Degree Title and Name:  Doctor of Philosophy in English

Program Name and Number:  English – PH5231

Department/Unit:  Department of English

Delivery Mode:  Athens Campus

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall

Program Overview:  The Ph.D. in English is designated primarily as professional preparation for scholars and teachers of Creative Writing, Literature, and Rhetoric/Composition. The program at Ohio University offers students the opportunity to concentrate in one of these three areas of English studies.  However, while our program requires students to focus on a particular area, it also enables them to explore other areas, to investigate the intersections of subfields, and even to pursue a hybrid degree.  Accordingly, the program includes general and cross-disciplinary requirements as well as specific requirements within each of the concentrations.  In all concentrations student work culminates with a dissertation.

Completion of the program generally requires five academic years, but full-time students who are not teaching assistants may complete the program in less time.

Concentrations: 

• Creative Writing: Doctoral students in Creative Writing specialize in one genre (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction), while also taking workshops in at least one other genre.  Students also complete course work in literature and take comprehensive exams in a literary period to discover and articulate connections between the achievements of particular authors and literary traditions and their own creative work.
• Literature: Doctoral students in Literature aspire to a comprehensive knowledge of a literary period, genre, or movement through a systematic historical, theoretical, and critical course of study. They develop advanced techniques and skills in scholarly research, theoretical analysis, and cultural studies. 
• Rhetoric/Composition: Doctoral students in Rhetoric/Composition study the history and tradition of the discipline from classical rhetoric through contemporary theories of writing. They examine the theoretical implications of composition pedagogies in the context of current developments and practices such as cultural competencies, digital rhetorics, and new media.

Program Learning Outcomes:

1.  Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing

• Students will reveal mastery of the conventions, styles, and history of the genre/genres of their own creative practice.
• Students will demonstrate comprehensive understanding of texts in their historical area of expertise, including cultural context, form, and use of stylistic conventions.
• Students will produce original, sustained analysis of primary texts in their historical area of expertise, constructing conceptually sophisticated thesis arguments supported by ample, accurate use of evidence and quotations.
• Students will adeptly employ theoretical/critical approaches as interpretive frameworks for primary texts, as appropriate.
• Students will demonstrate distinctive originality of thought and form in the genre/genres in which they compose their own creative work.
• Students will exhibit mastery of revision techniques and strategies in their creative work.
• Students will produce a book-length piece of creative work that is strong enough, with or without revision, for submission to a creative writing or commercial press.
• Students will articulate and defend the intellectual and imaginative choices they make in the composition of their critical and creative work.

2.  Ph.D. in English/Literary History

• Students will demonstrate comprehensive understanding of texts in their area of expertise, including historical/cultural context, form, and use of stylistic conventions.
• Students will produce original, sustained analysis of primary texts in their area of expertise, constructing conceptually sophisticated thesis arguments supported by ample, accurate use of evidence and quotations.
• Students will adeptly employ theoretical and critical approaches/vocabulary as interpretive frameworks for primary texts, as appropriate.
• Students will successfully locate, evaluate, and utilize existing scholarly sources to enrich their own textual analysis.
• Students will set their analytical work within or in response to scholarly conversations within their field.
• Students will outline a prospectus for a book-length work of scholarship, explaining their overarching argument, selection of primary and secondary materials, and methodological a
• Students will produce a book-length work of scholarship that is strong enough, with or without revision, for submission to an academic or commercial press.
• Students will articulate and defend the methodological and conceptual choices they make in the composition of their dissertation, detailing the significance of their project to the field and pointing to future research as appropriate.

3.  Ph.D. in English/Rhetoric-Composition

• Students will demonstrate their mastery in forming a praxis (pedagogy informed by theoretical understanding) for the teaching of writing and composition.
• Students will demonstrate their mastery in analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting information/evidence/data within the field of Rhetoric/ Composition.
• Students will articulate a compelling, original argument/research question that evolves in relationship to text and/or data.
• Students will set the argument/research question within or in response to conversations within the field and articulate the importance of this question to discussions within the field.
• Students will successfully and persuasively cite, evaluate, and utilize existing scholarly sources to incorporate into their own analysis.
• Students will outline a prospectus for a book-length work of scholarship, explaining their overarching argument, selection of source materials, and methodological approach.
• Students will produce a book-length work of scholarship that is strong enough, with or without revision, for submission to an academic or commercial press.
• Students will articulate and defend the methodological and conceptual choices they make in the composition of their dissertation, detailing the significance of their project to the field and pointing to future research as appropriate.

