Dec 05, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

English, PhD


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College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences  > Department of English  > English, PhD

Building on the broader study of an MA degree, the PhD degree in literature features deeper, more sophisticated scholarship.

PhD students craft a program that focuses on three distinct but related fields of expertise:

  1. A historical period;
  2. A related historical period, literary theory, or rhetoric
  3. An area of inquiry specific to your interests and eventual dissertation

The pursuit of PhD study is marked by increasing independence in thinking, writing, and research. The degree offers solid preparation for scholarly publication and expert undergraduate and graduate teaching as well as related cultural professions.

For more information please see  Literature, Literature (concentration in RCP)

Admissions Requirements


  • MA in English or MFA in creative writing
  • 3.5 GPA in graduate studies
  • Scores from the GRE General Test
  • One foreign language (which may be completed while in residence for the PhD)

Application Materials


Consult the UH Graduate School for detailed instructions on how to submit your application electronically. The English Department requires the following materials:

  • Online application and application fee.
  • Three letters of recommendation from people who know your academic work well, usually former professors. Letters will be solicited by the UH Admissions Office and submitted electronically.
  • Official academic transcripts (sealed in the issuing envelope) from every university or colleges you have attended. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the UH Graduate Admissions Office (University of Houston, Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 3947, Houston, TX 77253-3947).
  • Copies of official transcripts with degree(s) posted, uploaded to online application.
  • Official scores for the GRE General Test. An official ETS copy of the report is required and should be to the University of Houston, Main Campus (institution code 6870). No department code is needed, and indicating one will slow down the application process. Note: Scores take 4-6 weeks to reach the university for official verification. Please plan your test date accordingly. Applicants without GRE scores will not be offered admission.
    • GRE Waiver Option - The GRE requirement is optional for all applicants (both international and domestic) applying to any UH English graduate programs (MA, MFA, PhDs) who have at least one of the following:
      • an overall undergraduate or graduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher (on a 4‐ point scale) from an institution accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations as specified in the UH Minimum Qualifications for Admission to Masters and Doctoral Programs (General Admission Policy ), or
      • a grade point average in the top 80% on other GPA scales and a combined IELTS score above 7 or TOEFL score above 79 or a DUOLINGO score above 105.
  • Your Statement of Intent (300-600 words, double-spaced).
  • A 15-25-page critical writing sample with bibliography, usually one of your strongest graduate papers.

Degree Requirements


36.0 Credit Hours of coursework (four semesters of full-time study) in this distribution

Literature


36.0 Credit Hours

  • 3.0 Credit Hours of Introduction to Doctoral Studies in English (ENGL 7390 ).
  • 6.0 Credit  Hours of bibliography and research methods, literary theory, or rhetoric. If you have completed a course in any of these areas for the MA, this requirement will be waived, giving you three additional hours of electives (but not a reduction in the total hours required).
  • 27.0 Credit Hours of literature, including 9.0 hours in early literature (divided among British literature before 1800 and American literature before 1865); 6.0 hours in later literature; 12.0 hours of elective courses that contribution to your area of expertise; these courses should be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and your faculty mentors.
  • Foreign language: you must demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one foreign language.
  • Two written examinations (one in a major field and one in a sub-disciplinary field) followed by an oral defense.
  • One oral examination of the dissertation prospectus.
  • Dissertation

Rhetoric, Composition and Pedagogy (RCP) Concentration


36.0 Credit Hours

  • 3.0 Credit Hours of Introduction to Doctoral Studies in English (ENGL 7390 )
  • 9.0 Credit Hours of additional core courses: Critical Pedagogy (ENGL 7324 ), Research Seminar I: Scholarly Reading (ENGL 8318 ), Research Seminar II: Scholarly Writing (ENGL 8318 ).
  • 6.0  Credit Hours of fusion courses designed to bridge the theory and practice of Rhetoric and Composition with literature (or accepted substitutions)
  • 9.0 Credit Hours of literature courses.
  • 9.0 Credit Hours of elective courses.
  • Foreign language: you must demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one foreign language.
  • Two written examinations (one in a major field and one in a sub-disciplinary field) followed by an oral defense
  • One oral examination of the dissertation prospectus
  • Dissertation

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