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Doctoral Program Guidelines

The ���ϲ����� English Department’s PhD policies and procedures derive from the , and are designed to provide guidance through requirements for degree completion. Individual and unique problems may arise, however, and in such cases, please contact the English Department Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and/or discuss the issue with your faculty mentor.

Please read and understand these policies and procedures. Ask your advisor or the DGS for clarification as necessary.

The Degree

The graduate program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in English.  For the program, candidates specify a literature or creative writing focus at the time of application.

The PhD program encourages students to pursue specialized interests in their chosen field of scholarly interest before writing a dissertation. After admission and while completing their eight graduate courses, candidates develop specializations in two distinct fields of scholarly interest in preparation for field examinations in specific areas of expertise, leading to the dissertation. Students admitted with a focus in literary research do not have the option of completing a creative dissertation.

Admission Requirements

Students entering the PhD program in English are expected to have an MA in English literature. This does not preclude the admission of students whose education has been in other fields, but the department does expect that a student will have had substantial coursework in literature at the graduate level to be considered for the PhD program. Students with an MFA degree who do not have this amount of literature coursework will be expected to get the MA in English before applying to the PhD program.

The English graduate admissions committee admits qualified students to the PhD program based on their total records, including the personal statement, transcripts, recommendations and a sample of their critical writing (10 to 20 pages). Scores from the GRE general test are accepted but not required. Applicants with a creative writing focus should so indicate on the front page of the application and must submit a portfolio of their creative work (not more than 25 pages of prose or verse) in addition to the critical writing sample.

The application deadline for fall admission to the PhD program is Jan. 27; only students applying for fall admission will be considered for financial aid. The application deadline for spring admission to the PhD program is Nov. 15. Late applications for students who do not seek financial aid may be considered. All applicants for the PhD should go to the Graduate Admissions webpage in order to enter an online application.

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

All students are encouraged to discuss their course selection with their faculty mentor and / or the DGS prior to registration each semester.

The English PhD Program consists of a minimum of eight (8) graduate level, four-credit classes. Funded students are required to take two four-credit classes in addition to a one-credit class for a total of nine (9) credits per semester while in the course work stage to remain in good financial standing.  

All PhD students take a one-credit Proseminar course with the Director of Graduate Studies in their first two semesters; the DGS serves as the PhD student’s initial advisor. During the second year, funded students may chose a one-credit course that is different from Proseminar if they wish; please consult your mentor or the DGS.

All students must maintain at least a B+ average to remain in the program in good standing.

Funded PhD students are required to take a designated pedagogy course in the spring semester of their first year (ENG 589 Teaching College English). Students are occasionally excused from this requirement if they can show exceptional preparation and relevant teaching experience.  

Creative writing students may take no more than four creative writing workshops or creative writing special topics courses; Literary research students may enroll in workshops by instructor permission if that is pedagogically appropriate.

In addition:

• Students may take no more than two appropriate courses from other Departments.
• Approval from the Director of Graduate Studies is required to take more than two independent study courses; this is typically granted only in exceptional circumstances and as pedagogically appropriate.
• Up to three graded courses, including independent study courses, may be from the same faculty member.
• Beyond the minimum eight course requirements listed above, students are also required to complete twelve credits of Proseminar (two credits completed first-year), Research (ENG 698), or Dissertation (ENG 699) work; upon completion of the eight classes taken during the first four semester, students are required to be registered for either ENG 698 or ENG 699 depending on their ABD status, and the additional credits are typical completed in this manner without difficulty.

Independent Study

Independent study, although meaningful in other ways, lacks the rich learning environment offered by a seminar with different perspectives. For this reason, during their course work, students may take no more than two independent studies, and students may not take independent studies in their first semester.

While professors are more likely to take on an independent study student if they have previously worked with that student, they are not obligated to do so. If considering an independent study, students should contact the professor well in advance of the semester deadline for course registration. 

Students typically design an independent study in conjunction with their supervising faculty member; independent studies are directed and graded by a faculty member and are intended to allow students to develop reading lists that are tailored to their specific interest and future dissertation work, and to work rigorously on their chosen topic with the professor who specializes in the field.

