About PhD Program,
The PhD with specialization in Creative Writing is an extraordinarily flexible and important degree: it asks you to practice your craft as a writer and to become a scholar of literature, providing you with the expertise and credentials to pursue a career as a faculty member in any English department in the country.
- the chance to apply for Tech’s TEACH Program, created in response to the Preparing Future Faculty movement.
- Potential to join the staff of Iron Horse Literary Review, serving as an Associate or Managing Editor.
- Opportunities to work in our beautiful Letterpress Studio.
- Small classes, dedicated mentors, generous and talented colleagues, and a warm welcome into a tight-knit community of writers and scholars here in the South Plains.
- Opportunity to apply for the Summer 1On1 Program, which facilitates individual pitch sessions between select graduate students and various agents and editors across the country.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Students specializing in creative writing must pass qualifying examinations in their primary genre(s) and defend a creative dissertation, typically either a collection of poems, a collection of short stories or nonfiction essays, or a novel or book-length work of creative nonfiction. Students must also acquire or demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages or high proficiency in one foreign language.
By design, we expect the Ph.D. to take 4-5 years of full-time study. Some of this time must be spent in full-time residence at Texas Tech University, which requires 24 hours of on-site doctoral coursework in a period of 18 months. During this period of study, doctoral students are expected to meet general requirements in areas like research methods, critical methods, and British and American literature. (Many of these requirements have already been satisfied by students who have completed the M.A. in English.) But at least 12 of the 30 hours taken at the doctoral level will consist of creative writing workshops with our outstanding faculty. Also, students interested in other fields of study may take up to 15 hours of coursework to constitute a degree minor–for instance, in a field like art history, philosophy, or women’s studies.
PhD Funding Coverage,
When you apply to our onsite PhD program, you are automatically considered for funding. The funding for incoming students consists of a teaching position with a competitive stipend—guaranteed $20K/year for four years with opportunities to apply for a fifth year of funding—and significant tuition and fee waivers.
For two years, you will teach in the first-year writing program, serving as a classroom instructor. In your third and fourth years, there will be teaching and service opportunities beyond first-year writing, including teaching assistant positions for film courses, teaching sophomore-level literature courses or creative writing workshops, mentorship and administrative appointments, and service in support roles. Summer teaching/funding is also regularly available.
Application Requirement,
- College Transcripts (BA and MA or MFA required)
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- 8-10 page (or longer) critical writing sample for all applicants
- a creative writing sample (15-20 pages) if applying to the Creative Writing specialization
- 700-word statement of purpose outlining your interest in our graduate program
- 3 letters of recommendation. (Recommenders send their letters directly through the TTU Graduate School application portal via a prompt generated by the system)
Application Deadline,
Jan 11, 2025
Application Fee,
Please refer official website
