should i get a phd in english

Pros and Cons of a Graduate Degree in English

• Choosing a Graduate Program
• Tips & Advice
• Admissions Essays
• Recommendation Letters
• Medical School Admissions
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Admissions
• College Life
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Fordham University
• M.A., Developmental Psychology, Fordham University

The decision to pursue graduate study in English, like other fields, is complex — part emotional and part rational. The emotional side of the equation is powerful. Becoming the first in your family to earn a graduate degree, being called "Doctor," and living a life of the mind are all tempting rewards. However, the decision of whether to study English at the graduate level also entails pragmatic considerations. In a difficult economic climate, the question becomes even more perplexing. Here are 4 reasons to be wary of a graduate degree in English - and one reason to embrace it.

1. Competition for Entry to Graduate Study in English Is Stiff

Admissions standards for many graduate programs in English are tough. Request applications from the top Ph.D. programs and the applications will be accompanied by warnings not to apply if you do not have a particular GRE verbal score and a high undergraduate GPA (for example, at least a 3.7).

2. Earning a Ph.D. in English Takes Time.

Graduate students in English can expect to remain in school for at least 5 years and as many as 10 years. English students often take longer to complete their dissertations than do science students. Each year in graduate school is another year without full-time income.

3. Graduate Students in English Have Fewer Funding Sources Than Do Science Students

Some English students work as teaching assistants and receive some tuition remissions benefits or a stipend. Most students pay for all of their education. Science students are often funded by grants that their professors write to support their research. Science students often receive full tuition remission and a stipend during graduate school. Graduate study is expensive. Students can expect to pay from $20,000-40,000 per year in tuition. so the amount of funding a student receives is important to his or her economic well being long after graduate school.

4. Academic Jobs in English Are Hard to Come By

Many faculties advise their students not to go into debt to earn a graduate degree in English because the job market for college professors, especially in the humanities, is bad. According to the Modern Language Association, over 50% of new PhDs remain part-time, adjunct teachers (earning about $2,000 per course) for years. Those who decide to seek full-time employment rather than reapply for academic jobs work in college administration, publishing, the government, and non-profit agencies.

Why Embrace a Grad Degree in English?

Reading, writing and argumentation skills are valued outside of academia. On the positive side, graduate degree holders in English hone their reading, writing, and argumentation skills - all of which are valued outside of academia. With each paper, graduate students practice constructing logical arguments and thereby hone skills useful in a variety of settings such as business, nonprofits, and government.

Many of the negative considerations in deciding whether to apply to graduate school in English emphasize the challenge of obtaining employment in academic settings and the difficulty of financial graduate study. These considerations are less relevant for students who plan on careers outside of academia. A graduate degree offers many opportunities outside of the ivory tower. Remain open to considering alternative options and you'll increase the odds of a graduate degree in English paying off in the long run. Overall, the decision of whether graduate school is for you is complex and highly personal. Only you are aware of your own circumstances, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and capacities.

• Pros and Cons of Earning a Master's Degree Before a PhD
• What to Do When You Are Accepted to Grad School
• Grad School Online Education Advantages and Disadvantages
• What Is an MFA Degree?
• How to Choose Between Grad Schools
• It's Never Too Late: How to Apply to Grad School When You're Over 65
• Should You Take a GRE Review Course?
• How to Write a Successful Personal Statement for Graduate School
• Taking Time Off Before Applying to Graduate School
• Considering a Graduate Degree in History?
• Can You Change Fields from Undergrad to Grad?
• A Doctor of Philosophy or Doctorate
• Top 8 Best Grad School Scholarships and Fellowships
• The Timing of Requesting Graduate School Recommendation Letters
• What is an Ed.D. Degree?
• What Does It Take to Earn a Master's Degree?

• Skip to main content
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Apply Apply
•   Follow Us

The 6 Best Types of PhD Programs for English Majors

If you’re reading this, you’re probably exploring your options for advancing your undergraduate degree. Could a PhD be the ticket to realizing your academic goals and dreams? The decision to return to graduate school for a PhD is a significant one. However, a PhD is worthwhile — essential, even — if you want to conduct original research or if you desire a career in academia or another specialized field. Some know exactly the subject in which they’ll earn their doctorate. For others, the decision is more ambiguous. The question then becomes: how can you create the most synergy between your bachelor’s in English and your PhD? It starts with narrowing your field of focus. So, go ahead and rule out those graduate programs in biochemistry and start exploring a PhD in the humanities .

What do we mean by “the humanities?”

>"> hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(3974384, 'bb73623e-452a-4018-a0ec-09d223a8072b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

Best phd programs for english majors.

If your undergraduate degree is in English, pursuing a PhD in the same discipline is an obvious path — but it’s not the only one. Depending on the kinds of classes you took and your interests within the field of humanities, you may be qualified to pursue a PhD in other disciplines. However, you should keep in mind that if you choose to pursue a new field of study, you may need to take additional prerequisite courses in addition to the courses you took to earn your bachelor’s degree.

1. PhD in Religious Studies

As an English major, you’ve most likely read a few religious texts, and you understand their significance regardless of your affiliation (if any). Truthfully, a PhD in Religious Studies doesn’t require you to be religious. Studying religion is studying ethics, beliefs, communities, and people. A PhD in Religious Studies will foster a greater understanding of the role of religion in the contemporary world and throughout history. You’ll examine the world’s religious traditions as social, cultural, and historical phenomena.

2. PhD in Linguistics*

Have you ever marveled at the perfect word choice in your favorite play? Or, while reading a line of dialogue in a piece of literary fiction, heard the dialect clear as a bell? There is no literature without language. The study of language is called linguistics, and it encompasses every aspect of language and the methods of studying and modeling them. Linguistics has traditional areas of analysis like phonetics, morphology, and syntax, the latter of which studies the rules and constraints that govern how speakers of a language can organize words into sentences. There are also linguistic sub-disciplines like historical linguistics, which is the study of language change, particularly in relation to a specific language or group of languages. For lovers of the written word, loving words themselves and the science behind them is the next logical step.

3. PhD in History

History, of course, is the study of the past. At the same, history helps us understand change and how the society we currently live in came to be.

History and English are inextricably intertwined. After all, many of the novels, poems, and essays you read as an English major made history in their own right. Both history and English make use of a very similar set of skills. Do you enjoy studying literary theories and analyzing texts through a specific critical lens? History has a comparable approach. It’s much more than reciting the names of influential people and the dates of important events; historians must understand it all within the context of the time.

Part of being a student of history is gaining the skill to sort through diverse, often conflicting interpretations. Your undergraduate degree in English will have set you up for success.

4. PhD in Media Studies*

Like all forms of art, the creations of writers give us direct access to what it means to be human in all its complexity and mystery. If you found that your favorite part about being an English major was the art you encountered and the stories you were exposed to, you might want to consider a PhD in something like Media Studies. Media Studies will allow you to study story, culture, and contextual theory across various technical modes of production and reproduction, including print, photography, cinema, video, television, radio, etc.

5. PhD in Political Science*

At first, Political Science and English may seem like strange bedfellows. But you’ve already built a strong foundation in critical reading and thinking, approaching literary analysis through multiple lenses and finding the influences of culture, politics, and social issues peppered throughout a work during your undergraduate study. Political and economic factors — and the relations between them — figure into many great works. Studying political science allows you to understand the origins and underpinnings of political values from a historical and philosophical perspective. Think about it this way: if you find your favorite written works tend to have larger political meaning this might be the right route for you.

6. PhD in English

Unsurprisingly, a major in English prepares you incredibly well for a PhD in English. From the first flowerings of poetry in Old English to the most recent creative work being published, a PhD in English gives students the comprehensive knowledge of literary criticism they need to join faculties across the world. Depending on your specialization, you’ll study anything from medieval literature to African-American literature to literature in the age of revolutions. Your bachelor’s degree in English gave you a broad overview, whereas your PhD will help you identify a specialty and drill down to become a subject matter expert.

Explore the Humanities at Southern Methodist University

It’s not just what you study, but where. SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences can offer you a world-class education in the heart of Dallas, Texas.

Read our guide

“ Reanalyzing Our World: Humanities PhDs at SMU ” to learn more about the faculty, research, and opportunities available to you here.

*Graduate programs in these fields are not offered at SMU.

Request more

Information.

Complete the form to reach out to us for more information

Published On

More articles, recommended articles for you, unlocking possibilities: what can you do with a phd in english.

The world of academia has long been associated with the pursuit of knowledge, scholarly research...

Is a PhD in Humanities Worth It?

If you’ve recently completed an undergraduate degree in a field like English, History or Religious...

What Can You Do with a PhD in History?

You’re a history buff — the person everyone wants on their trivia team. You can rattle off the...

Browse articles by topic

Subscribe to.

Getting a Ph.D. in English

Don't rely on this document alone: ask many professors for advice. Check out recent books such as The Real Guide to Grad School. Watch this video : it isn't really joking!

Why get a Ph.D.?

A PhD certifies you for a career as a professional in college teaching. A few non-academic careers here and there require, or value PhDs, but you simply should not undertake graduate study without a vocation for teaching. If you can be happy doing something else, do that instead. Please do not get deep in debt to earn a Ph.D.

But let's say you're one of the best of the students your teachers have taught in a decade, one of the top 75 college seniors in your discipline, you have top-notch grades, high scores on the GRE (especially in your subject area), you already have solid reading ability in a second language, and you can't live unless you become a college teacher. In that case, read on.

Go to a top program, or don't go

Why does going to one of the "top" programs matter, when there are great graduate students and faculties elsewhere? Quite simply, because the job market is increasingly brutal. If you come out at the top of one of the best programs, you have a fighting chance of staying in the profession. Read this account of an economist's take on the English job market over a 35 year period; this study shows that top-ten program graduates not only get more jobs (54% placement) but get tenure-track jobs at better places . Still, in the humanities, 40% of the job placements are in adjunct positions--non tenure-track jobs, often ill-paid, often in the least rewarding courses, often with no benefits. In literary studies, according to our professional organization, about 50% of newly minted PhDs get jobs eventually, sometimes after 3-4 years of searching. Ask your professors (not just one person) to recommend programs. They will know where the best programs are, and they may have an idea about places where W&L has a good reputation, thanks to the performance of one of our recent alums. If you choose to go a program not highly ranked, be prepared to transfer after the Master's degree, or to be the very best student in that program.

Application process

You should apply to at least five or six programs. Many applicants apply to more. To do so you ready your:

• languages. Most programs require 2. Find out which languages count before you start a new one. The actual exams in grad school tend to be pretty easy-translation tests, taken with a dictionary. You should be able to learn and pass one language during your first two years of grad school. But almost all programs will expect you to pass at least one exam during the first year of study. For the application, it is important to be able to claim preparation in languages. A person who looks weak in languages might be eliminated from the applicant pool on those grounds. So, if you can claim proficiency in one language and reading knowledge in another, that's great.
• address and explain weaknesses in your record;
• explain factors such as your socio-economic background;
• illuminate what sets you apart from other candidates;
• explore how your personal life and academic interests coalesce, in specific and concrete ways (say what field you intend to work in; don't say you love books, because we all do; leave your childhood out of it unless it's really central to who you will be as a scholar)
• dossier of letters from the best known scholars and from the professors who know you best. Again, it's unfair, but fame counts, unless the famous person says "I taught Joe as a freshman and he earned a B+." Do get a letter from your thesis advisor. This is especially important if the thesis isn't done yet, and can't be part of the writing sample. Find out where professors studied or taught earlier in their careers. A letter from a "known quantity" means something to an admission committee. Please do not ask a recommender for a letter due in under a month. If you want a good letter, you should give the professor some time to compose it. Give neatly paper-clipped forms, stamped addressed envelopes and instructions to your recommenders as early as possible. (Recommended: sign the waiver.) Many programs now conduct their whole application online, and when that includes recommendations, you should warn your letter-writers. The cumbersome process of electronic reference submission takes longer than the old way, and there's a risk that the automated emails asking for submissions may get caught in professors' spam filters. Let your recommenders know what they should expect. For your part, write down the deadlines for completed applications. Some programs will send an email about incomplete applications, but assume that you are on your own. Two weeks before the earliest deadline, politely ask your recommenders if they've had a chance to send the letter in. Most busy professors will appreciate the reminder. Then remember to write a thank you note, even if your applications don't work out.
• GRE. Take it early--October is best. Or, take it in the spring of your junior year, and again in the fall. High verbals and high subject test scores matter the most. Prepare using the materials from ETS (in English, reviewing anthologies and notes from survey courses helps). Don't waste money and time on Stanley Kaplan. The best prep for the GRE is reading widely.
• writing sample. There is no one recipe here, only general guidelines. This can be the most important part of an application. Make sure your essay, no matter how historical or theoretical, refers to a literary text! Choose your very best recent paper and rewrite it. Respond to criticism, and take it back to the professor to see if you've succeeded. Make sure your argument is clearly stated on the first page. Proofread obsessively. Spell check. If your middle names are not "Strunk" and "White," get a person with a perfect grasp of grammar and syntax to read your essay. Revise for clarity and elegance. Use proper MLA citations, not just any old format. Do not use a bad printer, a micro-font, or an arty font. Your readers will be sitting down to read sixty files in a weekend, during the school year. You mustn't give them an excuse to cast your work aside with an oath.

How the Committee Decides about Applications

The first stage of the admissions process weeds out students who don't have the test scores, grades, and language preparation to make the cut. Out of 300-600 applications, around 100 survive this cut. Letters of recommendation come into play most at this juncture: one doesn't particularly benefit by having more than three letters. The personal statement is also key.

The second stage of the admissions process really focuses on the writing sample because it's relatively unmediated––no spin here, just your actual work. It doesn't have to be perfect and publishable, and it can be a fragment of a longer piece (the length is 20 pages). However, it should be in your proposed field and it should show a real spark, constituting lively and interesting evidence of how your mind works. The committee brings the list down to around 30. Usually graduate classes are not larger than 12. Look online for blogs sharing information about the graduate school application process, if you can stand to know how others are doing.

Choosing Where to Apply and Where to Go

Check out all available information about the programs that have been recommended to you by your professors or by the ranked lists of Ph.D.-granting English departments. Use the ratings of universities on the Web (search by program or discipline), and ask the reference librarian for help with print resources. If you have an idea what field you want to work in, be sure that the programs have recognizable "names" in senior (tenured) positions teaching that field (or fields). See below, under "the professors."

OK. It's early April and the Fates have smiled upon you. You've gotten into three or four "top" graduate programs. Then what? Deciding among the best programs requires specific knowledge about:

• financial support. Assume that financial support is merit based, even when the institution requires parents' information. Don't be wooed by a huge stipend to a lesser program if that program has poor job placement. Maybe you will be lucky and reside in a state that has a great English graduate program at a public university: California, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin. . . A good package from a top-ten program will guarantee free tuition and around $20,000, sometimes more, depending on ranking and region. This is for 9 months; they assume you will work in the summers. Is it for one year only? Is health insurance included in your package? Is the offer for four years at the same rate? What happens when you begin teaching? Does tuition get "reduced" after course-work years are over? Don't pay tuition to an MA program on the hopes of making it into a PhD at the same institution. Some programs support their smaller number of PhD candidates by collecting cash from a larger number of MA candidates. This can create an unpleasant and alienating atmosphere, even if you are one of the few destined to make it through.
• the library: main collection and special collections. In most humanities fields, a puny library means a big hassle for you, even with newly accessible materials online. The kind of work you can do in your courses and in your dissertation will be shaped by the availability of texts. Ask if ILL (interlibrary loan) use is free and unlimited. Check what electronic resources are available through the university library's subscription. For instance, does the library subscribe to EEBO and ECCO ? If your interests will most likely take you abroad to foreign archives, ask if summer funding for research trips is available to graduate students.
• the professors. Do your homework. Who are they? Do they really teach courses? (Look at the graduate course catalog.) Do they teach grad students? (Some famous professors at places with superb undergrads teach grad students reluctantly.) How old are they? (Library of Congress provides this info for any published author.) Add six or seven years to that age: will that person still be vigorously supporting your candidacy for jobs in 2022? Look up every professor on the departmental list on Hollis or WorldCat . What has the professor published recently? Check the faculty webpages at the graduate departments or look people up in the MLA bibliography . Look at the dates of publication. Is the famous professor you admire still active in her field? Are all the fields you hope to study represented by distinguished senior professors and up-and-coming younger professors? The latter can be as important as the former, since younger professors still building their followings may devote more time and energy to you.
• the structure of the program. All programs require course work (usually 2 years, 10-14 courses), qualifying examinations, and languages (usually 2 in addition to English). Is the program's examination structure and/or distribution requirement devised to foster generalists, or to allow immediate specialization? (While the latter may seem appealing, preparation as a generalist can be a help in the job market, and not just for small college jobs.) Ask: how many years to degree? how much teaching and how soon? teaching guaranteed or not? what kind of teaching-sections, comp classes, your own courses, tutoring? (a variety is desirable); dissertation year fellowship or not? kick you out after five years, or let you linger if the job market is bad? [it is, and has gotten markedly worse since the economic downturn.]
• the visit. If you can afford to visit campus before you decide, do it. Ask to be housed with a grad student, and go to classes. Talk to the Director of Graduate Study (DGS) and professors in office hours. Do the grad students seem happy? Do they seem to have a community? Dissertation-writing groups? Colloquia or reading groups based on common interests? Real lives? Are they working second jobs in addition to their teaching or research assistantships? Are they divided into "camps" about some issue that doesn't matter a whole lot to you? Or, conversely, are they passionately upset about something that matters a lot to you, and might be a source of unhappiness if things don't go your way? (Real life examples: unionization, queer theory.)
• the place. Attractive? Dangerous? Bucolic? In an exciting city? It will be tempting to weight this last item more heavily than the others. Resist. Be brave. The reputation of the program matters more.

