English

The PhD program, with its coursework, exams, guided dissertation research, and training in teaching aims to place graduates in post-secondary teaching positions.  Financial support, including health insurance and tuition remission, is awarded to all PhD students from the first through the fifth year of study, with a significant number of students receiving support in the sixth year of study.  As part of their package, PhD students teach one course per semester in years two through four of the program.  The fifth year of study is a fully funded year dedicated entirely to writing the dissertation without teaching obligations.  The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences awards Sixth-year Dissertation Fellowships to select graduate students.  These fellowships provide stipend and tuition support and require only half-time teaching, freeing up a significant ammount of time for dissertation writing.  Students in the English Department have been very successful in winning these fellowships.  Beyond this, students may receive tuition remission, fees, and a salary in consideration for teaching in the sixth and seventh years.  Government loans and work-study funding are also available. Students typically complete the doctoral degree in six to seven years.  Virginia makes every effort to place its students and has a good record of doing so.  Recent recipients of the PhD have found teaching positions at such institutions as Illinois, Ohio Wesleyan, Harvard, Virginia Commonwealth University, Iowa, McGill, Nevada, MIT, Dartmouth, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, Penn, North Carolina, Rutgers, Fordham, Tufts, Wake Forest, and Berkeley.

• ENAM 5840 - Contemporary African-American Literature Credits: 3
• ENAM 8100 - Early American Literature Credits: 3
• ENAM 8130 - Early African American Literature Credits: 3
• ENAM 8300 - American Poetry of the Nineteenth Century Credits: 3
• ENAM 8520 - Major American Authors Credits: 3
• ENAM 8540 - Studies in American Fiction Credits: 3
• ENAM 9500 - Seminar in American Literature Credits: 3
• ENAM 9910 - Research in American Literature Credits: 3
• ENCR 5620 - History of Literary Criticism Credits: 3
• ENCR 5650 - Books as Physical Objects Credits: 3
• ENCR 8100 - Introduction to Literary Research Credits: 3
• ENCR 8600 - Criticism in Theory and Practice Credits: 3
• ENCR 8610 - An Introduction to Modern Literary Theory and Criticism Credits: 3
• ENCR 8640 - Critical Methods Credits: 3
• ENCR 8670 - Feminist Theory Credits: 3
• ENCR 8800 - Aesthetics and Politics Credits: 3
• ENCR 8900 - Disability Studies Credits: 3
• ENCR 9500 - Seminar in Critical Theory Credits: 3
• ENCR 9650 - Introduction to Textual Criticism and Scholarly Editing Credits: 3
• ENCW 5310 - Advanced Poetry Writing II Credits: 3
• ENCW 5610 - Advanced Fiction Writing II Credits: 3
• ENCW 7310 - MFA Poetry Workshop Credits: 3
• ENCW 7610 - MFA Fiction Workshop Credits: 3
• ENCW 8993 - Independent Writing Project Credits: 3
• ENCW 8995 - Research in Creative Writing Credits: 3
• ENCW 8999 - MFA Non-Topical Research Credits: 1 to 12
• ENEC 8400 - Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama Credits: 3
• ENEC 8500 - Topics in Eighteenth-Century Literature Credits: 3
• ENEC 8600 - Eighteenth-Century Prose Fiction Credits: 3
• ENEC 9500 - Studies in Eighteenth-Century Literature I, II Credits: 3
• ENEC 9910 - Research in Restoration and Eighteenth Century Credits: 3
• ENGL 6500 - Topics in English (for teachers) Credits: 1
• ENGL 8993 - Independent Study Credits: 3
• ENGL 8998 - M.A. Thesis Credits: 3
• ENGL 8999 - Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Research Credits: 1 to 12
• ENGL 9899 - Woodson Institute Fellows Pre- and Post-Doctoral Research Credits: 12
• ENGL 9995 - Dissertation Seminar Credits: 3
• ENGL 9998 - Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Doctoral Research Credits: 1 to 12
• ENGL 9999 - Non-Topical Research Credits: 1 to 12
• ENGN 8310 - The Lyric Genre Credits: 3
• ENGN 8510 - Form and Theory of Fiction Credits: 3
• ENGN 8520 - Form and Theory of Poetry Credits: 3
• ENGN 9500 - Seminar in Literary Genres I, II Credits: 3
• ENMC 5100 - Contemporary Jewish Fiction Credits: 3
• ENMC 8110 - American Literature 1912-1929 Credits: 3
• ENMC 8150 - Literature of the Americas Credits: 3
• ENMC 8160 - Contemporary American Writers Credits: 3
• ENMC 8310 - British Poetry of the Twentieth Century Credits: 3
• ENMC 8330 - Contemporary American Poetry Credits: 3
• ENMC 8500 - Topics in Modern and Contemporary Literature Credits: 3
• ENMC 8620 - The British Novel in the Twentieth Century Credits: 3
• ENMC 8630 - Major Modern Novelists Credits: 3
• ENMC 8660 - Problems in Post-Modern Fiction Credits: 3
• ENMC 8670 - African-American Fiction Credits: 3
• ENMC 8810 - African-American Literature Credits: 3
• ENMC 8860 - The Harlem Renaissance: African-American Writing Between the Wars Credits: 3
• ENMC 8870 - Teaching Modern Irish Literature Credits: 3
• ENMC 9300 - Contemporary American Poetry Credits: 3
• ENMC 9500 - Studies in Modern and Contemporary Literature Credits: 3
• ENMC 9520 - Seminar in Comparative Literature I, II Credits: 3
• ENMD 5010 - Introduction to Old English Credits: 3
• ENMD 5050 - Old Icelandic Credits: 3
• ENMD 5200 - Beowulf Credits: 3
• ENMD 8130 - Medieval Transitions to the Renaissance Credits: 3
• ENMD 8250 - Chaucer I Credits: 3
• ENMD 8500 - Medieval Drama Credits: 3
• ENMD 8850 - Mapping the Middle Ages Credits: 3
• ENMD 9500 - Advanced Studies in Medieval Literature Credits: 3
• ENMD 9995 - Research in Medieval Studies Credits: 3
• ENNC 8110 - The Romantic Period Credits: 3
• ENNC 8500 - Topics in Nineteenth-Century Literature Credits: 3
• ENNC 8900 - Disability Studies Credits: 3
• ENNC 9500 - Nineteenth-Century Studies Credits: 3
• ENNC 9510 - Studies in Romanticism I, II Credits: 3
• ENPG 5400 - Counterpoint Seminar in Teaching Modern Literature Credits: 3
• ENPG 8800 - Pedagogy Seminar Credits: 1 to 3
• ENPG 8850 - Literature Surveys Credits: 3
• ENRN 8110 - Renaissance Poetry Credits: 3
• ENRN 8200 - Spenser Credits: 3
• ENRN 8400 - Renaissance Drama Credits: 3
• ENRN 8500 - Studies in Renaissance Literature Credits: 3
• ENRN 8510 - Studies in Shakespeare Credits: 3
• ENRN 8810 - The Idea of the Renaissance Credits: 3
• ENRN 9500 - Advanced Studies in Renaissance Literature Credits: 3
• ENRN 9995 - Research in the Renaissance Credits: 3
• ENSP 5810 - Film Aesthetics Credits: 3
• ENSP 5820 - The Culture of London Past and Present Credits: 3
• ENSP 5821 - The Culture of London Past and Present Credits: 1
• ENSP 5822 - The Cultural History of London Credits: 4
• ENSP 5830 - Literature and the Film Credits: 3
• ENSP 5910 - Literary Journal Editing Credits: 3
• ENSP 6400 - Science Fiction Credits: 1
• ENSP 6401 - Modern Novel Credits: 1
• ENSP 8700 - Special Topics in Pedagogy Credits: 3

