Doctoral Program
Boston College鈥檚 Ph.D. in English offers the opportunity to study with nationally recognized faculty in many periods, authors, and critical and theoretical streams. Candidates design their course of study from a wide range of courses, proceeding through a series of exams that culminate in a prospectus exam and the writing of the dissertation.
Overview
The small size of our doctoral program allows for an unusual level of access to faculty and flexibility in designing programs. Only four doctoral seminars, a course in Composition Theory, and an Advanced Research Colloquium are required; the rest of the Ph.D. candidate's work is built around graduate courses, tutorials, and directed research. Each candidate shapes his or her own program to prepare for three sequential oral examinations and a doctoral dissertation.
The Ph.D. in English offers聽candidates the opportunity to study with nationally recognized faculty specializing in various periods, authors, and critical and theoretical traditions. Candidates choose from a wide range of courses and proceed through a streamlined series of exams, culminating in a dissertation prospectus exam and the writing of the dissertation. We prepare our students to teach, do research, and engage in service in a college or university setting. Given the challenging nature of the academic job market, we now also give our students opportunities to learn about and prepare for other kinds of careers, such as publishing, public humanities, and arts administration.
Upon completing the degree, students should be able to:
- Write academic articles and reviews at the scholarly level in informed, intelligible prose.
- Research, design and be examined on two long readings lists in major and minor fields of literary study of their choosing.
- Demonstrate mastery of an individual chronological and/or national literary field of their choosing.
- Choose or define a question in their chosen field of literary study, and write an effective dissertation on it.
- Teach courses in English effectively, at introductory and advanced levels, in the community college, 4-year college or university setting.
- Publish their research in peer-reviewed journals and present papers at conferences.
- Secure an academic or teaching position.
Program Highlights
All Ph.D. candidates are guaranteed to receive full-tuition scholarships and competitive stipends for five years. The stipend for 2023-24 is $30,000.
We intentionally keep each entering class to four to five candidates to encourage extensive faculty/student interaction and mentoring.
Candidates design their own field exams in consultation with their faculty advisors, and choose from a full range of graduate electives each year.
Our Faculty
Dedicated to Teaching, Mentoring, and Research
The scholars who make up our graduate faculty have published prize-winning novels, short stories, creative nonfiction, and poetry; contributed articles to leading journals such as聽PMLA,听American Literature,听Studies in English Literature,听Victorian Studies, Composition Studies,听ELH, and聽GLQ; and been anthologized in聽Best American Essays听补苍诲听Best American Short Stories. They have聽won national awards from the NEH, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Humanities Center; edited anthologies, collections, editions, and series in feminist theory, religion and literature, post-colonial studies, and psychoanalysis; and served as officers for professional organizations such as the MLA and the American Studies Association.聽
The faculty provide close mentoring at all stages including advising candidates on selecting courses, helping them publish their work, collaboratively designing exams, serving as teaching mentors, and acting as dissertation supervisors and readers.
Every two years we offer an Advanced Research Colloquium, which trains candidates in conference submissions, article publication, job market preparation, and dissertation writing.