A four-credit independent study takes the place of a graduate seminar, and the reading list and expectations should be comparable to a graduate seminar. However, if the student opts for fewer credits — typically a one-credit version of an independent study — then the faculty supervisor and the student should decide on what constitutes an appropriate amount of work and reading. An independent study of fewer than four course credits will not take the place of a graduate seminar. 

Once a supervising faculty member has approved the request, students must complete and submit the independent study form (available in the English Graduate Office) to register. The form requires a brief but precise description of the topic and direction of the independent study, with a brief starter reading list, and a final reading list submitted within a few weeks of the semester. The delay in the submission of the final reading list is intended to give the student time to refine the reading list as the study proceeds.

The form must be signed by the faculty member supervising the independent study, and it must be approved by the Graduate Director.

Research Requirements

All PhD candidates must demonstrate, during the time of their program, a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language at a level of competence sufficient for the understanding of scholarly and critical materials, or equivalent research skills. Students with a native language other than English are exempt from this requirement.

The research requirement can be demonstrated in any one of the following ways:

Foreign Language

• Evidence of the student having passed a certified translation exam in a graduate program at an accredited institution similar to ���ϲ�����.
• Presenting transcript evidence of at least three years (six semesters) of college-level study of a single foreign language (fourth- and fifth-year high school study in the same language count as two semesters each) with a grade average of B or better, completed no more than five years before admission to the PhD program at ���ϲ�����.
• Successful completion of a graduate course at ���ϲ����� or a comparable institution in a foreign language or of a graduate course in comparative literature in which a significant portion of the work is done in a foreign language.
• Successful completion of a graduate proficiency workshop and examination.
• Successful completion of a translation examination.

Note that the TRIP program offers 1-credit translation courses to help students prepare to meet this requirement (see course schedule in BU Brain). Students may register for this as their ninth credit after completing their first year in the doctoral program.

Equivalent Research Skills in Digital Humanities

• Successful completion, with a grade of B or higher, of a graduate course approved by the Graduate Director that combines two of the following: digital humanities theory, data analytics, and analysis of digital media for the humanities (such as text analysis, digital storytelling, digital public humanities, digital rhetoric). Designated courses may require additional projects beyond standard coursework to meet departmental standards.

Field Examination Requirement

Students normally start taking their exams in their fields of study after completing two semesters of coursework; they are expected to complete their examinations by the end of the fifth semester. While areas acceptable as fields of study are not predefined, they must be approved by the graduate director.  

Students are expected to complete two written examinations — Field Exam 1 typically addresses a conceptual framework, genre, or period; Field Exam 2 typically has a conceptual and / or theoretical rubric or otherwise defines a narrower topic crucial to the student’s dissertation — and an Oral Examination. The Oral Examination demarcates a student’s fields of study.

Detailed guidelines for PhD students working on Field Exams are available in the English Department Graduate Office and on the department website.

Students are expected to coordinate their Field Exams so that the time spent preparing for their examinations will provide a foundation for their dissertations, as well as preparation for their professional identities. Please talk with your faculty mentors and the DGS to develop a holistic approach to Field Exams as part of your degree journey.

Written Exams

In preparation for the written Field Exams, the student must find an appropriate faculty advisor; in conjunction with the advisor, the student will develop a focus for the Field Exam and a matching reading list.

The reading list must include at least thirty-five (35) texts or the equivalent; the texts may be a mixture of monographs, chapters, essays, excerpts, etc., however it must be approved by the faculty advisor and the DGS no later than three weeks prior to the exam.

Examination:

The faculty examiner defines the nature of the examination, however, there are some general guidelines.

1. Exams papers are usually approximately 20-25 pages and focus on several specific examples from the reading list as well as references to other texts on the list as needed.

2. The English Graduate Office cannot and will not answer student questions about the exam after it has been given to the student; faculty members are expected to provide adequate guidance.

3. Field exams typically are held to a 72 hour limit; upon completion of the exam, students should submit the exam to their faculty advisor as well as the DGS and graduate administrator.

4. Students will typically hear the results within three weeks; Field examiners will normally read the examination and return it to the Director of Graduate Studies within two weeks with a “pass” or “fail” designation; if designated a “pass,” the DGS will select a second reader who is asked to return the exam within a week with a “pass” or “fail” designation.

