Ph.D. in English Requirements

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. The program-specific requirements for English include:

1. Twenty semester credits of English beyond the communication requirement with a 3.00 grade point average or better.
2. Undergraduate work in at least one language other than English equivalent to the first two college-level years or by demonstrating (by Educational Testing Service or by Testing Services examination) a reading knowledge of one language other than English or the satisfactory completion of two semesters each of two languages other than English. Students may be admitted without the language requirement and may complete it once in the  program.
3. A master’s degree of at least 30 semester credits of courses in literature and English language or in an acceptable combination of these and related subjects. Graduate courses taken elsewhere may, at the discretion of the Department, be accepted in lieu of courses that would otherwise be related at the University of North Dakota.
4. A writing sample of 10-15 pages on topics or in modes appropriate to the proposed program of study.
5. A resume or CV is recommended for applicants seeking a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

Applications will be considered for both fall and spring admission. Application deadlines can be found on the UND website.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the English Language and Literature Department.

1. ENGL 500 Introduction to Graduate Studies; ENGL 501 Teaching College English and ENGL 501L Teaching College English Laboratory (for Graduate Teaching Assistants only); and either ENGL 510 History of Literary Criticism or ENGL 511 Problems in Literary Criticism. Courses must be completed with grades of A or B (S for ENGL 501L Teaching College English Laboratory).
2. Up to ten credits in addition to the four credits allowed for the M.A. may be in Readings and Research courses

3. Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   ENGL 590	Readings	1-4
   ENGL 591	Readings for Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations	1-4
   ENGL 593	Research	1-4

4. Evidence of the mastery of scholarly tools appropriate to the proposed field of studies is required, including proficiency in one language other than English to Level IV. Additional language study and/or other scholarly tools may be required as deemed appropriate by the student in consultation with his/her mentor, advisory committee, and the Director of Graduate Studies.
5. Completion of the comprehensive examinations, in areas or topics relevant to a student’s individual interests as recommended by the student’s Advisory Committee. These will include two written comprehensive exams: 1) a written major field exam; 2) a written second field exam or a written special topic exam. The major field exam provides the kind of breadth of knowledge that goes beyond that developed through graduate coursework alone, while the second field or special topic exam is designed to begin the thought process necessary for conceptualizing and completing the dissertation. A third exam, an oral exam on the dissertation prospectus, is scheduled and completed within six months after completion of the written exams.
6. Fifteen (15) hours of credit may be granted for the dissertation, which may take the form of either a closely focused scholarly-critical investigation of a single topic, a creative work or group of works, or a number of related, publishable essays (critical, scholarly, bibliographical, methodological, pedagogical) which may be developed in combination with a project or projects deemed appropriate and acceptable by the student’s Advisory Committee.

NOTE: Students may be recommended for advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree only after they have satisfied the following requirements in addition to those required by the School of Graduate Studies: Completion of ENGL 500 Introduction to Graduate Studies and either ENGL 510 History of Literary Criticism or ENGL 511 Problems in Literary Criticism with grades of A or B; for Graduate Teaching Assistants, ENGL 501 Teaching College English with a grade of A or B and ENGL 501L Teaching College English Laboratory with a grade of S.