's load but rather to provide the occasion for discussion of criteria for different grades, how to address students in commentary and so on. In all cases, the professor must read the papers marked by the apprentice and assign the final grades.
• The student takes primary responsibility for some teaching, in the range of four to six hours of instruction over the course of the semester.
• After the course is over, the professor and student read the student evaluations and discuss them as well as their own assessments of what worked and what didn't.
• The course is graded S/U. The faculty member should also be prepared to write a letter of recommendation for the student's dossier.
• The student writes a report on the apprentice experience, reflecting on how their thinking about pedagogy has been influenced by English 8903.

In general, the idea of the internship is to give the student the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on everything from the design of a course to its day-to-day operations, from its goals and purposes to its grading and evaluation.

Students may work with a professor in any undergraduate course. No more than two students may sign up for English 8903 with the same professor and the same course in any one semester. Students must take English 8903 before they are assigned their own sections of 2000-level courses, but they need to take English 8903 only once as a general preparation for that teaching. In other words, students do not have to take a new English 8903 for every new 2000-level course they teach.

Of course, students will generally gravitate toward courses in their areas and in the areas where they would most like to teach. Below are the usual links between English 8903 experiences and the assignment of undergraduate courses, but graduate students should have considerable leeway in choosing their apprenticeships and those assigning graduate students to 2000-level courses should have some flexibility in making those assignments. For example, English 4520.01 will count for 2200 and 2201; English 4560 for 2260; English 4561 for 2261; English 4550 and English 4551 for 2290.

When students are assigned their own 2000-level class, they will consult with a faculty mentor (ideally the person whose class they observed, but possibly the course director or their advisor) on the preparation of the syllabus and other issues relating to the class. The faculty member will observe the class at least once and write a report for the course director.

Language Proficiency Requirements

Language Proficiency Coordinator: Galey Modan ( [email protected] )

The graduate program in the Department of English requires that students demonstrate current proficiency in a natural language other than English. (Natural languages are all languages, including American Sign Language [ASL], that have evolved naturally among humans through use and repetition; natural languages do not include constructed languages such as Klingon or computer programming languages.) There are multiple reasons that language proficiency is required. These include the following: 


• Extensive and technical familiarity with a language other than English constitutes a powerful way for graduate students to gain an understanding of the distinctive characteristics of English language structure. 
• Proficiency in a language other than English allows students access to primary and secondary texts composed in that language. Graduate students in all areas of English studies with even a modest level of proficiency benefit from this access.
• To fulfill our department’s commitment to diversity, it is vital for students to gain proficiency in languages other than English. To gain a basic understanding of multilingual and non-English-speaking communities requires a familiarity with the languages of those communities.
• As English itself is an increasingly culturally- and geographically-differentiated language, deep familiarity with the languages that English comes into contact with is vital to an understanding of English’s global manifestations.

Doctoral research in some specialties (such as Medieval, Renaissance or U.S. ethnic literatures) may require proficiency in additional languages beyond the one that satisfies the departmental requirement. Students therefore must discuss the language requirement with faculty in their chosen area of specialization as soon as possible.

There is no set list of languages approved for PhD candidates in English. The expectation is that students will choose a language pertinent to their research interests.

Native speakers of languages other than English may use their native languages to fulfill the departmental requirement, unless their area of study requires knowledge of other particular language(s).

For doctoral students, the language requirement(s) should be met by the end of the first year of enrollment beyond the MA and must be met before any part of the candidacy examination may be scheduled.


Students can fulfill the language proficiency requirement in any of the six ways listed below.

Method #1: Multimedia computer-adaptive placement test

Students wishing to fulfill the requirement with Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Italian or Swahili may take a multimedia computer-adaptive placement test administered by the  Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures  (CLLC). These exams test both comprehension and production. To fulfill the language requirement through a placement test, students must do one of the following:

• If the student and their advisor decide that both comprehension and production are necessary for their further research, the student must achieve a score sufficient for placement into a 2000-level language class on both sections.

• If the student and their advisor decide that comprehension alone is suitable, the student must achieve a score sufficient for placement into a 2000-level language class on the comprehension portion of the exam. Please note: Students will need to be in contact with the language proficiency coordinator prior to taking the exam if just a “comprehension” score is necessary, as the exams do not automatically produce a score solely for comprehension. The coordinator will need to confirm with the Center for Languages, Literature and Cultures that the exam is set up correctly for the student. This option involves more paperwork to set up, so the comprehension and production option above is preferred.

Method #2: Department-administered placement test

If the requirement is to be met with a language other than those listed under method #1, students may take a placement test administered by an Ohio State department that teaches the language in question. As with the CLLC option, students must place into a 2000-level class. This is the method of choice for ASL and other signed languages. If the language in question is not taught at Ohio State, the student will meet with the language proficiency coordinator to set up a testing process. (Note: if the language is one tested through the CLLC, that option must be chosen.)

Method #3: Year of university-level language classes

Students may take a year's worth of university-level language classes at Ohio State and get at least a grade of 'B' in both semesters. Students must consult the appropriate language department for course offerings. Since sequences often begin only in the autumn semester, students should be sure to check well ahead of time when the courses will be offered. 

Method #4: Graduate reading course

Students may complete a graduate reading course offered by an Ohio State language program with a grade of 'A' (see below for more information on departments offering reading courses).

Method #5: Translation test

In consultation with the student’s advisor and the language proficiency coordinator, students may take a translation test (typically a translation with the aid of a dictionary) administered by an Ohio State language program, qualified faculty member of the English department or qualified faculty member at another university, as approved by the language proficiency coordinator. Students intending to take a translation exam administered by another department should note that each language department has its own set of deadlines that must be met in order to enroll for the exam. Students should contact the relevant language department during the semester before they intend to take the exam in order to ensure that they do not miss the exam registration date. 


Method #6: Oral proficiency test

Students may take an   oral proficiency test. Students can show proficiency based on the following the criteria:

• Comprehension: The examinee understands the content of an oral text such as a radio or broadcast news story. The content may be on current events or on a topic relevant to a student’s research. The examinee must show ability to 1) summarize a given text in a cohesive and coherent manner without prompting, 2) produce a statement summarizing their own view, and 3) answer follow-up questions in a cohesive and coherent manner. 

• Production: The examinee shows ability to describe the text in a comprehensible way, producing extended, connected discourse in all major time frames (past, present and future). The reference point for ‘comprehension’ is a speaker who does not speak other languages that the examinee is proficient in. Vocabulary may be primarily generic in nature. However, if the examinee must use the language under examination for their scholarly work, they must also show command of relevant vocabulary when dealing with topics of interest. This will be decided in consultation with the student's advisor. Circumlocution and rephrasing are to be expected. Speech must be clear and not lead to confusion. Pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and discourse structure should not be so faulty as to prevent comprehension by a speaker not proficient in the other languages in which the examinee is proficient. Discourse may reflect the information structure of the examinee’s own language/s, rather than that of the target language.

In cases where an examiner cannot be located, students can take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), as administered by Ohio State Testing Center and described  here . The department may pay the fees associated with the OPI upon approval. 

Below you will find information about German, French, Spanish and Italian reading proficiency classes and testing procedures. In the past, these have been the most common choices made by students, and these departments have the most structured systems for assessing proficiency. If another language is more appropriate for your research, see above for assessment procedures. 

Graduate reading courses must be completed with a grade of 'A' in order to satisfy the requirement. 