5. If the first and second reader both grade the exam as a “pass,” the DGS will notify the primary instructor who informs the student.

6. If the primary Field Examiner grades the exam as a "fail," it will not go to a second reader. In that situation, the field examiner may request that the student write a new exam. If the field examiner grades the exam as a "pass," and the second reader, who is chosen by the DGS, grades the exam as a "fail," the exam will be given over to a third reader, who will also be chosen by the DGS, thus breaking the tie. If the third reader gives the exam a "fail," the student may request to write a new exam, and the process will begin anew. In no case may a student be examined in the same area more than twice. After a second failure in the same area, a student must make a proposal to the Graduate Committee in order to continue in the program.

Oral Examination

The Oral Exam should be scheduled within twelve weeks of passing the second Field Exam. As an example, if a student completes the second Field Exam two weeks before the end of the fourth semester, they are expected to complete the Oral Exam within ten weeks of the start of their fifth semester.

The Oral Exam committee typically consists of both primary written exam advisors as well as a third faculty member chosen by the student. The Oral Exam committee is intended to serve as an early version of the complete dissertation committee, and students typically have chosen one of those members as their primary advisor by this point; however, students may alter the makeup of their committee at a later date and are not required to select their written Field Exam advisors for the Oral Examination. Please consult the DGS or a faculty mentor as necessary for selecting your committee.  

The reading list for the Oral Exam is the aggregate of the two Field Exams, and it should be submitted to all three faculty members on the committee as well as copies of their written exams. Because the Oral Exam serves as a bridge between the written exams and the dissertation, students should additionally submit a 5-page dissertation proposal. These documents must be submitted to the Oral Exam committee at two weeks before the date of the Oral Exam.

The dissertation proposal should address the central problem/ question of the proposed dissertation and offer a brief review of the primary and secondary sources. The dissertation proposal should be drafted in consultation with the dissertation advisor.

Oral exams typically last approximately sixty to ninety minutes. The student will be examined on their fields as well as the exam they wrote, giving them an opportunity to demonstrate expertise in their chosen fields and speak about specific exam essays to their committee. The committee may also ask about texts on the field list that the student did not address in the written exams.  

The oral exam is intended to be a testing and discussion ground for the paradigms of a student’s dissertation and serves as an opportunity for the student to speak about their work in an institutional setting before the defense.

Detailed guidelines for Field Exams are available in the English Department Graduate Office and on the department website.

Dissertation Prospectus

Completion of the Oral Exam is intended to be a springboard to the dissertation. As such, within five weeks of the oral examination, the student will write and submit a dissertation prospectus (approximately 20 pgs. including bibliography) to the dissertation advisor.

The prospectus is a substantive revision of the dissertation proposal. It should be revised according to the discussions of the committee during the oral exam. Once the advisor has approved the prospectus, it should be submitted to the Graduate Director and circulated to the committee members.

The prospectus is a preliminary description of the proposed dissertation.

Creative writing focused students typically submit a sample of their creative work and a brief explanation of the critical thought behind that work. Creative writing focused students are encouraged to look at guidelines for the literary research prospectus and use as appropriate for their project.  

Literary research focused students use the prospectus to set out the central questions, topics, or areas that the dissertation intends to explore. It must also situate the dissertation’s topic and intervention within the current academic scholarship on the subject. In other words, it must offer a review of the work that has already been done on the area and answer the significant question of how the dissertation will add to and/or shift existing scholarship. The prospectus should include a provisional chapter outline; dissertations typically consist of an introduction and three chapters, however, you should consult your faculty advisor. The chapter outline should be succinct as possible, while demonstrating a structural, theoretical, and thematic development of the central argument of the dissertation. While the prospectus is by nature a fluid and provisional document, its primary purpose is to stake out the central question, delineate argument and structure, while elaborating on the scholarly significance of the proposed dissertation. In doing so, the prospectus allows the student to clarify and focus their dissertation writing process.

The student’s Faculty Advisor (often referred to as their “chair”) must formally approve the written prospectus and submit it to the DGS at least one semester before the submission of the dissertation. 

ABD Status

Students must fulfill the Research Requirement in addition to passing the Field Exams to become ABD (All But Dissertation). If the student has completed the Field Exams, but has yet to complete the Research Requirement, they will not be eligible for ABD status.

