English
210 English Building
608 South Wright Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3646
E-mail: engl_resources@ad.uiuc.edu
Major: English
Degrees Offered: M.A., Ph.D.
Graduate Concentrations: Medieval Studies (available to all degrees), Writing Studies (Ph.D. only)
Medical Scholars Program: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in English and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) through the Medical Scholars Program
Affiliated Programs offering certificates or minors:
Department of African American Studies
Gender and Women's Studies Program
American Indian Studies
Unit for Criticism and Theory
Unit for Cinema Studies
Asian American Studies Program
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of English offers programs of study leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The Ph.D. program is, in general, designed to educate and train teacher-scholars who will take positions in colleges and universities throughout the country. We consider the Master of Arts program to be the first step toward the Ph.D. degree; we expect students admitted to the M.A. program to receive the M.A. and go on to complete a Ph.D. We therefore do not offer a formal terminal M.A. program. We welcome qualified students who wish to pursue their interests in English, American, and Anglophone language, literature and film beyond the undergraduate level. Both the Master of Arts and doctoral degrees may be earned with a specialization in writing studies. A graduate program in creative writing has recently been approved and has accepted applications since 2002, see Creative Writing.
Admission
A student who wishes to be considered for admission to graduate studies in English must present the equivalent of at least 20 semester hours of undergraduate work in English and American literature, excluding required work in rhetoric or composition. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the verbal and subject tests are required for those applying for the literature program. The GRE subject test for literature in English is not required of writing studies applicants. All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. Currently, a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test (213 on the computer-based test) is required. Before a teaching assistantship involving classroom instruction or student consultation can be awarded to a non-native speaker of English, the applicant must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and achieve a score of 50 or higher (230 or higher before 1996). Because applications for admission usually far exceed capacity, in recent years undergraduate grade point averages of students admitted have been significantly higher than the 3.0 (A = 4.0) required by the Graduate College. The committee on admissions tends to select those applicants who have a solid array of undergraduate courses, knowledge of a foreign language, strong recommendations, and a compelling writing sample: in short, an academic record that shows promise of doing outstanding work in the field and earning degrees within a reasonable time. We do not admit part-time students. Applicants are considered only in spring for fall admission, and the deadline for submitting applications is noon on December 17th.
Degree Requirements
*For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Studies in English Website and the Graduate College Handbook.
Master of Arts
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| Virtually every student will teach rhetoric classes, and is required to enroll in a teaching proseminar (English 593). | 4 |
| Course work selected from list below in consultation with advisor | |
| Language Requirement: Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language. | |
| Total Hours (minimum) | 32 |
| Minimum Hours Overall Required Within the Unit: | 24 (12 at 500 level) |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 16 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| At least two semesters or the equivalent in residence | |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
A full-time student can complete this program in two academic years.
Course work listing for M.A. and Ph.D. requirements:
Eight semester-long courses in British and American Literature and Critical Theory.
Courses (worth four hours of credit each) must be taken in six of the following nine areas:
Medieval British Literature (beginning to 1485); Renaissance British Literature (1485-1660);?Restoration/Eighteenth-Century British Literature (1660-1800); Nineteenth-Century British Literature (1800-1900);?Twentieth-Century British Literature (1900-2000);?Early American Literature (beginning to Civil War); Later American Literature (Civil War to present);?Anglophone Literature (other than British and American); Critical Theory.
Candidates may substitute another area (such as film) for one on the above list with the permission of the Director of English Graduate Studies. However, all students must take at least one course in a period before 1660, and one course in either Early or Later American Literature.
At least four of the nine courses must be in 500-level graduate seminars (limited to 14-18 students). The others may (but need not) be in 400-level courses (limited to 36 students) in which graduate students complete work beyond that expected of undergraduates.
In their first year of teaching, students are required to complete a Professional Seminar in the teaching of composition or business and technical writing for four hours of credit. (English 593)
The Foreign Language Requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating a reading knowledge of an appropriate foreign language in one of the following three ways:
By completing the equivalent of three full years of undergraduate work;
By passing a proficiency exam administered by a UIUC foreign language department;
By passing a non-credit 501 language course with a grade of B or better.
Doctor of Philosophy
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| Virtually every student will teach rhetoric classes, and is required to enroll in a teaching proseminar (English 593) if s/he has not taken such a class at the Master's level.. | |
| Elective hours selected from list above in consultation with advisor, to bring total course work hours to | 32 |
| Language Requirement: Students must demonstrate knowledge of one foreign language on a level equivalent to that required of master's candidates in the English department's program. | |
| Thesis Hours Required – ENGL 599 (min/max applied toward degree): | 32 max |
| Total Hours (minimum) | 64 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| The special field examination is taken as the student completes coursework and prepares to write the thesis. | |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
| Masters Degree Required for Admission to PhD? | Yes |
| Qualifying Exam Required | No |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
Students in the program who have earned their master's degrees must apply formally to the Ph.D. program. Applicants who have completed their master's degrees elsewhere may also apply. Seldom are applicants accepted with graduate grade point averages below 3.5.
Interdisciplinary work is encouraged. Students may take courses outside of English. The special field examination is taken as the student completes coursework and prepares to write the thesis. The student then goes on to complete and defend the thesis under the direction of a committee composed of four professors. A full-time student can complete this program in four years beyond the master's degree.
Medical Scholars Program
The Medical Scholars Program permits highly qualified students to integrate the study of medicine with study for a graduate degree in a second discipline, including English. Students may apply to the Medical Scholars Program prior to beginning graduate school or while in the graduate program. Applicants to the Medical Scholars Program must meet the admissions standards for and be accepted into both the doctoral graduate program and the College of Medicine. Students in the dual degree program must meet the specific requirements for both the medical and graduate degrees. On average, students take eight years to complete both degrees. Further information on this program is available by contacting the Medical Scholars Program, 125 Medical Sciences Building, (217) 333-8146 or at www.med.illinois.edu/msp.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and all M.A. and Ph.D. candidates will have ample opportunity to teach undergraduate writing classes.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available to students in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and waivers of tuition and service fees. For complete information about the program, prospective applicants should consult our website at www.english.illinois.edu/graduate/program/ or write to the above address.