Questions You Must Ask

Ask about recent job placements: ask the DGS how large each entering class is, and how many complete the PhD. Then ask how many people have been placed in tenure-track positions for each of the last three years. Ask where grads have taken jobs. Then ask a 5th or 6th year grad student the same questions. Note any discrepancies.

Beware Composition Slavery!

It is a national disgrace, but many graduate programs exist solely to provide cheap labor for universities. Bad signs:

• The program wants you to begin teaching in your first semester of study.
• All the composition courses and many of the lower-level undergraduate courses are taught by graduate students, not by professors.
• The program expects you to teach the same course (composition) over and over throughout your years of study.
• Very few students in the program complete the PhD and fewer get tenure-track jobs.

There are always exceptions, but you should be aware that teaching experience, a vital component of your graduate training, should never overwhelm the other parts: course taking, independent work, doing conferences and trying to publish articles, and dissertation-writing.

• People Directory
• Safety at UD

Graduate Program

• English 110 First-Year Writing
• Current Student Resources
• Awards and Honors
• Caesura Student Magazine
• Random Acts of Poetry
• Sigma Tau Delta
• English Minors
• Funding Opportunities
• Working Groups
• Research Programs
• Make a Gift

​Tim Spaulding

Office : 105 Memorial Hall

Get more information >

Our english graduate program.

The Graduate Program in English offers a fully funded five-year Doctor of Philosophy degree program. Students typically earn their Master of Arts degree at the end of their second year of the program.

The English Ph.D. degree at the University of Delaware is designed to immerse students into specialized work in a significant area of British, American, and Anglophone literary and cultural studies and/or theory. Students receive strong teacher preparation and will learn, among other things, the protocols of scholarly research and publishing. Graduate training in our program foregrounds the importance of preparing graduate students for a variety of career paths within and beyond the academy. 

​Our graduate students work closely with accomplished and prominent scholars in their fields. Faculty provide academic and professional mentorship throughout each student's tenure in the program, on the job market, and beyond. Students collaborate with faculty on public and digital humanities projects like  ThingStor  and even  help design graduate seminars . Students are always working with their colleagues in English, but also across the humanities at UD – partnering with students and faculty in fields such as History and Art History to coordinate symposiums and facilitate  working groups . Our graduate students also find many opportunities to research and work with institutions unique to the Delaware area, including the  Winterthur Museum & Library ,  Hagley M​useum and Library , and the  Delaware Art Museum .

Interdisciplinary 4+1 Programs

• English/Public Administration 4+1 (BA/MPA)
• English/Teaching English as a Second Language 4+1 (BA/MA)
• English/Urban Affairs and Public Policy 4+1 (BA/MA)

Graduate Program Policy

2023-2024 ​English Ph.D. Program Policy document​

Please visit the  UD ​Catalog​​​  to review the English Ph.D. degree requirements​

Academic Support for graduate students is available on the UD Graduate College website .

How to apply?

Students are admitted into the graduate program for the fall semester only. For students applying for full-funding (stipend, tuition remission) as well as admission to the English PhD graduate program, all application materials should be submitted by January 1.

The following items must be uploaded to your online application: 

• Resume or CV
• What are your intellectual objectives and how will your proposed plan of graduate study relate to them?
• Within English studies, are there areas of special interest to you? Please explain.
• How will the resources at the University of Delaware (faculty and otherwise) help you to achieve your objectives and pursue you areas of interest?
• [Note: because special scholarships may be available for members of historically underrepresented groups in the humanities, including African and Asian-American students, first-generation college students, students with disabilities, and former members of the military, we encourage applicants who may be eligible for these awards to signal their eligibility in their statement.]
• Unofficial Transcripts from All College/Universities Attended​
• A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree has been or will be earned from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States.
• A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree has been or will be earned from a university recognized by the ministry of education in a country where English is the primary language. Countries approved by the ministry of education are:  Anguilla, Antigua, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cameroon, Canada (except Quebec),Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, The United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe
• Three Letters of Recommendation. Be sure letters of recommendation are submitted by your faculty advisors prior to the January 1 deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 
• Critical Writing Sample (10–20 pages)
• Applicants must have earned a BA or MA degree before matriculation in Fall 
• Please note we are a straight-to-PhD program that does not accept applications for a terminal MA degree. Our PhD students have the opportunity to earn the MA degree on their way to the PhD. 
• The application fee is $75.  View information regarding fees and possible fee waivers​
• Students must accept the offer of admission no later than  April 15
• All incoming students are subject to a criminal background check as per  UD policy 4-111

All applications received by  January 1  are considered for full-funding. Applications received after January 1 and before January 31 will not be considered for funding.

We are proud to offer competitive funding packages that include 9-month living stipends, full-tuition scholarships, and subsidized health insurance coverage for up to 5 years.​

Your funding package will be detailed in your admissions offer letter. Renewal of funding packages each year is dependent on satisfactory progress toward the degree. Read the  University's funding policies .

Most students are admitted on Teaching Assistantship contracts, but will have the opportunity to apply for Graduate Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Fellowships throughout their tenure in the program. In the first-year, teaching assistants shadow an experienced professor in teaching ENGL110 and a literature course. After the first-year of shadowing and training, teaching assista​nts become the instructor-of-record for English courses (2​ sections per year).

Competitive semester and full-year fellowship opportunities are available from both the English department and the Graduate College. Students on fellowship are expected to devote their full-time attention to their research and are not expected to teach or perform graduate assistantship duties.

Students may apply for Summer Research Fellowships and Summer Research Assistantships, as well as various hourly-paid internships. Students may also have the opportunity to teach courses in Summer or Winter terms for additional funding.

Our department offers generous funding for research and conference travel, as well as funding for professional development opportunities. Students apply for this funding throughout each year and are mentored in finding external funding opportunities as well.

For a detailed list of the various funding opportunities available to our graduate students, visit our  Funding Opportunities page.

One of the unique strengths that each of our graduate students enjoys on the job market is the depth and diversity of their teaching portfolios. Rather than serving as a grader or an assistant to a professor's class, the courses that our graduate students teach are emphatically their own: they design the syllabi, choose the reading lists, set the calendar, create the assignments, and do the grading.

We also guarantee each graduate student the opportunity to teach at least one literature class related to the student's area of specialization. 

The English Department has a  professional development and teacher training program for all graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs). The goal of this scaffolded program is to provide graduate students with the knowledge, skills, experience, and supportive mentoring environment to best prepare them to become teachers of writing and literature at the post-secondary level. 

Teacher Training Timeline

​​First-Year Teacher Preparation

Fall:  Prior to Fall of the first-year, students participate in an orientation with the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning to prepare for the upcoming year. During the Fall semester, new students serve as apprentices to an experienced professor in the teaching of ENGL110: Seminar in Composition. Apprentices work closely with their faculty mentor and cohort to observe, teach, co-teach, lead groups, assess student writing, develop lesson plans  and more.

Spring:  In the Spring semester of the first-year, students are placed as apprentices for a literature or other advanced undergraduate English course with an experienced professor. Throughout their apprenticeship, students help develop syllabi, lecture, lead class discussions, assess student work and more. Apprentices learn strategies for teaching in their research fields and are supported through regular mentorship by the instructor-of-record. Students are also enrolled in ENGL688: Composition Theory and the Teaching of Writing. This course provides formal training in pedagogy and practical experience in developing teaching materials. In ENGL688, students develop their syllabus, assignments and teaching philosophies in preparation for teaching their own courses in the following year.​

Second-Year and Beyond

The standard teaching load is two courses per year (1 section in fall, 1 section in spring). Graduate students teach ENGL110: Seminar in Composition and are guaranteed at least one opportunity to teach a course in their field while in the program. This course is typically ENGL280: Approaches to Literature for Non-Majors. The course allows students to develop a custom syllabus on a topic of their choosing. Students may also teach special topics-based Honors sections of ENGL110, as well as advanced writing courses such as ENGL 301 (Advanced Writing), ENGL 312 (Business Writing), and ENGL 410 (Technical Writing).​ Opportunities to teach various English courses (for additional compensation) during Winter and Summer terms are also available.

Graduate students also have ample opportunity to expand their teaching qualifications through formal training programs in online-teaching and teaching multilingual learners. Students who complete these training programs are eligible to teach sections specifically for multilingual students, as well as online sections.

Outstanding Teacher Award

Each year, the English Department awards one graduate student the Outstanding Teacher Award in recognition of exceptional and innovative teaching. Award applications are reviewed by a faculty committee. The award offers a $500 prize. 

Professional Development

We proudly support graduate students in their pursuit of academic and non-academic careers.

We take an active role in helping our graduate students compete for good jobs in academia. We regularly offer job placement workshops every summer that help prepare graduate students for every step of the academic job search. These workshops combine group meetings with one-on-one advising sessions and mock interviews in order to make sure that our students are prepared to compete for jobs. Several English faculty members participate by helping with workshops and mock interviews.​

Students interested in careers outside the academy also benefit from our internship and graduate assistantship   opportunities in areas such as publishing, museums, and special collections. Given that many academic job interviews also ask candidates to speak to how they'd forge connections to local institutions, these opportunities serve a dual purpose   of preparing students for careers inside and outside the academy. We also sponsor workshops specifically for PhD students in the humanities preparing for non-teaching careers.

One way we support our graduate students' professional development is through conference and research travel funding. Each year, our students present their research across the world at top academic conferences hosted by organizations such as the Modern Language Association, Association of Adaptation Studies, Literature/Film Association, Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies, Conference on College Composition and Communication, American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, American Comparative Literature Association, and more. Students travel to archives such as   the British Library, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Texas A&M Science Fiction Collection.

The graduate program also supports our PhD students in participating in professional development seminars throughout the country. Some examples of seminars/institutes our students have attended include:  Dickens Universe ,  Futures of American Studies Institute ,  HILT  (digital humanities),  Rare Books School ,  and The School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell.

But we know successful professional development isn't just about funding. That is why our program offers innovative and interdisciplinary seminars, workshops, working groups, field trips, speaker series and development opportunities for Ph.D. students every step of the way. Moreover, our faculty are committed to supportive mentorship and building a diverse, intellectually curious community of scholars.

English Research Clusters

Our program houses Research Clusters in the Environmental Humanities, Black Cultural Studies and Print and Material Culture Studies. Students are encouraged to pursue research in one of these fields as a complement either to their work in a particular national literature, period, or thematic concern; or leading to innovative approaches that engage with textual analysis, the digital humanities, and/or the public face of the humanities.

Print and Material Culture Studies

Print and Material Culture examines cultures past and present through the physical objects and physical texts they produce. How do objects and texts, from newspapers and posters to photographs, maps and computer screens, shape our interactions with the physical world? How do these physical texts and objects prompt us to view identities in complex ways? This mode of study encourages students to intervene in the ongoing and interdisciplinary conversation on the ways physical texts and objects compel us to engage, interpret, and understand our world. 

Our students engaging with Print and Material Culture Studies benefit from a variety of on-campus and community resources including: Center for Material Culture Studies ,  Delaware Public Humanities Institute (DEL​PHI) , Winterthur Museum & Library, and the Hagley Museum & Library. Graduate students participate in working groups, major research projects, and symposiums such as: Media Old and New Working Group, ThingStor: A Material Culture Database, Methods in Material Culture Graduate Student Group, and the Emerging Scholars Graduate Symposium. 

Black Cultural Studies

At UD, this research cluster encompasses the study of Black culture with an emphasis on African American and African diasporic literature. Students study literary, historical, visual, and musical texts as entwined with cultural and political movements, aesthetic experimentation, historical memory, critical theory, and public humanities. Our program encourages a truly interdisciplinary and transnational lens for studying the cultural history of race, slavery, colonialism, modernity, and post-colonialism. 

Our students with a research focus in Black Cultural studies often work closely with distinguished faculty not only in the English Department, but in History, Art History, and Africana Studies as well. Students also benefit from a variety of on-campus resources through the Morris Library, Special Collections, and UD Museums. UD is also conveniently located near a multitude of museums and libraries in Washington DC and Philadelphia. 

Prospective students interested in this research field are encouraged to apply for the  African American Public Humanities Initiative Schol​arship (AAPHI)  by checking the appropriate box in the SLATE application and declaring interest in the personal statement. 

Environmental Humanities

This mode of study encourages students to intervene in the ongoing and interdisciplinary conversation on the ways that texts affect our engagement with the natural world. ​Many of the most basic environmental questions are humanist. How have human relationships to the non-human world changed over time? Why do we have environmental problems? What are their causes? Which groups are most vulnerable to environmental issues and why do these injustices persist? What shapes our ideas about relationships between humans and their environments? How does narrative shape our ideas about the "human" and interrogate its global impacts? 

Writing Studies

​Writing Studies entails the study of writing in academic and public spaces, emphasizing the intersections of theory, pedagogy, and literate practice. This field of study includes composition theory, rhetorical theory, literacy studies, narrative analysis, storytelling, writing centers, writing program administration, technical and professional writing, research methodologies, and rhetoric of health and medicine. It also encompasses a wide array of special topics courses on public discourse, genre theory, race and writing, disability studies, and writing and emerging technologies.​

African American Public Humanities Initiative (AAPHI)

Are you interested in obtaining a PhD in the Humanities with an emphasis on African American/Africana Studies? Are you looking for graduate training that emphasizes public scholarship, community outreach, collections-based research, and digital humanities? The African American Public Humanities Initiative (AAPHI) provides financial and mentorship support for PhD students in Hist​ory, English, and Art History. 

Prospective PhD English students interested in being considered for the African American Public Humanities Initiative scholarship should indicate their interest by checking the AAPHI interest box in their application and indicating their interest in their personal statement. 

Read more about AAPHI and our current English AAPHI scholars

Link to a recording of Recording of University of Delaware - English PhD Graduate Program Virtual Open House: https://capture.udel.edu/media/1_8jgflia1/

Virtual Open House Video Recording

In this video recording, you will listen to Tim Spaulding, Interim Director of Graduate Studies, various faculty members, and students talk about aspects of the English Ph.D. program at the University of Delaware.

Supporting tomorrow's leaders, scholars and innovators

The University of Delaware holistically supports its graduate students, beginning with their health and wellbeing . Benefits include a subsidized health plan and physical and behavioral health services. UD fosters a culture of academic excellence , with committed faculty and staff and access to state-of-the-art research facilities and technology. UD prioritizes professional development with job training, internships and industry partnerships. Graduates further enhance their professional growth and visibility with opportunities to work on interdisciplinary research teams, present their work at conferences and publish in academic journals. Visit the links below to learn how UD is supporting society’s future leaders, scholars, and innovators.

Academic Support >

Professional development >, student life >, college of arts & sciences.

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• News & Events
• Research & Innovation
• Alumni & Friends
• College Operations

Ph.D. Admissions FAQs

What graduate degrees does Stanford offer in English?

The English department offers both the Ph.D. and MA degree, but the graduate program is primarily oriented towards the Ph.D. degree.  MA degrees are awarded to Stanford coterminal BA students or en route to the Ph.D.   We do not accept external applicants directly to the MA program.

How long does it take to take to earn a Ph.D. in English at Stanford?

The typical time to degree is 6 years, although it is quite possible to complete all the requirements in 5 years. Most of the first two years are spent in coursework and the qualifying examination. The end of the second year and the beginning of the third year are spent preparing for the oral exam which is usually taken by the end of autumn quarter of the third year. By the beginning of the fourth year students have defined a research project and present this proposal to their committee. The remaining time is spent researching and writing the dissertation

What financial support is available? Are international students eligible for financial support?

All students admitted to the English Ph.D. program receive five years of 12-month funding. Financial support is provided through a combination of fellowship stipend and tuition, and assistantship salaray and tuition allowance. Students in good academic standing also receive funding in the sixth year of the program. Additional funding is provided to support academic and research expenses such as conference attendance and travel.