• A completed application form, including the Statement of Academic Interests (called the "Personal Statement" in the on-line application form).
• Unofficial transcripts of all previous undergraduate or graduate coursework.  (Official transcripts will later be required of all admitted applicants.  Please do not send official transcripts in advance of receiving an offer of admission.)
• Three confidential letters of recommendation.
• Results of the GRE 3-part general test and the subject test in English literature.
• Results of the TOEFL for international applicants whose native language is not English.
• A writing sample of 15-25 pages (including notes). The writing sample should be in a 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman.
• The $85 non-refundable application fee.
• International applicants, if accepted, must submit the international applicant financial statement. Students admitted to the PhD program may submit the University's letter offering financial aid as documentation along with the form.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

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Scholarships

As of fall 2016, PhD students entering the program will receive a financial package consisting of tuition, fees, one-person health-insurance coverage, and at least $26,000 living support. This award, made up of fellowships and teaching-assistantships, will be maintained up to a total of five years contingent on satisfactory academic performance. Standard teaching responsibilities for a doctoral student in English involve teaching two courses per year across years 2-4 of the program (with no teaching in years 1 and 5); fellowship funds beyond teaching wages complete the support we are presently offering for years 1-5, with some annual funding for conference travel and additional dissertation-year funding awarded if and as our resources permit. (A few merit fellowships are available on a competitive basis: all applicants to the PhD program are automatically considered for these.)  Students in their sixth year and beyond, who continue to make good progress toward the degree, are eligible for a select number of sixth-year dissertation fellowships and for teaching when such assignments are available.

To qualify for the department’s program of support, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress.  In cases of serious academic deficiency (e.g., a pattern of poor grades in courses or repeated failure to complete work on time), a student may be asked to leave the program.