phd in english literature admission 2021

Ph.D. Program

Click  here for the Handbook for Graduate Study in English .  This document includes departmental policies and procedures concerned with graduate study.

The Berkeley English Department offers a wide-ranging Ph.D. program, engaging in all historical periods of British and American literature, Anglophone literature, and critical and cultural theory. The program aims to assure that students gain a broad knowledge of literature in English as well as the highly-developed skills in scholarship and criticism necessary to do solid and innovative work in their chosen specialized fields.

Please note that the department does not offer a Master’s Degree program or a degree program in Creative Writing. Students can, however, petition for an M.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing upon completion of the Ph.D. course requirements (one of which must be a graduate writing workshop) and submission of a body of creative work.

Students interested in combining a Ph.D. in English with studies in another discipline may pursue Designated Emphases or Concurrent Degrees in a number of different fields

Normative time to complete the program is six years. The first two years are devoted to fulfilling the course and language requirements. The third year is spent preparing for and taking the Ph.D. oral qualifying examination. The fourth through sixth years are devoted to researching and writing the prospectus and dissertation.

The general goal of the first two years is to assure that the students have a broad and varied knowledge of the fields of British and American literature in their historical dimensions, and are also familiar with a wide range of literary forms, critical approaches, and scholarly methods. Students will complete twelve courses distributed as follows:

• 1) English 200, “Problems in the Study of Literature”
• 2) Medieval through 16 th -Century
• 3) 17 th - through 18 th -Century
• 4) 19 th -Century
• 5) 20 th -Century
• 6) a course organized in terms other than chronological coverage.
• 7-12) Elective courses.

(A thirteenth required course in pedagogy can be taken later.) Students who have done prior graduate course work may transfer up to three courses for credit toward the 12-course requirement. Up to five of the 12 courses may be taken in other departments.

Students must demonstrate either proficiency in two foreign languages or advanced knowledge in one foreign language before the qualifying examination. There are no "canonical languages" in the department. Rather, each specifies which languages are to count, how they relate to the student's intellectual interests, and on which level knowledge is to be demonstrated. "Proficiency" is understood as the ability to translate (with a dictionary) a passage of about 300 words into idiomatic English prose in ninety minutes. The proficiency requirement may also be satisfied by completing one upper-division or graduate literature course in a foreign language. The advanced knowledge requirement is satisfied by completing two or three literature courses in the language with a grade of "B" or better.

At the end of the second year each student’s record is reviewed in its entirety to determine whether or not he or she is able and ready to proceed to the qualifying exam and the more specialized phase of the program.

The Qualifying Examination

Students are expected to take the qualifying examination within one year after completing course and language requirements. The qualifying exam is oral and is conducted by a committee of five faculty members. The exam lasts approximately two hours and consists of three parts: two comprehensive historical fields and a third field which explores a topic in preparation for the dissertation. The exam is meant both as a culmination of course work and as a test of readiness for the dissertation.

The Prospectus and Dissertation

The prospectus consists of an essay and bibliography setting forth the nature of the research project, its relation to existing scholarship and criticism on the subject, and its anticipated value. Each candidate must have a prospectus conference with the members of their committee and the Graduate Chair to discuss the issues outlined in the proposal and to give final approval to the project. The prospectus should be approved within one or two semesters following the qualifying exam.

The dissertation is the culmination of the student's graduate career and is expected to be a substantial and original work of scholarship or criticism. Students within normative time complete the dissertation in their fourth through sixth years.

University of Notre Dame

Department of English

College of Arts and Letters

• Home ›
• Graduate ›

Ph.D. in English

Apply now   Application Requirements   Request Information

The Ph.D. in English is a highly selective doctoral program at a top-ranked private research university that trains students for the academic profession of literary studies while building knowledge and skills relevant to a wide range of careers. As a student in our program, you will enjoy access to outstanding scholars working in a variety of fields and practicing diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.

Through our classes, individual student mentoring, and professionalization practicums, you will gain advanced training in the many facets of scholarship and professional life, including research methods, pedagogy, writing for publication, applying for funding, and the job search. Our faculty are committed to helping you develop your interests, voice, and skills as a researcher, writer, and teacher.

“I chose Notre Dame for my English Ph.D. because I wanted to land in a program with as much community support as possible. The stresses of graduate school are real, and it's important to be surrounded by supportive people who respect your needs, interests, and personal career goals. Notre Dame’s English Department is filled with faculty and administrators who truly care about setting their students up for success, whether that's on the academic job market or beyond. Throughout my dissertation process, I've been grateful to have a network of faculty and graduate students who are interested in supporting both my area of research and my personal goals.” — Logan Quigley, Ph.D. May 2022

Academic Partnerships

Notre Dame is home to renowned centers and institutes that enrich doctoral study and help build interdisciplinary connections. As a student here you will have the opportunity to participate in projects and colloquia—and apply for additional research and conference support—from institutes including:

• Initiative on Race and Resilience
• Institute for Latino Studies
• Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies
• Medieval Institute
• Nanovic Institute for European Studies
• Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values
• Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study

“As an applicant many years ago, Notre Dame struck me as a place where graduate students were encouraged to find multiple intellectual homes outside their own departments, through centers and institutes that recognize not only the promise of graduate student's intellectual contributions but the precarity of those contributions if left unsupported. I'm happy to say the University delivered, rewarding me time and time again with some of the richest, most rigorous academic conversations and, to boot, the means to pursue the research questions that those conversations generated.” — Arnaud Zimmern, Ph.D. May 2021. Now a Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Philosophy and Science at Notre Dame

Graduate Minors

As a Ph.D. student in English you might also decide to pursue one of five graduate minors:

• Gender Studies
• Peace Studies
• Irish Studies
• Screen Cultures
• History and Philosophy of Science

International Opportunities

Our Ph.D. program provides exciting opportunities to participate in an array of international opportunities, events, and partnerships. You might, for instance:

• work with scholars in the UK or Germany as part of the “Global Dome” Ph.D. Summer Workshop in History and Literature;
• live and teach at Notre Dame London while conducting your own research;
• participate in the Irish Seminar, joining scholars and students from other institutions for workshops in locations such as Dublin, Paris, or Buenos Aires;
• participate in the International Network for Comparative Humanities (INCH), a series of workshops that bring Notre Dame students together with faculty and students at Princeton and other major universities worldwide.

And, of course, you will have access to support from the department  and a range of other university sources  for research and conference travel.

“As an Irish grad minor, I participated in the Irish Seminar and traveled to Dublin and Kylemore Abbey where I had the wonderful opportunity of learning about Irish literature and culture from renowned international scholars. My participation in the Irish seminar was complemented with my engagement with INCH. For the INCH annual retreats, I traveled to Athens and Rome and got the opportunity to work with scholars and graduate students from various universities in the US and Europe. The international exposure generously provided by the program has significantly enriched my scholarship." — Shinjini Chattopadhyay, Ph.D. January 2022. Now Assistant Professor of Global Anglophone Literatures at Berry College

Have questions about the Ph.D. in English? Contact:

Susan Cannon Harris Director of Graduate Studies Professor of English Email: [email protected]

Blake Holman Graduate Program Coordinator Email:  [email protected]

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

• PhD in Literature

PhD Program

The PhD program in the Department of English offers advanced study and research in literary history, criticism, and theory, with excellent opportunities for interdepartmental and interdisciplinary study. Courses within the department cover major genres, periods, authors, and a broad range of methodological and theoretical approaches.

The graduate curriculum is enhanced by frequent lectures and workshops with Northwestern faculty and visiting scholars from around the world. Student-organized colloquia, conferences, reading groups, and dissertation groups provide opportunities for students to present their research to an audience of peers.

The PhD program provides superb professionalization and training in a variety of settings, including teaching assistantships for undergraduate lecture courses and the opportunity to develop and lead courses in Northwestern's Writing Program and the School of Professional Studies .

The Doctor of Philosophy

Successful applicants for regular admission to the PhD program usually have a GPA of 3.5 in all (undergraduate and graduate) English courses and will typically have completed a BA and/or an MA in English. The PhD with an emphasis in literature offers direct admission to the doctoral program from the BA. For specific details, see program requirements below. Application materials include GRE general test scores, transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a substantial writing sample. Letters of recommendation should be from persons qualified to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study. For further information and links to application materials, see www.usm.edu/english .

Conditional admission is sometimes possible for applicants who do not meet all the criteria for regular admission. To remove conditional status, students must meet the Graduate School requirements described in the Admission Requirements and Procedures   section of this Bulletin, and they must satisfy all additional requirements stipulated by the department.

Members of all underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Research and Scholarly Integrity Education

All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status, must complete CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page – www.usm.edu/graduate-school . Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

Residency: Doctoral students must meet the residency requirements specified in this Bulletin .