Stanford's  Knight-Hennessy Scholars program  also awards up to 100 graduate students every year with full funding. Please refer to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program page for important information.

What are the language requirements for the program?

Ph.D. candidates must prove reading knowledge of two foreign languages. Ideally, applicants will have language proficiency before admission, as it is not practical to acquire two languages from scratch given the rigors of the program.

Will I have opportunities to teach during the program?

Pedagogy is an integral part of our program and we require students to participate in a pedagogical seminar in the first year.  Typically a student will teach three times as a teaching assistant in a literature course. For the fourth course, students will have the option of applying to design and teach a tutorial for undergraduate English majors or teaching a fourth quarter as a T.A.. 

How can I find faculty in my field of interest?  Is it important that I contact a specific professor prior to applying?

The faculty profiles are categorized by field of interest. Applicants are encouraged to contact faculty directly regarding research interests. However, faculty members do not admit students directly as “their own”.  Students are not admitted to work with particular faculty members; rather, we admit the set of students who we feel are the strongest and would benefit the most from the kind of graduate education that we provide.  That is, admissions decisions are not made by individual faculty members, but rather are made by the English Graduate Admissions Committee which includes a subset of the faculty and graduate students.

Is an online program of study or are online courses in English available?

The department does not offer online or distance learning instruction in English.  Students in an English degree program are expected to be in residence.

Can I attend the Ph.D. or MA program part-time?

No, these programs are designed with the expectation that students will be devoting all their time to their graduate study.

Can I start the graduate program in the winter or spring quarter?

No, the department admits applicants to the autumn quarter only.

Can I be a visiting student in the Stanford English department?

Students enrolled as Ph.D. students at other Universities may apply to visit the English department for periods ranging from one quarter to an academic year.  For information, deadlines and fees involved see Research Policy Handbook .

Is it possible to transfer into the Stanford graduate program from another graduate program?

We do not accept transfer students per se.  Students currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program elsewhere must apply through the regular admissions process.  Up to 45 quarter units of graduate coursework previously taken towards a graduate degree may be transferred towards the Ph.D. degree at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies after the first year of study. Typically this does not lessen the time to degree since students are expected to complete all Ph.D. requirements (qualifying exam, language requirements, dissertation proposal, dissertation, etc.), though some slight adjustments might be made to how they fulfill some of the course requirements.  

May I request information about your program?

The most up-to-date information about English at Stanford can be found on our web site:  individual faculty and graduate student interests, courses currently offered and degree requirements.  If you have specific questions after perusing our pages, please email us at  englishadmissions [at] lists.stanford.edu ( englishadmissions[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu )  .

Will you mail me application materials?

Stanford’s graduate admissions application is found on-line at:  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/apply/apply-now

Can I arrange a visit to the English department?

Prior to visiting, prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the department’s student services manager and specific faculty to arrange individual appointments.  It is helpful to include a little about your background and interests in English in your email.  We do not recommend visiting the department without an appointment as faculty may be busy with prior commitments.  We ask that you do not visit while applications are under review in January and February.

When is the application deadline?

The deadline for admission for the 2025-26 academic year is December 1, 2024.

Am I eligible to apply for the Ph.D. program in English?

You are eligible for admission to graduate programs at Stanford as long as you have either completed a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association; or completed an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing.

How selective is the admissions process for the Ph.D. program?

We are able to matriculate about 4-6 students with funding from an applicant pool of 200+.

What does the admissions committee look for when reviewing applications?

In reviewing applications for our Ph.D. program, we look for evidence that the applicant not only will thrive in our graduate program, but will go on to put the training we offer to fruitful use in an academic or a non-academic career.  We look for evidence of:

• academic potential as evidenced in past academic achievement
• an understanding of, and passion for, research
• a good fit between the applicant’s interests and the interests and capabilities of our faculty

What kind of writing sample should I submit with my application?

A sample of critical or scholarly writing, 12-25 pages in length (not including references). This may be an excerpt from a longer work, such as a senior thesis. It should, however, be clear of grading comments and should preferably be in your expressed field of interest.

What kind of information should I include in my statement of purpose?

The statement of purpose should be designed as a narrative presentation of yourself.  We want to know what you’ve done in English or in related fields, why you want to study English and particularly why you think Stanford is an appropriate place for you to do it.  We want to know what your literary interests are.  If you aren’t sure yet what you plan to do in English, that’s fine, but we want to know that you have some idea of the possibilities.  Don’t repeat things that we will learn from other parts of your application, such as your transcript, but do highlight things you think are particularly important, and do feel free to explain any things in your other materials that you are less proud of.  Caution:  avoid telling us too much about your childhood and your fascination with literature.  The statement of purpose should be ideally 500-600 words, maximum 1000, double spaced.

Do I need to take the GRE?

No, the GRE General and Subject Tests are not required for the Autumn 2023 admissions cycle.

I am an International applicant who speaks and reads English. Do I need to take the TOEFL?

Possibly. If you have a degree from an English-speaking institution, you may not have to take the TOEFL.   Please refer to the  Graduate Admissions web page  for queries regarding the TOEFL.

Do I need to have an MA before I apply to the Ph.D. program?

No. Only about 25% of our graduate students had earned an MA before being admitted to the Ph.D. program.

My undergraduate degree is not in English? Does that matter?

While the majority of our degree candidates have an undergraduate degree in English, we have admitted students from other disciplines, such as Art History, Philosophy and even Astrophysics! However, these students had taken an exceptional number of undergraduate courses in English and were extremely well-prepared for a doctoral program in English.

Will you accept recommendation letters from private credentialing services, such as Interfolio?

Unfortunately, our application system does not work directly with the letter service (such as Interfolio) process. Letters of recommendation must be submitted via the Stanford application system. 

Can letters of recommendation be uploaded before I submit my on-line application?

Your recommenders may upload their letters as soon as you name them in the application process and they receive the instruction email and password.  The letters will then be electronically stored until you submit your application.

My test scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts, or writing sample will be late. What do I do?

All materials for admission to the doctoral program, including letter of recommendation, must be submitted electronically by December 1, 2023. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application materials by mid January.

I have been out of school for several years and there is no one left who can write an academic recommendation for me. May my employer write one?

The purpose of submitting letters of recommendation is to give program faculty an indication of your ability to do scholarly research. It is recommended that current or former professors in your major-field courses be asked by you to submit letters, as they would have the best idea of your research potential. If, however, such persons are no longer available to ask, anyone who you think can best assess your potential for graduate study can be asked to write the letter.

I want to send more than the required number of letters of recommendation because I feel this will enhance my chances of being offered admission. Is this true?

It is not the quantity of letters, rather the quality. You should submit no more than three letters.

Can I apply to more than one department?

Stanford policy allows applicants to apply for only (1) one graduate program per year. However, if the department reviewing your application feels you are better suited to another program, they can opt to transfer your file to another department if you authorize this action on your application.

How much does it cost to apply?

Stanford uses an online application and the fee is $125. This method allows applicants to save data and work on their application from any computer on multiple occasions.

Are there any fee waivers for the $125 fee?

For information on eligibility for fee waivers please refer to  Graduate Application Fee Waiver .

What is the status of my application?

Please check the Graduate Application Status Page in the application portal for updates to your application. 

How are applications reviewed?

Applications are reviewed holistically to assess their promise for teaching and research careers. Heavier emphasis is placed on the writing sample and letters of recommendation.

When do you make decisions?

We make every effort to make offers of admission by the last week in February. Notices of admissions status are delivered at that time via the online application system.  Once decisions have been made, you will receive an email alerting you to check your status.

If I am not accepted, can I receive feedback?

We recognize that a great deal of time and effort is devoted to the application and that applicants may wish to receive feedback on how it could have been improved. Unfortunately, due to many constraints, the Department of English does not provide feedback to applicants denied admission. We wish you every success in your future academic endeavors. 

If I am not accepted, can I reapply?

You are required to complete the online application again, which incurs an application fee. Your application should include a revised Statement of Purpose. We can reuse your transcripts, and Letters of Recommendation if you wish; however, if any changes to these documents attest to your improved suitability to the program, they should be resubmitted. We are unable to access documents from other Stanford departments you have applied to previously.

Department of English

Graduate Program Overview

Ph.D. Program in English at Princeton

The aim of the Princeton graduate program in English is to produce well-trained and field-transforming scholars, insightful and imaginative critics, and effective and creative teachers. The Ph.D. program is both rigorous and supportive. With two years of coursework and three years of research and teaching, all fully funded, it is possible to complete the degree in five years. We offer multiple funding opportunities for research fellowships in year six, should students need additional time for dissertation completion and for the academic job market, or for pursuing other career opportunities.

Princeton is a research institution with strengths across the disciplines, but it maintains a feeling of intimacy. In keeping with the goals of the University at large, the Department of English seeks to cultivate and sustain a  diverse , cosmopolitan, and lively intellectual community. Because this is a residential university, whose traditions emphasize teaching as well as research, the faculty is easily accessible to students and committed to their progress.

The  faculty  of the Department of English is notable for its world-renowned scholarly reputation, and commitment to teaching and close collaboration with colleagues and students. The faculty showcases wide-ranging interdisciplinary interests as well as a diverse range of critical approaches within the discipline. In addition to offering seminars in every major historical field of concentration, from medieval to contemporary literatures, we offer a wide range of theoretical specializations in fields such as feminist theory, gender and sexuality studies, psychoanalysis, Marxism, postcolonialism, environmental studies, political and social theory, and cultural studies. Students may also take courses in cognate departments such as comparative literature, classics, philosophy, linguistics, history, and art history.

Course of Study

The graduate program in English is a five-year program (with multiple opportunities for funding in year six) leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Students may not enroll for a Master of Arts degree. During the first two years, students prepare for the General Examination through work in seminars, and directed or independent reading. The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted the writing of a dissertation, and to teaching in undergraduate courses. Through numerous funding opportunities, we are able to offer sixth-year students generous research support.

Although programs are flexible, during the first two years graduate students normally take an average of three courses per semester, to complete the required 12 courses by the end of the second year. The comprehensive General Examination is then taken at the beginning of the third year of study.

Students must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages before the completion of the General Examination.

Course Requirements

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of twelve courses over their first two years in the program, usually enrolling in three courses per semester.

Our distribution requirements are designed to acquaint each student with a diverse range of historical periods and thematic and methodological concerns. The Department values both historical expertise and theoretical inquiry, and assumes that our discipline includes the study of film, visual culture, and media studies.

Graduate Students in English must take courses in each of the following six areas:

• Medieval and Renaissance
• 18th Century and 19th Century
• Modern and Contemporary
• Race, Ethnicity, and Postcoloniality
• Gender and Sexuality

All distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The six-course distribution requirement comprises 50% of the courses required for the degree, leaving sufficient room for intensive coursework in areas of specialization. 

While some graduate seminars may cover more than one field, students may not use one course to fulfill two or more distribution requirements at the same time. For example, a medieval course with a substantial commitment to theory may fulfill either the medieval and Renaissance or the theory requirements.

Each entering student is assigned a faculty advisor who works with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in planning course selection in the first and second years. After successfully submitting and presenting the dissertation proposal during the spring of the third year, students choose three faculty members to serve as their dissertation advisers.

Graduate Action Committee (GAC)

The Graduate Action Committee (GAC) is a representative group of graduate students in the Department that advocates for graduate student with faculty and administration. Among its primary goals are representing the concerns of the entire graduate student body, promoting intellectual and social interaction between faculty and graduate students, organizing an annual speaker series of distinguished academics, and improving the quality of graduate student life at Princeton. Every graduate student in the Department is welcome and encouraged to participate in GAC.

Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI)

The Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI) is a four- or five-person elected group of students who meet at several points during the academic year with the chair, director of graduate studies, and one additional faculty member to represent graduate student concerns.

In addition to participating in a variety of seminars and colloquia organized by the Department and other units at the University, graduate students are welcome to organize colloquia of their own. These may involve the discussion of an article or problem, the presentation of a paper, or a forum for debate.

Graduate students who have passed the General Examination are required to teach in undergraduate courses. While the minimum Department requirement is four hours, most students teach more than this. Students may conduct sections of large lecture courses, or direct precepts in upper-division courses. This teaching is supervised by experienced members of the faculty. The Department and University also offer, on an annual basis, a teacher training seminar and workshop. Advanced graduate students may co-design and co-teach courses with faculty through the  Collaborative Teaching Initiative . 

Library Collections

In addition to the general collections of Princeton’s libraries, Firestone Library has a number of special collections that are particularly rich in materials for study: one of the most important collections of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the United States; works of the Restoration Period, with emphasis on drama; the theater collection, which contains materials for the study of theatrical history; extensive collections concerning the history and literature of the middle Atlantic and southern states; little poetry magazines; concrete and visual poetry; the Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American Illustrated books, 1670–1870; the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian Novelists; the J. Harlin O’Connell Collection of the 1890's and the Gallatin Collection of Aubrey Beardsley; and the archives of major American publishing houses. The extensive Miriam Y. Holden Collection of Books on the History of Women is located adjacent to the Department’s literature collection in the Scribner Room.

Job Placement

We offer strong support and deep resources for students pursuing careers inside and outside academia. Our Job Placement and Career Resources page provides details, as well as information and statistics about recent academic appointments.

Admission  and Financial Aid

Competition for admission to the program is keen. About ten new students from a wide range of backgrounds are enrolled each year. The Department looks for candidates of outstanding ability and intellectual promise who have the potential to be lively, effective, and sympathetic scholars and teachers. Its judgments are based on letters of recommendation, transcripts, a personal statement, and a sample of the candidate’s academic writing. GRE scores are not required. Facility in foreign languages is also taken into account. To access the online application, please visit the  Graduate Admission Office .

All admitted students are fully funded. Fellowships are awarded by the Graduate School on the Department’s recommendation. Students are also eligible to apply for competitive external and internal fellowships, such as those offered by the Graduate School, the Center for Human Values, and the Center for the Study of Religion.

English Department

The Department offices, lecture halls, and seminar rooms are located in McCosh Hall. There are two libraries in McCosh Hall: the Thorp Library, home to the Bain-Swiggett Library of Contemporary Poetry, and the Hinds Library, the Department’s reading room and lounge. There is also a separate English Graduate Reading Room in Firestone Library, where reserve books for graduate seminars are kept on the shelves. It is adjacent to the Scribner Room, the Department's large non-circulating collection of books and journals.

The Graduate School provides University housing for about 65 percent of the graduate student body. New students have first priority. Although housing in the Princeton area is expensive, many graduate students find convenient and attractive private housing, sharing accommodations or investigating neighboring towns. There are also opportunities for graduate students to apply for resident positions in the undergraduate colleges.

Visiting Princeton

Applicants for admission are welcome to visit the campus at any time, and  tours  of the campus are available. Once the formal admissions period is over by the end of February, admitted students will be invited to campus and will have the opportunity to visit seminars, and meet with faculty and current graduate students.

Share this page

The graduate program in English provides you with a broad knowledge in the discipline, including critical and cultural theory and literary history. This solid foundation enables you to choose your own path based on the wide variety of areas of concentration. Our flexible program allows you to take courses outside the department to further explore your chosen field(s). Our program emphasizes excellence in writing, innovative scholarship, and eloquent presentations—important skills you will need in your future profession. The program and its faculty are committed both to diversity in its student body and in the diversity of thought and scholarship.

Examples of student theses and dissertations include “The Write to Stay Home: Southern Black Literature from the Great Depression to Early Twenty-first Century,” “Profaning Theater: The Drama of Religion on the Modernists Stage,” and “Sentimental Borders: Genre and Geography in the Literature of Civil War and Reconstruction.”

Graduates have secured faculty positions at institutions such as Brown University, Columbia University, and University of California, Los Angeles. Others have begun their careers with leading organizations such as Google and McKinsey & Company.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of English , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Unspecified | Medieval | Renaissance/Early Modern | 18th Century/Enlightenment | 19th Century British/Romantics/Victorian | Early American (to 1900) | 20th Century British | 20th Century American | Criticism and Theory | The English Language | Transnational Anglophone/Postcolonial | African American Literature | Drama | Poetry

Admissions Requirements

Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of English .

Writing Sample

The writing samples (one primary and one secondary) are highly significant parts of the application. Applicants should submit 2 double-spaced, 15-page papers of no more than 5,000 words each, in 12-point type with 1-inch margins. The writing samples must be examples of critical writing (rather than creative writing) on subjects directly related to English. Applicants should not send longer papers with instructions to read an excerpt or excerpts but should edit the samples themselves so that they submit only 15 pages for each paper. Applicants who know the field in which they expect to specialize should, when possible, submit a primary writing sample related to that field.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose is not a personal statement and should not be heavily weighted down with autobiographical anecdotes. It should be no longer than 1,000 words. It should give the admissions committee a clear sense of the applicant's individual interests and strengths. Applicants need not indicate a precise field of specialization if they do not know, but it is helpful to know something about a candidate’s professional aspirations and sense of their own skills, as well as how the Harvard Department of English might help in attaining their goals. Those who already have a research topic in mind should outline it in detail, giving a sense of how they plan their progress through the program. Those who do not have a research topic should at least attempt to define the questions and interests they foresee driving their work over the next few years.

