Requirements
  • Eight additional semester-long courses at the 400 and 500 level:
    • English 505 (if not already satisfied at the M.A. level)
    • Two Methods courses, English 582 or other equivalent courses (if not already satisfied at the M.A. level)
    • 1 course in Literature or Theory
    • Professional Seminar in the Teaching of Rhetoric (593)
    • Electives in consultation with an advisor
  • Center for Writing Studies Concentration: Students pursuing the PhD in English with a specialization in Writing Studies often also choose to complete the Center for Writing Studies Concentration. 
  • The Language Requirement (if not already satisfied at the M.A. level at Illinois) may be satisfied by demonstrating a reading knowledge of another language in one of the following five ways:
    • Completing the equivalent of three full years of undergraduate work;
    • Passing a proficiency exam administered by a UIUC foreign language department;
    • Passing a non-credit 501 language course with a grade of B or higher;
    • Fulfilling the Old English course sequence of ENGL 407 and ENGL 514 (on an Old English topic) with a B or higher; or
    • In consultation with the DGS, pursuing a plan of study to fulfill an alternative competency in a language such as Tagalog, Hmong, ASL, or computer programming (this list is not meant to be exhaustive).
  • Completion of a Special Field Examination (oral, written, or both)—The exam, administered by a committee of four faculty members selected by the student in consultation with an advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, is based upon the student's approved Special Field list of scholarship and relevant sources, including a discussion of its rationale and relation to the proposed dissertation topic. For more information on preparing for the exam, see Advice for Special Field Exams.
  • Completion and two-hour oral defense of a dissertation—Students working on their dissertations are eligible for fellowship support or released time from teaching. All students in good standing and making good progress will ordinarily receive at least one semester free from teaching. A few students receive a year or more of fellowship aid to work full-time on their dissertations.