45-63 credit hours

Master’s to PhD

Students who are admitted to the PhD program with an earned Master’s degree must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours*, to include:

• ENG 640 - Critical Reading and Methods in English 3 hrs.
• ENG 641 - Advanced Research and Methods in English 3 hrs.
• One course in literary theory 3 hrs.
• One course in each of six distribution areas (18 hrs.): 1) American Literature to 1890, 2) British Literature to 1660, 3) British Literature, 1660-1890, 4) British & American Literatures, 1890-1960, 5) Literatures in English after 1960, 6) Non-traditional Literatures in English (The Dean of Graduate School may review the student’s MA transcript to determine which distribution areas have already been satisfied.)
• Two electives 6 hrs.
• ENG 898 - Dissertation 12 hrs. (9-12 hrs. required)

Additional requirements and guidelines:

• Students must complete two Research Tools: either two foreign languages or one foreign language plus 12 hours of coursework in an allied area of study approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. For information on how to meet the foreign language requirement, see the English Department Graduate Handbook at www.usm.edu/english .
• 500-level classes count towards a degree only with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School; at least 15 hours (5 courses) must be at the 700-level.
• Students must take ENG 690 - Practicum in the Theory and Teaching of Composition   if they hold an assistantship that includes teaching as one of their duties.
• Students must successfully complete a Doctoral Qualifying Examination in August, after the first year of study. The exam may be retaken once, in the following December. Students who fail the exam twice will be dismissed from the PhD program. For further information about the Doctoral Qualifying Examination, see www.usm.edu/english .
• Students must successfully complete a PhD Comprehensive Exam. For further information about the PhD Comprehensive Exam, see www.usm.edu/english .
• Students must write a dissertation, a substantial project embodying the result of significant and original research on a subject chosen by the candidate and approved by the student’s Doctoral Committee.
• A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.
• Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study to the Graduate School by the end of the first semester in which they are enrolled. The Plan of Study forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduateschool/planofstudy.php - click on the “Plans of Study” link; or on the Resources page at www.usm.edu/english .

*Students who earned their MA degree in English at USM in accordance with degree requirements as stipulated in this Bulletin will consult with the Dean of the Graduate School to determine specific requirements.

Bachelor’s to PhD

• One course in each of six distribution areas
• Six electives 18 hrs.
• ENG 698 - Thesis 1-6 hrs. for a total of 6 hours. (3-6 hrs. required)

Course Catalog

English, phd.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English

The Department of English offers programs of study leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. We welcome qualified students who wish to pursue their interests in English, American, and Anglophone language, literature and film beyond the undergraduate level. The Ph.D. program is, in general, designed to educate and train teacher-scholars who will take positions in colleges and universities throughout the country. We consider the Master of Arts program to be the first step toward the Ph.D. degree; we expect students admitted to the M.A. program to receive the M.A. and go on to complete a Ph.D.  We therefore do not offer a formal terminal M.A. program.

Both the M.A. and Ph.D. may be earned with a specialization in Writing Studies. Also, doctoral students specializing in other fields may earn a graduate concentration in Writing Studies. 

Admission A student who wishes to be considered for admission to graduate studies in English must present the equivalent of at least 20 semester hours of undergraduate work in English and American literature, excluding required work in rhetoric or composition. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for those applying for the Literary Studies and Writing Studies programs. The GRE subject test for literature in English is not required. For the 2021-2022 application season, the English Department is not requiring the GRE general test, and such scores will not be considered by the readers of applications in their deliberations. All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. Currently, a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test (213 on the computer-based test) is required. Before a teaching assistantship involving classroom instruction or student consultation can be awarded to a non-native speaker of English, the applicant must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and achieve a score of 50 or higher (230 or higher before 1996). Because applications for admission usually far exceed capacity, in recent years undergraduate grade point averages of students admitted have been significantly higher than the 3.0 (A = 4.0) required by the Graduate College. The committee on admissions tends to select those applicants who have a solid array of undergraduate courses, knowledge of a foreign language, strong recommendations, and a compelling writing sample: in short, an academic record that shows promise of doing outstanding work in the field and earning degrees within a reasonable time. We do not admit part-time students. Applicants are considered only in spring for fall admission, and the deadline for submitting applications is noon on December 2nd.

Graduate Teaching Experience Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and all M.A. and Ph.D. candidates will have ample opportunity to teach undergraduate writing classes.

Financial Aid Financial aid is available to students in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and waivers of tuition and service fees. For complete information about the program, prospective applicants should consult our website  or write to the above address.

Students in the program who have earned their master's degrees must apply formally to the Ph.D. program. Applicants who have completed their master's degrees elsewhere may also apply. Seldom are applicants accepted with graduate grade point averages below 3.5. Students must choose to complete a specialization in Literature or Writing Studies. In addition, students may choose to complete the graduate concentration in Writing Studies .

Interdisciplinary work is encouraged. Students may take courses outside of English. The special field examination is taken as the student completes coursework and prepares to write the thesis. The student then goes on to complete and defend the thesis under the direction of a committee composed of four professors. A full-time student can complete this program in four years beyond the master's degree.

For additional details and requirements refer to the department's  Graduate Studies in English  Website and the  Graduate College Handbook .

Total Minimum Hours: 64

Core requirements for both specializations , literature specialization requirements , writing studies specialization requirements.

Course work listing for Ph.D. requirements for the Literature Specialization:

• Eight additional semester-long courses at the 400 and 500 level. These, selected in consultation with a faculty advisor, either focus on the proposed field of specialization and allied fields--in English or in other disciplines--or fill gaps in the student's background.
• Doctoral students in literature will either take a Professional Seminar in the teaching of literature or film or act as a teaching assistant for two semesters in a large lecture course before they teach literature courses. They are expected to teach at least one literature course during their Ph.D. work.
• The Foreign Language Requirement (if not already satisfied at the M.A. level) may be satisfied by demonstrating a reading knowledge of an appropriate foreign language in one of the following three ways: By completing the equivalent of three full years of undergraduate work; By passing a proficiency exam administered by a UIUC foreign language department; By passing a non-credit 501 language course with a grade of B or better.
• Completion of a Special Field Examination (oral, written, or both). The exam, administered by a committee of four faculty members selected by the student, is based upon the student's approved Special Field list of primary and secondary sources, including a discussion of its rationale and relation to the proposed dissertation topic. Approved fields include historical periods, genres, film, and critical theory.
• Completion and two-hour oral defense of a dissertation. Students working on their dissertations are eligible for fellowship support or released time from teaching. All students in good standing and making good progress will ordinarily receive at least one semester free from teaching. A few students receive a year or more of fellowship aid to work full-time on their dissertations.

Course work listing for Ph.D. requirements for the Writing Studies Specialization:

• Eight additional semester-long courses at the 400 and 500 level. These selected in consultation with a faculty advisor, focus on the proposed field of specialization and allied fields--in English or in other disciplines--or fill gaps in the student's background and include ENGL 505 and 2 methodology courses (at least one of which is an ENGL 582 ; the second methodology course should be approved by the advisor and typically will be approved by the Center for Writing Studies for the methodology requirement in its Writing Studies Graduate Concentration). In addition, students must take one course in Literature or Theory. Specific courses taken at the MA level ( ENGL 505 and ENGL 582 ) are counted as fulfilling those specific requirements at the PhD level.
• Students who enter the Ph.D. program with an M.A. from another institution must show demonstrated reading knowledge of a foreign language.
• Completion of a Special Field Examination (oral, written, or both). This exam, administered by a committee of four faculty members selected by the student, is based upon the student's approved special field list--which includes a discussion of its rationale and relation to the proposed dissertation topic. Lists are representative of the field of Writing Studies and include two or three concentrations within it. Approved fields include: Cognition and Composition, Computers and Composition Studies, Classical Rhetoric, Critical Theory, Discourse Processes, Gender and Writing, Literacy Studies, Technical Communication, Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing in the Disciplines, and Writing Assessment. Other combinations of fields are possible, including those that combine disciplines (e.g. African-American Studies, women's studies, and literacy).

Graduate Degree Programs in English

• concentration:  Medieval Studies
• Writing Studies

for information on the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program in Creative Writing, see  Creative Writing .

Affiliated Programs offering certificates or minors:

• Department of African American Studies
• Asian American Studies Program
• American Indian Studies
• Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Gender and Women's Studies Program
• The Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies Initiative
• Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities
• Latina-Latino Studies Program
• The Program in Jewish Culture and Society
• Unit for Cinema Studies
• Unit for Criticism and Theory

English Department Head of Department: Bob Markley Director of Graduate Studies: Andrew Gaedtke English Department website 210 English Building, 608 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (217)  333-3646 English  email

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website

Admissions English Department Admissions & Requirements Graduate College Admissions & Requirements

Print Options

Send Page to Printer

Print this page.

Download Page (PDF)

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

2023-2024 Catalog (PDF)

A copy of the full 2023-2024 catalog.

