The Ph.D. program is open to students with outstanding academic
records and other evidence of critical and scholarly talents. It does
not admit students whose goal is an M.A., but only those intending to
pursue a Ph.D. However, the program will award an M.A. on request to
students who have either passed their orals or completed requirements
noted in the program policy handbook (the Redbook). Applications for
September admission to the New Brunswick program must be completed by
January 2.
The Ph.D. requires 42 credits of course work, or at
least 14 courses plus 6 credits of supervised reading and study carried
out in preparation for the qualifying examination. The normal full-time
course load is three courses per term. All students are required to
take two 1.5-credit courses: 16:350:517 Critical Reading in their first
term, and 16: 350:518 Introduction to Advanced Research in their second
term. Together, these two 1.5-credit courses equal one of the required
14 courses of course work. Each 1.5-credit course will be taken in
addition to a student`s normal three course per term schedule. Students
are also required to complete a minimum of 24 research credits. Please
refer to the program policy handbook (the Redbook) for details.
Graduate courses in the 500 series make knowledge available to
sophisticated students who may not have encountered this material in
their prior college studies. The 600-level concentration seminars allow
more advanced and concentrated work in specialized areas.
Before students may take their orals, they must demonstrate proficiency
in one foreign language. This requirement can be fulfilled in several
ways and applicants should consult the program policy handbook (the
Redbook) for details.
The Ph.D. qualifying examination
consists of two hours of oral questioning. Please consult the program
policy handbook (the Redbook) for a description of the current
organization of this examination.
While working toward a
doctorate in the Graduate Program in Literatures in English, students
have the option of pursuing a concentrated study of the theory and
practice of writing instruction. Upon completion of this program`s
requirements, students will receive a certificate in the teaching of
writing from the Graduate School-New Brunswick. The certificate program
consists of 9 credits, with 3 of them coming from a graduate seminar,
16:352:501 Teaching Writing: Theory and Practice. The remaining 6 are
elective credits to be taken from a list of courses offered by the
composition faculty in the Graduate Program in Literatures in English.
As no one is permitted to pursue the certificate by itself, anyone
seeking the certificate must be accepted into the Graduate Program in
Literatures in English. Students who want to pursue a certificate must
be accepted first into the Graduate Program in Literatures in English.
The Graduate Program in Literatures in English does not admit students
for the graduate certificate alone.
All applicants are urged
to contact the Graduate Program in Literatures in English for more
information, including details about financial assistance. Further
details about the program itself are given in the program policy
handbook (the Redbook). In addition, students may write to the Graduate
Program in Literatures in English, Rutgers, The State University of New
Jersey, 510 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1167. The program
can be reached by telephone at 732/932-7674, and via the web at http://english.rutgers.edu/graduate/index.html.