Opportunities for Graduates:  The Ph.D. in English provides professional training for teachers, scholars, and creative writers. Most of our graduates pursue employment as faculty at universities and colleges, although others find careers in publishing, university administration, and private/preparatory school teaching.  The department offers multiple ongoing opportunities for professional development, ranging from colloquia on teaching and research-related activities to intensive practical support in the job search.

Link to Program:  https://www.ohio.edu/cas/english/grad/english-phd/index.cfm

Link to Program Handbook: https://www.ohio.edu/cas/english/grad/courses-resources/handbook.cfm

Graduation Requirements:  

Creative Writing Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. Three Creative Writing Workshops in Specialization
4. One Creative Writing Workshop outside Specialization
5. Two Literature Courses in Specialization
6. One Literature Course outside Specialization
7. One Elective Course (can be from outside the department)
8. ENG 7810: Professional Issues in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
9. ENG 7770: Colloquium on the Profession (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
10. Foreign Language Reading Proficiency
11. Comprehensive Examination
12. Dissertation

Literary History Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. Critical Theory I or II
4. Two Literature Courses in Specialization
5. Two Literature Courses outside Specialization
6. One Additional Literature Course in any area
7. Two Courses in Creative Writing OR Two Courses in Rhetoric/Composition OR One Course in Each (Creative Writing and Rhetoric/Composition)
8. ENG 7810: Professional Issues in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
9. ENG 7770: Colloquium on the Profession (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
10. Foreign Language Reading Proficiency
11. Comprehensive Examination
12. Dissertation

Rhetoric/Composition Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. Critical Theory I or II
4. Six Seminars in Rhetoric/Composition
5. Two Courses in Creative Writing, Literary History, OR Critical Theory, OR One Course in Two of these Areas
6. ENG 7810: Professional Issues in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
7. ENG 7770: Colloquium on the Profession (1 hour per semester; required for students receiving stipends)
8. Foreign Language Reading Proficiency
9. Comprehensive Examination
10. Dissertation

Minimum semester hours required: students with teaching assistantships will complete the program with 120 hours, but the program could be completed by full-time students without teaching assistantships in 46 hours.  Students are expected to be in residency on the Athens campus throughout the continuation of their coursework (usually 4-5 semesters).

Culminating Experience:  All students complete a dissertation, a book-length manuscript typically at least 200 pages in length, and defend their work to a committee of faculty members both within and outside of the department.  A maximum of 45 dissertation hours will be credited to the degree.

Admission Requirements:  Applications for the Ph.D. program must include the following materials:

1. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate classes
2. GRE scores (General Test required)
3. Three letters of recommendation from professors familiar with the applicant’s academic work
4. A writing sample (see details below)
5. A one-page statement of purpose indicating the name of the concentration for which the prospective student is applying (i.e., Creative Writing, Literary History, or Rhetoric/Composition). Applicants for the Creative Writing concentration should also specify the genre in which they intend to specialize (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction).  

Students must have completed their M.A. or M.F.A. in English or a related field by the time of enrollment.  Applicants in Creative Writing should submit as their writing sample a portfolio of poems, a selection of short fiction, or a selection of creative nonfiction; the recommended length is approximately 10 poems or 20-40 pages of prose. Creative Writing applicants should also submit a critical essay of 10-15 pages in length.  Applicants in Literature should submit a critical essay of ten to fifteen pages in length.  Applicants in Rhetoric/Composition should submit a piece of scholarly writing ten to fifteen pages in length.  There are no additional application requirements for students transferring from another program; transfer credit will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  The deadline for submission of materials is usually January 15 for admission in the following Fall semester.  

International Students:  This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.