Saint Louis University's oldest academic unit offers degrees in more than 30 academic areas.
Saint Louis University’s Ph.D. in English provides students with advanced scholarly training in a variety of literary fields and in the study of rhetoric and composition. Students in our program receive training in pedagogy, research, writing, and theory. The Ph.D. prepares students for careers in higher education as well as in non-academic fields including publishing, editing and secondary education.
All English Ph.D. candidates at Saint Louis University must display reading proficiency in one modern foreign language relevant to their research. Students concentrating in medieval or renaissance literature also need to demonstrate competence in either Latin or classical Greek. All doctoral students must also take courses in three out of five required areas.
Saint Louis University's English department is affiliated with the Walter J. Ong Center for Digital Humanities. In addition to participating in various writing programs, including University Writing Services, the English faculty and graduate students participate in departmental research colloquia and reading groups. SLU also hosts the journal African American Review.
Recent graduates with a Ph.D. in English from SLU have accepted tenure-track faculty positions at Creighton University, University of Central Florida, University of Detroit-Mercy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla), Truman State University and University of North Texas, Dallas.
Ph.D. graduates who pursued non-academic paths have accepted positions such as document analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, corporate training manager at Enterprise Holdings and the director of research communication at Washington University's School of Medicine.
Most admitted students meet the following criteria:
Applications by SLU M.A. students seeking to transfer into the doctoral program are made by separate petition at the end of the fall semester of the master’s candidate's second year following a protocol described in the English Department Graduate Handbook.
All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:
Completed applications are due by January 19. Students cannot begin the program in the spring semester or a summer session. 1818 instructors seeking a graduate degree should consult with the director of graduate studies in English.
Please do not forward any application materials directly to the Department of English. All application materials must be submitted through the Office of Graduate Admission.
For application forms and more information, contact the Office of Graduate Admission.
Members of the department’s graduate committee examine applicants' materials and make admission and funding recommendations.
For priority consideration for a graduate assistantship, applicants should complete their applications by the program admission deadlines listed. Fellowships and assistantships provide a stipend and may include health insurance and a tuition scholarship for the duration of the award.
For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://www.slu.edu/financial-aid.
Students are required to take a minimum of 24 credits in English course work beyond the M.A. Six credits may be taken at the 4000-level. ENGL 5000 Methods of Literary Research (3 cr), ENGL 5010 Teaching Writing (3 cr), and ENGL 5110 Literary Theory (3 cr) are required of all students who have not taken equivalent courses in another program as part of their prior training.
Beyond these courses, Ph.D. candidates who have taken course work in four of the five following fields as Master’s students need only take 9 of 24 required credits in three of the five fields as part of their doctoral course work. Doctoral students who have not met the threshold Master’s level criterion must take 12 credits in four of the following five fields:
In addition, all Ph.D. students, after their first year, must distribute registrations for 12 credits of ENGL 6990 Dissertation Research over several terms.
Before taking their comprehensive exams, all Ph.D. candidates must display reading proficiency in one modern foreign language relevant to their research. Students concentrating in medieval or renaissance literature also need to demonstrate competence in either Latin or Classical Greek.
Ph.D. candidates take a Doctoral Competency Exam that has written and oral components and is described in the English Department Graduate Handbook.
Completed dissertations are assessed by the student’s committee and are formally accepted after a public defense.
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 in all graduate/professional courses.
Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.
This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.
Year One | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Spring | ||
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Year Two | ||
Fall | ||
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Spring | ||
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Critical course: ENGL 5XXX or 6XXX | 5000-level or 6000-level English elective | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Year Three | ||
Fall | ||
Critical course: Preparations for Exams and Dissertation Prospectus | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
Critical course: Foreign Language Course (see Program Notes) | 0-3 | |
Credits | 3-6 | |
Spring | ||
Critical course: Completion of Written & Oral Comprehensive Exams & Dissertation Prospectus Approval | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
Credits | 3 | |
Year Four | ||
Fall | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
Credits | 3 | |
Spring | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 3 |
Credits | 3 | |
Year Five | ||
Fall | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 0 |
Critical course: ENGL 5899 | Professionalization Practicum | 0 |
Credits | 0 | |
Spring | ||
Critical course: Completion of Dissertation Defense | ||
Critical course: ENGL 6990 | Dissertation Research | 0 |
Credits | 0 | |
Total Credits | 36-39 |
Students who have taken graduate coursework in four of the five following fields as master’s students, beyond completing ENGL 5000 Methods of Literary Research (3 cr), ENGL 5010 Teaching Writing (3 cr), and ENGL 5110 Literary Theory (3 cr), need only take 9 (of 24 required) hours in three of the five fields as part of their doctoral coursework. Doctoral students who have not met the threshold master’s level criterion must take 12 (of 24 required) hours in four of the following five fields:
Prior to taking his/her qualifying examinations, every student in the doctoral program must certify a reading competence in scholarship drawn from one modern foreign language relevant to his/her literary study. French, German, and Spanish are the modern languages in which the university has been able to provide regular support and instruction, but other relevant languages are equally acceptable. Additional language competence is required of students working in Medieval or Early Modern British Literature, who must demonstrate their ability to read literature written in Latin, classical Greek, or, upon special request, Hebrew.
There are four ways to demonstrate reading competence in a foreign language: