PhD Requirements:

• 30 hours of coursework past the MA
• Comprehensive exams in 3 fields
• A Foreign Language requirement
• A PhD Dissertation

The official requirement of credit hours necessary to receive a PhD is 54, but this number includes work transferred from earlier graduate programs. In a typical case, you have recently completed an MA in English at a reputable university with something in excess of 30 semester hours. We accept 24 of those hours toward the degree, leaving you with 30 to complete from the time of your matriculation. If you did graduate work in another discipline or another time, and fewer than 24 of your hours are accepted as transfer credit, you will need to complete more than 30 hours. Decisions on credit matter are made by the Graduate Director and your Committee on Studies. You and your Committee on Studies decide how to satisfy requirements and choose your many elective hours.

Language (at least one of the following)

English 541 - English Grammars
English 545 - History of the English Language
English 547 - Old English
English 548 - Beowulf and Other Topics
English 549 - Middle English Language

Theory (at least one of the following)

English 510 - Criticism and Theory
English 511 (when applicable) - Special Topics: Criticism and Theory; Literacy and Cultural Movements
English 542 - Major Texts in Rhetoric
English 543 - Contemporary Texts in Rhetoric