Let your curiosity lead the way:

Apply Today

• Arts & Sciences
• Graduate Studies in A&S

PHD PROGRAM

in English and American Literature

The graduate program in English and American literature at Washington University in St. Louis is innovative, collegial, competitive, and generously funded, offering one of the top financial packages in the nation. All incoming students receive full tuition scholarships plus ample living stipends for six years. Our faculty includes Guggenheim Fellows, winners of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Curious as to what our faculty are working on? Check out our faculty's areas of expertise. A participant in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, we exemplify an integrated community of scholars and writers, and are home to one of the top ten MFA programs in the U.S. 

Building on our many interests, we sponsor multiple reading groups , regular faculty and student colloquia, and an extensive lecture series. The Hurst Visiting Professorship brings multiple distinguished creative and critical voices to the department each year for public lectures and small workshops. Recent Hurst Professors have included Charles Altieri, Rita Copeland, Peter Coviello, Jed Esty, Rita Felski, Carla Kaplan, James Longenbach, Jerome McGann, Charles Taylor, Daniel Vitkus, and Michael Wood.

While our program is rooted in the materials of literary history, from medieval to contemporary, interdisciplinarity is more than aspirational.  Certificate programs  connect students to multiple departments and initiatives, building on the resources of the broader community. We believe that a strong intellectual community is fostered by concrete working relationships between professors and students and offer collaborative teaching opportunities with experienced faculty. After two years spent solely on coursework, research, and writing, students begin mentored teaching experiences in one course per term. Tailored to student interests, these experiences offer careful pedagogical attention in writing and literature courses, with the option of professional internships and training. At the end of the program, Ph.D. students spend a final year without teaching focused on finishing their dissertation and entering the job market.

Program Requirements

Courses & requirements.

Explore the timeline and requirements for the PhD in English and American Literature as well as the Combined PhD in English and Comparative Literature.

Admissions Information & FAQ

Interested in applying? Learn more about the admissions requirements, funding and fellowships, teaching and training, and other frequently asked questions.

Special Collections

Perhaps the most important resource for graduate students outside of the English Department is the University's  Special Collections Department , home to a first-rate archive of twentieth-century writers' manuscripts and other papers.  The Modern Literary Manuscripts Collection  focuses on the careers of 125 major literary figures including Samuel Beckett, Howard Nemerov, Stanley Elkin, William Gass, Mona Van Duyn, William Gaddis, and the world's most complete holding of writings by and about the American poet James Merrill. Taken as a whole, the collection consists of more than a quarter of a million manuscript items, correspondence, and ephemera, thousands of photographs, scores of unique audio-taped readings from the 1950s onward, and numerous videotaped readings. The Special Collections Department also coordinates occasional exhibitions of collected authors' papers, such as the 2000 exhibition  "James Merrill: Other Writings,"  which included essays and related Merrill scholarship from several English department graduate students.

Interdisciplinary Research

The department encourages interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary work in addition to the regular interdisciplinary course offerings. Various centers on campus, such as the Center for the Humanities , the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics , and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity , bring together scholars from a wide range of backgrounds and interests with programs, lectures, seminars, and colloquia. Meanwhile, programs such as Early Modern Studies,  American Culture Studies  and  Women and Gender Studies  draw from across the university. Students regularly have professors on their dissertation committees from multiple departments. These opportunities are just a few of the many ways that our students cross paths with esteemed scholars and fellow graduate students from other disciplines.

In addition to its many interdisciplinary programs and centers, the university offers several graduate certificates aimed specifically at encouraging and enhancing interdisciplinary study. The certificates give students additional qualifications in a second area. Beyond Early Modern Studies, American Culture Studies, and Women and Gender Studies—all of which have their own certificate programs—we also offer graduate certificates in Film and Media Studies (Program in Film and Media Studies),  Translation Studies (Program in Comparative Literature), and  Data Science in the Humanities  (Humanities Digital Workshop). For more information, contact the programs involved directly or contact the Director Graduate Studies in English.

Recent Dissertations

Curious to explore what our research our recent alumni have completed? 

Explore PhD Dissertations

Careers & Outcomes

Learn more about our job placement and career outcomes for recent alumni.

Graduate Student Resources

Graduate Student Organizations

learn more about graduate student reading groups and organizations on campus

Graduate Student Handbook

learn more about policies and procedures for the doctoral program

Statement on Content Provision

review WashU's policies for use of creative and intellectual works in teaching and research

search more resources

• The Office of Graduate Studies
• The Graduate Center

Life in St. Louis

A culturally diverse and exciting city, St. Louis is one of the most affordable and livable major metropolitan centers in the United States. Perhaps the greatest surprise to visitors and newcomers is just how green are our neighborhoods. One rarely goes more than two or three city blocks without finding an attractive and welcoming park in which to stroll, run, bike, or rollerblade. In addition, with affordable housing, excellent restaurants, numerous sporting events, and varied cultural activities, St. Louis is one of the most pleasant American cities in which to live and to work.

Learn More about Life in St. Louis

St_Louis_night_expblend.jpg

• Schools & departments

English Literature PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: English Literature

Discovery Day

Join us online on 18th April to learn more about postgraduate study at Edinburgh

View sessions and register

Research profile

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research; and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in literature and related fields.

As the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, based in one of the largest and most diverse Schools in the University of Edinburgh, we are the ideal place for PhD study.

Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in all periods and genres of literature and literary analysis.

Research excellence

Based on our performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), over 90 per cent of our research and impact is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent by Research Professional. 69 per cent is graded at the world-leading level – the highest of REF’s four categories.

In Times Higher Education's REF analysis, English at Edinburgh is ranked fifth in the UK (out of more than 90 institutions) for:

• the overall quality of our publications and other outputs
• the impact of our research on people’s lives
• our supportive research environment

Given the breadth and depth of our expertise, we are able to support students wishing to develop research projects in any field of Anglophone literary studies. These include American studies, literary and critical theory, the history of the book, gender and sexuality studies, and global Anglophone literatures - where our specialisms include Pacific, African, South Asian, and African-American writing.

We have particular strengths in each of the main periods of English and Scottish Literature:

• Renaissance/early modern
• Enlightenment
• 21st century
• Contemporary

Emergent research themes in the department include the digital humanities, the economic humanities, the environmental humanities and literature and medicine.

• Explore our range of research centres, networks and projects in English and Scottish Literature

Working with colleagues elsewhere in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, and across the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between disciplines and/or languages.

• Be inspired by the range of PhD research in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Over the course of your PhD, you’ll be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words.

You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge.

• Read our pre-application guidance on writing a PhD research proposal

Go beyond the books

Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen.

Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.

• Browse Beyond the Books episodes and hear our research community talk about their work

Training and support

Between the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the Careers Service, and the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), you’ll find a range of programmes and resources to help you develop your postgraduate skills.

You will also have access to the University’s fantastic libraries, collections and worldwide strategic partnerships.

Part of a community

As part of our research community, you will be immersed in a world of knowledge exchange, with lots of opportunities to share ideas, learning and creative work.

Activities range from talks by visiting speakers and work-in-progress seminars, to reading groups, conferences, workshops, performances, online journals and forums, many of which are led by PhD candidates.

Highlights include student reading for the James Tait Black Prizes, Britain's oldest literary awards which typically involve reading submissions across fiction and biography and advising the judges on the shortlists.

• Read an interview with 2022 James Tait Black reader, Céleste Callen

Our graduates tell us that they value the friendliness of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the connections they make here and the in-depth guidance they receive from our staff, who are published experts in their field.

A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.

You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures. These include the libraries of:

• William Drummond
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon
• Hugh MacDiarmid
• Norman MacCaig

The Centre for Research Collections holds the W.H. Auden collection; the Corson Collection of works by and about Sir Walter Scott; and the Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets.

It also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays put together by the 19th century Shakespearean James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts, as well as letters and papers by - and relating to - authors including:

• Christopher Isherwood
• Rudyard Kipling
• John Middleton Murry
• Walter de la Mare
• George Mackay Brown
• Compton Mackenzie

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

In the city

Our buildings are close to the National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive), Edinburgh Central Library, Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Writers’ Museum and a fantastic range of publishing houses, bookshops, and theatres.

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK masters, or its international equivalent, with a mark of at least 65% in your English literature dissertation of at least 10,000 words.

If your masters programme did not include a dissertation or included a dissertation that was unmarked or less than 10,000 words, you will be expected to produce an exceptional research proposal and personal statement to show your ability to undertake research at the level required by this programme.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

• Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• 50 George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: English Literature
• School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD English Literature - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd english literature - 6 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.

For a PhD programme, you should include:

• a sample of written work of about 3,000 words (this can be a previous piece of work from an undergraduate or masters degree)
• a research proposal - a detailed description of what you hope to achieve and how
• Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance will also give you practical advice for writing your research proposal – one of the most important parts of your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

English Literature

PhD, MPhil English Literature

Research in the Department of English brings the core values of our discipline - textual scholarship, critical and theoretical analysis, and contextual knowledge - to the dynamic and changing field of English literary studies. We cover the full chronological range, from the medieval to the contemporary period, with many colleagues engaged in interdisciplinary research.

