Program Overview

Department of English

The Department of English at Brandeis University offers a range of programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

Undergraduate Programs

• Undergraduate English Program
  • The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program provides students with a comprehensive education in English literature and language.
  • Requirements for the program include coursework in literature, writing, and language.
  • The Senior Honors Track is available for students who wish to pursue advanced research and writing projects.
    • Honors Information and Selected Theses and Essays are available for students interested in the Senior Honors Track.
• Undergraduate Creative Writing Program
  • The Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing degree program allows students to develop their writing skills in a variety of genres.
  • Requirements for the program include coursework in creative writing, literature, and language.
  • The Senior Honors Track is available for students who wish to pursue advanced writing projects.
    • Creative Writing Honors Information and Selected Theses and Essays are available for students interested in the Senior Honors Track.

Graduate Programs

• Doctorate in English (PhD)
  • The PhD program in English is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced research and teaching careers.
  • Requirements for the program include coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation.
  • Internships and other opportunities are available for students to gain professional experience.
  • The Connected PhD program provides students with a comprehensive education in English literature and language, as well as training in teaching and research methods.
  • Selected Dissertation Defenses are available for students who have completed their dissertation research.
• Master of Arts in English
  • The Master of Arts in English degree program provides students with a comprehensive education in English literature and language.
  • Requirements for the program include coursework and a thesis or final project.
• Joint Master of Arts in English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
  • The Joint Master of Arts in English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies degree program allows students to pursue interdisciplinary research and study.
  • Requirements for the program include coursework in English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as a thesis or final project.

Program Details

Why Brandeis?

The Brandeis Department of English is leading the way in the transformation of graduate education. As a small program, we are highly collaborative. In seminars, working and reading groups, pedagogical partnerships, and community-engaged projects, students discover new ways for literary and cultural study to matter. Curricula in public humanities and digital humanities put our work in conversation with many audiences, both in and beyond academia, as we promote the importance of scholarship to civic life.

Events and Opportunities

Our community benefits directly from Brandeis' Mandel Center for the Humanities, which offers dynamic lecture series and workshops throughout the academic year. Brandeis is an active member of the Boston-area Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality, which offers advanced seminars in specialized topics and research support. Located near Boston, Brandeis is convenient to dozens of museums, research libraries, archives, performance venues, and other valuable cultural resources. Brandeis Library's own special collections in literature holds significant folios, manuscripts, and personal materials from literary history. Brandeis hosts the annual Novel Symposium and other significant academic conferences.

Careers and Alumni

Our graduates have successfully pursued careers in academia and high schools, writing, non-profits, media, theater and business. For more information on alumni, visit our Recent Alumni page.

Faculty and Research

The Department of English faculty hold research expertise in established and emerging fields, cutting across regions, languages, media, genres and theoretical concerns. Our students undertake research in every aspect of literary and English studies. We value diverse contributions to the humanities, innovative modes of scholarship, and interdisciplinary thought.

School of Arts, Humanities and Culture

The Department of English is part of the School of Arts, Humanities and Culture at Brandeis University.