About PhD Program,
The doctoral program in English Language and Literature is designed to lead to the PhD in six years of post-baccalaureate study.
Students can specialize in diverse fields of British, American, or Anglophone literatures and explore a wide range of critical, theoretical, and cultural perspectives on those literatures.
The program assures that students gain broad literary and cultural knowledge along with the research skills that will allow them to make innovative contributions to the world of ideas.
We are committed to the idea that learning is a social process, and that one can learn a great deal from one’s peers when lodged in a community that encourages students to share ideas. Such a community is impossible to establish when students are made to compete for funding with one another, however. To foster a collective enterprise, we guarantee six years of funding to all admitted students. During the first and fifth years of graduate studies, all students in English Language and Literature receive a full fellowship which consists of a living stipend, tuition costs, and health care benefits. In later years, students receive tuition, health care, and living expenses as part-time graduate student instructors (GSIs). The department, in conjunction with the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, is also committed to supporting students’ professional activities and pays many of the expenses for research travel and for participation in academic conferences. The second year of fellowship support is provided by a number of annual dissertation fellowships, awarded to deserving students by the graduate program, the graduate school, and the Institute for the Humanities.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
GRE scores are not required for admissions and any GRE scores sent will not be received by the Admissions Committee.
Applicants with Master’s degrees are given equal consideration for admission, but are not guaranteed advanced standing in the program. We do not accept Non-Candidate for Degree status applicants to our program. We do not offer online courses, our program is a full-time residency program.
PhD Funding Coverage
The Department of English, in combination with the Rackham Graduate School and the University, have significant financial resources available to support English graduate students throughout their program.
All students admitted to one of the English programs are provided with a funding package. Typically, these funding packages consist of a combination of fellowships and graduate student instructorships. Please review your program of interest to learn more about the funding package.
The Rackham Graduate School also has a significant amount of funding available for students at each level of the program. Information about all Rackham administered fellowships and grants, including the Rackham Merit Fellowship, can be found at the Rackham Fellowships Office. The Rackham Fellowships Finder is a great resource for locating funding opportunities outside of the University.
We are committed to the idea that learning is a social process and that one can learn a great deal from one’s peers. To encourage such learning, we offer a guaranteed six-year funding package to all students admitted to the program in English Language and Literature. Funding covers applicable tuition costs, health care benefits, and living expenses in the form of direct stipend (years one and five) and teaching assistantships or pre-doctoral research assistantships (years two, three, four and six). For the first and fifth years of graduate studies, all students in English Language and Literature are on full fellowship. In later years, students receive tuition, health care, and living expenses as part-time graduate student instructors (GSIs). The department, in conjunction with the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, is also committed to supporting students’ professional activities and pays many of the expenses for research travel and for participation in academic conferences.
Current package:
Year 1: Fellowship, which includes a stipend, tuition, healthcare
Years 2-4: Graduate Student Instructorship, which includes a stipend, tuition, healthcare
Year 5: Fellowship, which includes a stipend, tuition, healthcare
Year 6: Fellowship or Graduate Student Instructorship
Other Awards: Each year, the Department and Rackham Graduate School award additional fellowships and prizes to graduate students in English. Among these are the Rackham Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, the Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship, and a number of smaller grants. Summer support is available. Our students often win Rackham grants for dissertation research. Click here for additional funding resources.
Application Requirement,
In some sections what we require differs from what is stated on the generic application form.
Transcripts
Test Scores
Three Letters of Recommendation
Additional Required Application Materials
Sub-Plans
Admissions Conduct Code
International Students: Medical Screening
Nota Bene
If you have additional questions please email graduate.english@umich.edu
Application Deadline,
Dec 10, 2024
Application Fee,
The fee for United States citizens and those with permanent resident visa status is $75. The fee for non-U.S. citizens is $90.