We are proud of our expertise in medieval and early-modern literature, in Romantic and Victorian literature, in modernism, and in contemporary writing in English. The department is notable for its breadth of research in English poetry across the periods, and our range of specialist interests includes literary theory, the history of book, literature and science, literature and medicine, literature and the environment, digital humanities, women's writing and gender studies, queer writing, postcolonial literature, Black British writing, world literatures in English, 20th-century American literature, and Welsh and Anglo-Welsh writing.

In these and other areas we foster doctoral research both within the department and in collaboration with other departments at Bristol and beyond, including in art history, medical sciences, philosophy, history, politics, drama, classics, theology and modern languages.

Programme structure

MPhil: a stand-alone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding with the submission of a 25,000-word dissertation. Students may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research.

PhD: a research project undertaken across four years (full-time, minimum period of study three years), culminating in an 80,000-word thesis. As well as having the option to audit taught units where appropriate, there may be the potential for PhD students to teach units themselves from their second year of study onwards.

The MPhil and PhD can be studied via distance learning.

World-leading research

The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK ( Times Higher Education ).

94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry requirements

MPhil: An upper second-class degree or international equivalent. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree.

PhD: A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent). Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.

If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our  profile level A.

Further information about  English language requirements and profile levels .

Fees and funding

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support .

Alumni discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study.  Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.

Funding for 2024/25

The University of Bristol is part of the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWW DTP), which will be offering studentships for September 2024. For information on other funding opportunities, including University-funded studentships, please see the Faculty of Arts funding pages .

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.

Career prospects

A large number of graduates from this programme develop careers in higher education or work on high-level research projects in the field of English Literature. Some graduates take up careers in freelance writing and editing.

Meet our supervisors

The following list shows potential supervisors for this programme. Visit their profiles for details of their research and expertise.

Research groups

We see postgraduate study as a vital component of our research culture, with students bringing their own ideas and initiatives to fruition and engaging in research conversations with their fellow students and academic staff.

Postgraduates take part in organising conferences and study days, regularly present papers at departmental research seminars, and are active in research clusters and reading groups.

The successful completion of an innovative research project, with the guidance of demanding and stimulating supervisors, remains at the heart of postgraduate study. We aim to deliver that outcome, but we also want your experience to be enriched by wider academic contacts and by focused, helpful professional development.

All of the department's researchers have interests that coincide with (but are not limited to) the following areas:

• Early Modern to 1780
• The Long Nineteenth Century
• Modern and Contemporary Literature
• Literatures of the Global South
• Creative Writing and Creative Practice
• Material and Digital Texts
• Poetry and Poetics
• Literature, Science and Medical Humanities
• Literature and the Environment
• Spatial Humanities
• Gender and Sexuality
• Race and Ethnicity

The department co-leads the Bristol Poetry Institute , which draws on the department's established strength in this field, and members of the department are directors of and/or active in the faculty's interdisciplinary research centres: Health, Humanities and Science , Environmental Humanities , Creative Technologies , Black Humanities , and Medieval Studies . The centres bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines to share their research, devise innovative research projects, and give interdisciplinarity a real basis in academic practice.

The departmental research seminar, which meets throughout the academic session, is the principal forum for academic staff and graduate students to present and discuss their recent research. At each session there is a mix of speakers from outside Bristol, graduate students, and members of staff. Two annual lectures - the Churchill Lecture and the Tucker-Cruse Lecture - also bring distinguished scholars from outside the University.

How to apply

Apply via our online application system. For further information, please see the guidance for how to apply on our webpages.

January 2024 start: 1 December 2023 September 2024 start: 1 August 2024 January 2025 start: 1 December 2024

The deadlines for funding applications fall well in advance of these dates. Preliminary contact with staff from the department is welcome at any time of the year. We strongly encourage prospective applicants to contact us early, before submitting an application.

Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Research Admissions

Faculty of Arts

School of Humanities

Department of English

Explore more

Find out about the bristol doctoral college.

• Skip to Main
• About The English Department
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Faculty Bookshelf
• Greene Street Review
• Working Groups
• Creative Reading Series
• Statement on Academic Freedom
• MA Student Directory
• PhD Student Directory
• Personnel and Committees
• Advising and Office Hours
• Current Course Offerings
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program of Study
• Program in Dramatic Literature
• English Major of the Month
• Forms, Applications, and Resources
• English Honors Program
• Study Abroad
• Past Course Offerings
• MINOR IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES
• Information for M.A. Students
• Information for Ph.D. Students
• Information for Prospective MA Students
• Information for Prospective PhD Students
• Fellowships
• PhD Job Placement
• Past Courses
• Current Graduate Courses
• Current Graduate Students
• Prospective Students
• The Graduate English Organization
• Fields of Interest
• Certificate Programs
• Spring 2024
• Spring 2023
• Spring 2022
• Spring 2021
• Spring 2020
• Spring 2019
• Spring 2018
• Resources for Faculty
• Resources for Graduate Students
• Resources for Undergraduate Students

Information for Prospective Ph.D. Students

Application deadlines, the appliation for fall 2024 will be available in september 2023. application deadline is december 1 2023..

PhD Admissions Open House Want a PhD in English? Why NYU? New York University, Department of English

Friday, October 20, 2023 at 11:00AM EST https://nyu.zoom.us/j/91310527661  (approximately 1 hour)

2022 Open House:  Zoom Recording 

Are you considering a PhD in English? Come meet faculty and graduate students from the NYU Department of English, who will share their experiences about the structure and culture of the program. You will get a quick overview of what a degree here entails, including the university’s new Advanced Certificate in Public Humanities. We hope to highlight what we (and New York City’s landscape of civic and arts institutions and archives) can offer you as you prepare for a future in teaching, research, and writing. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Your application to the PhD program should consist of the following components:

• The Online Application .
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume.  This should provide an overview of your academic and, if applicable, professional experience.
• A Statement of Academic Purpose.  The work of the faculty of the Department of English at NYU is characterized by a wide variety of interdisciplinary approaches, encompassing literary history, theory, and criticism, as well as careful reflection on the methods of literary study. We are especially interested in graduate students who will be comfortable bridging historical periods in their reading and writing, and who are curious about a wide variety of approaches to literary studies. The admissions committee requires from all applicants a statement of academic purpose, which will be judged as a piece of writing. It will use this statement to evaluate how well your aspirations and interests suit those of the Department of English at NYU. This statement of academic purpose should be succinct (no more than 1200 words) and address most, if not all, of the following questions: What kinds (genres, styles, forms, etc.) of literature most engage you? What, for you, is the purpose of reading literature critically? Are there particular kinds of criticism/theoretical approaches/methods of literary study that you would like to work within or learn more about? How have your intellectual and scholarly interests been shaped by your time outside and beyond the college classroom? In the light of the description above, do you have a particular reason for wishing to work within the Department of English at New York University?
• A Writing Sample  of academic literary criticism is required. It should demonstrate your strongest work in that mode and should not exceed 20-25 double-spaced pages, including any bibliography or notes.
• Three Letters of Recommendation . It is important to have strong letters of recommendation that come from professors and instructors who know you and are familiar with the your academic work. Applicants who have been out of school for several years should make every effort to reconnect with former teachers to ensure that their letters of recommendation address their academic preparation and abilities and their readiness to pursue the degree for which they are applying.  http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/letters-of-recommendation.html
• Transcript . An official, electronic copy of your transcript.For further Admissions information, please visit http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/academic-transcripts.html  
• TOEFL or IELTS:  TOEFL or the IELTS is required of all applicants who are not native English speakers or who do not have a bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English.  http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/testing-requirements.html

All accepted Ph.D. students in English receive up to five years of funding through the Graduate School’s MacCracken program. In 2023-2024 students will receive a $32,888 stipend for nine months, plus a full tuition scholarship, registration and services fees, and full coverage of NYU student health insurance for an individual under the comprehensive plan. The MacCracken award includes a one-time $1,000 Dean's Supplementary Fellowship Grant. This grant is intended to provide support for start-up research and educational expenses such as books, academic supplies, and computer equipment. In addition, the Department of English offers a one-time $3,000 Supplementary Grant that may be used at the student's discretion and a $5,500 stipend during both the first and second years of study to help defray the cost of housing. While teaching is not required as a condition of the MacCracken award, the English Department still sees teaching as crucial to the professional development of its doctoral candidates. We therefore expect that our Ph.D. students will teach for four semesters starting after the second year of study, typically scheduled across the third through fifth years. Students who participate fully in the department's teaching program will receive in excess of $22,000 in adjunct-instructor compensation for their four semesters of teaching service, over and above the fellowship stipend payments they will receive during the term of the MacCracken award.

The English Ph.D. program is designed to be completed within the five-year term for which the MacCracken award ensures full funding. However, students can arrange to set aside as much as half of the fellowship stipend they receive during each semester in which they teach, to be drawn on at later points in the period of their enrollment. Thus if they follow the Department’s recommendation and teach for a total of four semesters during the MacCracken term, they can guarantee themselves an additional year of full funding in case they require a sixth year of matriculation in order to secure employment and complete the degree.