• German:  The course that satisfies graduate reading proficiency is German 6101. Contact Natascha Miller ( [email protected] ) with questions about coursework prerequisites. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule it in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. Your advisor should select a passage for you to translate and submit it, along with a completed exam scheduling form, as directed on the  exam website . Information about testing dates is usually updated the third or fourth week of the semester; visit the  exam website  to view testing dates and download the exam scheduling form.
• French:  Courses that satisfy graduate reading proficiency include French 6571 and French 6572. Contact Joan Obert ( [email protected] ) with questions about coursework prerequisites. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule it in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. The Department of French and Italian provides a detailed overview of the test, as well as information on exam preparation, evaluation, dates and registration on their  website .
• Spanish:  The Department of Spanish and Portuguese does not offer courses to demonstrate reading proficiency in Spanish. If you would like to take a translation test, you must schedule the reading exam in cooperation with your advisor and the English department’s language proficiency coordinator. The Department of Spanish and Portuguese provides a detailed overview of the test, as well as information on exam preparation, dates and registration on their  website . 
• Italian : The Department of French and Italian does not offer courses to demonstrate reading proficiency in Italian. If you choose to take the reading exam to demonstrate proficiency, you must schedule the reading exam in cooperation with your advisor. The Department of French and Italian provides an overview of the test on their  website . Contact Joan Obert ( [email protected] ) to schedule the exam and to request more detailed information on testing dates and procedures.

Preparing for the Advising Meeting

The advising meeting is a critical step in the process toward the PhD and, for students who enter the program with a BA, it is the formal mechanism for awarding the MA. Typically, the advising meeting will take place at the end of the spring semester of the second year for all students who enter with a BA and at the end of the autumn   semester of the second year for all students who enter with an MA.

The advising meeting will include a faculty committee composed of the student's selected advisor, who serves as chair; a second faculty member chosen from a list of three submitted by the student; and a third member selected by the director of Graduate Studies or their designee. The advising meeting will last for at least one hour but for no longer than two hours. During the meeting, the student and faculty committee will consider the student's plans for completing the PhD as reflected in the Preliminary Program of Study. Students will also answer and ask questions about items included in the portfolio project.

After the advising meeting, the chair of the faculty committee will write a brief report of the meeting for the student's file. In addition to a short summary of the conversation, for students who enter with a BA, this report will include the committee's recommendation to award the MA degree based on satisfactory completion of all MA requirements. For all students, the report should also include recommendations about the composition of the student's committee for the candidacy exam and dissertation.

By week seven of semester of the advising meeting, the student will prepare a portfolio that includes:

• A Preliminary Program of Study.
• A short statement about the student’s pursuit of interests outside the regular curriculum and the major field (e.g., attendance at workshops, lectures, readings and other such activities).
• A research project, which can be a traditional academic essay, a new media composition and so forth, as determined in consultation with the student's faculty advisor.

Typically, the research project will have begun in a course and been subsequently revised with a broader academic audience in mind and with a clear articulation of how its argument and methodologies fit within ongoing conversations in the relevant field or fields. The student should be working toward potential publication of the project, and/or toward its integration into her or his dissertation.

Students who enter the program with an MA may use a project begun in a course in their MA program.

The Preliminary Program of Study consists of three components:

• A description and short rationale for the student’s intended major field and minor field or fields for the candidacy exam. (See description of Final Program of Study for explanation of field areas.)
• A summer reading list of about 15 works related to one or both of these areas.
• A brief discussion of teaching and other GA work, completed and planned.

The Preliminary Program of Study should be designed in consultation with the student's faculty advisor and must be signed by the advisor in preparation for the advising meeting.

Final Program of Study

A copy of the Final Program of Study (POS) and letter of endorsement from the advisor need to be  be submitted electronically to the graduate program coordinator for the Graduate Program Committee's review process. Due dates for the coming year are listed below. AUTUMN 2023 September 11 October 9 November 6 SPRING 2024

January 22 February 12 March 18 April 8

The Final Program of Study has two main purposes: to establish parameters for the candidacy examination and to present a detailed map of the student's path toward earning the PhD. The Final Program of Study must be completed, approved by the student's candidacy examination committee and then approved by the Graduate Studies Program and Policy Committee before the student may schedule their exam. It is important to keep in mind that the POS has multiple audiences: the student's exam chair and exam committee, but also the Graduate Studies Program and Policy Committee, which is made up of faculty who represent the various areas of specialization in the department as a whole. The POS needs to be written so that it is accessible to non-specialists in the student's specific area.  

Components of the POS are listed below.

• The Chair must hold “P” status (this usually means a tenured Associate or Full Professor). This committee will not necessarily be identical to the Dissertation Committee, which typically comprises only three members. 

A brief (500-700 word) description and rationale for the Major Field of study and reading list. This description is for non-experts and should be easily understood by English faculty outside your area. Your goal is not simply to identify a field but to demonstrate your ability to articulate your understanding of the field, its boundaries, and its internal dynamics to non-experts. In preparing your POS, you may find it useful to consult a number of sources to learn more about the main issues, scholarly trends, and important texts that define your major and minor fields.  These sources can include the following:

• Anthologies of primary and secondary works in your field.
• Scholarly companions and handbooks, such as the Cambridge Companions to various areas of literature, the Oxford Handbook series, or the Oxford Bibliographies series.
• Syllabi from graduate or undergraduate courses you have taken or from courses in your field at other institutions that may be accessible online.
• Special issues of major journals in your field that are focused on important or emerging trends.
• Conference calls for papers, which often identify major topics in your field.

Your most important guides for putting together your POS, of course, will be members of your committee; you should work with each committee member as you determine the texts on your lists and your explanation of your fields in your rationales.

The description of the Major Field should aim to accomplish most of the following goals: 

• Your Major Field should be broadly rather than narrowly conceived. Typically, the Major Field will be an academic job category.   
• You should describe what you see as the important scholarly and/or critical questions in the field. What have been the issues, debates, questions, topics around which scholarship (books, essays, conferences) have been organized? How are these questions different or similar than earlier scholarly concerns?   
• It can be very useful to provide a brief history or overview of the field of study. In doing so, you can mention the defining works that have shaped scholarship in the field. If you have not included such work on your own reading list, you should explain why you have not done so. You should also describe shifts in methods, theoretical approaches, and canon that are crucial to the history of the field--again by making explicit reference to important scholarly work.   
• You should define the parameters of your field--whether these parameters are chronological, generic or conceptual. For more established major fields (eg. Victorian Literature or Classical Rhetoric), you may have less to explain but you should still articulate the rationale that guides your understanding of the field and your own choices of reading. For fields that are less established and/or do not follow more conventional assignations, it will be more important for you to articulate your rationale for defining the field and its parameters, methods and canon. Recognizing that your reading lists cannot be comprehensive, explain the primary basis on which you made the selections you did.   
• You may briefly mention how your reading list prepares you to teach courses in the major field of study and potentially other adjacent fields.  
• Separately and secondarily to your field descriptions (items B, C and D), you should write a few sentences suggesting where you think your own focus within the broader field will lie and point to particular choices in your reading lists that are relevant to this possible scholarly focus. 

The reading list should consist of between 75 and 85 works (primary and secondary) and should provide both coverage of the broad field as well as work that is crucial to your own specific interests within the larger field. 

The Graduate Studies Committee recommends that you include the entirety of the works you choose. Whenever possible, avoid fragments or edited selections, particularly from primary texts.

The reading list cannot include works of criticism authored by any member of your examination committee. 

A brief (500-700 word) description and rationale for the Minor Field or Fields of study and reading list. The Minor Field can be a supplement to the Major Field (eg. another academic job category); or it can partially overlap with the Major Field; or it can be a body of theory that is broader than the Major Field.  If you choose, you can select two Minor Fields. 

The description of the Minor Field(s) should accomplish the following goals:

• You should provide a description of what you see as the important scholarly and/or critical questions in the Minor Field(s). What have been the issues, debates, questions, topics around which scholarship (books, essays, conferences) have been organized? How are these questions different or similar than earlier scholarly concerns?   
• You should define the parameters of your Minor Field(s), whether these parameters are chronological, generic or conceptual. You should still articulate the rationale that guided your own choices of reading. Recognizing that your reading list cannot be comprehensive, explain the basis on which you made the selections you did.   
• Explain the relationship between your Major and Minor Fields. Have you selected your Minor Field because it complements your Major Field, and if so how? Have you chosen your Minor Field because it will provide training in a specialty relevant to your dissertation work, and if so how? Have you chosen it because it gives you pedagogical breadth? 

The reading list should consist of between 40 and 45 works (primary and secondary). For two Minor Fields, the lists should consist of between 22 and 25 works for each. 