Personal Statement

Standardized tests.

GRE General: Optional GRE Subject: Optional

While there are no specific prerequisites for admission, a strong language background helps to strengthen the application, and students who lack it should be aware that they will need to address these gaps during their first two years of graduate study.

While a candidate's overall GPA is important, it is more important to have an average of no lower than A- in literature (and related) courses. In addition, while we encourage applications from candidates in programs other than English, they must have both the requisite critical skills and a foundation in English literature for graduate work in English. Most of our successful candidates have some knowledge of all the major fields of English literary study and advanced knowledge of the field in which they intend to study.

Theses and Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for English

See list of English faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

FellowshipBard

Phd in english: requirements, salary, jobs, & career growth, what is phd in english.

A PhD in English is a postgraduate degree that focuses on the study of English language, literature, and culture. The PhD in English program is typically intended to prepare students for careers in research and teaching in the field of English studies.

A PhD in English program often includes advanced study in literary theory, critical analysis, research technique, and linguistics. Furthermore, students are frequently required to complete a substantial research project or dissertation under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

Some common areas of specialization within a PhD in English program include:

• American literature
• British literature
• Comparative literature
• Cultural studies
• Creative writing
• Linguistics
• Rhetoric and composition

How much money do people make with a PhD in English?

The pay of someone with a PhD in English can vary depending on criteria such as their area of specialization, region, and job type.

Academics, such as professors and researchers, can expect to earn between $70,000 and $120,000 per year, depending on their level of expertise, institution, and topic of study. However, compensation for adjunct or part-time faculty employment may be lower.

Working in sectors such as publishing, writing, or journalism may be further choices for someone with a PhD in English. Salaries in these sectors can range greatly, with some employment earning less than $50,000 per year and others receiving six figures.

What is expected job growth with PhD in English?

Individuals with a PhD in English may face varying job development prospects based on their area of concentration and the career route they pick.

However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that job growth for postsecondary teachers, including those in the subject of English, will be 9 percent from 2020 to 2030.

This expansion can be linked to rising demand for higher education, which includes courses in English and other liberal arts disciplines.

However, competition for tenure-track posts at colleges and universities can be fierce, and many PhD English graduates may find work in non-academic industries such as publishing, writing, or journalism.

What can you do with a PhD in English?

A PhD in English can lead to a wide range of professional prospects in academia and beyond. Here are a few examples of possible job paths:

1. College or university professor: One of the most typical job routes for those with a PhD in English is to become a college or university professor. Teaching English literature and language courses, conducting research, producing scholarly articles and books, and mentoring students are all part of the job.

2. Writing and editing: Individuals with a PhD in English may pursue employment in writing or editing. Positions in journalism, technical writing, grant writing, or working at publishing houses are examples of this.

3. Research and Analysis: Individuals with a PhD in English may engage in research and analysis professions such as market research or data analysis, as their strong research skills and ability to critically examine texts can be useful in a variety of sectors.

4. Arts and Culture: Some graduates may work in the arts and culture sector, such as museums, art galleries, or cultural organizations.

5. Government and Non-profit: Graduates with a PhD in English may also work in government or non-profit organizations in fields such as education, policy, or advocacy.

What are the requirements for a PhD in English?

The specific requirements for obtaining a PhD in English can vary depending on the institution and program, but generally, the following are common requirements:

1. Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree: Applicants to most PhD programs in English must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. Although it is not usually required, certain schools may accept applicants with a Master’s degree in a related discipline.

2. Academic Transcripts: Applicants are usually expected to present certified transcripts of their undergraduate and graduate education, which demonstrate their academic performance and achievement.

3. Statement of Purpose: Applicants are typically expected to provide a personal statement or statement of purpose detailing their research interests, academic ambitions, and reason for pursuing a PhD in English.

4. Standardized Test Scores: Applicants to many PhD programs may be required to submit scores from standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or other related assessments.

5. Letters of Recommendation: Applicants to PhD programs in English are frequently required to provide letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources who may speak to the applicant’s academic talents, research potential, and eligibility for a PhD program.

Looking For Scholarship Programs? Click here

How long does it take to get a phd in english.

The length of time it takes to earn a PhD in English varies based on the school, the speed of the particular student, and other considerations. A PhD in English usually takes between 5-7 years to complete.

The first 2-3 years of a PhD program are often spent studying English literature, theory, and research methodologies. Students will often take comprehensive tests during this time to demonstrate their understanding in these topics.

After completing their coursework, students will typically spend the next 2-3 years working on their dissertation. Conducting original research, analyzing data, and writing a lengthy and detailed dissertation are all part of this process.

Looking For Fully Funded PhD Programs? Click Here

Do you need a masters in english to get a phd in english.

A master’s degree in English is usually not required to apply for a PhD program in English. Many English PhD programs accept applicants with a bachelor’s degree in English or a related discipline, however others may demand extra coursework or research experience.

However, having a master’s degree in English may be advantageous for some individuals because it might demonstrate a higher level of knowledge and preparedness for the additional coursework and research necessary in a PhD program.

What are the Best PhD in English Degree programs?

1. harvard university 2. university of california, berkeley 3. university of chicago 4. stanford university 5. columbia university 6. yale university 7. princeton university 8. university of pennsylvania 9. university of michigan 10. university of california, los angeles (ucla), leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Professors Not Responding? Your CV May Be the Reason.

Try Our Ready-to-Use CV Templates Land You in Harvard, MIT, Oxford, and Beyond!

Career Planning

Is a phd worth it t..., is a phd worth it the pros and cons of getting a doctorate.

To get a PhD or not to get a PhD? That is the question.

• Updated 22 Jul 2022
• 11 min read

Valerie David

Lifestyle and Career Expert

Reviewed by Hayley Ramsey

Entering the job market for the first time can be a stressful experience, especially if you don't feel completely prepared. When deciding how to take those first steps toward your ultimate career , and how to give yourself a chance at the best jobs, you may find yourself asking: “Should I do a PhD?”.

While academics looking forward to a life of learning may consider this a no-brainer, there are important factors for everyone to consider. Finances, job prospects and quality of life issues can greatly affect the success of furthering your education.

To help you decide if the time and effort of a PhD is worth it, here are the major benefits and disadvantages of getting that doctorate.

After four or more years of intellectual pursuits, adding a PhD may seem like overkill. Before you make your choice, let's look at all the benefits that are exclusive to earning the most advanced degree.

1. You can contribute new knowledge to the world

Embarking on a PhD programme means delving into your preferred subject in a much deeper way than you have in any of your previous studies. The beauty of this advanced degree is that it allows you to sail in uncharted waters. Your goal is to find new information, draw new conclusions and, hopefully, make a significant contribution to your field.

Your intensive research, travel, collaboration and study will lead you on an unpredictable path to telling a story that no one has heard before. For some students, this pursuit of knowledge and discovery is enough to make all the hard work of earning a PhD worth it.

2. You'll have access to more prestigious jobs

One of the key benefits of a PhD is that it opens doors to careers at the highest levels. This can include leadership positions in science and engineering, government roles in economics and political science, and prestigious teaching posts for English and arts majors. Even if an advanced degree isn't required for the job you want, that PhD can give you an extra air of authority in your field and an edge over other candidates.

Another obvious upside to continuing your postgraduate studies is that landing these powerful positions can lead to large financial rewards. Some areas of study, like medicine and the law, tend to be more lucrative, but it can also depend on the type of job. For example, a university professor or researcher post can pay well for a wide variety of disciplines. Check out sites like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Careers Service to investigate potential salaries.

3. Employers look for candidates with your superior writing skills

A study arranged by the National Commission on Writing discovered that blue-chip businesses (long-standing companies with stable stock growth) are spending more than $3 billion a year on remedial writing course for current employees. This includes staff with undergraduate degrees.

So, when a hiring manager peruses your résumé and sees that you've earned a PhD, they'll know immediately that you've spent years honing your skills at compiling research, organizing mountains of data and writing about your results in a cohesive and persuasive way. This will clearly set you apart from your competition, while landing your dream job will prove that pursuing that advanced degree was worth it.

4. You'll improve on all your soft skills

While pursuing your undergraduate degree, you likely noticed that you were learning more than just the subject matter taught in each class. Completing your studies also required time management skills , focus and problem solving .

Getting a doctorate degree requires even more of the soft skills that employers look for in applicants . Your intensive study and finished thesis should lead to improvements in your problem solving, critical thinking , patience and adaptability . These desirable skills won't just help you land a job but also excel in whatever career you choose to pursue .

5. You'll collect an extensive network of professional colleagues

When weighing the pros and cons of earning a PhD, consider all the professional contacts you'll make during the course of your studies. Working closely with professors, department heads, experts in your field, as well as fellow researchers, helps you develop an important resource. This network of colleagues can provide continual assistance with references, job leads, career advice and collaboration.

6. You can wait for a more favorable job market

Job prospects may not look that promising when you've completed your undergraduate degree, or even after you've been in the workforce for a few years. While there's no guarantee things will improve after a delay, some students may appreciate the benefit of a steady graduate assistant salary while they work on enhancing their résumé with a doctorate.

If you couldn't get a good internship during or after your undergrad studies, the PhD work also gives you the time to build that professional network . These contacts could prove to be the key to breaking into a specialized or highly competitive field.

You may still be thinking about all that time and commitment and wondering, “Is a PhD worth it?”. While there are always positive results from improving your education, there are some downsides to getting your doctorate.

1. It's expensive

This is a substantial factor for many students when weighing the merits of pursuing a PhD versus entering the job market right away. If you already have student loans , continuing your education will just increase your burden and add substantial pressure when you eventually begin your job search.

If cost is a concern, investigate graduate assistant jobs that help with expenses. Some programmes offer tuition assistance in return for teaching or research work. For those who already work full time and are hoping a PhD will help them advance in their career, consider keeping that job and pursuing your studies on a part-time basis.

2. Getting a PhD can be a lonely experience

Despite your interactions with professors and other students, pursuing a doctoral degree is ultimately a solitary pursuit. Your thesis topic is unique to you, and you'll spend a lot of time alone doing research and writing. Your social life can suffer, especially if you're also working in addition to your studies.

Career experts often talk about the necessity of work-life balance for physical and mental health, and this is just as important for PhD students as anyone else. It may take you a little longer to complete your degree, but it's worth taking the time to visit family and hang out with your friends. These positive interactions can help you stay motivated through the most tedious parts of your work.

3. You'll experience extreme stress and frustration

Pursuing a PhD may seem like a noble and interesting endeavor, and extended life as a student can appear more attractive than wading into the job market. You must be aware, however, that getting a doctorate can be a very stressful and frustrating experience.

A topic that seemed intriguing at first may not live up to years of scrutiny, causing boredom at best or requiring a complete thesis change at worst. Not all programmes are well-run, either, and you may have a supervisor who is too critical, offers poor advice or is just unavailable and unhelpful.

The difficulties of a PhD programme lead to rather substantial dropout rates. In the US alone, only 57% of PhD students obtained their degree within a decade of enrolling. If you want to be in the successful half of those stats, take extra time to review your choice of supervisor and topic focus. Ask every professor you have for advice on making the right decisions and talk with current graduate students to see what their experience has been.

4. There may be limited job openings

While getting a PhD can qualify you for better and higher-paying jobs , it can also put you in a position where you're competing for an extremely limited number of job openings. This is especially true of university jobs, where the number of advanced degree graduates far outpaces the need for full-time instructors, researchers and administrators.

Earning your PhD with a very obscure thesis in a niche speciality can also limit your options. When there are only a handful of jobs that suit your expertise, and they're already occupied, it can make you feel that your doctorate was a waste of time. Consider the job market before you make decisions about getting another degree. If you're determined to study in a niche area, think ahead of time about related fields or industries where your knowledge and skills will also prove useful to employers.

5. There may be little to no financial reward

While most studies concur that having a PhD increases your income potential substantially over the lifetime of your career, it's not a guarantee of job security or a financial windfall. A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that 5 years after earning their doctorates , 45% of grads in Germany were still on temporary contracts and 13% ended up in lowly occupations.

Other European countries, including Slovakia, Belgium and Spain, had similar results. In the US, in fields like engineering, the difference in pay scales between employees with a master's degree and a PhD was a mere 7%. When that small bump in salary is weighed against the amount of debt taken on in order to get your degree, you may decide it's not worth it.

6. You could lose out on valuable job experience

New forms of technology continue to change how organizations operate, and those changes can happen fast. If you've already spent several years in school, toiling away in solitary study of obscure subjects can cause you to fall further behind in learning the skills you'll actually need for a future career.

Before you invest in getting a PhD, research your chosen field and learn which type of degree will give you the most value. Many scientific, financial and computing careers rely more on skills acquired on the job, rather than in coursework that can quickly become outdated.

Questions to ask yourself

You’ve listed out the pros and cons, but that still may not be enough to help make your decision. When it comes to a life-altering change like getting a doctorate, it’s okay to take enough time to ask yourself specific questions to ensure you’re making the right move. Consider asking yourself the following:

• Why do I want to get a PhD?
• Do I have the pre-requisites to move forward to a PhD?
• What are my strengths and limitations?
• Am I financially prepared?
• Am I mentally prepared?
• How will this affect my relationship with my family or friends?
• Where will I study?
• What am I trying to achieve?
• What jobs will be available to me after I get my PhD?
• Are there other options or avenues to consider?

Unfortunately, you may not have the answer to every one of these questions, because let’s face it, you don’t know what you don’t know. You might not know how it will affect your relationship with family or friends, but why not ask them? Reach out to those closest to you and see how you pursuing this degree could trickle down to them and allow that to play into your decision. Evaluate the answers to these questions and use it to help you make an educated decision on your future moving forward.

The best PhD degrees

If you’ve weighed out the pros and cons, asked all the important questions, and now you’re set on getting your PhD, congratulations! To help you along the way, let’s look at a list of the most valuable PhD programs to start you on your way to this degree.

• Criminal Justice
• Engineering
• Cybersecurity
• Business Administration

These fields are rapidly growing and are among the highest-paying doctorate degrees in 2022 , so they might be worth considering as you start your journey.

Key takeaways

Pursuing your PhD requires an incredible amount of commitment, and it's important to take the necessary time to make the decision. As you’re evaluating a doctorate degree, remember the following:

• Evaluate the pros and cons list right from the beginning to ensure you’re weighing out both sides of the coin.
• Ask yourself the necessary questions. A doctorate degree commitment can affect more than just you, so be sure you’re factoring that into your decision.
• Review specifically which PhD would be best for you and your field progression.
• Research your chosen field carefully and evaluate the job market before you finalize your degree choice.
• Once you’ve selected your degree, stay focused and stay driven. It’s going to be a hard few years, but it will be worth the work!

Who knows, this may prompt you to move on to postgraduate study — never stop achieving!

Have you decided to pursue your PhD, or are you still considering your options? Join us in the comments below and let us know what’s stopping or encouraging you from getting a PhD.

Originally published on July 24, 2019. Updated by Shalie Reich.

Continuing Education

Courses and Qualifications

• Skip to Main
• About The English Department
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Faculty Bookshelf
• Greene Street Review
• Working Groups
• Creative Reading Series
• Statement on Academic Freedom
• Resolution of No Confidence
• MA Student Directory
• PhD Student Directory
• Personnel and Committees
• Advising and Office Hours
• Current Course Offerings
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program of Study
• Program in Dramatic Literature
• English Major of the Month
• Forms, Applications, and Resources
• English Honors Program
• Study Abroad
• Past Course Offerings
• MINOR IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES
• Information for M.A. Students
• Information for Ph.D. Students
• Information for Prospective MA Students
• Information for Prospective PhD Students
• Fellowships
• PhD Job Placement
• Past Courses
• Current Graduate Courses
• Current Graduate Students
• Prospective Students
• The Graduate English Organization
• Fields of Interest
• Certificate Programs
• Spring 2024
• Spring 2023
• Spring 2022
• Spring 2021
• Spring 2020
• Spring 2019
• Spring 2018
• Resources for Faculty
• Resources for Graduate Students
• Resources for Undergraduate Students

Information for Prospective Ph.D. Students

Application deadlines, the appliation for fall 2025 will be available in september 2024. application deadline is december 1 2024..