Teaching opportunities primarily include serving as a recitation leader in general education courses in the undergraduate college, and in departmental undergraduate survey courses. Students who follow the department's teaching protocol will be assigned to a range of different courses over their four semesters of service, and will thereby achieve the breadth of literacy-historical knowledge appropriate to doctorate holders in the discipline. Students who forgo teaching may be required to demonstrate the breadth of their literary-historical knowledge through other means.

If your question is not answered, please contact the director of graduate admissions, Jenny Mann. 

Open House for Newly Admitted Doctoral Students

Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program are invited to attend our annual Open House for Newly Admitted Doctoral Students, which this year will take place on (dates to be determined). Admitted students will be asked to arrive in New York City the afternoon of (TBA), when there will be an informal cocktail party with English Department faculty and current students. Scheduled events on (TBA) will allow admitted students the opportunity to interact with faculty as well as current graduate students and other admitted, prospective students, attend classes and tour the campus.

Share this page

Information.

• GSAS Admissions
• Advanced Certificate in CALAMEGS
• Advanced Certificate in Digital Humanities
• Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) Application
• GSAS Academic and Professional Development
• Financial Aid
• GSAS Bulletin
• Fields of Interest/Nodes

English Language and Literature MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

One of the highest-ranking English departments in the UK ( The Guardian University Guide 2023 - English ), UCL English provides excellent opportunities for PhD students to study in the heart of literary London, with access to vast quantities of resources and research materials, and a high number of academic staff working on a diverse range of specialist research topics.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

An undergraduate degree in English Literature or a related subject is a pre-requisite for this programme, and a UK Master's degree in a relevant discipline, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard will normally be required. Research degree students are expected to start in September, but may request to start in January if there are exceptional reasons to do so. Applicants who wish to be considered for AHRC/ LAHP funding must have submitted a complete application by 5 January 2024.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

With access to vast collections of research materials and supervision from world-leading experts* in a wide range of literary periods and topics, UCL provides an exceptionally strong environment in which to study for an English PhD. UCL English Department has specialists in every period of English and American literature, as well as English language, with an outstanding record of internationally recognised scholarship and publications. A PhD in English at UCL will allow you to pursue original research and make a significant contribution to your field. 

Students accepted for admission are given a principal supervisor with whom they will work closely during the course of the degree. A subsidiary supervisor is also appointed to provide additional advice. Great importance is attached to matching student and supervisor, and ensuring that students' progress is well monitored. Students meet either one or other supervisor approximately ten times during the academic year.

Graduate students initially register for the MPhil degree, but usually upgrade to full PhD student status in the second year, if progress is satisfactory. (The English Department does not offer a standalone research Master's programme, nor is it possible to be admitted as a PhD student directly.) In addition to the upgrade review in the second year, progress is also reviewed at the end of each year. Students who are making good progress will usually be offered opportunities to gain teaching experience from the second year onwards.

There are normally about 45 students undertaking research degrees in the department. They form a diverse, friendly, and vibrant intellectual community. There is a full programme of departmental research seminars at which papers are given by invited speakers and graduate students, and students also have access to a wide range of seminars and research events across UCL and the University of London. Research skills training is provided both within and beyond the department.

PhD students at UCL have access to an incomparable range of libraries, including the British Library and Senate House Library (the library of the University of London). They can also apply to spend a period as a visiting scholar at Yale as part of the UCL-Yale Collaborative Partnership.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for applicants with a strong interest or background in a wide range of literary periods or in English Linguistics, and who want to do complete research alongside specialists in literature in English and linguistics of the English language. The programme is suitable for both recent Masters graduates as well as early or mid-career professionals who have achieved the stated entry requirements.

What this course will give you

As one of the most respected academic institutions in the world ( QS World University Rankings 2023 ), UCL is an excellent place to study for a PhD in English. Our PhD students benefit from specialist supervision by world-leading researchers* as well as access to the outstanding range of research resources available to them in London.

The clear structure of the PhD programme, with regular progress reviews, supports successful completion, while the training courses offered by the department and UCL enable the development of both specific research skills and the professional skills needed for an academic career.

The relatively small department also offers many opportunities for formal and informal intellectual exchanges and collaborations, supported by our programme of research seminars. Many of our students also make the most of UCL’s partnership with Yale to spend a period of study there.

PhD students in English at UCL acquire advanced skills of the highest calibre as researchers, writers, and presenters of their work. They will also usually gain experience of teaching (both tutorials and seminars).

*UCL English has an outstanding research record, with 94% of our research outputs being graded as 4* 'world leading' or 3* 'internationally excellent' in the REF 2021.

The foundation of your career

The English Department is proud of its PhD alumni and values its ongoing relationship with them. We welcome alumni to departmental events, and encourage them to keep in touch with us at [email protected] . For more information on UCL’s wider alumni community, please see our website .

Employability

Our PhD graduates have an excellent record of securing employment in institutions of higher education and have progressed to academic positions here at UCL, at Oxford and Cambridge, in the wider University of London, at other universities across the UK, and in international destinations including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. They are also well placed to pursue careers outside academia, as the skills in research, analysis, writing, and communication obtained during the PhD transfer easily to high-level work in many sectors.

Networking both among students and with academic staff and visiting speakers is facilitated by our lively programme of departmental research seminars, as well as our various reading groups and events. Beyond the department, extensive opportunities to meet fellow specialists and exchange knowledge and ideas are offered by the events programmes of the UCL Institute for Advanced Studies, the University of London Institute of English Studies, and numerous other research institutions near UCL and across London.

Teaching and learning

The MPhil/PhD degree programme primarily consists of independent research and self-directed study, and the central work of defining a thesis topic, and planning the stages of research and writing, is undertaken in close consultation with the primary supervisor. You will also undertake skills training that may take the form of seminars, workshops, and conferences. 

Graduate students initially register for the MPhil degree, but upgrade to full PhD student status at the start of the second year, if progress is satisfactory.

In addition to the upgrade review at the start of the second year, progress is also reviewed at the end of the first year, in the first-year review, where the student submits a portfolio to their supervisory team, and at the Higher Degrees Sub Committee (HDSC) in their third year, where a submitted portfolio is assessed by a panel of senior academics in the department. A successful performance at the HDSC normally means the student will achieve Completing Research Student (CRS) status. Students who are making good progress will usually be offered opportunities to gain teaching experience from the second year onwards.

The MPhil/PhD degree programme consists of independent research and self-directed study. There are no set contact hours for the programme, but it is expected that your hours of study will mirror that of staff engagement as closely as possible (and this should be pro-rata for part-time study). If you have external funding, you should also ensure that you meet the Terms & Conditions of your funder in this regard. You will typically meet with your supervisory team up to ten times per academic year, and you will also undertake skills training that may take the form of seminars, workshops, and conferences.

Research areas and structure

We offer expertise in a wide range of topics within the field of English literature and language. Some areas in which the department would particularly welcome applications are:

• Old and Middle English literature and manuscript studies
• Relations between English and insular and continental French writings from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries
• Post-medieval bibliography and palaeography
• History of the book, textual and editorial theory and practice in all periods
• Shakespeare studies, including Shakespeare’s London
• The literature of the Elizabethan court
• Women writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
• Classicism in seventeenth and eighteenth-century literary culture
• Literature and science in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
• Revolutionary Writings in the Romantic period
• Homosexuality and literary history
• Literature and technology in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century literature
• Victorian and Edwardian writings on sexuality and adolescence
• Contemporary poetry
• Postmodern fiction
• London in literature/urban literature
• English grammar
• English language
• The history of the English language
• Corpus linguistics

You can read about our staff research interests on our website .

Research environment

UCL English has, throughout its history, been a pioneer in the study of English language and English literature, from Old English to contemporary texts. The department comprises a dynamic community of scholars with a breadth of expertise across literary periods and topics, as well as in language and linguistics. The comparatively small size of the department creates a friendly, inclusive research environment, with close contact between staff and students and many opportunities for intellectual exchange and collaboration.

Members of the English department have expertise in a wide range of approaches to English literature and language. Many of our literary research activities are organised around the key themes of The City, Editions, and Intercultural Exchanges, while our research in English Language is co-ordinated by the renowned Survey of English Usage. The department hosts regular research seminars at which PhD students, members of staff, and visiting speakers present their work; these include a themed strand of seminars on Race, Power, and Poetics. There are also many more seminars, reading groups and research events, both within the department, at the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, and at the University of London’s Institute of English Studies. The department’s PhD students organise an annual Graduate Conference, where UCL speakers are joined by others from across the UK and beyond to share their research. They also publish Moveable Type, a peer-reviewed journal of academic articles, poetry and prose fiction.