The reading list cannot include works of criticism authored by any member of your examination committee.

• A draft of the Dissertation Prospectus must be submitted one week before the student begins the written portion of the Candidacy Exam. 
• A concise list of completed coursework for the MA/PhD organized by date of completion, including grades received. Please provide a one-sentence description of Independent Study projects. 
• A concise statement of teaching experience , including previous courses taught, plans for taking English 8903, and plans for future teaching in the department. 
• A concise timeline for your progress towards graduation. The timeline should be organized by year and semester, and it should indicate the projected dates for the completion of all PhD requirements, including coursework, language requirement, English 8903(s), Graduate Workshops, Candidacy Exam, Dissertation Prospectus, dissertation research and writing, submission of potential publications and/or fellowship applications, and the academic or nonacademic job-application process. 

The Final Program of Study must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee with a letter of endorsement from the student’s Chair for the Candidacy Exam Committee. The letter of endorsement should confirm that the student has worked with the entire committee to establish their Major and Minor Fields and the associated reading lists, as well as to confirm that the entire Committee has approved the POS. The letter should supplement the student’s own justification for the selections for their Major and Minor Fields as well as the choices they have made for their reading lists.

Candidacy Exam Information

Candidacy exam.

The candidacy examination must be taken no later than two semesters after the completion of required coursework. Students must register for English 8996 with the chair of the exam committee while preparing for the candidacy exam.

The candidacy exam consists of a take-home written portion and a two-hour oral portion. The Application for Candidacy must be filed with the Graduate School at least two weeks before the oral examination. The application can be filled out on the Graduate School's  forms webpage . The written portion is a three-day take-home exam, with an upper limit of no more than 5,000 words total. Failure to adhere to the word limit constitutes failure of the entire candidacy examination. No notes of any kind are permitted (i.e., no footnotes or endnotes), but in their answers to the exam questions, students should cite relevant primary and secondary works from their reading lists and use parenthetical citations.

• Written exam:  The written portion of the candidacy exam should address two questions, one of which is dedicated to the student's major field and one of which is dedicated to the student's minor field or fields. The questions are written by the student's exam chair in consultation with the other members of their committee. The questions are given to the student only at the time the written exam is administered. The written exam must be taken over a seventy-two hour period; it can be sent via email or picked up by 4 p.m. on the first day and turned in to the committee and the English Graduate Studies office via email by 4 p.m. on the last day of that period. Students may opt to start the exam on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday so that it is due in the English Graduate Studies office, respectively, the following Thursday, Friday or Monday. The student's answers should be prefaced by a copy of the questions set by the committee. 
• Oral exam:  The oral portion of the exam must follow no sooner than one week but within two weeks (i.e., 7-14 days) after the written portion is completed and turned in. The written exam should be regarded as the beginning of a discussion that will be continued during the oral exam. Prior to the oral, the student should meet with the candidacy exam chair to clarify expectations for the oral exam; at this meeting, it is expected that the chair will ask a few sample questions to assist the student with their preparations. The oral exam lasts two hours, and it covers both the candidate's major field and minor field or fields. The chair of the committee should ensure that at least 60 minutes are devoted to the major field. The final 30 minutes of the exam can include a discussion of the draft dissertation prospectus.

Candidacy Exam Format

Candidacy exams can be held  on-campus ,  remotely  or  in a hybrid form . Students and faculty can choose the format that works best for the examinee and their committee.  There is no need to file a petition for remote or hybrid exams.

The Candidacy Examination Committee consists of four faculty members, chaired by a member of the graduate faculty who holds "P" status (typically, a tenured associate or full professor). The student selects the members of her or his committee in consultation with the chair. The committee must include faculty representation for both the major field and the minor field or fields. Typically, this will mean two faculty members representing the major field and two faculty members representing the minor field, or two faculty members representing the major field and one faculty member representing the first minor field and one faculty member representing the second minor field. Only in unusual circumstances should a faculty member represent both the major and a minor field for the purposes of the candidacy exam. The committee meets with the student prior to the exam to discuss the reading lists for the major and minor fields.

Students are responsible for distributing the following materials to all members of the Committee at least one week before the written exam:

• The draft Dissertation Prospectus.

Students are responsible for distributing the following materials to all members of the Committee at least one week before the oral exam :

• The Final Program of Study
• The written exam; the student's answers should be prefaced by a copy of the questions set by the committee. 
• The student's Major Field and Minor Field or Fields reading lists (if updated from the POS)
• The official description of the Candidacy Exam; please refer faculty to the information on this page (optional).

Failure of the candidacy examination occurs if the committee considers either of the following to be the case:

• The written and/or oral portions of the exam indicated that the candidate is not ready to proceed to a dissertation, owing to insufficient knowledge of the field, 
• The candidate is insufficiently focused on a dissertation project, which makes it unlikely that they will be able to submit an approved prospectus within two months. In case of failure, the committee can specify the nature of a repeat examination, but it, too, must contain a written and an oral portion. A second failure means dismissal from the PhD program (see Graduate School Handbook).

A successful pass must be a unanimous decision of the committee. The chair of the committee is required to submit a written report on the candidacy examination to the director of Graduate Studies. Failure, in whole or in part, may occur if any one member of the committee is not satisfied with the results. In the case of failure, each individual faculty member of the committee may specify areas or material on which a re-examination must take place and so instruct the student. The chair of the committee will then submit a written account of what will be required of the student to repeat the exam. The Graduate School will assign an outside representative for all second examinations.

If a candidate fails to complete the dissertation and final oral examination within five years after the candidacy examination, admission to candidacy is canceled. To be re-admitted to candidacy, the student must take a supplemental candidacy examination. The examination committee is comprised of the advisor and at least three other authorized graduate faculty members, and the examination must include a written and an oral portion that last approximately two hours. A graduate faculty representative is appointed if a prior unsatisfactory examination result is on record. All other rules pertaining to candidacy examination must be followed.  The supplemental examination will typically be tied to the student's dissertation and may consist of the presentation and oral defense of a chapter or a substantial part of a chapter. In short, the purpose of requiring the supplemental examination is not to punish the student but to help move them along to completion of the PhD and to ensure that they have kept up with the current scholarship in the field. On passing the supplemental examination, the student is readmitted to candidacy and must complete the dissertation and final oral examination within two years.

Dissertation

Dissertation prospectus process.

There are three steps in the dissertation prospectus process:

• The student presents a draft of the dissertation prospectus to their candidacy exam committee at least one week prior to the written portion of the exam.
• The student then presents a revised dissertation prospectus to their dissertation committee in a prospectus conference, typically no more than six weeks after the completion of the candidacy exam.
• The final step is for the following to be sent to the director of Graduate Studies and graduate program coordinator, typically no more than two weeks after the prospectus conference:  student : please send a copy of the final version of the dissertation prospectus, and dissertation chair : please send a confirmation that the prospectus has been approved by the dissertation committee. 

Dissertation prospectus content

The Dissertation Prospectus should:

• State the problem that the candidate proposes to solve;
• Explain the significance of the project and its relation to current scholarship in the field;
• Describe the candidate's current knowledge of the subject;
• Indicate the direction the candidate's investigation will take;
• Reflect the candidate's familiarity with relevant bibliographical materials and critical methods.

Students and faculty should keep in mind that the prospectus is a preliminary project, not a mini-dissertation. It is meant to help students move on to the dissertation writing stage of their programs. Typically, the prospectus should be no longer than eight to twelve double-spaced pages, plus a working bibliography.

Dissertation committee

The dissertation committee consists of three faculty members, chaired by a faculty member who holds "P" status (typically, a tenured associate or full professor). This committee is constituted separately from the candidacy exam committee and can include faculty members who did not serve on the examination committee.

Prospectus conference

The prospectus conference is a meeting of the student and all members of their dissertation committee to discuss the revised prospectus and the student's plans for researching and writing the dissertation. The prospectus conference also provides an opportunity for the student and the committee to set guidelines for their working relationship.

