Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of English
Program Learning Outcomes for the MA and PhD Degrees in the field of English
Upon completing the MA and PhD degrees in the field of English, students will be able to:
- Apply advanced knowledge of literary, cultural, and critical studies, including: critical reading, thinking, and writing; professional methodologies; literary and cultural histories, and theoretical and interdisciplinary perspectives.
- Demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge in fields of specialization for research and teaching.
- Demonstrate the ability to teach literature and culture at the university level.
- Demonstrate professional level skills in public and oral presentation through participation in symposia, work-in-progress groups, conferences, and in-course presentations.
- Demonstrate the capacity to create professional-level and ultimately publishable research that makes original contributions to scholarly debates.
Requirements for the MA and PhD Degrees in the field of English
MA Degree Program
The MA degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. The English department does not have an MA program, but offers the MA degree to those PhD students who have achieved candidacy and are in the process of completing the doctorate, and to qualified PhD students who leave the program before completing the doctorate. To receive an MA students must:
- Satisfactorily complete at least 33 hours of graduate work in English at Rice University. Courses must be those that count towards the PhD in English. Students must satisfactorily complete ENGL 600 and ENGL 610 as well as distribution requirements for the PhD (see below).
- Satisfactorily complete two teaching assistantships (ENGL 601/ENGL 602) and two research assistantships. These do not count toward the 33-hour requirement.
The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the MA Degree in the field of English | 33 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR | 3 |
| ENGL 600 | TOPICS IN LITERARY STUDIES | 3 |
| ENGL 605 | THIRD-YEAR WRITING WORKSHOP | 3 |
| Distribution Requirements 1 | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 8 additional courses as Electives at the 500-level or above | 24 | |
| Total Credit Hours | Minimum of 33 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | The distribution requirements consist of two courses before 1800 (Pre-1800 coursework) and two courses after 1800. These four courses count toward the 13-course requirement. |
Requirements for the PhD Degree in the field of English
For general university requirements, please see Doctoral Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. As part of their training, graduate students participate in both the teaching and research activities of the department. Upon entering, students will be assigned to a Program Advisory Committee (PAC), consisting of two faculty members. In consultation with their PAC, students will design their own individualized program structured by the requirements listed below. For more detailed information, please see the department's Graduate Handbook found under the Policies tab.
PhD Degree Program
All first year PhD students are required to take the introduction to Humanities doctoral study course HUMA 500, The Humanities Beyond the Disciplines, (2 credit hours). The course does not replace or displace any of the required coursework in the department.
To gain admission to PhD candidacy, students must satisfy the first six of the following requirements. To earn a PhD in English, candidates also must complete the last two requirements. Students must:
- Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 13 graduate courses, of which at least 10 must be graduate seminars. With the approval of the PAC, students may enroll in ENGL 621, either as a traditional directed reading course or in conjunction with a 400-level English course to which a graduate component has been added. ENGL 621 counts toward the 13 required graduate courses but does not count as a graduate seminar. Students also are encouraged to take graduate courses in other departments related to their areas of interest. These will count toward the 13-course requirement but not usually for distribution.
- Satisfactorily complete the following three required courses: ENGL 600, ENGL 610, and ENGL 605. These count toward the 13-course requirement.
- Satisfactorily complete the distribution requirement, which consists of two courses before 1800 (Pre-1800 coursework) and two after 1800. These count toward the 13-course requirement.
- Satisfactorily complete the teaching requirement by serving twice as a teaching assistant, completing ENGL 510, and teaching at least one lower-level course designed in conjunction with the instructor of ENGL 510. ENGL 510 counts toward the 13-course requirement.
- Pass a qualifying exam that consists of two qualifying papers, and an oral exam. Refer to the department's Graduate Handbook found under the Policies tab.
- Complete a thesis prospectus that defines the topic of the thesis, the particular argument that the doctoral document hopes to develop about the topic, and the relevance and importance of the thesis' argument to debate in the student's chosen field(s). The thesis prospectus and a satisfactory draft of a chapter must be approved for the student to advance to candidacy. Refer to the department's Graduate Handbook found under the Policies tab.
- Complete a thesis that demonstrates independent and original academic work of high quality.
- Pass an oral defense of the thesis.
The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the PhD Degree in the field of English | 90 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HUMA 500 | THE HUMANITIES BEYOND THE DISCIPLINES 1 | 2 |
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR | 3 |
| ENGL 600 | TOPICS IN LITERARY STUDIES | 3 |
| ENGL 605 | THIRD-YEAR WRITING WORKSHOP | 3 |
| ENGL 610 | TOPICS IN LITERARY STUDIES PART 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 800 | PHD RESEARCH AND THESIS | 1-9 |
| Distribution Requirements 2 | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 5 additional courses as Electives at the 500-level or above | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | Minimum of 90 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | HUMA 500 is required for all first-year PhD students within the School of Humanities. |
| 2 | The distribution requirements consist of two courses before 1800 (Pre-1800 coursework) and two courses after 1800. These four courses count toward the 13-course requirement. |
Policies for the PhD Degree in the field of English
Department of English Graduate Program Handbook
The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the Department of English publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2024_25/English_Graduate_Handbook.pdf.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the English website: https://english.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the PhD Degree in the field of English
Information regarding resources and opportunities for Department of English graduate students, including the graduate symposium, funding and award opportunities, certificate and special seminar information, as well as job market resources, is available on the Graduate section of the department website, and can be accessed here: https://english.rice.edu/.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the English website: https://english.rice.edu/.