UCL Library has outstanding physical and digital collections for literary research, as well as specialist materials in its excellent Special Collections department. Among these are the George Orwell Archive; Little Magazines; the Routledge and Kegan Paul Archives (publishing history); the Brougham Papers and papers of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (19th-century liberalism); and the Chadwick Papers (19th-century sanitary reform). UCL Library also has superb holdings in London history. We enjoy unrivalled proximity to the British Library, with its vast collections, and Senate House Library (the library of the University of London), as well as other rich research resources including the Institute of Historical Research, the Warburg Institute, and the Wellcome Collection.

The period of registration for the MPhil/PhD degree programme is 3 years for full-time study. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade review 9-18 months after initial registration.

Throughout your period of registration, you will meet regularly with your supervisory team, receiving feedback on work-in-progress. Regular completion of an online research log will help you and your supervisors to assess your specific training needs. The English Department provides a course in PhD Skills Training; many further training opportunities are also offered by the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme and LAHP (the London Arts and Humanities Partnership).

To ensure timely and successful completion of the thesis, the English Department formally reviews each student’s progress at regular intervals (usually the end of each year) by requiring submission of a dossier of work which is discussed in an interview. The most important of these reviews falls during your second year (9-18 months from registration) and will assess your readiness to transfer from MPhil to full PhD student status.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may apply for a further period of 1 year as a Completing Research Student (CRS) to prepare your thesis for submission. The final degree assessment takes the form of an oral examination based on the thesis and is conducted by two examiners, usually one internal and one external.

The period of registration for the MPhil/PhD degree programme is 5 years for part-time study. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade review 15-30 months after initial registration for part-time study.    Throughout your period of registration, you will meet regularly with your supervisory team, receiving feedback on work-in-progress. Regular completion of an online research log will help you and your supervisors to assess your specific training needs. The English Department provides a course in PhD Skills Training; many further training opportunities are also offered by the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme and LAHP (the London Arts and Humanities Partnership).   To ensure timely and successful completion of the thesis, the English Department formally reviews each student’s progress at regular intervals (usually the end of each year) by requiring submission of a dossier of work which is discussed in an interview. The most important of these reviews falls during your second or third year (15-30 months from registration) for part-time study, and will assess your readiness to transfer from MPhil to full PhD student status.   Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may apply for a further period of 2 years (for part-time students) as a Completing Research Student (CRS) to prepare your thesis for submission. The final degree assessment takes the form of an oral examination based on the thesis and is conducted by two examiners, usually one internal and one external.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, and conference registration fees.

The Department has some funds which can be applied for, to help offset the cost of travel to conferences or archives in the UK or overseas.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

AHRC grants are available for UK/EU English PhD applicants who are applying to start a research degree in 2024. Applications are made directly to the London Arts and Humanities Partnership, who administer the awarding of AHRC funding at UCL. AHRC funding covers all fees, as well as providing a stipend for living expenses, for three years. If you have any questions about the application process please contact [email protected] .

UCL's Research Excellence Scholarships are available for UK/EU/Overseas applicants starting in 2024 and provides full funding including a stipend for living allowance for the length of the programme.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Quirk PhD Scholarship

Deadline: 26 January 2024 Value: Fees and maintenance (3yrs) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: UK

We recommend that applicants look at our list of staff on the UCL English website before submitting an application. Whilst potential supervisors are unable to accept a PhD student without a formal application form, we attach great importance to the match between supervisors and students, so please check that we have a member of teaching staff who could potentially supervise your project before applying. Applicants who are interested in applying for AHRC funding via the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) must submit completed applications (including references) by 5 January 2024 (you will also need to complete a LAHP application form: see the LAHP website for details).

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

English Language and Literature

[email protected]

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students .

Prospective Students Graduate

• Graduate degrees
• Taught degrees
• Taught Degrees
• Applying for Graduate Taught Study at UCL
• Research degrees
• Research Degrees
• Funded Research Opportunities
• Doctoral School
• Funded Doctoral Training Programmes
• Applying for Graduate Research Study at UCL
• Teacher training
• Teacher Training
• Early Years PGCE programmes
• Primary PGCE programmes
• Secondary PGCE programmes
• Further Education PGCE programme
• How to apply
• The IOE approach
• Teacher training in the heart of London
• Why choose UCL?
• Entrepreneurship
• Inspiring facilities and resources
• Careers and employability
• Your global alumni community
• Your wellbeing
• Postgraduate Students' Association
• Your life in London
• Accommodation
• Funding your Master's

• NAAC Report
• Old Website
• Media Center
• Staff Login
• Online Attestation
• Affiliated Colleges
• Election 2022
• Kalina Campus: 022 26543000 Fort: 0222708700

Department of English

Annual report, sample mcqs for students.

Applications for admissions to Ph.D. in English April 2024 Third Merit List of M.A. (English Studies) 2023-24 Second Merit List of M.A. (English Studies) 2023-24 Revised Notification of Online Admission for M. A. (English Studies) – 2023-24 First Merit List of M.A. (English Studies) 2023-24 Provisional Merit List of M. A. English Studies 2023-24 Notification of Online Admission for M. A. English Studies – 2023-24 Admission Notice of MA in English Studies 2023-24 List of Selected Candidates for Ph.D. in English Nov. 2022 Online Applications for admission to Ph.D. in English Oct 2022-23 Second Selection List for Ph.D. in English 2022 List of Selected Candidates for Ph.D. in English 2022 Notice of Ph.D. Interviews September – 2022 Online Applications for admission to Ph.D. in English 2022-23 Second Selection List of MA Hons and MA Hons with Research in English 2022-23 Selection List of MA Hons and MA Hons with Research in English 2022-23 Selection List of MA Hons and MA Hons with Research in English 2022-23 Rescheduled notice of Faculty/Subject change test 2022-23 Online Applications for admission to M. A. Honours in English and M. A. Honours with Research in English 2022-23 List of Selected Candidates of MA Hons. and Hons. with Research in English 2021-22 Online Applications for admission to M. A. Honours in English and M. A. Honours with Research in English 2021-22 Selection List for Ph.D. in English July 2021 Notice of Ph.D. Interviews and List of Eligible Candidates 2021 Revised Notification for Ph.D. admissions (Online Applications for admission to Ph. D. in English 2021) Online Applications for admission to Ph. D. in English 2021 Ph.D. Aptitude Test (Subject Change Test) 2021 Online Australian Writers-Lecture series: Second Lecture Second Lecture of the Australian Writers-Lecture series Online Australian Writers-Lecture series and Chevening Fellowships online programme Third Merit List of MA Hons in English 2020-21 Second Merit List of MA Hons and Hons with Research in English 2020-21 Selection List of MA Hons and Hons with Research in English 2020-21 Notice of Online Admission of M. A. Honours and M. A. Honours with Research in English Part – I for 2020-21 Final Time table Department of English Organizing a one day “National Webinar on Cultural Studies”, on 28 August, 2020

Introduction

The Department of English was established in 1962 and is one of the oldest language departments in the University of Mumbai.

Since, its inception the Department has played an important role in establishing relevant specializations such as English Language Teaching, American Literature, Gender Studies, Politics Ideology and English Studies.

The Department has now set forth to project itself as a Centre of Excellence and introduced two specialized Honours programmes in addition to its regular M.A. Programme. The M.Phil. programme has also been re-vamped to include courses such as writing for the media, creative writing and translation studies.

The Department has a Library-cum-Media Centre, an Audio-Visual Room and a Seminar room.

Special Activities of the Department

1. An English Language Teaching Cell has been instituted in the Department since 1995, aimed at initiating extra-curricular English courses to upgrade levels of English in the University and outside.

2. An Academic Links Programme has been initiated between this Department and (a) The Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, Germany (b) Queen Mary College, University of London, U.K. (c) The Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K. (d) University of the Fraser Valley, B.C. Canada in the field of Post Colonial Literatures in English, Contemporary Literary Theories and Diaspora Studies.

These links involve faculty and/or student exchange, as well as joint research projects and research guidance.

3. The Writer-in-Residence Programme: This programme has been sponsored by the British Council, Mumbai from the academic year 2005-06 onwards and will enable British Writers to spend two months at the Department, where they will give lectures and conduct workshops in Creative Writing.

4. Short-Term Self-Financing Courses: (a) Voice Culture and Verbal Communication (b) American Culture and Accent Training (c) Business English Skills.

5. Memorial Lecture – G.C. Bannerjee Memorial Lecture

ADMISSION FOR M.PHIL COURSE IN ENGLISH 2008-09

1. M.A. in English Revised. 2. M.A. Honours in English Studies. 3. M. A. Honours in English and Cultural Studies. 4. M. Phil in English. 5. Ph. D. in English 6. Certificate Course in Business English Skills.

ADMISSION AND ELIGIBILITY  : For M.A. Course.

(A) For Graduate of Mumbai University / Other Universities: Those who have obtained the B. A. degree in the Mumbai University or a Corresponding degree of any other University recognized as equivalent thereto, are eligible for admission to the M.A. course in English in the Department of English on Payment of prescribed fees, provided always that the question of granting admission will be at the discretion of the faculty of the Department.