Because graduate students pursue a wide range of research and writing projects in the Department of English, there are no department-wide guidelines for the dissertation. Students should work with their advisors and committees to determine the relevant parameters for projects in their specific fields and areas of interest.

Finalizing the dissertation manuscript

All doctoral candidates must submit the final draft of the dissertation electronically; students are no longer required to submit a final paper copy to the Graduate School. However, hard copies of the dissertation are still required for distribution to the student's committee and to the outside representative. For more details about the electronic submission process, including how to delay internet dissemination of the dissertation (strongly recommended) and how to format the dissertation, visit the Graduate School website.

Final approval

Final approval of the dissertation cannot occur until the final oral examination has been passed. Each dissertation committee member must sign the Final Approval Form. This form must be submitted no later than one week before commencement.

Students should be aware that the deadlines imposed by the Graduate School do not always allow enough time for their committees to evaluate their work.  Most committees will need to have a complete draft of the dissertation at least two or more months before all formal requirements are met, so that sufficient time for revision will be assured. A student who does not present a draft of the dissertation until the semester of anticipated graduation may encounter obstacles and delays. No faculty member is obliged to sign the Draft Approval Form until they are satisfied that the work is ready for scrutiny at the final oral examination.

General Information

This two-hour examination is held after the dissertation committee has approved the dissertation by signing the Draft Approval Form, available from the Graduate School. The Draft Approval Form must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than two weeks before the date of the final oral examination. At the time the student submits the Draft Approval Form, they must also present a hard copy of the approved dissertation draft to both the Graduate School (for the purposes of format check) and the dissertation committee members.

The oral examination deals intensively with the candidate's field of specialization and need not be confined exclusively to the dissertation defense. A successful examination is one that is awarded a "pass" by the entire examining committee, including the outside representative, who is appointed by the Graduate School. This representative must receive a hard copy of the approved dissertation draft at least one week in advance of the examination.

Final Oral Exam Format

Final oral exams can be held  on-campus ,  remotely  or  in a hybrid form . Students and faculty can choose the format that works best for the examinee and their committee.  There is no need to file a petition for remote or hybrid exams.

Time limits for candidacy

If a candidate fails to complete the dissertation and final oral examination within five years after the candidacy examination, admission to candidacy is canceled. To be re-admitted to candidacy the student must take a supplementary candidacy examination. This supplementary examination will typically be tied to the student's dissertation and may consist of the presentation and oral defense of a chapter or a substantial part of a chapter. In short, the purpose of requiring the supplemental candidacy examination is not to punish the student but to help move them along to completion of the PhD and to ensure that they have kept up with the current scholarship in the field. On passing the supplementary candidacy examination, the student is re-admitted to candidacy and must complete the dissertation and final oral examination within two years.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The Department of English makes every attempt possible to provide funding to students who are admitted to the MA/PhD program. The number of years of funding is based on whether the student is admitted with a bachelor’s or master’s degree.  Funding is renewed on a yearly basis as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.

• Graduate Teaching Associateships : Departmental funding is most often in the form of a Graduate Teaching Associateship, for which the student receives a stipend of at least $21,280 for the nine-month academic year. The University subsidizes 100% of the student health insurance premium. The Department of English provides a tuition waiver for all GTAs. Students are responsible for the COTA bus, student activity, Student Union and Recreation Center fees. Students on GTA appointments teach one course per term during the regular academic year.
• Graduate School Fellowships : In addition to the funding provided by the Department of English, the Graduate School's Fellowship Program makes awards on a competitive basis to students who are new to graduate education at Ohio State. The Department of English's admissions committee submits nominations to the Graduate School’s competition, and a selection committee reviewing nominations from across all graduate programs in the university awards the fellowships. Students may not apply directly for fellowship support. Each graduate program has a limited number of students who may be nominated for fellowship consideration. All Graduate School fellowships provide a monthly stipend, academic tuition and fees and a subsidy of 100% of the student health insurance premiums. These fellowships are nonrenewable and may not be deferred.

Application materials

The application form for Autumn 2025 will open on September 1, 2024. Please submit the following items electronically through the  Graduate Admissions Office :

• Application form  and  fee.  
• Three letters of recommendation  (preferably from faculty members): Please have your recommenders submit letters electronically using the link that will be provided when you select this option in the online application.  Please note that your recommenders will receive an email from the university 1-3 days after you submit your application and they should follow the instructions in that email for uploading their letters. Letters that arrive within a week of the application deadline will be accepted.  
• Transcripts or record of marks  for each university-level school attended (transfer credit from another institution appearing on the same transcript is not sufficient): please visit the transcript information available on the Office of Graduate and Professional  Admissions website for more information. Send transcripts to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions; please do not send transcripts to the Department of English. Include English translation of each of any foreign documents. Please do not send transcripts of course work taken at Ohio State as the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions will obtain them directly from the Office of the University Registrar (at no cost to you).  
• Personal statement  (one to two single-spaced pages) that describes your background in English studies and your purpose in pursuing graduate work; this statement should address both your scholarly interests and your interest and/or experience in teaching.  
• Writing sample:  A short essay or portion of a longer work is appropriate. This essay should demonstrate your abilities as a critical reader of a literary or related text, as well as your ability to use current scholarly sources; it is the most important part of the application. Applicants should submit a clean copy of the sample (i.e., not a copy that includes an instructor's comments).  
• Curriculum vitae/resume  of no more than two pages with a clearly stated sentence at the beginning of the CV that declares your scholarly area of interest(s), for example: American literature and queer theory, 18th-century poetry or postcolonial theory and women writers.

Please note : 

As of autumn 2018, the Department of English at Ohio State  no longer requires GRE scores  for applications to its PhD or MFA programs.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

All admissions to the integrated MA/PhD and PhD programs are made for Autumn semester only; the application deadline for students who wish to start the program in Autumn 2025 is December 4, 2024. The Graduate and Professional Admissions office has a slightly earlier deadline for international applications: November 29, 2024. The application for 2025 will open on September 1, 2024.

Students must apply online and submit all materials (Graduate Admissions and Department requirements) electronically through the  Office of Graduate Admissions .  Please note that your recommenders will receive an email from the university 1-3 days after you submit your application and they should follow the instructions in that email for uploading their letters. Letters that arrive within a week of the application deadline will be accepted.

The Graduate Admissions Committee for the Department of English will accept applications to the integrated MA/PhD program from students with a bachelor's degree in English or a minimum of 40 quarter hours (27 semester hours) of English coursework from an accredited college or university. They will also accept applications from students with an MA degree in English from an accredited college or university. Course work in a second language is preferred (20 quarter hours or 15 semester hours) but not required. Students with an MA degree in another field will ordinarily be considered in the same group of students who apply to the program with a bachelor's degree in English. 

International applicants who have completed an English MA in a language other than English will also ordinarily be considered in the same group of students who apply to the program with a bachelor's degree in English. For more information, please visit  International Applicants: Additional Information .

The Graduate School requires that those admitted have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4 (where 4.0=A) and at least a 3.0 on all previous graduate work. Our departmental criteria are higher. Normally, applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.4 overall and 3.6 in English courses (undergraduate or graduate).

PhD program applicants should also understand that the Graduate Admissions Committee decides to admit or reject by looking carefully at each student's record as a whole — at the profile that emerges from the transcripts, the letters of recommendation, the writing sample and the personal statement — rather than by applying a pre-established formula of admissible grades.

By Amanpal Garcha, associate professor and director of Graduate Studies

English admissions process

After receiving applicants’ admission materials, we almost immediately categorize each applicant according their primary areas of research interest. We then send all the applications to the appropriate teaching area groups to allow faculty in those area groups to determine which applicants are best qualified and best suited to study here.

Here’s how that process works. I look at each application; if an applicant declares that they are interested in feminist criticism as well as Renaissance literature, that applicant’s materials goes to our gender studies faculty and our Renaissance faculty. Similarly, if an applicant expresses their intention to study rhetoric, that applicant’s materials go to our rhetoric faculty; and if an applicant wishes to study postcolonial literature, that application goes to our US ethnic and postcolonial group.

