Program Overview

Ph.D. in Literature & Creative Writing

The Literature and Creative Writing concentration is designed for students wishing to pursue a traditional Literature-focused English degree, but also provides the opportunity for advanced creative writing students to produce a creative dissertation. With faculty guidance, students admitted to the Ph.D. program may tailor their programs to their goals and interests.

The Ph.D. degree offers the opportunity for advanced and concentrated research to students who hold an M.A. degree in English or a related field, from KU or elsewhere.

The faculty at KU has been widely published and anthologized, winning both critical and popular acclaim. Faculty awards include such distinctions as the Osborn Award, Shelley Memorial Award, Gertrude Stein Award, the Kenyon Review Prize, the Kentucky Center Gold Medallion, and the Pushcart Prize.

Opportunities

• A GTA appointment includes a tuition waiver for ten semesters plus a competitive stipend.
• In the first year, GTA appointees teach English 101 (first year composition) and English 102 (a required reading and writing course).
• Ph.D. students may have the opportunity to teach courses in their area of interest after passing the doctoral examination, and opportunities are available for a limited number of GTAs to teach in the summer.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

1. At least 24 hours of credit in appropriate formal graduate courses beyond the M.A. or M.F.A.
2. ENGL 800: Methods, Theory, and Professionalism (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
3. The ENGL 801/ENGL 802 pedagogy sequence (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
4. Two seminars (courses numbered 900 or above) offered by the Department of English at the University of Kansas, beyond the M.A. or M.F.A.
5. ENGL 999, Dissertation (at least 12 hours).

Responsible Scholarship and Research Skills (RSRS) Requirement

• For Doctoral students, the university requires completion of a course in responsible scholarship.
• The Department requires reading knowledge of one approved foreign language: Old English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.

Annual Review

• Post-Coursework Ph.D. students must submit, with their committee chair(s), an annual review form to the DGS and Graduate Committee.

Doctoral Exam

Overview

• Doctoral students must take their doctoral examination within three semesters (excluding summers) of the end of the semester in which they took their final required course.

Requirements for Doctoral Exams

• Reading Lists: All students are required to submit three reading lists, based on the requirements below, to their committee for approval.
• Review of Literature: The purpose of the Review of Literature is to develop and demonstrate an advanced awareness of the critical landscape for each list.

Doctoral Exam Committee

• Exam committees typically consist of 3 faculty members from the department—one of whom serves as the Committee Chair—plus a Graduate Studies Representative.

Doctoral Exam Timeline

• The recommended time between completion of coursework and the doctoral examination is two semesters.
• Final exam lists need to be approved and signed by the committee at least 12 weeks prior to the prospective exam date.

Post-Exam Enrollment

• Ph.D. candidates must be continuously enrolled in Dissertation hours each Fall and Spring semester from the time they pass the doctoral examination until successful completion of the final oral examination (defense of dissertation).

Review of the Dissertation Proposal (RDP)

• As soon as possible following successful completion of the doctoral exam, the candidate should establish their three-person core dissertation committee, and then expeditiously proceed to the preparation of a dissertation proposal.

The Doctoral Dissertation

• The Graduate Catalog states that the doctoral candidate “must present a dissertation showing the planning, conduct and results of original research, and scholarly creativity.”

Committee

• The dissertation committee will consist of at least four members—two “core” English faculty members, a third faculty member (usually from English), and one faculty member from a different department who serves as the Graduate Studies representative.

Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense)

• When the dissertation has been tentatively accepted by the dissertation committee (not including the Graduate Studies Representative), the final oral examination will be held, on the recommendation of the Department.

Best Practices for the Doctoral Dissertation

• Normally, the dissertation will present the results of the writer’s own research, carried on under the direction of the dissertation committee.

Timeline

• YEAR 1: GTAs take 2 courses, teach 2 courses; GRAs take 3 courses.
• YEAR 2: Attend at least one conference to familiarize yourself with procedure, network with other grad students and scholars in your field, AND/OR present a paper.
• YEAR 3: Attend one conference and present a paper. Apply for one-time funding for out-of-state travel from Graduate Studies.
• YEAR 4: Attend one conference and present a paper.
• YEAR 5: Attend one conference and present a paper.
• YEAR 6: Defend dissertation.

Graduate Contacts

• Phillip Drake: Acting Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor, Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction
• Kara Kopchinski: Graduate Program Coordinator
• Sarah Van der Laan: Associate Professor, Interim Job Professionalization & Placement Officer

Graduate Student Handbook

• For department policies and best practices consult the graduate handbook, found on the Graduate Resources page.