Funded students MUST be ABD no later than Feb. 20 of their eighth semester — their fourth year — in the program to be eligible for fifth-year funding. 

Once a student has acquired ABD status, they must register for ENG 699: Dissertation Research each semester; this indicates their ongoing research and writing, and they must register every semester to remain in good standing.

Dissertation Requirement

In the course of doctoral study, the student establishes a dissertation committee consisting of a director and two readers. The dissertation is a substantial study of a significant topic in the area of the student’s professional interest for literary research students, or a creative dissertation for those students who are admitted to the creative writing dissertation option.

Dissertation Committee

The Dissertation Committee consists of three tenured or tenure-track faculty members; the primary dissertation advisor (often referred to as the committee chair) must be a member of the English Department, however, additional committee members may be from other departments. A committee may consist of more than three members.

While students may alter the makeup of their committee, the English Department encourages students to consult with their faculty advisor or the DGS; intellectual continuity can have a significant effect on a student’s success.

During the dissertation writing process, the student is expected to work closely with members of their committee, especially their primary advisor, sharing multiple drafts of their chapters as the dissertation takes shape.

The Dissertation Committee has direct charge of all matters pertaining to the dissertation. The student’s dissertation must have the unanimous approval of the committee to proceed before scheduling the defense.

The students’ prospectus should be shared with the committee in addition to the dissertation. The dissertation must be provided to the committee at least two months prior to the defense, however, the student should confer with their advisor and committee members in terms of preferences.

The Dissertation and Defense

Dissertations are substantive, book-length manuscripts developed in concert with a faculty advisor. Students will be able to speak analytically about their dissertation during their defense.

The defense is an oral exam. Students typically lead with a brief (ten minute) presentation. Students are then required to the student will be required to respond to examiners' questions concerning the dissertation and to defend the validity of the dissertation. To pass, the student must receive the unanimous approval of the dissertation examining committee and the Outside Examiner. Defenses typically last approximately between ninety minutes and two hours.

The Outside Examiner

In consultation with the DGS, the faculty advisor will select an Outside Examiner (OE). The Outside Examiner is not intended to be an additional committee member and does not supervise the dissertation; however, the OE reads the dissertation and participates fully in the defense.

The OE’s function is to render an independent judgment and to assure that the dissertation satisfies Graduate School standards. An outside examiner is intended to serve the Graduate School and, therefore, must have substantial experience evaluating the scholarship/research of doctoral students. For more information and a list of pre-approved OEs, see the Graduate School policy on Outside Examiners.

At least a month prior to the defense date, if not earlier, the faculty advisor must select an OE who is willing to perform this service. If an OE is already on the Graduate School’s pre-approved list, upon their agreement, all that is required is to inform the DGS and the Graduate School. If an OE is not on the pre-approved list, the faculty advisor with the assistance of the DGS must submit the appropriate form as well as the proposed OE’s CV to the Graduate School for approval.

Intent to Graduate

Doctoral degree students must file a Graduate Application for Degree (GAFD) form at the beginning of the semester in which they plan to complete all degree requirements and graduate. This serves as notification to both the Graduate School and the department of a student’s intent to graduate. The GAFD can be accessed from the Graduate School website and is valid for one semester only.  

Scheduling the Defense

It is the responsibility of the student in conjunction with the faculty advisor to select a date for the defense that is acceptable to all members of the committee and the OE. Once a date and time have been selected, please inform the DGS and the graduate administrator. A member of the English Department staff can assist you in reserving a classroom, however, this is the responsibility of the student to coordinate.

Upon Successful Defense

 Once the student has passed their Defense, they must submit their dissertation to the Graduate School. The submitted dissertation must conform to the Graduate School requirements for a dissertation, as outlined in the Graduate School Handbook.

After successful completion, defense, and submission of the dissertation, the student is awarded the PhD in English. 

Additional Information About the Program

Students must maintain at least a B+ average to remain in the program; more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. Students not in residence must register each semester to remain in good standing.

For more information on the English PhD program, please refer to the English, General Literature, and Rhetoric website for more information. To apply to the English PhD program, please visit the University Admissions website.