By some time in February, the area groups make their final decisions as to their top applicants, and in March, we notify applicants of their admission status and any offers of financial aid.

There are two points I’d like to emphasize that follow from our process: 

• It’s very much to an applicant’s benefit if they can articulate a clear intention to focus in a particular era of literature or on a particular area of English studies.  As the above suggests, we are not really set up to evaluate students who are interested in English generally – our process works to find students who wish to focus their energies on a particular set of literary texts or on a particular approach to literary or cultural study.
• Each area group will be able to admit only a few students – possibly as few as one or two.

Writing the personal statement

The name 'personal statement' is unfortunately a misleading one for the kind of document that applicants should prepare, but as it is term that English departments commonly use, we’ve chosen to keep it. Really, the document is less a 'personal statement' and more a statement of an applicant’s academic and intellectual background and of their academic goals for graduate study. Given what I outlined above about our particular admissions process, it is a document that is often most effective when it lays out an applicant’s intention to study a particular area – and the reasons why the applicant wishes to study that area.

Still, this statement might not be solely focused on the applicant’s research intentions. Our faculty will want to know some of the courses applicants took as undergraduate or graduate students and how those courses helped the applicant develop a good background for study in English. They may also wish to know what non-academic experiences helped develop applicants’ intentions to do research. Finally, they will be interested in any major research work applicants have already completed, whether that work took the form of a thesis, a presentation or a substantial essay for a course.

Often, personal statements end with applicants’ articulation of what they would like to study in graduate school, some of the research methods they might use and the reasons why Ohio State is an appropriate place for them to do their work.

Selecting a writing sample

As our guidelines state, we require a 10-20 page paper as a writing sample. There are several reasons why we require a writing sample. The most important reason has to do with the degree requirements for our graduate program: because almost all of our graduate classes ask students to complete long research papers and because the ultimate requirement for the PhD — the dissertation — is a long-term writing project, we need to be sure that our students already possess the ability to write an academic paper that is clear, rigorous, well researched and original. There are other reasons, too: almost all of our students will be teaching academic writing, so we wish to ensure they have a good writing skills, for instance.

Again, because applications are assessed by the area groups, it’s to an applicant’s advantage that they submit a writing sample that is fairly closely associated with the area of study on which they wish to focus. The topic of the writing sample does not have to be an exact match: an applicant in rhetoric, for instance, might gain admittance if they submit an essay about a film — but almost certainly, the essay would have to use rhetorical analysis in interpreting the film. A Renaissance applicant who submits an essay on medieval literature might be successful — but a Renaissance applicant who submits an essay on twentieth-century American literature might have a harder time.

Because each area group can only select a few applicants for admission, they are usually very rigorous in their assessments of writing samples. Generally, a successful writing sample shows that the applicant can use recent (or fairly recent) critical essays in the field to support and refine their argument and shows that the applicant can persuasively advance an original thesis.

For questions that can't be answered by the information above, the English Graduate Studies Office can be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone (614-292-7919).

The Department of English at the University of Chicago has played an important role in the transformation of literary studies over the past half-century. Our faculty and students have participated centrally in the rethinking and reshaping of the discipline. Our intellectual work continues that effort, creating a rigorous and exciting intellectual environment for our students.

The PhD program prepares students for independent work as teachers, scholars, and critics by developing their abilities to pose and investigate problems in the advanced study of literatures in English. The program consists of four major components: coursework, teaching, fields exams, and the dissertation. Together, these elements introduce students to a wide variety of textual modes, critical methodologies, and historical/cultural questions; provide extensive practice in research, discussion, argument, and writing; and develop pedagogical skills.

The Joint PhD Program in Theater & Performance Studies (TAPS) allows students to complement their doctoral studies in English with academic and artistic work in Theater & Performance Studies.

TAPS graduate program website

Year One Coursework

All students in the first year of the program take six courses for letter grades, as well the PhD Colloquium, which is designed to introduce theoretical and practical questions posed by the student of literature.

Year Two Coursework

In the second year of the program, students who entered the program with an MA in English take at least two courses for letter grades. Students who entered the program without a previous MA take six courses. All students enroll in the Research Paper Proseminar (ENGL 52000) in the Spring of year 2, which counts as one of their required courses for the year.

Foreign Language Requirement:

By the end of their second year in the program, students must meet the Department's foreign language requirement.

Year Three Coursework

All third year students complete the department's pedagogy course, Teaching Undergraduate English. Students also begin to fulfill their fellowship teaching obligations during this year, typically by serving as a course assistant in the department. By the end of year three, students complete their oral fields examinations and form their dissertation committee.

In year four, students work to complete their dissertation proposal. Students should meet regularly with members of their dissertation committee, as well as enroll in the Dissertation Proposal Proseminar(typically taught over the Fall and Winter quarters), which is designed to help students compose a strong proposal. Students also gain additional teaching experience during this year, usually as course assistants in the department and potentially as interns or tutors with the writing program. In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must have completed all coursework, including substantial paper requirements, the PhD Colloquium, the Research Paper Proseminar, and Teaching Undergraduate English; have completed their foreign language requirement; have passed their oral fields exam; and have submitted an approved dissertation proposal to the Department.

In their fifth year, students continue to work on the dissertation, and to meet regularly with their committee members. (Students must hold annual advisory meetings with their full committee to discuss timelines and progress towards the dissertation defense.) Fifth year students should enroll in the Advanced Writing for Publication Proseminar(offered in Winter or Spring), which is designed to help students prepare an article for publication. In year 5, students also have the opportunity to teach a standalone undergraduate course, work for the writing program, and sometimes mentor English undergraduates writing BA theses.

Teaching Opportunities

Year Six and beyond

Students continue to hold annual advisory meetings with their committee as they progress toward completion of the dissertation. (Students must complete one approved chapter per year in order to make satisfactory progress. However, it is expected that most students will complete and receive committee approval for two or more chapters per year.) Beginning in year 6, students should take part in the Job Seekers Proseminar, which is designed to help prepare students to seek full-time professional employment, and to support them as they do so.

More information can be found in our Graduate Student Handbook .

Common Searches

• Master of Arts in English
• English Department
• Graduate Programs

To enter the graduate program in English a candidate must satisfy the requirements both of the  Graduate School  and the Department of English. A candidate should have a bachelor’s degree, with at least 18 hours in English above the freshmen level. Normally, only students with a grade point average of 3.0 in undergraduate English courses and an overall undergraduate average of 2.75 will be considered. Though the English department welcomes scores from the Graduate Record Aptitude Exam and letters of recommendation, it does not require either of these. (Students applying for Teaching Assistantships, please see "Financial Aid and Teaching Assistantships.")

The Graduate Admissions Office can provide information about admission. Apply online for admission . Contact them at (314) 516-5458 or [email protected] .

Applications to the MA in English are considered at all times . However, because spaces in graduate courses are limited, it is strongly advised that prospective students submit their applications well before the semester begins in order to gain admission into their appropriate classes (typically July 1 for the Fall Semester, December 1 for the Spring, and May 1 for the Summer).

About the MA Degree

Students in the MA in English must complete 30 hours, at least 18 hours of which must be in 5000-level Courses. Twelve hours may be taken in 4000-level courses approved by the department and Graduate School. As they move through the program, students are encouraged to explore the wide range of classes that the English Department offers: classes in literature, creative writing, rhetoric, critical theory, pedagogy, and film. The MA is designed to allow students to find a path through the program that meets their interests and needs.

Note that the program description in the University Bulletin is out of date and will soon be changed.

Vibrant Lives, Vibrant Writing

This course pairs literary biographies with the biographical subject’s best work.

