Ph.D. in English Language and Literature

The Ph.D. program in English is designed to develop knowledgeable scholars, critics, and teachers of English literature. Coursework is offered and dissertations directed in the full range of subjects defined by our faculty’s expertise and by our internationally renowned archival holdings of manuscripts and books in McFarlin Library. Specific clusters of study that carry the advantage of faculty depth and the potential for original research are: (1) Victorian and Modern British and Irish literature; (2) American studies, cultural and gendersexuality studies, African American literature, Indigenous literature, and women’s literature; and (3) Early Modern, Restoration, and Eighteenth-Century British and Transatlantic Literature.The department also offers seminars in critical theory, in the pedagogy of composition, and in creative writing.The doctoral program is administered by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Program Committee. All members of the Faculty of English participate as instructors and on student committees.Students who complete the Ph.D. degree program will be able to:create original and sustained scholarly work in the field.demonstrate expertise in two sub-disciplines through evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of works in the field.analyze and synthesize theories on human, gender, and cultural diversity and apply them to cultural materials to create original and creative work in the field.write and present effectively to professional audiences about issues in the field.