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PHD in English

Chapter 6 Graduate Program Requirements/Course Descriptions
College of Liberal and Fine Arts

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in English

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in English offers students opportunities for advanced study and research in crosscultural, transnational approaches to English language and literary studies, with coursework required in U.S. Latina/o literature and the theory and practice of teaching composition. The Ph.D. in English is awarded to candidates who complete all required coursework, demonstrate in-depth, cross-cultural knowledge of English-language literature, and produce an original contribution to their field of specialization.

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The regulations for this degree comply with the general University requirements (refer to Chapter 3, General Academic Regulations, and 5, Doctoral Degree Regulations).

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Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements, the minimum requirements for admission to the doctoral program in English are as follows:

  1. The student must have a Master’s degree in English or a related discipline with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better OR a Bachelor’s degree in English or a related discipline with a GPA of 3.5 or better.
  2. A minimum of at least 18 upper-division and/or graduate hours in English literary studies with a GPA of 3.5 or better.

In addition, applicants must submit:

  1. A statement of purpose (2-3 pages)
  2. A writing sample (minimum 15-page research paper)
  3. Three letters of recommendation attesting to the student’s academic training, capability, and potential.
  4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from both the General Examination and the English Subject Test; these scores will be considered in comparison with scores from applicants of similar socioeconomic background.
  5. Students who have received degrees from non-English speaking universities must submit Texas of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores of no less than 550.
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Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove admission deficiencies, is 39 graduate hours beyond the Master’s degree.

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Students who are accepted into the doctoral program without a Master’s degree must complete all requirements for the Master of Arts degree in English or its equivalent. Courses in which students receive any grade lower than "B" will not count toward the 39 semester credit hours of coursework required in items A through D below.

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Candidates for the doctoral degree must complete the following requirements:

A. Core Curriculum (9 semester credit hours)

ENG 5183 Theory and Practice of Teaching Composition
ENG 6013 Bibliography and Research
ENG 6053 Latina/o Studies: Text and Context

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B. Seminars (9 semester credit hours)

ENG 7053 Seminar: Latina/o Studies
ENG 7063 Seminar: Issues in Culture
ENG 7073 Seminar: Theory and Criticism

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C. Electives

a. Prescribed electives (3 hours)

ENG 6023 Rhetoric and Composition: Text and Context

or

ENG 6033 Language and Linguistics: Text and Context

b. Free electives (minimum 12 semester credit hours, including at least 6 in ENG graduate courses). The student, in consultation with an academic advisor and the Doctoral Advisor of Record, will select at least 12 hours of freely elected courses. Students will select coursework from available graduate courses in ENG or, with approval of the Graduate Program Committee, related disciplines.

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D. Doctoral research (minimum 6 semester credit hours)

ENG 7311-3 Doctoral Dissertation

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The entire program of study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor, dissertation committee, and Graduate Program Committee and must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies through the Dean of the College for final approval.

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Language Requirement. In addition to fluency in English, students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or another language that is approved in advance by the Graduate Program Committee. Proficiency may be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

  • Successful completion of an upper-division undergraduate course or a graduate course with a grade of "B" or better. The course must be approved in advance by the Graduate Program Committee.
  • Passing the Educational Testing Service (Princeton) examination in the approved language with a satisfactory score as determined by the Graduate Program Committee.

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Admission to Candidacy. A student will be admitted to candidacy after completing all University and program requirements, passing the Qualifying Examination, and completing a dissertation prospectus. The Qualifying Examination will be based on three areas of literary study, one of which must be cross-cultural in focus; all three must be relevant to the student’s anticipated dissertation and selected in consultation with the student’s examination committee. In consultation with the examination committee, the student will prepare reading lists in each area and compose position papers in each of the three areas. The examination committee must approve the reading lists and conduct an oral examination on the reading lists and the position papers. The Qualifying Examination will be completed when the examination committee approves the student’s dissertation prospectus (ca. 15-20 pages) and recommends admission to candidacy to the Dean of Graduate Studies through the Graduate Program Committee and the Dean of the College.

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Dissertation and Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation). Candidates must demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the field of English language or literatures. The student in consultation with his or her dissertation advisor determines the research topic. A dissertation committee, selected by the student and dissertation advisor and approved by the Dean of the College and the Dean of Graduate Studies, will guide and critique the candidate’s research. The dissertation committee must unanimously approve the completed dissertation. The dissertation shall then be defended publicly before the dissertation committee and interested members of the University community; the defense will focus on the relation between the dissertation and the student’s field of specialization.

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