Programs

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 should be completed by December 15.

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 Introduction to Graduate Study 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.

For further information, applicants are encouraged to consult the Department of English web site: http://english.rutgers.edu/graduate/index.html or call 732/932-7674.