Ph.D. in English

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 16

The Department of English welcomes student applications with the following materials. Additional details and step-by-step guidance are provided on the department website.

1. Complete the Graduate School’s Online Application. 
2. Pay the application fee ($50). The English Department has a limited number of application fee waivers for students from underrepresented groups and/or students who are experiencing acute financial hardship. Please inquire with the Graduate Program Director (below).
3. Submit official transcripts.
4. International applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from an acceptable English language proficiency test.
5. Upload Supplemental Application materials for the Department of English to the link provided on the application. 

• Statement of purpose: a 2-page document describing your academic interests, qualifying experiences, and specific reasons for pursuing this degree.
• Writing sample: a polished seminar-length sample (20-25 double-spaced pages) of your best academic work. If you do not have a writing sample of this length, we can accept two papers totaling 20-25 pages of writing.
• Three letters of recommendation: provide contact information for three recommenders who can address your developing scholarly interests, your academic performance and potential.

For students admitted to the doctoral program with a bachelor's degree, the M.A. may be awarded upon successful completion of the Ph.D. candidacy exam. 

Students in the Ph.D. in English complete 54 credit hours, either 24 hours of coursework beyond the master's degree or 42 hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree.  

Course requirements include:

• Eng 600: Intro to Graduate Study
• 6 hours in English or American literature before 1800
• 6 hours in English or American literature after 1800
• 18 hours of dissertation

Students make complete up to 6 hours in related disciplines outside traditional English department courses. Graduate instructors teaching in the composition program are required to complete Eng 617 (Teaching College English). Although there is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. per se, the members of the dissertation committee may, depending on the student's dissertation topic, require that the student demonstrate competence in one or more foreign languages.

Students complete a comprehensive exam, an approved dissertation prospectus, and successful oral defense of the dissertation.

Specialization in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies is earned by completing 21 credit hours of courses in Renaissance and Early Modern studies, including a minimum of 9 hours in the Department of English and a minimum of 9 hours outside the department, and submitting a dissertation on a Renaissance or Early Modern subject.  


Emphasis in Creative Writing includes 33 credit hours of courses beyond the M.F.A. in creative writing, 21 hours of dissertation, area examination, and oral defense of a dissertation. Specific course requirements include:

• 6 hours of coursework in English, American, or world literature before 1800   
• 6 hours of English, American, or world literature after 1800  
• 6 hours of creative writing workshop
• 15 hours of electives, including Eng 681/683 Form, Craft, & Influence, repeatable for credit once.

Students may also count 6 hours of graduate coursework in related disciplines and/or directed reading toward their required hours.

Emphasis in Gender Studies includes 18 credit hours of courses in gender/sexuality, including the 12 hours of required core Gender Studies: 

• GST 600: Gender Studies Methodology
• GST 601: Gender Theory
• GST 605: Feminist Pedagogy
• GST 641: Readings in Global History - Gender

All students admitted to the Ph.D. program will receive a teaching assistantship as a base stipend to defray living expenses. Students with a graduate assistantship funded by the department receive a scholarship that covers some or all of the tuition and non-residency fee, if applicable, for regular semesters and subsidized health insurance.

In addition to this funding package, the following additional funding opportunities are also available.

• The Colby Kullman Fellowship offers an additional $3,750/yr for 5 years to particularly strong Ph.D. applicants.
• The Harold J. Kendis, Ph.D. Fellowship offers an additional $4,250/yr for 5 years. One Kendis Fellowship is reserved for a Ph.D. applicant who wishes to specialize in Medieval Studies.
• McCool Fellowship in Faulkner Studies for a student writing a dissertation on Faulkner.  
• Departmental Nonteaching Dissertation Fellowships are designed to exempt graduate students from normal teaching duties in order to speed the completion and defense of their dissertations. A one-year fellowship of $11,500 is offered for the final year of funding.
• Summer Teaching provides an source of supplemental income. There are limited opportunities for summer teaching, so not all requests can be honored every year. To request summer teaching, fill out and submit the form available here.

The Graduate School’s financial aid webpage lists a variety of funding possibilities, including summer support and a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education to groups who are historically underrepresented.  

Some examples include

• Honors Fellowships range from $2,000/yr to $4,000/yr, typically for 4 years.
• Recruiting Fellowship and Scholarship Program for students who demonstrate superior academic achievements and/or who will add diversity to the classroom and to their academic field of study. Packages provide $3,000/yr for 4 years to Ph.D. students.
• Institutional SREB Doctoral Fellowship Program provides an additional $6,000/yr for up to 3 years to selected Ph.D. students from an underrepresented group in academia who plan to pursue a faculty position upon graduation.   
• Summer Graduate Research Assistantships are $3,000 for selected Ph.D. students to pursue research during the summer.
• Graduate School Dissertation Fellowships are one-semester nonteaching dissertation fellowships of $6,000.
• Travel Grants provide up to $300 to enable graduate students to present original research at professional conferences. 

The Department of English has close ties to other academic departments and programs including the

• African American Studies Program,
• Center for the Study of Southern Culture,
• Department of Writing and Rhetoric,
• Environmental Studies Program,
• Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies,
• and the Southern Foodways Alliance

The Ph.D. students are able to see their work in an interdisciplinary context.