Program Overview
Doctor of Philosophy in English
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.
Program Overview
Our program has special strengths in ecocriticism and posthuman studies, U.S. ethnic literature, nineteenth-century U.S. literature, science and technology studies, and Victorian literature.
Rhetoric & Composition Program
Our Rhetoric & Composition program has special strengths in genre and language theory, public and professional discourses, multimodality and digital rhetorics, translingualism, writing pedagogy, and global writing research.
Creative Writing Program
Our Creative Writing program has special strengths in the novel, environmental writing, drama, mixed-genre work, and short story collections.
Faculty
All of our programs boast distinguished and award-winning faculty with notable research publications and a deep foundation in their areas of specialization.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required.
Graduate Admission
To be admitted to any of the department’s graduate degree tracks, a student must have a strong undergraduate record, particularly in the humanities. Applicants are expected to have some familiarity with British and American literary history and the work of the major writers in English.
Supplemental Materials
- A resumé or curriculum vitae.
- A statement of approximately 500 words describing your interests, training, experience (including teaching experience), academic ability, and goals.
- Letters of recommendation from three professors.
- One transcript or student-generated grade/advising report from each university previously attended.
- Ph.D. applicants interested in Rhetoric & Composition or Literature must provide two examples of academic writing. Ph.D. applicants interested in Creative Writing must submit one example of creative writing (prose, poetry, or a one-act play), and one example of academic writing.
Ph.D. in English Degree Requirements
The students and their graduate advisors together design and monitor a coherent program of study, individualized to serve each student’s goals within current expectations for a Ph.D. in English.
Required Courses
- ENGL 800: Methods, Theory, and Professionalism (3 hours)
- ENGL 801: Study and Teaching of Writing (3 hours)
- ENGL 997: Preparation for the Doctoral Examination (3 hours)
- Concentration Coursework: Students should work with their advisors to choose coursework appropriate to their concentration.
- 2 ENGL seminars at the 900+ level (6 hours)
- 6 credit hours of ENGL electives at 700+ level (6 hours)
- 6 credit hours of electives (6 hours)
- Total Hours: 27
Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship
The University requires that every doctoral student receive training in responsible scholarship pertinent to the field of research and obtain research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s).
Literature and Creative Writing Concentration
Students are expected to work with their advisor and the director of graduate studies to select electives and seminars that fit within their area of study.
Composition and Rhetoric Concentration
At least one of the 900+ seminars must be in Rhetoric and Composition. Students are expected to work with their advisor and the director of graduate studies to select electives and seminars that fit within their area of study.
Additional Requirements for Students Admitted with a B.A.
- A 900+ ENGL seminar on Composition and Rhetoric (3 hours)
- 9 credit hours of 700+ ENGL electives (9 hours)
- Total Hours: 12
Other Requirements
Comprehensive Examination
Completed within 3 semesters after satisfaction of formal course requirements. The exam consists of 3 reading lists, a written review of literature, and a 2-hour oral examination over those materials.
Post Comprehensive Exam Requirements
Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree and is approved to proceed with their dissertation research and project.
Review of the Dissertation Proposal
Completed in the semester following the comprehensive examination, it provides formal direction for the dissertation.
Doctoral Dissertation and Defense
The dissertation must be an original work of research that advances the field of English.
English Electives
- ENGL 709: Critical Theory: Problems and Principles (3 hours)
- ENGL 725: Shakespeare (3 hours)
- ENGL 730: Topics in Early Modern Literature (3 hours)
- ENGL 750: British Literature of the 19th Century (3 hours)
- ENGL 751: Fiction Writing III (3 hours)
- ENGL 752: Poetry Writing III (3 hours)
- ENGL 753: Writers Workshop (3 hours)
- ENGL 756: Forms (3 hours)
- ENGL 757: Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop (3 hours)
- ENGL 760: British Literature of the 20th Century (3 hours)
- ENGL 770: Studies in Life Writing (3 hours)
- ENGL 774: Topics in Literatures of Africa and the African Diaspora (3 hours)
- ENGL 776: American Literature to 1900 (3 hours)
- ENGL 777: American Literature after 1900 (3 hours)
- ENGL 780: Composition Studies (3 hours)
- ENGL 790: Studies in (3 hours)
- ENGL 880: Topics in Composition Studies and Rhetoric (3 hours)
- ENGL 904: Seminar in Composition Theory (3 hours)
- ENGL 905: Seminar in the English Language (3 hours)
- ENGL 908: Seminar in Literary Criticism (3 hours)
- ENGL 950: Seminar in 19th Century British Literature (3 hours)
- ENGL 970: Seminar in American Literature (3 hours)
- ENGL 974: Seminar in Literatures of Africa and the African Diaspora (3 hours)
- ENGL 980: Seminar In (3 hours)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of several major fields of literary, cultural, and/or rhetorical expression.
- write clearly and effectively in various scholarly modes and contexts.
- apply relevant theories, methodologies, and analytical practices that address fundamental questions in their primary area of study.
- understand and appreciate the development, culture, and diversity of societies, past and present, through the study of primary and secondary texts.