PhD Admission Requirements

  1. An applicant for the PhD program must normally have taken courses at the Honors or MA level in at least five of the following six areas of English Language or Literature:

    • Old English, Middle English, OR History of the Language
    • Renaissance dramatic OR Renaissance non-dramatic
    • 18th century OR 19th century
    • American OR Canadian
    • Twentieth-Century British OR Postcolonial
    • Theory (e.g., historical, contemporary, feminist, genre, etc.).

  2. Admission is on a competitive basis. To be considered for admission, an applicant must have the MA degree (or its equivalent) in English Literature or a related field with a grade average of A- (80-84%) or higher across the English courses. This is the minimum requirement and it does not guarantee admission. The minimum requirement for consideration is a grade average of 78% across all graduate courses taken, where there are grades available. If no grades are available, the last 10 full- or 20 half-courses are counted in calculating the average. Attainment of this minimum requirement does not, in and of itself, constitute eligibility for admission.

  3. English proficiency standards set by the Department of English must be met (see Supporting Documentatation for a PhD Applicant).

  4. The deadline for applications is January 15. Applications can be considered after that date only if places are still open. Admission decisions are not subject to appeal. Students may enter the PhD program only upon completion of all requirements for their previous degree.

  5. Applicants to the PhD program must submit both a writing sample (e.g., a recent essay) and a statement of intent (see Supporting Documentation for a PhD Applicant).