About PhD Program,
The PhD program, with its coursework, exams, guided dissertation research, and training in teaching, places graduates in college and university research and teaching positions, in secondary education, and in academic administration, as well as in positions in publishing, consulting, the public sector, private foundations, and journalism—everywhere that research skills, rigorous analysis, and good writing are valued. In addition to their specialized research, interested PhD students may choose to earn a graduate certificate in Premodern Cultures and Communities, American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Africana Studies, Environmental Humanities, or Digital Humanities. Financial support, including health insurance and tuition remission, is awarded to all PhD students from the first through the sixth year of study. As part of their package, PhD students teach one course per semester in years two through four and in year six of the program. The fifth year of study is a fully funded year dedicated entirely to writing the dissertation without teaching obligations. Beyond the sixth year, students in good standing may receive tuition remission, fees, and a salary in consideration for teaching. Government loans and work-study funding are also available. Students typically complete the doctoral degree in six to seven years.
The English Department makes every effort to place its students and has a good record of doing so. Recent recipients of the PhD have found teaching positions at such institutions as Williams College, Illinois, Ohio Wesleyan, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Bowdoin, Clemson, Iowa, McGill, Nevada, MIT, Dartmouth, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, Penn, North Carolina, Rutgers, Fordham, Tufts, Arizona, Wake Forest, and Berkeley. Find more information about placement and careers in and outside of academia here.
The University library system is a resource of many dimensions. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library holds a number of remarkable collections of American and British literature. Most noteworthy is the Barrett Library, one of the finest research collections in the world for American literature, including rare books and manuscripts of Cabell, Cather, Crane, Cummings, Eliot, Frost, Harte, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Holmes, Howells, James, Twain, Wharton, and Whitman. Manuscripts in the collection include The Red Badge of Courage, the 1860 Leaves of Grass, and The Sun Also Rises. Other collections of note include the William Faulkner Collection, the unique Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels, the Wagelin Collection of American Poetry, the Taylor Collection of American Fiction, and the Tunstall Collection of Poetry. Alderman Library, the largest circulating library on Grounds, is an excellent research facility with a standard working collection suitable for advanced studies across the humanities. The library’s online holdings and well-staffed Scholars’ Lab provide access to a large collection of literary works and advanced computer techniques for working with the texts. In addition, Clemons Library holds an abundant collection of video material and a well-equipped media center. The Department itself is the home of three prize-winning journals: New Literary History, an internationally respected journal of theory and interpretation; Studies in Bibliography, the premier international journal of analytical bibliography and textual study; and Meridian, a student-edited journal of writing.
Students with physical or learning disabilities which may require reasonable accommodation at the University should contact Brad Holland, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities. Information about the larger University and Charlottesville communities may be found here.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The PhD program in English Language, Literature, and Research is designed to permit the full-time student to secure the doctorate in approximately six years; financial support is tied to a series of deadlines which aim at such a schedule.
Preparing to Submit the Dissertation
Enrollment Options and Leave of Absence
PhD Funding Coverage,
PhD students entering the program will receive a six year financial package consisting of tuition, fees, one-person health insurance coverage, and $30,600 for the first five years of study (changing to $24,480 in the sixth year). This award, made up of fellowships and teaching-assistantships, will be maintained up to a total of six years contingent on satisfactory academic performance. Standard teaching responsibilities for a doctoral student in English involve teaching two courses per year across years 2-4 of the program (with no teaching in years 1 and 5); fellowship funds beyond teaching wages complete the support we are presently offering for years 1-6, with some annual funding for conference travel and additional dissertation research funding awarded if and as our resources permit. (A few enhanced fellowships are available on a competitive basis: all applicants to the PhD program are automatically considered for these.) Students in their seventh year and beyond, who continue to make good progress toward the degree, are eligible for teaching when such assignments are available.
PhD students may apply for up to $500 per year to attend conferences where they are giving papers or chairing panels. They may also apply for any available positions as graders or research assistants, potentially enabling them to earn up to $3,000 per academic year.
To qualify for the department’s program of support, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. In cases of serious academic deficiency (e.g., a pattern of poor grades in courses or repeated failure to complete work on time), a student may be asked to leave the program.
Application Requirement,
- A completed application form, including the Statement of Academic Interests (called the “Personal Statement” in the on-line application form).
- Unofficial transcripts of all previous undergraduate or graduate coursework. (Official transcripts will later be required of all admitted applicants. Please do not send official transcripts in advance of receiving an offer of admission.)
- Three confidential letters of recommendation.
- Results of the TOEFL or IELTS for international applicants whose first language is not English. (This requirement can be waived if your BA is from an undergraduate institution where the language of instruction is English; see the information offered on the GSAS pages.)
- A writing sample of 15-25 double-spaced pages (including notes). The writing sample should be in a 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman.
- The Department of English no longer requires the GRE test. Submitted scores will not be considered.
- International applicants, if accepted, must submit the international applicant financial statement. Students admitted to the PhD program may submit the University’s letter offering financial aid as documentation along with the form.
- Applicants to the PhD program may request in advance that, if not admitted to that program, they be considered for admission to the MA program. Please see the application for instructions. The University of Virginia’s MFAis an entirely separate program, for which candidates must apply separately.
Application Deadline,
Dec 15, 2024
Application Fee,
- The $85 non-refundableapplication fee.
