English, Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

Admissions decisions are based on the department’s judgment of the applicant’s capacity, suitability, and preparation for graduate study.  Admission to graduate study is not automatically guaranteed by meeting minimum admission requirements.

Candidates will be expected to have earned 15 hours of coursework at the 2000 level or above in English or in related fields when that coursework includes a significant component of literature or writing. Applicants without an M.A. degree will be expected to have completed at least 20 hours of graduate coursework in English.

Students in the Ph.D. program who have earned an M.A. in English at MTSU may apply up to 12 hours of course credit from the M.A. program toward the Ph.D. program.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Those seeking teaching assistantships must apply by February 1 for the following Fall semester. All other applications for Summer/Fall admission must be complete by March 1. Applications for Spring admission must be complete by October 1. Those seeking teaching assistantships must apply by February 1 for the following Fall semester. All application materials, including the assistantship application, should be sent directly to the College of Graduate Studies through mtsu.edu/graduate/forms.

Applicant must

1. submit an application with the appropriate application fee online (www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
2. submit three letters of recommendation from professors or professionals that address the applicant’s potential to successfully complete a Ph.D. program in English;
3. submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (English subject test optional);
4. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
5. submit a writing sample of 3,000 to 5,000 words;
6. submit a 500-word statement of purpose outlining academic interests and professional goals.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in English requires completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours.

Candidate must

1. demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language. (Committees may require more than one language.) (NOTE: The requirement may be waived for students whose native language is not English.) The language requirement must be fulfilled in one of the following ways:
   1. completing two 3-hour foreign language courses of 3000- or 4000-level work emphasizing reading, translation, or composition;
   2. earning a final grade of A or B in a foreign language course numbered 5990 or in SPAN 5920 ;
   3. passing a reading examination administered by the World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department;
   4. earning a final grade of B or better in both ENGL 7011 - Old English Language and Literature  and ENGL 7015 - Beowulf , which must be taken sequentially; or
   5. meeting this requirement at the M.A. level.
2. successfully complete a qualifying exam, comprehensive in scope, before the completion of two semesters of coursework above the M.A. level (12 hours of 7000-level work). Ph.D. students must pass this exam in order to proceed in their program. (The examination may be taken no more than twice.)
3. near the completion of coursework, successfully complete two written Ph.D. exams in chosen concentrations from among the following areas: Old and Middle English Literature; Early Modern British Literature (1500-Milton); Restoration and 18th Century British Literature; Long 19th Century British Literature (1770-1900): 20th Century and Contemporary British Literature; Early American Literature (through 1900); 20th Century and Contemporary American Literature; Anglophone Literature; Children’s and Young Adult Literature; Composition and Rhetoric; Popular Culture and Film; Criticism and Critical Theory; Folklore; and Linguistics. An oral component to the exam may be required upon the successful completion of each written component.
4. complete a dissertation (12 hours minimum) and oral dissertation defense.

Curriculum: English

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements. In addition, a maximum of 21 hours of dissertation research may be required to fulfill degree requirements.

Program Notes

Candidate must file an approved Advisory Committee form listing the members of the candidate’s doctoral committee with the Graduate Office and College of Graduate Studies upon successful completion of the written and oral preliminary examination.