PhD Admissions Open House Want a PhD in English? Why NYU? New York University, Department of English

Friday, October 20, 2023 at 11:00AM EST https://nyu.zoom.us/j/91310527661  (approximately 1 hour)

2022 Open House:  Zoom Recording 

Are you considering a PhD in English? Come meet faculty and graduate students from the NYU Department of English, who will share their experiences about the structure and culture of the program. You will get a quick overview of what a degree here entails, including the university’s new Advanced Certificate in Public Humanities. We hope to highlight what we (and New York City’s landscape of civic and arts institutions and archives) can offer you as you prepare for a future in teaching, research, and writing. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Your application to the PhD program should consist of the following components:

• The Online Application .
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume.  This should provide an overview of your academic and, if applicable, professional experience.
• A Statement of Academic Purpose.  The work of the faculty of the Department of English at NYU is characterized by a wide variety of interdisciplinary approaches, encompassing literary history, theory, and criticism, as well as careful reflection on the methods of literary study. We are especially interested in graduate students who will be comfortable bridging historical periods in their reading and writing, and who are curious about a wide variety of approaches to literary studies. The admissions committee requires from all applicants a statement of academic purpose, which will be judged as a piece of writing. It will use this statement to evaluate how well your aspirations and interests suit those of the Department of English at NYU. This statement of academic purpose should be succinct (no more than 1200 words) and address most, if not all, of the following questions: What kinds (genres, styles, forms, etc.) of literature most engage you? What, for you, is the purpose of reading literature critically? Are there particular kinds of criticism/theoretical approaches/methods of literary study that you would like to work within or learn more about? How have your intellectual and scholarly interests been shaped by your time outside and beyond the college classroom? In the light of the description above, do you have a particular reason for wishing to work within the Department of English at New York University?
• A Writing Sample  of academic literary criticism is required. It should demonstrate your strongest work in that mode and should not exceed 20-25 double-spaced pages, including any bibliography or notes.
• Three Letters of Recommendation . It is important to have strong letters of recommendation that come from professors and instructors who know you and are familiar with the your academic work. Applicants who have been out of school for several years should make every effort to reconnect with former teachers to ensure that their letters of recommendation address their academic preparation and abilities and their readiness to pursue the degree for which they are applying.  http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/letters-of-recommendation.html
• Transcript . An official, electronic copy of your transcript.For further Admissions information, please visit http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/academic-transcripts.html  
• TOEFL or IELTS:  TOEFL or the IELTS is required of all applicants who are not native English speakers or who do not have a bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English.  http://gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/gsas-application-resource-center/faqs/testing-requirements.html

All accepted Ph.D. students in English receive up to five years of funding through the Graduate School’s MacCracken program. In 2024-2025 students will receive a $35,000 stipend for nine months, plus a full tuition scholarship, registration and services fees, and full coverage of NYU student health insurance for an individual under the comprehensive plan. The MacCracken award includes a one-time $1,000 Dean's Supplementary Fellowship Grant. This grant is intended to provide support for start-up research and educational expenses such as books, academic supplies, and computer equipment. In addition, the Department of English offers a one-time $3,000 Supplementary Grant that may be used at the student's discretion and a $7,000 summer stipend during your first and second years of study and $3,000 summer stipend for your third year of study. While teaching is not required as a condition of the MacCracken award, the English Department still sees teaching as crucial to the professional development of its doctoral candidates. We therefore expect that our Ph.D. students will teach for four semesters starting after the second year of study, typically scheduled across the third through fifth years. Students who participate fully in the department's teaching program will receive in excess of $22,000 in adjunct-instructor compensation for their four semesters of teaching service, over and above the fellowship stipend payments they will receive during the term of the MacCracken award.

The English Ph.D. program is designed to be completed within the five-year term for which the MacCracken award ensures full funding. However, students can arrange to set aside as much as half of the fellowship stipend they receive during each semester in which they teach, to be drawn on at later points in the period of their enrollment. Thus if they follow the Department’s recommendation and teach for a total of four semesters during the MacCracken term, they can guarantee themselves an additional year of full funding in case they require a sixth year of matriculation in order to secure employment and complete the degree.

Teaching opportunities primarily include serving as a recitation leader in general education courses in the undergraduate college, and in departmental undergraduate survey courses. Students who follow the department's teaching protocol will be assigned to a range of different courses over their four semesters of service, and will thereby achieve the breadth of literacy-historical knowledge appropriate to doctorate holders in the discipline. Students who forgo teaching may be required to demonstrate the breadth of their literary-historical knowledge through other means.

If your question is not answered, please contact the director of graduate admissions, Professor Toral Gajarawala.

Open House for Newly Admitted Doctoral Students

Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program are invited to attend our annual Open House for Newly Admitted Doctoral Students, which this year will take place on (dates to be determined). Admitted students will be asked to arrive in New York City the afternoon of (TBA), when there will be an informal cocktail party with English Department faculty and current students. Scheduled events on (TBA) will allow admitted students the opportunity to interact with faculty as well as current graduate students and other admitted, prospective students, attend classes and tour the campus.

Share this page

Information.

• GSAS Admissions
• Advanced Certificate in CALAMEGS
• Advanced Certificate in Digital Humanities
• Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) Application
• GSAS Academic and Professional Development
• Financial Aid
• GSAS Bulletin
• Fields of Interest/Nodes

• University of Pennsylvania
• School of Arts and Sciences
• Penn Calendar

Search form

PhD and MA Graduate Admissions

Our application deadline is December 15th at 11:59 pm. Due to our application portal's technical specifications, the system may allow submission of applications after that deadline. No applications submitted after the December 15th deadline will be reviewed.

Application Procedures

Applicants to all graduate degree programs should apply online through  ApplyWeb . We do not accept paper applications.

For both the terminal M.A. and Ph.D. programs,  the application portal opens on  October 2nd  and closes on  December 15th  of each year. There is a short grace period after December 15th in which we will still accept letters of recommendation and official test scores. The Graduate Coordinator will follow up with you after December 15th if you are missing any of these elements and will provide a need-by date. Please note that the grace period is meant to allow recommenders to be a little late without negatively affecting your application, and should not be considered an alternate due date. Applicants should provide the December 15th due date to their recommenders. Applicants are ultimately responsible for ensuring that we receive their letters of recommendation.

Applications for submatriculation  are accepted until February 10th  of each year.   Students interested in submatriculating should be in touch with the Undergraduate Chair, the Graduate Chair, and their College contact (assigned and listed in Path@Penn ) before or during the application process. Each of these contacts provide important information about the submatriculation process.

We only accept full-time students for the M.A. and Ph.D. program , and do not offer part-time options for either program. All applicants are applying to begin in the fall semester of the following year. We do not accept applications for spring admission.

The application fee is $90 , payable via credit or debit card at the time of submission. 

NOTE: Application fee waivers are managed entirely by the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences, and individual departments do not have the power to grant them. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants should send a brief letter to Patricia Rea, Associate Director for Admissions, at  [email protected] , stating the reason for the request. This letter should be sent no later than  December 1st . Please be advised that the applicant must demonstrate a clear and compelling case of financial hardship.

Technical isues with ApplyWeb should be addressed to Technical Support ( [email protected] ).

Elements of the Application

In addition to your application form, which you will complete via ApplyWeb, we ask that you attach the following supporting documents to your application.

A personal statement.*  In the personal statement, all M.A. and Ph.D. applications within the Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences should address the following: Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have overcome adversity and/or experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study, please feel free to share how that has affected the course of your education. We are interested in your lived experiences and how your particular perspective might contribute to the inclusive and dynamic learning community that Penn values and strives to create. In the English Graduate Group, we ask that you discuss in this same personal statement your particular interest in our program, including why it is a good fit for your goals in graduate school. Your personal statement should not exceed 1200 words.

A critical writing sample.*  This should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages long and should reflect your writing abilities and most up-to-date critical thinking.  The writing sample must match one of your field interests or concentrations.  We strongly prefer a single, 20-page paper over two shorter papers that add up to 20 pages.

Three letters of recommendation.  These should be written by professors who know your work and can attest to your academic ability. Personal and other non-academic recommendation letters are strongly discouraged. Applicants should use the ApplyWeb system to submit letters. Applicants will submit the names, titles, and contact information of their recommenders, who will receive an emailed invitation to submit a letter on the applicant's behalf. If you or your recommenders have issues with this system, please email Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ) for troubleshooting.  Please do not submit more than four recommendation letters. 

Electronic versions of your academic transcripts.  These do not have to be official transcripts, but can either be a pdf downloaded from your student portal or a scanned copy of a paper transcript.  If accepted, you will need to provide a final, official paper copy of your transcript before you matriculate.

• Proof of English Proficiency.  Applicants with citizenship or permanent resident status in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand are not required to provide this, and their applications will automatically waive the requirement. Citizens of other countries may satisfy this requirement by either  1 ) submitting proof of having graduated from an institution where English was the primary language of instruction to Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator (in most cases, your transcripts will suffice), or  2 ) submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores . Our TOEFL code is 2986.  IELTS scores must be sent via mail to University of Pennsylvania, Department of English, 3340 Walnut Street, Rm 127, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Attn: Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator. The University of Pennsylvania only accepts hard copies of IELTS scores. Questions about individual cases should be directed to Meghan Hall ( [email protected] ).

*  For both your  personal statement  and  critical writing sample , please include  1 primary field of interest  and up to  2 additional fields of interest  at the top of the first page, or in the page's header. Your primary field of interest should match your selection of concentration on the ApplyWeb application form. Please choose from the following list:

• Medieval Literature
• Early Modern/Renaissance Literature
• Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature  (includes Restoration, Eighteenth Century, Early Romanticism, British Empire Studies)
• Nineteenth-Century British Literature  (includes Later Romanticism, Victorianism, British Empire Studies)
• Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century British Literature  (includes British Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary, British Empire Studies)
• American Literature through the Nineteenth Century
• Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century American Literature  (includes American Modernism, Postwar, Contemporary)
• American Studies/Ethnic Studies  (Asian American, Latino/a, Native American, Critical Race Studies, Transnational Americas)
• African American and Afro-diaspora Literature
• Contemporary Poetry & Poetics
• Postcolonial Studies  (Global South: South Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, East Asia)
• Film, Television, and New Media
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• Material Texts and Digital Humanities

Example: a student interested in the 18th-century British Novel, colonial discourse, and feminism would include at the top of their personal statement, “Primary: 18th-Century British Literature, Additional: British Empire Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies”

Example: a student interested in studying Latino/a literature, Latin American Literature, and Film would include at the top of their personal statement, "Primary: American/Ethnic Studies; Additional: Postcolonial-Latin America and Film, Television, and New Media." 

For International Applicants & Admittees

NOTE TO APPLICANTS FROM THE UK: we encourage UK applicants to apply for a Thouron Fellowship. The Thouron is a 1-2 year fellowship that pays for a Masters degree. Fellows who are admitted to our Ph.D. program may then continue with fellowship support from Penn. Note that the Thouron deadline is in November. Information and application materials are available on the Thouron.org website .

International Students admitted into the program should apply for their Social Security number as soon as possible so that they don't experience a delay in receiving their stipend.

Questions about the admission process? See our  Frequently Asked Questions  or contact Meghan Hall, Graduate Coordinator ( [email protected] ).

Is it a good time to be getting a PhD? We asked those who’ve done it

Researcher, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

Postdoctoral Research Associate, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

Disclosure statement

Career Sessions was sponsored by a grant from Inspiring SA ( https://inspiringsa.org.au/ ).

Flinders University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

View all partners

The number of Australian PhD graduates reached around 10,000 a year in 2019, twice as many as in 2005. However, the number of PhDs has been exceeding the available academic positions since as early as the mid-1990s. In 2020, universities purged around 10% of their workforce due to the pandemic, and many university careers are still vulnerable .

Given these statistics, you might wonder if doing a PhD is still a good idea. Based on our discussions with PhD holders, there are still plenty of very good reasons, which is good news in 2021.

Read more: 2021 is the year Australia's international student crisis really bites

In June 2020 we interviewed 12 PhD holders from multiple disciplines for our podcast Career Sessions to investigate the question: why do a PhD?

Why do a PhD?

The PhD is a mechanism for developing high-level research skills, learning about rigours of science or the development of theory. It sets you up with project management, problem-solving and analytical skills that are meaningful within and beyond academia.

“It just taught me all those transferable skills, project management, and also now starting businesses. I’m amazed at how close starting a business is to doing a science project.” – Dr Andy Stapleton

For our interviewees, the PhD is an opportunity to dive deeply into a topic they are passionate about. They also considered contributing new knowledge to be a privilege. The process taught them to be better thinkers, critical thinkers, and to view the world through new eyes.

“The mental fitness to work at a high level, to be able to think at a high level, to be able to write it […] The topic is less important.” – Dr Gareth Furber

The PhD is a voyage of discovery to a better understanding of how things work. It gives them a credible platform from which their voice can be heard and respected, and they can contribute to change.

“I think it’s definitely like a springboard or something. It launches you into a whole other place and it gives you […] more of a voice. It’s a political act for me. It’s about making change.” – Dr Elizabeth Newnham

The PhD is a tough and sometimes painful journey, but ultimately rewarding. The extraordinary was tempered by frustration, and the experience shaped their lives, increasing self-confidence and leading to new self-awareness.

Read more: PhD completion: an evidence-based guide for students, supervisors and universities

When asked whether they would they do it again, no-one hesitated in saying “yes”.

“You will never stretch your brain in a way that a PhD forces you to.” – Professor Kate Douglas.

The PhD is not necessarily a golden ticket to an academic career, but the experience and skills you develop will be meaningful for your future.

“What I’d done in my PhD gave me a lot broader sense than just my own personal experience. There were a lot of people that have heard me speak and a lot of that’s been informed by the PhD. So it might not be direct, but it’s informed who I am.” – Dr Susan Close

Advice from our guests

Keep both your eyes and your mind open. Pick a topic you are passionate about. Speak to people both within and outside academia to find out where this could lead. Think about whether you actually need a PhD to get to where you want to be.

You’ll have to make some judgement calls about how a PhD can fit into your life.

And find the right supervisor! They are the most important relationship you will have throughout your candidature, and they are a solid reference for what comes next. Finding the right supervisor will always enhance your PhD experience .

Read more: Ten types of PhD supervisor relationships – which is yours?

A PhD isn’t right for everyone. Ask yourself, is it the right time for you and your research interests? Are you resilient? Mental health among PhD students is poor

Our podcast guests have witnessed PhD students’ struggles. The pathway of a PhD candidate is not linear. There are many ups and downs. You will meander in many unplanned directions and often take wrong turns.

When you have completed your PhD, the hard work is really just starting. It is a gateway, but there are a lot of PhDs out there. It is what comes next that really counts.

“It’s a gateway. You’re learning how to do research. But if you really want to be successful afterwards, you need to apply that, and be diligent about that as well, and have a good work ethic.” – Dr Mark Krstic

Read more: 1 in 5 PhD students could drop out. Here are some tips for how to keep going

A PhD in any field is an achievement. Even the most niche topics will contribute knowledge to a field that is important for many people. The reward is intrinsic and only you can identify how doing a PhD will contribute to your life. It gives you a great toolkit to identify the doors that are appropriate for you.

“The first paper was the most exciting thing. […] at that time I thought of papers as like a version of immortality. My name is on something that will last forever. I think this is my legacy.” – Dr Cameron Shearer

• Higher education
• PhD supervisors
• PhD students
• PhD research
• PhD candidates

Professor of Indigenous Cultural and Creative Industries (Identified)

Communications Director

Associate Director, Post-Award, RGCF

University Relations Manager

2024 Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellowships

• Utility Menu

• Guidelines for Admission

Application for admission to the Harvard English Graduate Program is completed through the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences .  The application deadline for 2024-2025 admission is January 5th, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  For a full list of application requirements and instructions for the application process, please see the  GSAS Application Instructions  and  GSAS Admissions Requirements .

The Harvard English Department does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.

The following is a set of general guidelines for the English Department’s admissions process. It should be noted that while several areas are emphasized here, the Admissions Committee carefully examines the overall profile of each applicant, taking these and other aspects of the application into consideration:

Writing Samples

The writing samples (one primary and one secondary) are highly significant parts of the application. Candidates should submit two double-spaced, 15-page papers of no more than 5,000 words each, in 12-point type, and with 1-inch margins. The writing samples must be examples of critical writing (rather than creative writing) on subjects directly related to English. Applicants should not send longer papers with instructions to read an excerpt or excerpts, but should edit the samples themselves so that they submit only fifteen pages for each paper. Candidates who know the field in which they expect to specialize should, when possible, submit a primary writing sample related to that field.

While candidates’ overall GPA is important, it is more important to have an average of no lower than A- in literature courses (and related courses). In addition, while we encourage applications from candidates in programs other than English, they must have both the requisite critical skills and a foundation in English literature for graduate work in English. Most of our successful candidates have some knowledge of all the major fields of English literary study and advanced knowledge of the field in which they intend to study.