(i) As a rule, admission to the M.A. with English shall be confined only to those students who have passed the B.A(Special) in English and have obtained at least 50% of marks (55% in the case of graduate from other Indians Universities)in the six papers in English.

(ii) Students who have offered at least three papers in English Literature carrying 300marks are also eligible for admission to the M.A. part-I course in English. However, preference will be given to students with six papers.

(iii) Students who have passed the B.A. degree examination without the minimum required number of papers in English, or any other under-graduate degree such as the B.Com. or B.Sc. will be considered as faculty change students will have to appear for an ENTRANCE TEST conducted by this Department.

ADMISSION AND ELIGIBILITY : For M.Phil / Ph.D.

Eligibility criteria for admission to the M.Phil. course will be as per the guidelines issued by the University of Mumbai for admission to M.Phil./ Ph. D. Courses and University rules regarding Reserved Category Candidates. In addition to the above criteria there will also be a personal interview for the selection of students to the course.

FEE STRUCTURE: M.A (Part -I) : Rs.2,496/- Yearly M.A (Part-II) : Rs.1,621/ Yearly M.Phil : Rs.2,696/- Yearly Ph. D. : Rs.2,641/- Yearly Certificate Course in Business English Skill : Rs.6000/- Per course. (The Tuition fees for foreign students for M.A./ M.Phil & Ph.D. Courses is five times the fees chargeable to Indian students.)

SCHOLARSHIP: 1) Government of India 2) Merit Scholarship 3) Minority Student’s Scholarship International Students : Three [(i) M.A.: 2 students, (ii) Ph.D.: 1 student]

Administrative Staff

• Mrs. Deepa Dasharath Sawant – Head Clerk
• Mr. Bhagwat Shivaji Bhosale :Junior. Typist Clerk
• Mrs. Sangeeta Anant Sontate : Junior Typist Clerk
• Mr. Vinod mahadev Mahadik : Peon
• Mrs. Bharati C. Kadam : Peon

Temporary Administrative Staff

• Ms. Rupali Dinanath Palyekar – Temp. Junior Typist Clerk
• Mr. Yogesh Kanu Mane : Temp. Peon
• Final Time table Department of English
• Creative Writing
• Indian Aesthetics
• Literature and Philosophy
• Sample_Research_Methodology
• SAMPLE_SEM_IV_QP_for_Translation_-_Theory_and_Practice
• Sem_IV_Paper__XVII__C__Language__and__Society-Sample_MCQs
• Sem_IV_Paper_XVII__D___ERWC__Sample__MCQs
• Sample MCQs for Sem IV paper “Introduction to Media”

The Doctoral degree in English is one of the strong programmes currently being run by the Department.  Ever since the programme was introduced in the year 1964, the Department has continued to insist on maintaining extreme rigor and high standards in its research scholars: from the time that scholars are admitted to the programme through the period of research to the time of completion of the project and the process of evaluation.  As a result, among those who have obtained their PhD degrees from the Department, several have gone on to make a significant mark in diverse fields at national and international level. 

Over the years, in response to global shifts, the thrust areas of doctoral research at the Department have both shifted and evolved.  Earlier the Department used to promote researches in canonical areas.  Since the archival resources for such researches were located in England and America, the prospective doctoral scholars were encouraged to go abroad to conduct their research. However, with growing archival material available online, this too has altered. In addition, the Department has also taken cognizance of newer areas such as researches across the media, post-colonial studies and Literature in English, Translation Studies and Cultural Studies with their interdisciplinary orientation, and research in these areas are being encouraged.  Consequently, we at the Department have opened our Doctoral programme to newer areas and methodologies and welcome a greater numbers of research scholars from India and abroad. 

We have also begun encouraging relatively younger scholars to get enrolled as doctoral students.  An indication of the last mentioned shift is the recent restructuring of both the M.Phil and PhD programmes. An M.Phil student can now directly enroll in our PhD programme before completing his/her M.Phil in the first semester provided he/she meets the eligibility criteria laid down (please see guidelines for M.Phil Ordinance, VI-A).

PhD Coursework

Second Semester PhD course work, 2024

Detailed Scheme of PhD Coursework

Schedule of Sessions for PhD Coursework

PhD Thesis Ordinances and Guidelines 

• Amendment to Ordinance VI-B of the Ordinances of the University related to Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) dated August 5, 2015
• For more information, please visit following link:  http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=ordinances-and-guidelines-related-to-research
• Guidelines for Similarity Detection and Plagiarism Verification of M.Phil. Dissertation-Ph.D. Thesis
• Forms for Similarity Detection and Plagiarism Verification of M.Phil. Dissertation-Ph.D. Thesis
• Ph.D.-Procedure-after-admission-for-students-registered-between-July-11-2009-and-July-04-2016_updated

General Information

• PhD Research Methodolgy Course Outline

PhD Thesis Submission Steps

• Notification – Uploading thesis in Shodhganga repository
• Guidelines for Plagiarism Check
• Embargo to Open Access
• Student Approval Form
• Student Originality Certificate
• Plagiarism verification Certificate
• Plagiarism- Self Exclusion Certificate
• Useful Documents
• Procedure for PhD submission
• Application Form for submission of thesis in the Board of Research Studies for the Humanities.  Form1 ,  Form2
• http://exam.du.ac.in/pdf/03072017_PhD_Thesis_submission_form.pdf
• Candidate Details to be filled by Student
• Certificate – not getting any full fellowship
• Certification reg publication work in refereed journal

PhD -Admission-Notifications

Notice for Second Provisional List of Selected Candidates-Phase II

Notice for Provisional List of Select application-Phase II

Notice-Additional List for PhD interviews

Notification Regarding PhD interviews Schedule Phase-II

Notice-List of applicants eligible to be interviewed for PhD admissions 2023-24- Second round

Notification Regarding Number of PhD seats and seat matrix- PhD Admissions-Phase II

Notification Regarding Revised Fee for the PhD scholars 2023-24

Notice-Second list of applicants selected for provisional admission to PhD-2023-24

Notice for provisional list of selected applicants

Notice-Second Additional List of PhD applicants for admission interview on 20-09-2023

Notice for Phase I of Applicants to PhD Programme in English for the Academic Session, 2023-24

Notice-List of Applicants Eligible to be Interviewed for PhD Admissions 2023-24

Notice for PhD interviews_Phase I 2023-24

Notice for Phase I Ph.D. English Applicants for the Academic Year 2023-2024

Notification Regarding PhD Admission 2023-24

Fourth Provisional List for PhD Admissions 2022-23

Third Provisional List for PhD Admissions 2022-23

Revised Second Provisional List for PhD Admissions 2022-2 3

Provisional list for PhD admissions 2022-23

SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF APPLICANTS TO THE PH.D. PROGRAMME IN ENGLISH, SHORT-LISTED FOR INTERVIEW FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-23

List of PhD Applicants Shortlisted for Interviews for the Academic Year 2022-23

Notification for PhD interviews 2022-23

Notice – Provisional List of applicants found eligible to be interviewed for PhD admissions, 2022-23

Second list for Ph.D admission Acdemic Year 2021-22

Department of English, University of Delhi-First Ph.D. Admission list(2021-22)

Interview Schedule for PhD & MPhil Admissions 2021-22

Notice for Interview list for PhD_MPhil Applicants

Notice – reopening of the Google Form Link for PhD Programme

Notice — Supplementary List of Applicants to be called for interveiw for PhD-M.Phil Programme in English 2021-22 : https://forms.gle/WpzddMa8nLDGjtsp6

Notice — Supplimentaty List of Applicants to be called for interview to PhD Programme in English 2021-22 : https://forms.gle/bmNUVKTYB1kC5Jet6

Urgent notice – reschedule MPhil and PhD Interview

Notice – Google Link for PhD and MPhil Interviews for Thursday, 7 January, 2021

Notice – Google Link for MPhil -PhD Interviews for Wednesday, 6 January, 2021

Notice – Google Link for PhD Interviews on Tuesday, 5 January, 2021-1

NOTICE – MPHIL-PHD ADMISSION SEEKERS – INSTRUCTIONS REG LOG IN

Notice – PhD_MPhil admission seekers, 2020-2021

Eng Dept PhD MPhil Interview Notice 2020

Schedule of PhD-MPhil Admission Interviews, 4-9 January, 2021

NOTICE – MPHIL-PHD ADMISSION SEEKERS FOR ONETIME UPDATION OF INFORMATION PhD Admissions – Useful Links  Syllabus for PhD Entrance

http://www.du.ac.in/mphil-phd.html

http://admission.du.ac.in/phd2018/index.php/site/login

http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=ph-d-admissions

PhD Entrance Test Q Paper 2017

Notifications and Forms 

Notification regarding extension of date for submission of thesis for terminal M.PhilPh.D students

M.Phil.-Ph.D. Procedure after admission for students registered after July 05, 2016_30august_updated

M.Phil.-Ph.D. Procedure after admission for students registered between July 11, 2009 and July 04, 2016_updated

Notification reg abolition of affidavits and adoption of self-d

fellowship claim form

Application-Form-for-extension-of-Non-NET-Fellowship

Application Form for Non-NET Fellowship

• Department of English Language and Literature
• Location Location
• Contact Contact
• Colleges and Schools
• Arts and Sciences
• PhD Programs

Ph.D. in English - English & American Literature

This advanced graduate degree requires a minimum of 36 credit hours post master's level consisting of a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work and 12 credit hours of dissertation work. 