“Great art is really just great personhood in compressed form—a distillation of a human being that thrums with that being’s exact flavor.” –George Saunders

Today a life of writing means a life of solitary work and steady living. But in past generations, there were writers who led vibrant, adventurous, tumultuous lives. French writer Collette stretched the boundaries of what a private life could contain with her varied intimate relationships and provocative writing. So did English poet, preacher, essayist, adventurer John Donne. Zora Neale Huston befriended luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance and did important anthropologic field work. James Tiptree Jr. (aka Alice Sheldon) led a truly remarkable (and secret) life as a child adventurer, later becoming a CIA agent, an experimental psychologist, and an acclaimed 1970’s science fiction writer. We will begin the semester by reading a study of essayist Michel de Montaigne, who obsessed over a single question: How to live? We’ll view much of what we read during the semester through that lens. How to live? How is personhood related to the creation of great literature? What can these highly distinctive writers, via their vibrant lives and vibrant writing, reveal to us about how to live in the 21st century?

The New Normal: Introduction to Disability Studies

Disability is surrounded by stigma and myth, which often leads to many problematic assumptions, ignorance, and invisibility. The COVID-19 pandemic has further circulated these assumptions. Whether it be in the shrugging off of COVID-related deaths or debates about masking, discussions about disabled lives in the COVID-era too often frame them as less worthy, less full, or even as necessary “sacrifices” for the non-disabled to return to “normal.”

This course challenges “normal” and interrogates widespread ableist ideologies and actions. One powerful way to re-think disability is through Disability Studies, an interdisciplinary field and stance in which scholars and activists approach disability as a meaningful, positive, generative identity and an issue of social justice and human rights.

This course offers students an understanding of disability as a complex and crucial part of the world and human experience. You will approach disability as a matter of identity, language, writing, power, education, politics, history, art, and more. More specifically, you will read critical disability studies theory, literary works, personal narratives, and histories; create accessible projects; engage in scholarly and/or community-based research and creative work; and candidly grapple with assumptions about disability. Through this difficult but meaningful study, you will assess the value and effect of different ways of thinking about disability and understand the core concepts of disability studies and its emergence as a field, imagining a future where disability is complexly but proudly named and claimed and increasingly centered in intersectional work toward justice.

Studies in Drama: Unmodern Shakespeare

During the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, scholars, critics, and theatergoers – even those who loved Shakespeare – became embarrassed by how ignorant and out-of-date his plays seemed. His language was “scarce intelligible” to modern ears; the humor, when it was not downright crude and indecent, was terribly silly and backward. Even the great tragedies came in for criticism: Macbeth was the product of an unlearned, superstitious age, and Hamlet was deemed “savage...grotesque, and barbaric” by Voltaire (1694-1778). What happened next was possibly the most extraordinary reversal of fortunes in literary history: Shakespeare became Modern. Dubbed “our contemporary” by 20th-century critic Jan Kott, he was now considered to be “ahead of his time.” Most incredibly, his works were “the very beginning” of ourselves and indispensable to understanding modern culture. It was even said that he “invented the human.” It is this “Modern Shakespeare” – the Shakespeare we were all taught in Junior High and High School to admire and relate to, the Bard who is supposed to teach us about ourselves – that this course seeks to demolish. We’ll explore the commonplace modern views of his greatest plays, including Hamlet , Macbeth , A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Much Ado about Nothing , and Romeo & Juliet , before viewing them afresh in their UN-modern culture and context.

Studies in Gender & Literature: Imagined (Im)Possibilities—Intersectionality in Literature

Intersectionality: Is it an impossible fantasy or a possible future? Does it present a viable path forward for acknowledging and addressing the realities of individuals and societies, or does it merely muddy the waters until everyone is angry at everyone else and nothing gets resolved? This course seeks to investigate (although by no means answer) these and other questions about intersectionality, especially as it pertains to gender and sexuality. Over the course of the semester, we will work to establish a set of frameworks for examining gender and sexuality, then test those frameworks on a range of intersectional modalities present in literary works spanning multiple centuries and genres, from Jane Austen and Zora Neale Hurston to Justin Torres and China Miéville. We will strive to take an unflinching look at the limitations and potential of intersectional approaches to the human condition and consider what literature can offer as both cynical critique and catalyst for change.

Horror and Rhetoric

Horror is a popular but historically marginalized genre, often creating space for writers and artists to explore difficult questions, political agendas, personal struggles, inquiries about race, disability, queer bodies, identity, history, and more. Because of this creative latitude, horror artists often employ the agency to make visible the often mysterious and terrifying parts of what makes us human. While critics of horror are typically too

distracted by blood and gore to notice the radical potential of the genre, scary stories remind us, often bluntly, that the abject is always present, just under the surface of our skin and within the hidden places of our minds. Once these feelings are externalized through the art of horror, making sense of and perhaps even coping with these fears becomes not just possible, but actively pursuable.

The primary goal of this course is to explore a single question: What makes a story scary? On its surface, that might seem like a simple question, but the rhetorical elements of horror, and its construction and production, help us connect and see our own humanity reflected back to us (or, in the case of a monster, a lack thereof). Through a study of various horror subgenres (e.g. slasher, psychological, isolation horror, eco horror, zombie, comedic horror, true crime, giallo, and more), we will examine how writers and filmmakers create their horrific moments, particularly within social, political, and economic contexts. More nuanced explorations within the genre will involve poverty, grief, xenophobia/marginalized populations, relationships, mental and physical health, and more.

Transfer Credit

Subject to the approval of the Graduate Committee of the English Department and the Graduate Dean, a student may transfer a maximum of twelve hours of graduate course work from other universities. This may include credit earned prior to or subsequent to enrollment at UMSL. Petitions should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director, who will convey the Committee's recommendations to the Graduate Dean for final action. The University does not accept graduate credit for courses from institutes unless the institutes were conducted by UMSL. A candidate working toward an UMSL degree must confer with the Graduate Program Director before enrolling in any course offered by another institution for which graduate credit is anticipated.

Inter-University Graduate Exchange Program

Under the Inter-University Graduate Exchange Program offered by UMSL, Washington University, and Saint Louis University, a student working towards the Master of Arts in English degree at UMSL may take up to 6 hours of graduate credit at Washington University or at Saint Louis University. Credit hours and grade points obtained through the program are automatically counted toward the UMSL degree, and tuition fees are assessed at the UMSL rate. To register for a course offered through the Exchange Program, a student must secure the permission of the off-campus instructor and the Graduate Program Director, and submit the requisite form, which must be obtained in person from the Registrar.

Independent Reading

English 5970, Independent Reading, is primarily designed to allow a Master's candidate to do intensive work in an area of study that has not been or is not likely to become the subject of a regular course or seminar during the student's time in the program. A student who desires to undertake independent study must justify the project to the prospective supervising professor and to the Graduate Program Director. Normally permission to take English 5970 will be granted only once in a student's course of study, and only after the student has completed at least 15 hours of graduate work in English. Moreover, the course may not be used to satisfy program distribution requirements.

Any graduate student who desires to pursue a course of independent reading must confer with the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to work prior to the start of the term in which such a course of study is contemplated. Once the instructor's consent has been received and a schedule of work established, the student should obtain a copy of the Independent Reading Petition from the Graduate Program Director. This form requires a description of the project and the signature of the supervising Graduate Faculty member. It must then be submitted to the Program Director for endorsement; the Program Director will then issue a consent number for the appropriate section of English 5970.

Before registering for the first semester of course work, students should contact the Graduate Program Director to plan a course of study. Thereafter, students will consult with the Director, who serves as adviser to all Master of Arts in English candidates, during each registration period and as the need for advising arises.

Course Load

The minimum course load for a full-time graduate student is nine hours for a regular semester and five hours for the summer term. Graduate students holding departmental assistantships may register for a maximum of nine hours each semester. To register for an overload, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and obtain the written permission of the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Dean. Forms for requesting permission to register for an overload may be obtained from the Program Director. Such permission will be given only in exceptional circumstances.

Delayed Grades

A graduate student is expected to complete all course assignments by the end of the term in which a course is taken. On occasion, a student may request a delayed grade, but it is left to the discretion of the instructor whether or not to grant the delay. The Graduate School stipulates that delayed grades must be removed within two regular semesters after the time recorded or they automatically become failing grades. However, the English Department encourages the expeditious removal of such grades. Multiple delayed grades may affect the number of courses a student is permitted to enroll for in subsequent semesters and may also lead to academic probation.