Three Letters of Recommendation

It is important to have strong letters of recommendation from professors who are familiar with candidates’ academic work. Applicants who have been out of school for several years should try to reestablish contact with former professors. Additional letters from employers may also be included. Recommenders should comment not only on the applicant’s academic readiness for our PhD program but also on the applicant’s future potential as teachers and scholars. 

Unfortunately, Interfolio does not work well with Harvard’s online application system. We ask that your recommenders upload their letters directly to the online application, with upload tool provided.

Statement of Purpose

The Statement of Purpose is not a personal statement and should not be heavily weighted down with autobiographical anecdotes. It should be no longer than 1,000 words. It should focus on giving the admissions committee a clear sense of applicants’ individual interests and strengths. Applicants need not indicate a precise field of specialization, if they do not know, but it is helpful to know something about a candidate’s professional aspirations and sense of their own skills, as well as how the Harvard English department might help in attaining their goals. Those who already have a research topic in mind should outline it in detail, giving a sense of how they plan their progress through the program. Those who do not should at least attempt to define the questions and interests they foresee driving their work over the next few years.

While there are no specific prerequisites for admission, a strong language background helps to strengthen the application, and students who lack it should be aware that they will need to address these gaps during their first two years of graduate study. For more details, please see the “Language Requirements” section of the Program Description .

The GRE General and Subject Tests are not required as part of the English PhD application process. Students wishing to send in scores may do so, but they will not be factored into the admissions decision.

Areas of Study

Unspecified | Medieval | Renaissance/Early Modern | 18th Century/Enlightenment | 19th Century British/Romantics/Victorian | Early American (to 1900) | 20th Century British | 20th Century American | Criticism and Theory | The English Language | Transnational Anglophone/Postcolonial | African American Literature | Drama | Poetry

The Harvard English Department is committed to admitting and supporting a diverse community of graduate students. The Department encourages applications from students from all undergraduate institutions and backgrounds, including students of color and underrepresented minorities, queer and transgender students, first-generation students, foreign nationals, and veterans. The Department also encourages applications from students across a range of sub-fields, critical perspectives, and methodological orientations. You can browse current student research interests by going to “Graduate Students” under the “People” tab at the top of this page and sorting by field. For more information about issues of diversity at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, please review the resources and informations below:

Diversity at GSAS

Perspectives: Resources for Minority Applicants 

Smooth Transitions: Organizations and Resources

W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate Society

Graduate Admissions FAQ

How many people apply to the program, and how many are admitted.

The PhD program in English at Harvard is extremely competitive. We receive an average of 300-350 applications per year, and we admit approximately 10-15 students (acceptance rate of about 4-5%).

Does the Department of English offer an MA or MFA?

No; the Department of English only offers a PhD in English Literature. Students already in the doctoral program who have met certain curricular requirements are able to apply for a non-terminal AM degree, but no terminal Master's program exists. We do not offer a graduate program in creative writing.

Does the Department of English offer a degree in TEFL/TESOL/TESL

No, the Department of English does not offer these programs. Our graduate program leads to a PhD in English Literature.

Are international applicants encouraged?

The department welcomes international applicants, including non-native English speakers who have a strong command of the English language. Per GSAS:

"Adequate  command of spoken and written English  is essential to success in graduate study at Harvard. Applicants who are non-native English speakers can demonstrate English proficiency in one of three ways:

• Receiving an undergraduate degree from an academic institution where English is the primary language of instruction.*
• Earning a minimum score of 80 on the Internet based test (iBT) of the  Test of English as a Foreign Language  (TOEFL)**
• Earning a minimum score of 6.5 on the  International English Language Testing System  (IELTS) Academic test.**

A master’s degree or other graduate degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency.

*Special note for applicants with an undergraduate degree from a US institution where English was not the primary language of instruction: if a portion of your program was conducted in English, you may petition for a waiver of the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. Contact  [email protected]  for details.

**Some degree programs may require a higher score on either the TOEFL or IELTS. Visit your  degree program  page of interest for more information."

Many international students inquire about non-degree granting program. Information for Special Student, Visiting Fellow, and other programs can be found here .

Can accepted students enroll on a part-time basis?

No, our graduate program is full-time, and requires residency at Harvard. The majority of our students take five or six years to obtain their PhD. If you are interested in taking graduate courses part-time, online, and/or at night, you may want to look into the offerings of the Harvard Extension School .

Can accepted students pursue a secondary field of study?

Yes. For a list of fields and more information, please visit the secondary field of study page on the GSAS website . Students who choose to pursue courses for a secondary field remain under GSAS time limits and must meet all milestones and deadlines in the English PhD program.

Does the department offer financial aid?

Admissions decisions are made without knowing the financial need of the applicants, so that financial status (including availability of supplemental funding) plays no role in the assessment of one's suitability for admission. All students (including international students) who are admitted to the PhD program receive full and equal funding, through tuition waivers and modest living stipends. Teaching fellowships are made available to graduate students starting in their third year. You may want to review the "Tuition and Fees" section of GSAS's website for details about other fees and the approximate cost of living in Cambridge.

Can you provide a list of required documents for application?

-  Two writing samples  (one primary and one secondary) 15-pages in length each, double-spaced (bibliographies do not count toward the page limit).

-  A Statement of Purpose  of 1000 words, which gives a clear sense of your strengths and interests and which details what you wish to pursue in a doctoral program.

-  Transcripts  from each college/university attended. The Graduate School requires that you upload your transcript(s) with your online application. Please do not send paper transcripts.

-  Three recommendations  from faculty members who can speak to your academic capabilities.  All recommendations should be uploaded via the GSAS online application system.  Please do not send paper recommendations. We do not recommend the use of Interfolio.

- A minimum score of 80 on the TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) is required for all non-native English speakers who have not received a degree from a university or college in which English is the language of instruction.

What if I am missing any of the required components?

An incomplete application will still be reviewed in its entirety, but it will not be seen as competitive as applications considered "complete."

What if I did not major in English as an undergraduate?

Students admitted to our program have not always been English majors as undergraduates; however, applicants must have both the requisite critical skills and a foundation in English literature for graduate work. This is generally demonstrated by substantial undergraduate coursework and recommendations from faculty in the field. Applicants from other disciplines will sometimes pursue a Master’s degree (or other graduate coursework) in English Literature first – before applying to the PhD program – to obtain a stronger background in the subject.

What if I already have a Master's Degree in English?

If you already have an MA, a maximum of four graduate-level courses may be transferred from the other institution, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. Transferred courses will count as 100-level courses toward your PhD requirements. Please note that an MA is not required for admission to the PhD Program – and indeed, the majority of our applicants do not have one.

Is proficiency in languages other than English required?

There are no specific language prerequisites for admission, but a solid background in languages other than English, particularly those that would be useful for scholarly research, will strengthen your application. Demonstrated reading knowledge of two languages (usually Latin, Greek, French, German, Spanish, and Italian) is required by the beginning of the third year in the program. You can view examples of past language exams on our  Resources for Grad Students page.

Can I meet with a professor?

Appointments to meet with faculty members must be made by contacting them directly. You can find their contact info on the faculty page .

Where should I mail supplemental application materials?

The entire application system is conducted online. Please do not send any paper materials to the English Department. GSAS admissions also no longer accepts paper materials. 

I'm having a technical problem with the GSAS online application.

The Department of English is not able to troubleshoot or provide help for technical issues with the online application tool. Please click the “Technical Support” link on the application login screen to notify tech support.

When will I hear back about application decisions?

GSAS Admissions sends out letters containing application decisions in early- to mid-March. Please note that the English Department is not able to answer questions about a candidate’s application status over the phone or via email.

Can I study as a visiting fellow at Harvard?

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers the option of enrolling as a Special Student or Visiting Fellow. See here for more details. Please note that the Department of English does not play a role in the administration of this program.

I have another question that hasn't been answered here.

Please email questions to [email protected] .

• Program Description
• Teaching Fellows
• Fellowships
• Graduate Prizes
• Resources for Grad Students
• English PhD Alumni Network & Placement Information

DPhil in English

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The DPhil in English is intended to develop the skills and understanding necessary to undertake and present original research at a high level, and provide a thorough foundation for a career in research.

The study of English language, literature and related interdisciplinary fields is continually reshaped by the new questions that DPhil students and faculty members pursue.

Current research topics include:

• English language and literature from anywhere in the world;
• the other languages and literatures of Great Britain, Ireland, neighbouring islands (including Iceland) and of other Anglophone countries;
• the above literatures in comparison with, or in translation into, other languages and literary traditions.
• performance arts in English anywhere in the world or in the other languages of Anglophone countries; and
• theoretical, interdisciplinary and philosophical reflection on literature composed in any language.

Under the guidance of your supervisor, you will complete a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words. A typical term will involve a great deal of independent research, punctuated by meetings with the supervisor who will be able to suggest direction and address concerns throughout the writing process. 

In addition you will have the opportunity to attend a wide range of classes, seminars and lectures in order to learn bibliographic and research skills, interact with other researchers or gain new perspectives on your work. You may also be encouraged to attend the research skills courses available as part of the master's (MSt) course, depending how much of this training has been covered previously.

The English Faculty is not responsible for providing teaching opportunities for research students as most undergraduate teaching in Oxford is organised by individual colleges. Teaching is not a compulsory part of the DPhil. But research students may wish to gain some teaching experience, so long as it does not interfere with their own progress. Those research students who wish to gain teaching experience are invited to attend faculty-run preparatory teaching workshops and seminars, as well as enrolling on a Teaching Mentor Scheme. 

You will have the opportunity to hear lectures and papers by leading writers, critics, and theorists from inside and outside the University. You are encouraged to participate in the many research seminars and reading groups that run throughout term time, many of which are coordinated by graduates themselves.

The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the  University's Residence requirements.  Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.

The full-time course is studied over three to four years. The part-time course has the same requirements, but is studied over six to eight years. If studying full-time, you are expected to submit your thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission. If studying part-time, you are expected to submit your thesis six, or at most eight, years from the date of admission. Part-time research students are not required to live in Oxford but must attend the University on a regular basis (particularly in term-time: October and November, mid-January to mid-March, and late April to mid-June) for supervision, study, research seminars and skills training.

The faculty appreciates that part-time research students will have non-standard attendance and work patterns. There will be some flexibility in the dates of term-time attendance, but part-time students are expected to spend some periods in Oxford in at least two terms per year in the first two years in order to participate in key faculty activities, which will occupy on average 20 days per term. Attendance during and outside of term-time is determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor.

Part-time students are expected to be present in Oxford for faculty induction, college induction, and an initial meeting with supervisors in order to decide upon the programme of study for that term and to develop a plan for the coming year’s work. These are usually all held at the beginning of the first term of the first year.

To ensure a comprehensive integration into the faculty's and University's research culture and with full-time peer groups, a pattern of attendance at training events and research seminars would form part of the general study agreement for part-time students, alongside the individualised arrangements between supervisor and student. Part-time students are expected to attend at least half of the faculty's (usually weekly or fortnightly) research seminar meetings in their subject area and to contribute to them as much as full-time students do over the length of their course.

There is an active and lively graduate organisation funded by the faculty, English Graduates at Oxford (EGO), that organises study skills, training and career development seminars, as well as social events and conferences.

Resources to support your study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.

The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.

The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.

The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

The Faculty of English Language and Literature will be based in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, a brand-new building at the University of Oxford due to open in 2025, which will accommodate seven faculties, two institutes, a new library, a large number of well-equipped teaching and seminar rooms, and performance and arts venues. The faculty will have its own centre and social hub within the building which will also facilitate interdisciplinary and collaborative work. At the heart of the building will be a large atrium – called the Great Hall – which will be a beautiful space, bringing light into the building, and serving as a space for informal work, relaxation, meeting with friends, taking breaks, having refreshments – and much more.

The library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, will house lending collections for English. There will be 340 general reader seats, and around 80 graduate study seats – with a further 320 formal and informal study seats throughout the building outside the library. Open-shelf lending collections will be complemented by access to electronic resources, scan on demand, and material requested from the Bodleian’s Collections Storage Facility. As well as the Library’s extensive staffed hours, there will be a 24/7 study space, including smart lockers for self-collect of borrowable items out of hours. Subject support is provided by a team of subject librarians.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of English and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of English.

Most students have the opportunity to receive at least two substantial supervisions in each term (or for part-time students, at least one each term). In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

You will be enrolled initially as a Probationary Research Student and will then apply to transfer to full DPhil status during your first year (or for part-time students, by the end of your second year). A further assessment of your work and progress takes place during the third year of the course (for part-time students, this would be completed by the first term of your sixth year).

In the final year of your course, you will need to submit a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words for assessment by an internal examiner, from within the University, and an external examiner, from beyond. There will then be a ‘viva voce’ oral examination with the two examiners.

Graduate destinations

Graduates from the English Faculty are employed across a wide range of sectors. Many take up academic positions in the UK and overseas. Other graduates pursue careers in occupations including teaching, the arts, heritage, librarianship, journalism, publishing, law and the civil service.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or high upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualification) and a master's degree with distinction. 

The undergraduate and masters' degrees should be in English literature and/or English language, or exceptionally in a related subject that prepares the applicant for the particular course of study they propose.

For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0. However, selection of candidates also depends on other factors in your application and most successful applicants have achieved higher GPA scores.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

• Evidence of training in research techniques may be an advantage.
• It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
• Publications are not required and the English Faculty does not expect applicants to have been published.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Evidence of ability to study for employed part-time applicants 

If you are applying for part-time study and are currently employed, you may be asked to provide evidence that your employment will not affect your ability to study and that you can commit sufficient time to fulfil all elements outlined in the course description. You may be asked to provide details about your pattern of employment and obtain a statement from your employer confirming their commitment to make time available for you to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

English Language and Literature

Oxford’s Faculty of English Language and Literature is the largest English department in the UK, with over 300 graduate students. The faculty has a very distinguished research and teaching record covering all periods of English literature.

Oxford’s Faculty of English Language and Literature is by far the largest English department in the UK and has a very distinguished research record, awarded top grades in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. The faculty leads the Complete University League Tables (2024) and QS World University Rankings (2024) for English Language and Literature. Teaching has been graded ‘excellent’ in every quality assurance review.

The size and distinction of the faculty’s graduate school, as well as the intellectual diversity of its graduate students, make Oxford a very stimulating environment in which to study English.

The faculty currently has 80 permanent members of academic staff, including 9 statutory professors. This is in addition to a further 100 or so members teaching in the colleges and temporary members of staff.  The Oxford English Faculty has the largest graduate school in the country, with approximately 95 master's students and a further 120 graduate research students. There are also around 900 undergraduate students currently enrolled.

The faculty’s taught master’s courses are designed to serve both as autonomous degrees and as a solid foundation for the pursuit of more advanced research in literature in Oxford or elsewhere. One of the special features of these courses is that, unlike many master's programmes, they offer you the opportunity to pursue topics across period boundaries if you so wish.

Research in English at Oxford covers a wide range of work in literature and language over all periods to the present. The Faculty has a lively programme of research seminars in which staff and students have the opportunity to give papers on their work, and to meet specialists from other universities and institutions from the UK and abroad.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible,  use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool  to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including  a range of external funding ,  loan schemes for postgraduate study  and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on  our fees, funding and scholarship search tool .

Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:

Select from the list:

Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.

For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2025-26

Full-time study.

Part-time study

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur further additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

Living costs for full-time study

For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the  costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).

Living costs for part-time study

Your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis for the duration of your course, even if you will not be based in Oxford throughout your studies. While the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford is between £1,425 and £2,035 per month, living costs outside Oxford may be different.

Part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Depending on your circumstances and study plans, this may include the  cost of a visitor visa to attend for short blocks of time (assuming that visitor visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs , which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . 

If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide. 

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Balliol College
• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Corpus Christi College
• Exeter College
• Harris Manchester College
• Hertford College
• Jesus College
• Keble College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
• Magdalen College
• Mansfield College
• Merton College
• New College
• Oriel College
• Pembroke College
• The Queen's College
• Regent's Park College
• St Anne's College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Edmund Hall
• St Hilda's College
• St Hugh's College
• St John's College
• St Peter's College
• Somerville College
• Trinity College
• University College
• Wadham College
• Wolfson College
• Worcester College
• Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You are not expected to contact a potential supervisor before submitting an application. However, if the proposed research topic is unusual, you may find it useful to review the faculty members and research sections of the faculty website to see if supervision is likely to be available from among the permanent members of staff.

Please note that the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Faculty of English and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Please note also that a faculty member's willingness to supervise is no guarantee of admission.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

If known, under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic who you would like to supervise your research. Otherwise leave this field blank.

Referees Three overall, academic preferred

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

The Faculty of English expects three academic references in all but exceptional cases, and never fewer than two academic references.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement and motivation.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Research proposal: A maximum of 1,500 words

The research proposal should be an outline of the research plans, written in English.

