English Rhetoric and Composition (PhD)
This PhD prepares students to conduct original research, master the history and theory of rhetoric and gain advanced skills in composition. Graduates are ready for careers as scholars, educators, and experts in writing, critical analysis and communication across disciplines.
Doctor of Philosophy in English Rhetoric and Composition
Unit: Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (GA)
Department: English
Program Webpage
Academic Plan Code(s): ERC _ PHD
Program Information
Mission Statement
The Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and Composition provides graduate training in the history and theory of rhetoric; theory and empirical research in composition; an area of literary study; and the relation of rhetoric and composition to allied fields (e.g., critical theory, cultural studies, linguistics).
Goals for the PhD are that students will:
- Gain specialized and current disciplinary knowledge;
- Write a dissertation in which they initiate and complete specialized research that addresses an original and significant question in rhetoric and composition; and
- Acquire experience and expertise as writing teachers.
Admission Requirements
Application Due: January 5 (Fall admission only)
All applicants should submit:
- Online Graduate Application (including application fee).
- A current CV or resume. For applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, the CV should detail your teaching and/or tutoring experience and other relevant background or training. It should also include the contact information for persons who can comment on your teaching performance and/or potential.
- A written statement of no more than 1,000 words detailing the applicant's professional goals in the field of rhetoric and composition.
- Complete official transcripts of all college-level work. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate School by the previous institution.
- Three academic letters of recommendation. Letters from employers and personal references are not acceptable. The reference should speak to the prospective student's ability to succeed in their graduate studies. Discursive letters must be attached to the PDF form.
- A critical writing sample of at least 15 pages. This writing sample should demonstrate your skills in critical thinking and analytical writing. For example, this can be a substantial analysis paper or research paper written for an (under)graduate course, a chapter from a Bachelor/Honors/Master thesis, or a published journal article.
- A teaching statement (1-2 pages) describing how you would approach teaching in general and teaching writing in particular. If you have experience as a teaching or tutor, describe your teaching philosophy and provide some specific examples of how you turn that philosophy into practice in the classroom or writing center. What are the most important concepts and skills you think student writers need to learn? If you do not have experience as a teacher or tutor, describe what, as a student, you have found effective in your best teachers. What approaches to teaching and what personal qualities did you value in their work? Describe how you would approach teaching based on what you have experienced. What are the most important concepts and skills you think student writers need to learn?
- For international applicants: Official reports of the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo examination demonstrating English language proficiency. All applicants for whom English is a second language must also submit one of the following: official TOEFL scores (213 or higher on the computer based test, 550 or higher on the paper based test, or 80 or higher on the internet-based test); official reports of the TOEFL, IELTS scores with at least a 6.5 overall band score from the academic module exam; or official Duolingo scores of 105 or higher. Only official Duolingo tests with subscores are accepted. Applicants holding a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited U.S. institution may be exempt from the English proficiency requirement.
Special notes:
- GRE scores are not required.
- The entire application must be completed by January 5th to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) position.
Degree Requirements
All doctoral students are expected to complete a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours, which must include twelve (12) credit hours of Dissertation Research (ENGL 690); successfully complete the Modern and Contemporary Rhetoric and Composition exam and the Specified Literature Area exam; and complete and defend a dissertation.
More information on requirements can be found in the English Department Graduate Program Guidelines.
Graduate-level English courses beyond those listed may count towards requirements depending on the topics covered. Detailed course descriptions, available on the English Department website, will provide this information and can be discussed during advising with the director of graduate studies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Requirements | ||
| ENGL 602 | Teaching College Composition 1 | 3 |
| ENGL 620 | Research in the Composition | 3 |
| GS 799 | Doctoral Exam Prep 2 | 0 |
| Pedagogy and Program Administration | 3 | |
ENGL 667 | Assessing and Responding to Student Writing | |
or ENGL 670 | Composition Theory and Practice | |
| Rhetoric | 3 | |
ENGL 603 | Studies in Genres | |
or ENGL 671 | History of Rhetoric I | |
or ENGL 672 | History of Rhetoric II | |
or ENGL 673 | Rhetoric and Textual Analysis | |
or ENGL 676 | The Rhetoric of Science | |
| Critical Theory | 3 | |
ENGL 691 | Contemporary Theories of Interpretation | |
or ENGL 692 | Topics in Interpretive Theory Since 1900 | |
| Literature 3 | 6 | |
ENGL 603 | Studies in Genres | |
or ENGL 605 | Teaching Literature: Theory and Practice | |
or ENGL 606 | Creative Writing I | |
or ENGL 607 | Creative Writing II | |
or ENGL 624 | Old English and Middle English Language and Literature | |
or ENGL 631 | Renaissance Drama | |
or ENGL 632 | Shakespeare | |
or ENGL 633 | Renaissance Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 642 | Eighteenth-Century Fiction | |
or ENGL 643 | Eighteenth-Century Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 644 | Romantic Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 651 | Nineteenth-Century Fiction | |
or ENGL 652 | Nineteenth-Century British Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 653 | Irish Studies | |
or ENGL 654 | Twentieth-Century Literature | |
or ENGL 660 | African-American Literature | |
or ENGL 661 | Nineteenth-Century American Fiction | |
or ENGL 662 | Nineteenth-Century American Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 664 | American Authors: 1900-Present | |
or ENGL 665 | Contemporary Poetry | |
or ENGL 681 | Seminar in Special Studies | |
or ENGL 685 | Seminar in Modern British Studies | |
or ENGL 686 | Seminar in American Studies | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Three further seminars in Rhetoric and Composition; or two Rhetoric and Composition seminars plus one course taken outside the department. | ||
| Dissertation Research | 0 | |
| ENGL 690 | Dissertation Research 4 | 12 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 42 | |
- 1
ENGL 602 is a requirement even for those students who have completed an equivalent course at another institution. The Director of Composition has the sole right to waive this requirement.
- 2
Non-GTA PhD students are not required to be enrolled in GS 799 at any point.
- 3
The six (6) credit hours of Literature courses may be selected from any of the courses listed, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students may fulfill this requirement with critical theory, literature, or creative writing. Three (3) of the six (6) credit hours may be in creative writing (ENGL 606 or ENGL 607).
- 4
The program requires at least twelve (12) credit hours of ENGL 690 (Dissertation Research).