The Program

At least 24 hours of course work including at least two 800-level seminars, one class in critical theory (ENGL 732, 734, or an equivalent), and the 3-hour 691-692 pedagogy sequence. For students who have not taken a comparable course during their M.A. degree, ENGL 700 (Introduction to Graduate Study) is also recommended.

Twelve hours of Dissertation Preparation (ENGL 899) .

Reading knowledge of one language other than English (satisfied by passing a reading exam or a 400-level course in literature, not in translation, with a grade of B or better, or a 500-level course in literature, not in translation, with a grade of C or better). Students may also fulfill a language requirement by passing ENGL 701: Old English or ENGL 701: Beowulf and Old English Heroic Verse with a grade of B or better.

Admission to doctoral candidacy

Written Comprehensive Exams: one in the primary field and one in the secondary field

Oral Exam in the primary field

Dissertation and Oral Dissertation Defense

If you have had equivalent graduate courses at another institution, you may petition the Graduate Program Committee to transfer up to six hours credit in lieu of courses required for the Ph.D. However, these courses cannot be more than ten years old by the time you plan to graduate. A minimum of eight courses taken at USC is generally required of all students.

Up to two electives may be taken in other departments on subjects directly related to your course of study. These electives must be approved by your doctoral committee and/or the Graduate Director.

By the beginning of your third term, you must, in consultation with your advisor, fill out the Ph.D. Program of Study form and submit it to the Director of Graduate Studies; students will bring this form to the meeting to determine qualification for doctoral candidacy that you must schedule with the Graduate Director and major advisor no later than the start of the third semester (see description of this process, below). This form must be on file with the Dean of the Graduate School before you will be cleared for graduation. It will also help you and your advisor direct your progress toward the degree. The Program of Study should be amended periodically to reflect actual courses taken by filing the Adjustment form available through the forms library on the Graduate School’s website.

Certain minors (Children’s Literature and Rhetoric and Composition) along with the certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies have an established curriculum (listed below); others provide more flexibility. Students often minor in a second literary field, or in specialized fields. To form your minor, you must work with an appropriate faculty member to assemble a specialized reading list and a committee for the minor field exam. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue relevant coursework. All minor fields must be approved by the Graduate Director.

Admission by the Department of English for graduate study does not mean admission as a candidate in the English and American Literature Ph.D. program.

PhD students in the English Department are admitted to doctoral candidacy on the basis of their record and a meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies and the major adviser, to be held no later than the beginning of the student’s third term. Prior to this meeting, the Graduate Director will review the student's class grades with the expectation of at least a 3.0 GPA over the course of the first year of study. The student will come to the meeting with a completed Program of Study form and an accompanying statement (5-6pp.) detailing progress toward dissertation and degree thus far and plans for future study and research. In the event of an unsuccessful review, the student will be put on probation, not be admitted to candidacy, and be required to maintain a 3.5 GPA for each of the following two semesters. Additionally, field faculty will meet at the end of the probationary student's second year in order to make a recommendation to the Graduate Director about the student’s future in the program. The Graduate Director will factor this recommendation and the student’s GPA into a decision about whether the probationary student should be admitted to candidacy at the end of the second year and allowed to continue in the program.

No later than the end of your second year, you should notify the Graduate Office that you have assembled a doctoral committee of three or four professors in your areas of specialization by obtaining the necessary signatures and filing a Doctoral Committee Appointment Request form available through the forms library on the Graduate School website. Each committee should consist of three faculty members from the English Department along with one professor from outside the department with no departmental affiliations. In consultation with this committee, you must devise and file with the Graduate Office a reading list and tentative body of course work. This will be the basis of the formal Program of Study, initially submitted as part of the process of admission to doctoral candidacy at the start of the second term in the program. At any time, you may change the composition of your committee by advising the Graduate Director and any members removed from the committee (correspondence advising members of their removal should be copied to the Graduate Director) and by revising the aforementioned Doctoral Committee Appointment Request form.

Students are required to take written comprehensive exams in both a major and minor field by the fall semester of their fourth year in the program but should ideally have taken them during the preceding spring. This 72-hour take-home exam will consist of a response to a question in the primary field and another response to a question in the secondary field. The completed exam should not exceed 7500 words in length.

There are no standardized reading lists for the Ph.D. comprehensive exams in literature; instead, you are required to compile your own reading lists in consultation with your committee.  The purpose of these lists is twofold:  these lists should cover the major texts, authors, and debates in your chosen fields of expertise, but they should also reflect your particular interests, investigations, and priorities for your emerging dissertation project.  It is your responsibility to strike this balance between field coverage and dissertation focus.  To do this, you should start consulting with your committee about your reading lists well in advance (ideally a year before you take exams).  No later than three months before you plan to sit the exams, you must secure your committee’s approval for a provisional set of reading lists, which you must then file with the Graduate Office.  By the beginning of the semester in which you plan to sit the exams, you must secure your committee’s approval for your final lists, which you should also submit to the Graduate Office.  Students who have not followed this procedure will not be allowed to sign up for the exams.

Questions for the primary field exam are written and graded by the qualified members of your doctoral committee. Questions for the secondary field exam are solicited from appropriate faculty by a member of the doctoral committee, who also calls on members of that faculty as graders (graders are notified that they are reading minor field exams).

In the semester you plan to take the comprehensive exams, you must sign up with the Graduate Office during the first week of classes. The exams will be offered once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester (usually in the fourth week of each semester) and will take place over a weekend—i.e., from Friday at noon until Monday at noon. Students will not be allowed to schedule alternative days or times in which to take the written exams.

To pass each exam, you must receive passing grades on each question from two of your three readers. To receive a pass with distinction, you must receive grades of pass with distinction from two of your three readers. Should you fail one part of the exam (primary or secondary field), you will only have to retake that part; if, however, you fail both parts of the exam, you are required to retake the entire exam. You have two opportunities to pass the written exam, and you must retake any failed portion of the exam within one year.

You must take the oral comprehensive examination within one month of the time you are notified that you have passed the written examination. This exam typically lasts from one to two hours. The oral examiners will include departmental members of your doctoral committee, with the option to bring the outside reader in at this point. The exam covers only your primary field and will be limited to those texts that appear on your reading list for your primary field written comprehensive exam. If you do not pass the oral examination, you must take it again within a year. You have two opportunities to pass this exam.

Within thirty days of passing your oral exam, you must have a dissertation prospectus approved. This is done by submitting the written prospectus to your committee, including your outside reader, and then discussing it at a meeting with your full committee. The purpose of this meeting is to help you avoid problems in research methodology, scope of the project, etc., during the later stages of the process. Students should obtain the prospectus defense form from the Graduate English Office, bring it to the prospectus meeting, and obtain the necessary signatures at the end of the meeting. The prospectus defense form together with a brief description of the project should be filed with the Graduate English Office as soon as possible after the meeting.

Your dissertation committee is your doctoral committee in its final form; it includes your dissertation director, at least two specialists in your research area or areas, and one faculty member from an outside department. (English department faculty affiliated with other programs or with joint appointments may not serve as outside readers). The dissertation must be defended orally before the dissertation committee. At least two weeks before the defense is to be held, you must submit the dissertation in its final form, to the director and the rest of the committee. Be sure to consult the Graduate School for current requirements regarding the format of the dissertation as well as for information about electronic submission of the dissertation to the Graduate School .

Applicants who apply prior the first deadline (January 1), are admitted to this PhD program, and have completed 18 hours of graduate English course work will be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship ('GTA'). Potentially renewable for five consecutive years, the Teaching Assistantship comes with a competitive stipend (currently $14,800 for 3 classes per academic year for incoming students), in-state tuition status, and a tuition supplement.

Students awarded an assistantship by the Department of English are expected to

carry no incompletes;

earn no more than one grade below B during their academic career;

perform assigned duties in a satisfactory manner;

maintain a GPA of 3.5; and

make steady progress toward the degree.

Opportunities to present papers at conferences sponsored by USC graduate student organizations and by affiliated programs such as Women's and Gender Studies.

Opportunities for financial support to fund paper presentations at other local, regional, national, or international conferences.

Opportunities to teach undergraduate literature and writing courses.

Eligibility for recognition and awards from The Graduate School (especially for presentations at Graduate Student Day).

Opportunities for editorial or other career-advancing internships within the university or outside it.

Guidance through the job search by an expert faculty committee, including CV workshops, presentation strategies, and mock interviews.

Opportunity to apply for lucrative year-long Bilinski Dissertation Fellowship

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.