PhD Program
Our English PhD program offers students a rare combination of close interaction with faculty and personalized courses of study, with the wide array of intellectual, scholarly, and cultural opportunities that define a major research institution. For a detailed overview of an English PhD student program of study, see the PhD schedule page and the English Department Graduate Student Handbook. For rules and regulations concerning graduate-level study at the University of Rochester, see the Graduate Bulletin.
Our program comprises the following:
- Courses
- Language exam
- Pedagogical training
- Qualifying exam
- Teaching
- Professionalization
- Dissertation and defense
To learn about our past students, see the recent PhD recipients page.
Pedagogical Training
Our PhD students typically receive two types of pedagogical training: one is based in an apprentice model working with English department faculty, and the other consists of a formal pedagogy course offered through the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program (WSAP). Please reference the Department Handbook for additional information.
Qualifying Exam
Students typically take their qualifying exams during the fall semester of the third year of study. By the end of the second year, students must submit their exam scheduling form with reading lists. Please note that the Qualifying Exam cannot be scheduled unless the Language Exam has been passed.
The Dissertation Prospectus and form (approximately ten pages) should be filed within three months of having passed the exams.
PhD Qualifying Exam Field Lists
(Note: Lists are under review beginning Summer 2026 and will change).
Each QE field list comprises no less than 80% of the final list compiled by the student in consultation with their committee. This allows students to have a set template and then to work with advisors, based on their interests, to supplement that template. Please keep this final length limit in mind when you consult with faculty about adding items to the list.
- Old English
- Middle English
- English Renaissance Literature
- The Long Eighteenth Century
- 19th-Century British
- 19th-Century American
- British and American Moderns
- 20th-Century American
Sampling of PhD Conceptual Field
- Theories of Theater
- Feminist Theory
- Literary Cosmopolitanism
- Poetry and Poetics
- Postcolonial Theory
- Textual Studies and the Digital Humanities
- Transatlantic Studies
- Theorizing Film and Media Authorship
Teaching
Graduate education in the department extends to both research and teaching. All PhD students participate in a summer-long pedagogy course before the fall of the fourth year and are exposed to a variety of teaching environments by:
- Designing and leading their own composition courses
- Co-teaching a course with a faculty member
- Receiving training and experience in English-as-a-Second-Language instruction
- Teaching core courses during the summer term
Beginning in their fourth year, students teach one course per semester for the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program (WSAP). Each graduate instructor designs his or her own syllabus, reflecting their own passions, interests, and emerging expertise. Enrollment in writing courses is limited to 15 students.
In addition to WSAP courses, advanced graduate students have the opportunity to teach courses within their fields of specialization through the Teaching Fellowship Program, the Susan B. Anthony Teaching Fellowship, and the department's summer school curriculum.
Campus resources for teaching include:
- Teaching Center
- Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program
- University Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning
Dissertation and Defense
All PhD students must write and defend a dissertation. See the graduate studies PhD defense page for details and deadlines.