Grade Requirement

To receive the Master of Arts in English degree, a student must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better at the completion of course work. If at any time a student's GPA should fall below 3.0, the student may be placed on probation by the Graduate School. (Any student with a GPA below 2.0 will be dismissed from the Graduate School.) At the end of each semester, the Graduate Committee will review the work of each student who is on probation or on restricted status. Students failing to make reasonable progress will be dismissed from the Master of Arts in English program. Reviews of the work of all students in the program will be made at least once a year.

Time Limitation

Graduate School rules state that students must complete all degree requirements within six years after initial enrollment. Students not registering for two consecutive semesters must reapply for admission to the program unless they have been granted an authorized leave of absence by the Graduate Dean.

The major source of financial aid for the Master of Arts in English candidates is departmental assistantships.

Teaching Assistants receive a stipend each semester, along with 100% remission of their tuition, and pay in-state fees. During their first term, Teaching Assistants tutor in the Writing Center, serve as apprentice teachers in English1100: First-Year Writing, and participate in other professional development activities; they typically teach two sections of English 1100 in the following terms. Assistants can expect to work approximately 20 hours per week.

Positions are renewable for up to six semesters, contingent on satisfactory performance. Some Summer teaching opportunities, which carry tuition remission and a per-course stipend, have traditionally been available.

Applications for admission to the MA program must be submitted prior to applications for Teaching Assistantships. Required materials for Assistantships include:

• A completed G-2 form  
• Two letters of recommendation
• A critical writing sample
• A  teaching statement

All materials, including materials from recommenders, should be sent to Dr. Chris Schott , Chair of the English Graduate Committee.

Assistantships are usually awarded in early April, and Assistants normally begin their appointments in the Fall term. The Graduate School requires that TAs enroll in at least six hours each term. Assistantships provide six semesters of funding, so students will want to plan their degree path and course loads appropriately to ensure finishing their degree in a timely fashion.

Teaching Assistants are required to take English 5890, Teaching College Writing, typically during their first semester in the program.

Each Spring, the Master of Arts in English Prize Essay will be selected by a departmental committee from among those papers submitted to it by Graduate Faculty during the preceding academic year. The author may revise the paper prior to submission. All papers must be received by the Department Chair by February 1; the award will be presented to the winner at a departmental colloquium in the Spring.

Connect with UMSL English Department

Application Opening and Closing Dates for Autumn 202 5

Applications to the MA/PhD and PhD open on 1 September 2024. The closing date is December 2, 2024.  A NOTE ON THIS DUE DATE : This application due date is real and is a completion due date. Applications and all required documents received after the due date will not be considered. Applications and all required documents must be uploaded to our online application system. We do not accept any mailed materials.

• Minimum 3.0 or B grade point average over the two most recent years of study (90 quarter or 60 semester credits) guarantees consideration. However, average GPAs for the students we have admitted have been higher. See recent applicant statistics below on this page.
• Ph.D. applicants must show proof of completion of a master’s degree prior to starting the program, though it is common for those applying to the Ph.D. program to be working on their thesis in the year during which they apply.
• M.A./Ph.D. applicants must show proof of completion of a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree prior to starting the program, though it is common for applicants to be in their senior year of college when they apply to the M.A./Ph.D. program.
• Full-time status is required for all funded students, but domestic U.S. residents who do not receive assistantships can enroll half-time (please note this is exceedingly rare).
• Applicants who are not native speakers of English must provide  evidence of English language proficiency  (see  Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements ) and  evidence of spoken English proficiency  (see  Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English ).
• Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States meet both requirements (Note: A master’s or doctoral degree does not satisfy this requirement). Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution must have a minimum total score of 92 and speaking score of 26 if using the TOEFL, and a minimum total score of 7.0 and speaking score of 7.0 if using the IELTS. If proof is not provided that these minimums are met as of December 1, the applicant will not be considered.

Submit the following materials online:

• Graduate School online application . The Graduate School requires all applicants to use the web application (if you are truly unable to use the web application, e-mail [email protected] ).
• Application fee . The application fee must be received and recorded by Graduate Admissions prior to the application deadline. You must pay the fee online using a MasterCard or Visa card (both credit and debit cards are accepted) or a TeleCheck (an online “check” taken from your existing checking account). If eligible for and requesting an application fee waiver, please note you must submit your application a minimum of 7 days prior to the application deadline, and earlier is recommended. Details on application fee waivers are available here .
• Unofficial transcripts from each institution from which you received a degree of Bachelor or higher within the online application. Official transcripts are not required for the admissions application and should not be mailed. An unofficial transcript could be a scan of an opened official transcript, or a printout of your academic history from your university’s web portal. It must include all classes taken, grades received, and degrees granted.
• Important : It can take up to two weeks after your testing date or report request for UW to receive your scores, so the GRE should be taken/scores requested no later than November 15 to ensure your scores arrive by the December 1 application completion deadline.
• Important : It can take up to two weeks after your testing date or report request for UW to receive your scores, so the TOEFL or IELTS should be taken/scores requested no later than November 15 to ensure your scores arrive by the December 1 application completion deadline.
• Three recommendations . Letters of recommendation from professors are strongly preferred, but if you have been out of school for many years or have another reason for using non-academic references, other professional recommendations are acceptable. These recommendations are completed online and should not be mailed. The online recommendation includes a short questionnaire, ratings assessment, as well as the opportunity to paste or upload a letter. Please designate your recommenders within the online application early to allow enough time for them to submit their online recommendations no later than December 1.
• Describe explicitly why you have chosen to apply to earn an M.A./Ph.D. or Ph.D. in communication, and why specifically at the University of Washington. If there are additional UW departments in which you would like to take courses, feel free to mention them.
• Describe the main ideas and/or veins of theory that interest you as well as the kind of communication phenomena you wish to study.
• State your academic goals so that the admissions committee may determine whether your goals could be met in our department.
• Explain how the expertise of the 2-3 particular Graduate Faculty whom you selected in the Overview Questions section could support scholarly interests you would like to pursue.
• Write this letter honestly and to the best of your ability, because the admissions committee will read it for its substance and as an indicator of your readiness for and fit with this program.
• For Ph.D. applicants : Please provide a sole-authored academic writing sample , roughly 10-30 pages long, that demonstrates your research competence and your ability to produce original scholarship. This might be a thesis chapter, a journal publication, a seminar paper, or something similar. If necessary, edit your paper for length before submitting it with your application. The admissions committee will read your paper to evaluate your writing competence, the clarity of your argument, and the depth of your analysis and insight.
• For M.A./Ph.D. applicants : Please provide a sole-authored academic writing sample , roughly 10-30 pages. This is typically a paper you wrote for a college or university class, but it can also be a thesis chapter, a journal publication, or a seminar paper. The admissions committee will read your paper to evaluate your writing competence, the clarity of your argument, and the depth of your analysis and insight.
• Resume or curriculum vitae . If you don’t have a vitae, don’t worry. A resume will do. If you do have a vitae, use it instead.
• Overview questions. You will be asked about your career goals and research experiences, given the opportunity to explain any transcript anomalies, and asked to specify 2-3 Graduate Faculty by whom you would like to be mentored.
• In one or two pages, please describe how your experiences and/or academic interests could contribute to a diverse community of communication scholars. For example, you might describe interactions you have had with people of cultural or ethnic backgrounds different from your own, or you might write about intellectual exchanges you have had with persons holding different viewpoints. Your essay might also discuss the unique qualities of your own intellectual or cultural background and how these are likely to enhance diversity in any community.

Are you an international applicant? An international applicant is anyone who is not a United States citizen or a Permanent Resident (green card holder). Please go to the following at the Graduate School website for further information for international applicants: Graduate School international applicant information . Undocumented applicants should follow the instructions here for completing the online application.

• Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States meet both requirements (Note: A master’s or doctoral degree does not satisfy this requirement). Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from a US institution must have a minimum total score of 92 and speaking score of 26 if using the TOEFL, and a minimum total score of 7.0 and speaking score of 7.0 if using the IELTS. If proof is not provided that these minimums are met as of December 1, the applicant will not be considered.
• Newly-admitted international students will be required to demonstrate adequate financial support without resorting to unauthorized employment. More information will be sent to applicants who receive an offer of admission. Financial documentation is not necessary at this stage of the application process.
• Full-time status is mandatory for all international students.

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University of Washington

Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Integrated training across fundamental biomedical areas.

GMCB Program Guide

The Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program (GMCB) offers strong interdisciplinary training across a spectrum of fundamental biomedical areas, including classical and molecular genetics; structural & chemical Biology; and cell & developmental biology.

The GMCB program participates fully in the MS in Biomedical Research .

Our faculty of over 100 offer research opportunities applying these fundamentals to a wide range of disease areas, such as cancer, cardiovascular biology, musculoskeletal disorders, and eye disease.

Opportunities to train at different sites

GMCB offers students a unique mix of training sites. Many of our faculty are located on the Health Science Campus of Tufts University in downtown Boston. However, GMCB includes faculty on the Tufts Medford Campus in the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering as well as at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, MA.

Our students also have the opportunity to train at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine through the Mammalian Genetics at JAX track

Students can also train at MaineHealth Research Institute in Scarborough, Maine.

GMCB Admissions

Students seeking admission to the  Genetics, Molecular & Cellular Biology program apply to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Most successful applicants have had significant research experience and completed courses in biology and related sciences in college.

Students interested in the Mammalian Genetics at JAX track must select this track when they apply.

GMCB Curriculum

Our curriculum is grounded in the fundamentals of genetics and molecular biology and cell biology. Students acquire a firm grounding in fundamentals while obtaining the knowledge to attack contemporary biomedical problems in these areas.

Students conduct three laboratory rotations and begin their thesis research by the end of May of their first year.

Students benefit from an interactive faculty, experienced in mentoring and are also advised by a thesis committee expert in their area of research.

Seminar-based Courses

GMCB students enjoy a robust seminar program with speakers from laboratories across the world.

Our students also receive training and mentoring in presenting their research and have opportunities to present their data in beginning in their first year.

Journal clubs supplement the learning experience and help students become familiar with reading the research literature.

Meet Our Students

Our students come from across the US and the world and are pursuing a wide range of thesis projects.

GMCB Students

Student Publications

Publication of research is a key part of training and our students publish their work in excellent journals.

GMCB Student Publications

Program Outcomes

Over 93% of our students complete an advanced degree and go on to pursue a wide range of careers.

GMCB Graduation Stats and Career Outcomes

Contact Information

Phil Hinds , PhD Program Director

Peter Juo , PhD Admissions Director

Curtis Barber Program Coordinator

• Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education
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• Educational Leadership
• Joint Ph.D. Program in Education

Special Education

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M.A. in Special Education

Master of Arts Degree (M.A.) in Various Concentrations

The Master of Arts degree in Special Education provides the professional educator with advanced knowledge and skills in special education. This degree has many requirements in common with the   Education Specialist Clear/Induction Credentials in Special Education   and may be earned concurrently with those credentials. Although the M.A. degree is usually linked to a teaching credential, it is open to individuals with undergraduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines in consultation with the graduate advisor.

Admission requirements for the M.A. include the prerequisite course SPED 527 and at least a 3.0 GPA from credential and undergraduate studies.

Concentrations

The M.A. degree can include concentrations in the following areas:

• Behavior Analysis and Autism
• Early Childhood
• Mild/Moderate Support Needs
• Extensive Support Needs

All programs must be approved by the graduate advisor.

Behavior Analysis and Autism Concentration

Offering in-depth study of issues related to individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This master's degree embeds an approved course sequence for the BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) . The M.A. degree also embeds most of the Clear coursework for the Extensive Support Needs and Early Childhood credentials in California.

Visit Behavior Analysis and Autism Concentration for more information on specific BCBA and coursework requriements for this concentration.

Early Childhood Concentration

Preparing educators and other professionals to work with infant, toddler and preschool-age children with exceptionalities and their families.

Mild to Moderate Support Needs Concentration

Preparing educators and other professionals to work with students with disabilities in grades K-12, and adults up to age 22.

Extensive Support Needs Concentration

Preparing educators and other professionals to work with students with a wide range of disabilities in grades K-12, and adults up to age 22. 

SPED 681A. Advanced Studies in Special Education: Mild/Moderate Support Needs (3 units)

SPED 681B. Advanced Studies in Special Education: Autism, Early Childhood Special Education, and Extensive Support Needs (3 units)

Educational legislation, theories, philosophies, research findings, issues and trends in area of exceptionality. Application of research to solution of educational problems.

Program Plans

Preparation of a project or thesis for the master’s degree.

Single-case research designs focused on interventions with individuals with disabilities.

An intensive study in selected areas of education culminating in a written project. Limited to students following Plan B for the Master of Arts degree in education. 

In general, applicants will be programmed for Plan B, the seminar plan. After the student is approximately halfway through the program, has secured an adviser, and established a thesis plan, permission to transfer to Plan A may be requested. Plan A is designed for students who have a particular research problem they wish to investigate in some detail. Requests for transfer to Plan A must be prepared as an official change in the program for the master’s degree, countersigned by the faculty adviser, and submitted to the Office of Graduate Programs in the College of Education.

Candidates for the Master of Arts degree in education who elect Plan B, must pass the comprehensive examination.

Consult the Graduate advisor about potential credit for other 500-700 level courses you have taken.

Degree Learning Outcomes (DLO)

Apply social justice and equity frameworks to the understanding of special education services and systems that support individuals and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Explore quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and apply relevant methods to design and implement an action research project designed to address impactful questions in the field of special education.

Identify, summarize and synthesize relevant research literature on current practices in special education using a professional writing style.

Demonstrate an understanding and application of evidence-based practices that improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Articulate an intersectional professional identity through written and oral expression that incorporates leadership, and conduct consistent with professional standards, ethical practices, and advocacy.

Curriculum Alignment Matrix

I= Introduced D=Developing M=Mastered

Assessment Plan

Cumulative evaluation of SPED 527 (Four Book reaction papers, Cultural heritage paper & Presentation, Implicit association test (IAT) & reaction, Cumulative final exam)

• Research proposal and final exam in ED690
• Cumulative research project in SPED 795A & B (Plan B) or ED 799A and SPED 685 (Plan A)

Literature review in SPED 681A or B

Cumulative evaluation of SPED 530 ( Research to Practice assignment focused on Evidence-based practices for autistic individuals, which includes literature review, implementation and observation, and reflection of evidence-based practice).

• Comprehensive Exam is taken in 2nd Fall

Yasemin Turan-Qian Ph.D.

School Psychology PhD Program of Study

Doctoral program course sequence.

Program Handbook (PDF)

Students in our APA-accredited PhD program complete a minimum of 117 graduate credits. Students who enter the program directly from the baccalaureate degree earn a master's of education (M.Ed.) in education en route to completing the doctoral program requirements. Students who enter the program with previously earned graduate credits may apply up to 12 of those credits toward the doctoral plan of study. Students are not required to retake courses that apply to the doctoral plan of study in school psychology; rather, courses and credits in excess of the 12 that are transferred in are waived from the doctoral plan of study and replacement courses are selected in areas mutually agreed upon by the student and advisor. In these instances, students often elect to take additional course work in areas of psychology and neuroscience, and measurement and statistics. Typically, students are awarded their PhD degree after 5 or 6 years of graduate work – 3 or 4 years of coursework (including practicum requirements), 1-year full-time doctoral internship, and dissertation work (which usually bridges the 4 years on campus and the year of internship).

**In addition to the courses listed above, students are required to take EDUC 687M (research credits) during any semester in which they participate in a research project (e.g. faculty research, dissertation support) or participate in regularly scheduled faculty research team meetings.

Accreditation

Questions about our APA-accreditation should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979 apaacred [at] apa [dot] org (apaacred[at]apa[dot]org) www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

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