The overall word count should include any bibliography.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

• the coherence and viability of the project
• the originality of the project
• the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (a maximum of four years)
• evidence of understanding of appropriate research skills required for successful completion of the project and of appropriate training at master’s level or equivalent to undertake the project.

Written work: Either two essays of a maximum length of 2,000 words each or one essay of a maximum length of 4,000 words

Academic essays from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required. Extracts from longer pieces are welcome but should be prefaced by a note which puts them in context. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

It is better to submit essays related to the area and in the subject in which you wish to work.

This work will be assessed for analytical and critical acumen; ability to construct and defend an argument; and powers of expression.

Instructions for submitting one long piece of work instead of two short pieces

To submit one longer piece of work in your application instead of two shorter pieces, you should upload this document in the first 'Written work' slot on the 'Supporting Documents' tab of the Application Form. In the second 'Written work' slot, you should upload a PDF document with the following statement:

' I have included one long essay in lieu of two short essays. I have checked the course page to confirm this is permitted for this course. '

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice .

Apply - Full time Apply - Part time Continue application

After you've submitted your application

Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will  not  be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can  find out more about our shortlisting and selection process  in our detailed guide to what happens next.

Find out how to manage your application after submission , using our Applicant Self-Service tool.

ADMISSION STATUS

Open to applications for entry in 2025-26

12:00 midday UK time on:

Tuesday 7 January 2025

Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2025-26

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Faculty of English Language and Literature

• Course page on the faculty's website
• Funding information from the faculty
• Academic and research staff
• Faculty research
• Humanities Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 281140  or  +44 (0)1865 271541

Application-process enquiries

Application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Why study a PhD in English literature?

Studying for a phd in english literature is not just a “run-on from an ma”, writes john francis davies, but requires deep introspection and societal awareness.

John Francis Davies

What is the point of a doctorate in English literature? It’s an easy trap to become deterministic about this question: it is no single thing. To my mind, there are two main reasons to spend four years in speech, word, and thought. One is to do with the field of study itself, and the other with the lifestyle it sustains.

The study of English literature is primarily heuristic – so, an enabling discipline. There is no escaping language. It’s everywhere: in the waking and the sleeping, through the loud music, over the desk at work, in the mouths and minds of friend and stranger. It’s the thing that strains in the voice during bickering arguments or vindication against family accusations.

Download your Study Abroad Guide for FREE!

It is in the rhetoric and the row. It’s out there in remote places or in the long-watched painting at the gallery. It forms what we see and what we do and how we feel. The omnipresence of language is the greatest serendipity and the greatest struggle. Given that life is so substantially governed by language, it shall never fail to fascinate us.

Top universities for English literature What can you do with an English literature degree?

A doctorate is not just a run-on from an MA but a genuine effort to make a societal contribution, no matter how small. English as a discipline can be a vivifying force for both individual and social liberty.

One need only to consider great editorial achievements of the 20th century, like Christopher Ricks’ scholarship on Alfred Tennyson or, today, the ongoing 30-volume Correspondence of Charles Darwin , and the progress of digital humanities for open access.

It is clear, too, why academics such as C.S. Lewis became more invested in journalism. Today, we need far more literary critics to step forward to provide not only social commentary but alternative social role models. Words are deeds: they create reality.

More articles on PhDs

What is a PhD? Advice for PhD students Eight habits to help you get through your PhD Finishing studying…and starting again

A PhD in English, with all its constituent parts, facilitates a cerebral life. In a society of people constantly persuaded to look outside themselves, doctoral students are being inspired by deep thought, and become unequivocally satisfied in the value of their work. The feeling of value about one’s work is capricious, but what is immutable is that work’s value to you.

“What we learn from experience,” C.S. Lewis tells us, “depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to it.” That philosophy finds form and depth through what we study. University is not, or at least should not be, some hiatus before resuming one’s place in the world. It’s a way of living.

John Francis Davies is a Doctor of English based at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing, Wolfson College, University of Oxford

You may also like

.css-185owts{overflow:hidden;max-height:54px;text-indent:0px;} 8 habits to help you get through your PhD

Shabana Khan

What is a PhD? Advice for PhD students

Pursuing a PhD in neuroscience

Luis Humberto Eudave Ramos

Register free and enjoy extra benefits

Quick links

• Make a Gift
• Directories

Why Go to Graduate School?

Considering graduate study primarily for career reasons, considering graduate study primarily for academic/scholarly reasons, how can you decide if graduate study is the right choice for you.

Will graduate school be a good career step for you? That depends on what you want to do.

If you're considering graduate school primarily for career or vocational reasons, you should be aware that the job or career you're interested in may not require an educational background beyond your bachelor's degree. You should explore the career field you're interested in thoroughly before making your decision. What you may find is that your bachelor's degree is perfectly adequate for securing you an entry-level job in the field of your choice. In many fields, such as publishing, editing, advertising, business, public relations, government and non profit administration, etc., your skills, abilities, talents, portfolio (history of your experience, samples of the work you have done), and contacts are much more important to employers than an advanced degree. You may find that it will be more important for you to focus on getting some professional experience (through work, volunteer work, or an internship ) or some specialized training (technical or skills-based courses or programs) and to pursue contacts through networking rather than to pursue an advanced degree, which may or may not be helpful to you in terms of career entry or advancement. (See Career Information for English Majors for more discussion of career issues.)

A graduate program in English requires a great deal of time, commitment, and passion for English scholarship. Without a high level of motivation to pursue graduate study for academic or scholarly reasons, it doesn't make a lot of sense to seek a graduate degree simply as a credential or for career enhancement outside academia.

Certain careers, on the other hand, will require an advanced degree: if you want to be a lawyer, a college professor/instructor, or a school librarian, for example, then post baccalaureate training will be necessary preparation for you. Before deciding on a graduate program, you should investigate the career field thoroughly to make sure that you have a good understanding of what kind of graduate study will best prepare you for the specific work that you want to do, and how you should prepare for that study. Talk with your professors, with current graduate students in your chosen area, with professionals in your chosen field, and with academic or career counselors about what kinds of graduate programs may be right for you. ( If you're interested in a career in K-12 teaching, please click here for information .)

If your goal is to teach English at the college level, you should be aware that the job market is extremely competitive, and that many recent PhDs are finding it difficult to secure full time and permanent academic positions at both the junior college and college/university levels. Many of those recent graduates (with MA, MFA, and PhD degrees) who have found teaching jobs are working in a part-time or temporary capacity teaching composition or beginning literature classes. In these kinds of adjunct, non-tenure-track positions, there are few benefits, there is very little job security from quarter to quarter, and in order to teach in a full-time capacity, instructors may have to teach at more than one college during the same quarter, commuting back and forth from campus to campus. When permanent, full time, "tenure track" positions become available, they attract dozens, often hundreds, of well qualified applicants, depending on the area of specialization. In some areas, such as Colonial American literature or composition and rhetoric, jobs can be easier to secure, whereas competition is fierce in areas such as modern/postmodern literature and theory. Those with PhDs obviously have an advantage over those with master's-level degrees only, but the competition is still extremely vigorous. A number of recent PhDs in the humanities areas are finding themselves seeking employment outside academia.

None of this information is intended to discourage you from pursuing graduate education. If you have a passionate desire to continue your study in English language or literature, you should consider graduate school in English. If, on the other hand, you're considering graduate school primarily for career interests outside academia, you may want to investigate terminal master's programs in other areas which are more directly related to the work you want to do (e.g., MBA programs, master's degree programs in public affairs, social work, museology, etc.). For a complete list of graduate programs available at the University of Washington, click here .

The most important reason for choosing to pursue graduate study in English is because you are fascinated by or passionate about a specialized area of study within English language, literature, creative writing, critical theory, cultural or textual studies, etc., that you'd like to explore in an academic setting where you can participate in the academic discourse within a community of scholars, under the guidance of faculty mentors, and be trained to engage in scholarly research.

What Can You Expect? What Will These Degree Programs Train You to Do?

MA/PhD in English: If an institution offers an "MA/PhD" in English, the MA program is often not designed as a terminal master's program, though students who are accepted to the MA/PhD program but decide not to complete the PhD can often earn an MA by fulfilling specific requirements. Some schools do offer a terminal MA program: these are typically schools that have dual-track graduate programs (terminal MA and MA/PhD) or that do not offer a PhD program. You should investigate each program carefully, bearing in mind that, in general, if a school offers an MA/PhD program in English language/literature, those who apply for an MA only will likely not be as competitive. They will likely also need to reapply to the program if they decide to go on to pursue the PhD upon completion of the MA program.

An MA typically takes two years or longer to complete on a full-time basis. A PhD typically takes an additional three to five years (beyond the master's level) to complete on a full-time basis (i.e., those who enter an MA/PhD program after earning their bachelor's degrees typically complete the program in five to eight years). Most schools have specific course requirements along with essay/thesis/dissertation requirements and (for some MA and for PhD candidates) exams. Most graduate programs also have foreign language requirements, which vary from school to school. Graduate study is built on mentorship; graduate students locate faculty mentors with compatible scholarly interests (usually in a committee format) and work under their supervision.

MA/PhD programs in English prepare students for scholarly pursuits and college-level teaching. Those who've earned an MA/PhD are qualified to teach at the college level, though this field is extremely competitive as there are far more qualified candidates than there are jobs. Those with a PhD will obviously have an advantage over those with an MA only. In recent years, many graduates from MA/PhD programs have had to seek careers outside academia.

MATESOL: The MATESOL is typically a terminal master's program in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A MATESOL degree typically takes two years to complete and usually involves specific course work in TESOL, linguistics, English composition and rhetoric, etc., along with a practicum (supervised teaching experience) and foreign language proficiency.

MATESOL programs prepare students to teach English to speakers of other languages at the secondary * or college level and to pursue scholarly research in TESOL.

* Note that those who wish to teach ESL in a K-12 public school format must also be certificated as teachers. If you are not a certificated teacher already, click here for information about UW's College of Education Teacher Education Program .

MFA: The Master in Fine Arts in English is a terminal master's program in Creative Writing (usually in either fiction or verse, sometimes in creative non fiction or other genres). A Creative Writing MFA or MA degree typically takes two years to complete and usually involves graduate writing workshops, courses in English literature and critical theory, a creative thesis, and (often) a critical essay. Foreign language proficiency is often required as well.

MFA/MA Creative Writing programs train writers and assist them in developing their craft, and their primary mission is to offer a curriculum through which students can devote a couple of years to an intensive, mentored writing experience. Although it is possible for those holding an MFA to teach creative writing at the college level, these jobs are extremely competitive, and hiring decisions are typically based on the candidate's body of published work as opposed to his or her academic background. While some who've earned an MFA may be qualified to teach composition or literature at the college level, this field is extremely competitive as there are far more qualified candidates than there are jobs. Those with a PhD will obviously have an advantage over those with an MFA/MA only.

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs has a guide to studying creative writing at the graduate level .

Here are some suggestions:

Talk with English faculty . They will be your most important resource in making this decision.

Talk with English graduate students . You can connect with UW graduate students in English through the English Graduate Student Organization (GSO). You can also review resources they've put together on the PhD program at the ENGL GSO wiki site.

Talk with academic and pre-professional advisers . English undergraduate advisers are located in A-2-B Padelford Hall. Pre-professional advisers (for pre-law, pre-med, pre-vet, pre-dental students) are available in 171 Mary Gates Hall.

Consider your career options. English Advising has a site for Career Information for English majors ; it's possible that you don't need a graduate degree as a credential for the kind of work you want to do.

Attend faculty lectures and seminars on campus. The English Department maintains a site for lectures and events , as does the Simpson Center for the Humanities . You can also watch for posters and handbills on doorways and in elevators in Padelford Hall. Some lectures and events are publicized by e-mail to undergraduates through the englmajors e-mail list . The UW also maintains a calendar of events organized by general categories.

Read scholarly publications. English Graduate Studies maintains a listed of resources and publications . The UW Library System also maintains a web page of English Studies resources .

Consult the UW Career Center's Graduate School pages .

•   Facebook
•   Instagram
•   Twitter
•   Newsletter

Home  >  News & Articles  >  PhD in English: Courses, Fees, Syllabus, Eligibility, Top Colleges, Scope & Salary 2023

Abhishek Dogra

Updated on 18th August, 2023 , 10 min read

PhD in English: Courses, Fees, Syllabus, Eligibility, Top Colleges, Scope & Salary 2023

A PhD in English is a three to six-year doctorate program that focuses on technical writing in prose, poetry, theater, and fiction as well as translations, international literature, and ancient literature. There are several job prospects for English PhD candidates in India and overseas in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. Graduates can begin their careers as a lecturer, professors, school teachers, private tutors, education consultants, vice principals, program managers, English teachers, language trainers, proofreaders, or customer support associates, among other positions.

PhD in English students must have earned their Masters's degrees in order to enroll in a PhD English course. Before applying for admission to a PhD in English, an M.A. in English or an M.Phil. is required. They should receive at least 50% of the possible points in their exams. Additionally, several colleges and universities accept job applications for English research positions. These roles are typically referred to as research fellows. This may serve as yet another entry point for a PhD English course. There are PhD entry exams at some universities.

PhD in English: Course Highlights

Why Pursue PhD in English?   

A PhD in English literature is a fantastic way to advance your abilities in critical thinking, cooperation, communication, independent research, and many other areas and discover more about your areas of interest, and get the skills you need to advance particular study topics significantly. 

Who should pursue PhD in English?

It's important to note that pursuing a PhD in English is a significant commitment, often requiring several years of research, academic writing, and critical analysis. Prospective PhD candidates should be passionate about their chosen area of study, dedicated to research, and have a strong desire to contribute to the academic and intellectual discourse within the field of English language and literature.

PhD in English: Duration

PhD in English is a three-year program. It deals to impart students with the required theoretical background and research skills where students research and comprehension of works published in the English language in various historical periods, from prehistoric times to the post-modern era.

PhD in English: Fees

Some of the top Colleges/Universities offering Ph.D , location, along with their fees are given below: 

PhD in English: Eligibility

The minimum eligibility for PhD English Literature is a master's degree in the English language with a minimum of 55% aggregate in the discipline passed from a recognized university.

PhD in English Admission Process

The completion of a Masters-level degree is the primary qualification for admission to PhD English programs. An M.A. in the arts or an M.Phil. Students who are taking final exams may also apply to take the entrance test. Such students should be ready for the State Level Eligibility Tests (SLETs), the CSIR-NET, or the GATE entrance exams.

It's critical to keep in mind that passing results on these tests are a criterion for admission. Additionally, keep in mind that SLET results are only important for the state. However, GATE and CSIR-NET exam results are accepted at all Indian universities. Only a few Indian universities accept GATE scores, but all Indian institutes accept CSIR-NET scores.

PhD in English Entrance Examinations

There are several routes for a deserving student to gain admission to a PhD in English. In addition to the admission tests mentioned above, the relevant universities also hold university-level exams. Merit-based admissions are used by several universities.

PhD English: Important dates of Entrance Exams

Written below are the important dates for PhD in English entrance exam :

PhD in English: Syllabus

Deep reflection and social awareness are key components of a PhD in English course. The following domains make up the learning experiences for PhD students, though the names of the subjects may vary from university to university.

A detailed syllabus for the PhD The English course is provided in the table below. The presentation is thorough in the syllabus. Depending on the situation, individual universities may add additional sections.

PhD in English: Colleges in India

PhD in English: Colleges in Delhi

Phd in english: college comparison.

PhD in English at Loyal College vs PhD in English at Chandigarh University

PhD in English: Salary

A PhD holder's pay will vary depending on their subject and job. PhD in English jobs in India are available in both the public and private sectors.  The typical pay for new hires is between INR 3.5 and 5 LPA. Depending on your qualifications and expertise, it might rise to INR 6–12 LPA. The work scope will expand with experience and expertise. Additionally, government universities will pay professors INR 6 LPA in salaries.

Given below are the PhD in English jobs along with their respective salaries:

PhD in English: Job 

After earning a PhD in English, jobs in the creative and educating industries are available. Schools and colleges are the first significant locations where PhD in English-qualified scholars may apply for jobs because they are where English is taught the most. They have the option of beginning as Teacher Assistants and moving up to Department Head. Critics may work in the creative field if they have a PhD in cinematography or broadcast media certification. Like articles moderators, and critics. Publisher houses that check and edit books before they are eventually published may also have critics.

The types of work profiles that research scholars completing Ph.Ds in English you obtain are listed below. At this point, it's crucial to keep in mind that a PhD graduate may begin at entry-level or even nominal levels. The prospect doesn't become qualified for higher positions until after a few years of work experience. However, compared to graduates and postgraduates with master's degrees, this frequently happens more quickly.

Listed below is a table that shows a few of the job profiles after completion of the PhD in English.

