Program Overview

English (PHD) Program

The Department of English offers a Ph.D. degree in the areas of literature studies, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric.

Description

The program offers graduate course work in all listed areas of study. There are also opportunities for students to obtain a specialization in ethnic studies; Great Plains studies, human rights and humanitarian affairs, 19th-century studies, and women's and gender studies. Additionally, the department offers certifications in Digital Humanities and the Teaching of Writing.

Specializations

• Composition and Rhetoric
• Ervin and Loretta Krause Specialization in Creative Writing
• Ethnic Studies
• Great Plains Studies
• Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
• Literary and Cultural Studies
• Nineteenth Century Studies
• Women's & Gender Studies

Applying for Admission

Standard Requirements

• Application for Admission with $50 non-refundable application fee
• Transcripts (unofficial): Uploaded as part of application form
  • If International: Uploads must include all college- or university-level transcripts or mark sheets (records of courses and marks earned), with certificates, diplomas, and degrees plus certified English translations
• Verification of English proficiency if the applicant's native language is not English
• Financial information if the applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa
• Applicants must also fulfill any additional requirements the department specifies at the time of application

Additional Requirements

• Minimum English proficiency: Internet TOEFL 100, IELTS 6.5
• Resume/CV
• Personal Statement: This statement should be 1-3 pages and include why you want a degree from Nebraska
• Writing Sample: Provide 15-20 pages of a critical paper in English Studies
  • Creative writing applicants only: In slot 1 upload a critical writing sample (15-20 pages of a critical paper in English Studies) and in slot 2 upload a creative writing sample in the appropriate genre (12 poems or no more than 30 pages of fiction or non-fiction)
• Other Upload: A summary of your teaching experience or a discussion of your teaching potential, no more than 2 pages
• Three recommendation letters

Admission Application Deadlines

• December 1 for Fall
• Prospective students admitted Fall only

Program Faculty

• Kenneth Price: American Literature and Periodicals, Textual Editing, Digital Humanities
• Stephen Ramsay: Digital Humanities, Critical Theory, Drama
• Guy Reynolds: Willa Cather, Women's Fiction, American Studies
• Gregory Rutledge: African-American Literature and Culture, American Literature
• Timothy Schaffert: Creative Writing, Fiction Writing
• Kelly Stage: Renaissance Literature, Literature of 16th and 17th Century London
• Shari Stenberg: Composition and Rhetoric, Critical and Feminist Pedagogies, Literacy Studies, Teaching and Writing Development
• Hope Wabuke: Creative Writing (Poetry, Nonfiction), African and Diasporic Literature
• Stacey Waite: Composition, Rhetoric, Literacy, Queer Theory/Queer Pedagogies, Teaching of Writing, Feminist and Gender Studies, Creative Writing/Poetry
• Deborah Williams Minter: Composition, Literacy Studies, Rhetoric

Department and Graduate Chair

• Department: English
• Graduate Chair: Peter Capuano
• Support Staff: Anne Nagel
• Campus Address: 202 Andrews Hall