PhD in English: Future Scope

PhD English has very promising potential. Despite having a majority of Hindi speakers, English is used in nearly every industry. The most popular career options in India right now are working as a critic, penning publications, and reviewing books and movies.

1. PhD in Religious Studies

In this students probably read a few religious texts as an English major, and regardless of your affiliation (if any), you comprehend their significance. Actually, you don't have to be religious to pursue a PhD in religious studies. Studying religion entails studying ethics, convictions, societies, and individuals.

2. PhD in Linguistics

Language studies, also known as linguistics, cover all facets of language as well as the techniques used to study and model them. When reading a line of dialogue in literary fiction, did you notice how clear the dialect was

3.  PhD in History

Record, of course, is the study of the past. At the same, background helps us understand change and how the community we now live in came to be.

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again".– Maya Angelou.

A component of being a student of history is gaining the ability to sort through varied, usually conflicting interpretations. Your bachelor's degree in English will set you up for success.

4.  PhD in Media Studies

The works of writers give us direct access to what it means to be human in all its complexity and mystery, just like all other forms of art do. If you discovered that your favorite aspect of majoring in English was the art and literature you encountered, you might want to think about pursuing a PhD in something like Media Studies.

5.  PhD in Political Science

Political science and English may at first seem like odd bedfellows. But during your undergraduate studies, you already developed a solid foundation in critical reading and thinking, approached literary analysis through a variety of lenses, and identified the influences of culture, politics, and social issues scattered throughout a work.

Many great works contain references to political, economic, and their interactions. Understanding the historical and philosophical roots of political values is possible through the study of political science.

6. PhD in English

Predictably, a significant in English greatly aids in your preparation for an English Ph.D

A PhD in English provides students with the in-depth understanding of literary criticism they need to meet faculties around the world, from the earliest poetic developments in Old English to the most recent creative work currently being published. You can research literature from the Middle Ages, African American literature, or literature written during the American Revolution, depending on your area of expertise.

Your English bachelor's degree provided you with a large overview, but your PhD will enable you to focus on one area of expertise and develop it further.

Similar Articles

Pilot Salary in India 2024: Starting Salary, Requirements, Qualifications, Per Month Salary

West Bengal (WBSCVT) ITI Merit List 2023 PDF (RELEASED): Admission Process, Important Dates, Seat Allotment

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a doctorate in english entail.

After earning a PhD in English, there are numerous career options. Writing, training, authorship, and public relations officers can all pursue careers that allow them to interact with people.

What is the average salary for a PhD in English?

The average salary for a Ph. D in an English career in India for the doctorates is around INR 7LPA.

What is the eligibility for PhD in English from IGNOU?

Students must have finished their Master's Degree from a University recognized by UGC.

How useful is a PhD in English?

A PhD in English Literature offers a great opportunity to gain valuable skills in critical analysis, communication, independent research, collaboration, and many more.

Is a Doctorate entrance exam required?

Entrance exams are the main factor in determining PhD admittance in 2023, but some universities also accept merit-based applications.

Can someone do PhD without a Master's?

The chances of being accepted into a PhD program are slim to none if candidate don't have the appropriate educational background in the field.

What is the duration of PhD in english course?

The duration of PhD course is between 3 to 5 years.

Does IGNOU offer PhD in English?

Yes, IGNOU offers PhD in English.

PDF Preview

Popular searches, popular colleges/universities, top colleges by courses, top courses.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Applying to graduate school
• Master’s vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Master's vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Published on November 27, 2020 by Lauren Thomas . Revised on May 10, 2024.

The two most common types of graduate degrees are master’s and doctoral degrees:

• A master’s is a 1–2 year degree that can prepare you for a multitude of careers.
• A PhD, or doctoral degree, takes 3–7 years to complete (depending on the country) and prepares you for a career in academic research.

A master’s is also the necessary first step to a PhD. In the US, the master’s is built into PhD programs, while in most other countries, a separate master’s degree is required before applying for PhDs.

Master’s are far more common than PhDs. In the US, 24 million people have master’s or professional degrees, whereas only 4.5 million have doctorates.

Table of contents

Master’s vs phd at a glance, which is right for you, length of time required, career prospects, costs and salaries, application process, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about master's and phd degrees.

The table below shows the key differences between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

A PhD is right for you if:

• Your goal is to become a professor at a university or some other type of professional researcher.
• You love research and are passionate about discovering the answer to a particular question.
• You are willing to spend years pursuing your research even if you have to put up with a lot of dead ends and roadblocks.

A master’s degree is the better choice if any of the following apply:

• You want to continue studies in your field, but you’re not committed to a career as a professional researcher.
• You want to develop professional skills for a specific career.
• You are willing to pay a higher upfront cost if it means finishing with your degree (and thus being able to work) much faster.
• You want the option to study part-time while working.

The length of time required to complete a PhD or master’s degree varies. Unsurprisingly, PhDs take much longer, usually between 3–7 years. Master’s degrees are usually only 1–2 years.

Length of a master’s

Master’s degrees are usually 2 years, although 1-year master’s degrees also exist, mainly in the UK.

Most of the degree consists of classes and coursework, although many master’s programs include an intensive, semester-long master’s thesis or capstone project in which students bring together all they’ve learned to produce an original piece of work.

Length of a PhD

In the US, a PhD usually takes between 5 and 7 years to complete. The first 2 years are spent on coursework. Students, even those who choose to leave without finishing the program, usually receive a master’s degree at this point.

The next 3–5 years are spent preparing a dissertation —a lengthy piece of writing based on independent research, which aims to make a significant original contribution to one’s field.

Master’s degrees tend to prepare you for a career outside of academia, while PhDs are designed to lead to a career in research.

Careers for master’s graduates

There are two types of master’s degrees: terminal and research-intensive. The career prospects are different for each.

Terminal master’s degrees are intended to prepare students for careers outside of academia. Some degrees, known as professional degrees, specifically prepare students for particular professions; these include the Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees.

Other master’s degrees, usually Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Sciences (MS or MSc) degrees, do not necessarily lead to a specific career, but are intended to be a final degree. Examples include an MS in Communications or MS in Data Analytics.

In research-intensive master’s programs, students take coursework intended to prepare them for writing an original piece of research known as the master’s thesis . Such programs are usually intended to prepare for further study in a doctoral program.

Careers for PhD graduates

As research degrees, PhDs are usually intended to lead to an academic career. A PhD can be thought of like an apprenticeship, where students learn from professional researchers (academics) how to produce their own research.

Most students aspire to become a university professor upon the completion of their degree. However, careers in academia are highly competitive, and the skills learned in a doctoral program often lend themselves well to other types of careers.

Some graduates who find they prefer teaching to producing research go on to be teachers at liberal arts colleges or even secondary schools. Others work in research-intensive careers in the government, private sector, or at think tanks.

Below are a few examples of specific fields and non-academic careers that are common destinations of graduates of those fields.

• Computer Science
• Lab Sciences

Many government jobs, including economists at a country’s central bank, are research-intensive and require a PhD. Think tanks also hire economists to carry out independent research.

In the private sector, economic consulting and technology firms frequently hire PhDs to solve real-world problems that require complex mathematical modeling.

Graduate students from the humanities are sometimes hired by museums, who can make use of their research and writing skills to curate exhibits and run public outreach.

Humanities PhDs are often well-suited to research and grant-writing roles at nonprofits. Since so much of research is funded by grants, PhD students often gain a lot of experience applying for them, which is a useful skill in the nonprofit sector.

There are a wide range of non-academic research jobs for lab scientists with doctorates in subjects like chemistry, biology, ecology and physics.

Many PhD graduates are hired by pharmaceutical companies that need to perform research to create and test their products. Government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also hire lab scientists to work on research projects.

Job prospects after graduation vary widely based on the field. In fields like management, computer science, statistics, and economics, there’s little underemployment—even graduates from less well-known programs can easily find jobs that pay well and use the skills they’ve gained from the PhD.

However, in other fields, particularly in the humanities, many PhD graduates have difficulty in the job market. Unfortunately, there are far more PhD graduates than assistant professor roles, so many instead take on part-time and low-paid roles as adjunct instructors. Even non-academic careers can sometimes be difficult for PhDs to move into, as they may be seen as “overqualified”  or as lacking in relevant professional experience.

Because career options post-PhD vary so much, you should take the time to figure out what the career prospects are in your field. Doctoral programs often have detailed “placement” records online in which they list the career outcomes of their graduates immediately upon leaving the program. If you can’t find these records, contact the program and ask for them—placement information should play an important role in your choice of PhD program.

Although PhDs take far longer to complete, students often receive a living stipend in exchange for being a teaching or research assistant. Master’s degrees are shorter but less likely to be funded.

Both master’s degrees and PhDs lead to increased salaries upon graduation. While PhDs usually earn a bit more than those with a master’s degree, in some fields, the wages are identical, meaning that no financial benefit is gained from going on to a PhD.

Cost of a master’s

The upfront cost of a master’s degree is usually higher than a doctoral degree due to the lower amount of financial aid available. However, increased salaries also arrive faster than with a doctoral degree, because people graduate much earlier from a master’s program.

Some master’s students do receive stipends for their degrees, usually as compensation for being a teaching or research assistant. In addition, many people complete master’s degrees part time while working full-time, which allows them to fund their living costs as well as tuition.

The cost varies significantly by school and program. Public schools are usually cheaper than private ones. Some master’s degrees, such as MBAs, are notoriously expensive, but also result in much higher wages afterwards that make up for the high cost.

The master’s wage premium , or the extra amount that someone with a master’s degree makes than someone with just a high school diploma, is 23% on average. Many universities provide detailed statistics on the career and salary outcomes of their students. If they do not have this online, you should feel free to contact an administrator of the program and ask.

Cost of a PhD

PhDs, particularly outside the humanities, are usually (though not always) funded, meaning that tuition fees are fully waived and students receive a small living stipend. During the last 3–5 years of a PhD, after finishing their coursework (and sometimes before), students are usually expected to work as graduate instructors or research assistants in exchange for the stipend.

Sometimes students can apply for a fellowship (such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program in the United States) that relieves them of any obligations to be a teaching or research assistant. Doctoral programs in the US tend to be better funded than in the rest of the world.

Sometimes, PhD degrees can be completed part-time, but this is rare. Students are usually expected to devote at least 40 hours a week to their research and work as teaching or research assistants.

The main cost of doctoral programs comes in the form of opportunity cost—all the years that students could be working a regular, full-time job, which usually pays much better than a graduate school stipend.

The average wage premium for PhDs is 26%, which is not much higher than the master’s degree premium.

In the US, the application process is similar for master’s and PhD programs. Both will generally ask for:

• At least one application essay, often called a personal statement or statement of purpose .
• Letters of recommendation .
• A resume or CV .
• Transcripts.
• Writing samples.

Applications for both types of programs also often require a standardized test. PhDs usually require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which tries to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative, critical thinking , and analytical writing skills. Many master’s programs require this test as well.

Applying for a master’s

Master’s degrees programs will often ask you to respond to specific essay prompts that may ask you to reflect upon not just your academic background, but also your personal character and future career ambitions.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School requires Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) applicants write two essays, one about a recent time they demonstrated leadership and the second about their personal values.

Who you should ask for your letters of recommendation varies by program. If you are applying to a research-intensive master’s program, then you should choose former professors or research supervisors. For other programs, particularly business school, current work supervisors may be a better choice.

Some professional master’s programs require a specific test. For example, to apply to law school, you must take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. For business school, you must take either the GRE or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

Applying for a PhD

When applying for a PhD, your resume should focus more on your research background—you should especially emphasize any publications you’ve authored or presentations that you’ve given.

Similarly, your statement of purpose should discuss research that you’ve participated in, whether as an assistant or the lead author. You should detail what exactly you did in projects you’ve contributed to, whether that’s conducting a literature review, coding regressions, or writing an entire article.

Your letters of recommendations should be from former professors or supervisors who can speak to your abilities and potential as a researcher. A good rule of thumb is to avoid asking for recommendations from anyone who does not themselves have a PhD.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

College essays

• College essay examples
• College essay format
• College essay style
• College essay length
• Diversity essays
• Scholarship essays

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Avoiding repetition
• Literature review
• Conceptual framework
• Dissertation outline
• Thesis acknowledgements
• Burned or burnt
• Canceled or cancelled
• Dreamt or dreamed
• Gray or grey
• Theater vs theatre

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

This depends on the country. In the United States, you can generally go directly to a PhD  with only a bachelor’s degree, as a master’s program is included as part of the doctoral program.

Elsewhere, you generally need to graduate from a research-intensive master’s degree before continuing to the PhD.

This varies by country. In the United States, PhDs usually take between 5–7 years: 2 years of coursework followed by 3–5 years of independent research work to produce a dissertation.

In the rest of the world, students normally have a master’s degree before beginning the PhD, so they proceed directly to the research stage and complete a PhD in 3–5 years.

A master’s degree usually has a higher upfront cost, but it also allows you to start earning a higher salary more quickly. The exact cost depends on the country and the school: private universities usually cost more than public ones, and European degrees usually cost less than North American ones. There are limited possibilities for financial aid.

PhDs often waive tuition fees and offer a living stipend in exchange for a teaching or research assistantship. However, they take many years to complete, during which time you earn very little.

In the US, the graduate school application process is similar whether you’re applying for a master’s or a PhD . Both require letters of recommendation , a statement of purpose or personal statement , a resume or CV , and transcripts. Programs in the US and Canada usually also require a certain type of standardized test—often the GRE.

Outside the US, PhD programs usually also require applicants to write a research proposal , because students are expected to begin dissertation research in the first year of their PhD.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Thomas, L. (2024, May 09). Master's vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences. Scribbr. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/graduate-school/masters-vs-phd/

Is this article helpful?

Lauren Thomas

Other students also liked, when to apply for graduate school | month-by-month timeline, how to write a statement of purpose | example, how to write a graduate school resume | template & example, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

• Funding Opportunities
• Discussion-Based Events
• Graduate Programs
• Core Principles
• Ideas that Shape the World
• Digital Community
• Planned Giving
• Donor Events

Should I Get a PhD? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Decide

Suppose that while you’re in college, one of your professors challenges you to look at the world from a different perspective. Or perhaps you discover that you’re really good at research and writing. Or you’re realizing that your classes are making you want to learn more about your discipline—even teach it. At this point, you might be asking,

“ Should I go to graduate school ?  Should I get a PhD?”

Given that it usually takes 3-7 years to get a PhD and academia is extremely competitive, this is no light question to be asking. Here are a few things to consider before applying to graduate school .

1). Do I have what it takes to be an academic?

Professional academics wear a lot of hats, from researching and writing, to presenting and teaching. You’ll also need to be independent, focused, self-directed, and passionate about your discipline to succeed. 

Before committing to a PhD program, make sure you actually care about what you are going to be studying. On top of this ask yourself if you are ready to work hard and to push yourself to become a better researcher, writer, public speaker, etc.

2). Is getting a PhD worth the time and money?

Grad school takes time. And to borrow an old business clich é , “time is money.”

While scholarships and fellowships will help offset the the actual cost of graduate school (see question 4 for more on this), it’s worth considering the opportunity costs involved.

Your peers will be starting jobs and earning money; your income (if it exists at all) will be much more modest. Carefully weigh the expected payoff against the time and money spent and opportunities forgone.

3). Is this what I really want to do?

Some people go to grad school because they’ve aren’t sure what they’d like to do after getting their undergrad degree—they’re trying “find themselves.” This is not a good reason to enroll in a PhD program , given the challenges I’ve already mentioned above.

Go to graduate school only if it’s what you really want to do. 

4). Can I secure funding from my PhD program?

A good degree program which believes in your potential will offer you at least some funding, even if it won’t fully fund your degree.

If you can’t secure financial assistance in any of the PhD programs you apply to, this could be a sign that you should consider career paths other than academia.

5). What do I have to look forward to after I get my PhD?

Once you have your PhD, you’ll enter the world of academia and all it entails: balancing research with teaching, working to get your research published, and seeking tenure.

If this excites you, it might be worth spending the next few years of your life in graduate school (as long as you also have a good sense of what you’ll do with your degree before you commit to a PhD program and the career that follows). If life after graduate school sounds miserable to you, that’s a good indication you should consider pursuing a different career.

Previous Post How to Choose a PhD Program: 3 Tips

Next post how to prepare for a paper presentation at an academic conference.

Comments are closed.

• Privacy Policy

© 2024 Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University

Here is the timeline for our application process:

• Apply for a position 
• An HR team member will review your application submission  
• If selected for consideration, you will speak with a recruiter 
• If your experience and skills match the role, you will interview with the hiring manager
• If you are a potential fit for the position, you will interview with additional staff members
• If you are the candidate chosen, we will extend a job offer

All candidates will be notified regarding the status of their application within two to three weeks of submission. As new positions often become available, we encourage you to visit our site frequently for additional opportunities that align with your interests and skills.