English
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Total Credits
Program Graduation Requirements
General Program Policies and Requirements
Fulfilling the Foreign Language Requirement -
Students in all programs, except the MFA, must demonstrate proficiency in one or more foreign language. MA students are required to demonstrate standard proficiency in one language; PhD students are required to demonstrate either standard proficiency in two languages or advanced proficiency in one language. See the policies section for each program for definitions of the specific levels of proficiency required for the degree. Students must have proper documentation demonstrating that the requirements have been met. They must also have the Graduate Advisor approve the Graduate Language Verification form with all of the necessary signatures and documentation.
There are three ways to fulfill the language requirement:
Students may take a language placement test by making an appointment through the Department of World Languages & Cultures. More information on this procedure can be found at: https://languages.utah.edu/language-requirements/graduate-language-requirements.php
The language requirement may be fulfilled through coursework; please see the specific requirements of each program for details on this option.
The language requirement may be fulfilled through a written translation exam administered by the department. Departmental examinations will be based on one or two passages (roughly 500 words total), typically nonfiction or critical prose of above average difficulty. Students will be evaluated on the correctness and fluency of their translation, and on the amount they translate. The exam will last 90 minutes, and students can use a dictionary; no other notes or resources are allowed. Student and examiner will both remain anonymous. For additional information, contact the Graduate Advisor.
Registration -
Registration for classes in online. Upon acceptance to the University of Utah, a new student is sent a letter by Graduate Admissions with a student ID number and information needed to begin the registration process. Class schedules and registration information can be found at http://www.acs.utah.edu/prod/bin/student/
It is a strict requirement of the University that students maintain continuous registration of at least three credit hours each semester (except summer) from the time of formal admission to a graduate program until all requirements for the degree are completed. Any student who fails to register for three hours in any semester (except summer) will lose registration eligibility until the student reapplies for admission to the Graduate School. Students who must be registered in a given semester but do not want to enroll in a class should register for Faculty Consultation-English 6980 (M.A. and M.F.A. students) or Faculty Consultation-English 7980 (Ph.D. students). These courses that exist for the purpose of maintaining registration and do not count toward any degree requirements. Standard tuition costs apply. Obtain the four-digit registration class number from the Graduate Advisor.
Registration Procedures for Special Graduate Courses -
The information below concerns obligations in registration for independent study, thesis hours, and other special courses. In general, MA and MFA students will enroll in the 6000-level version of the course, and PhD students in the 7000-level version. If you have questions about these special courses, please consult with the Graduate Director or the Graduate Advisor.
Independent Study (English 6910 and 7910) is designed for study that is not otherwise available in the curriculum. Independent study may be approved to count toward degree requirements if the Director of Graduate Studies judges that the proposed independent study clearly suits the special needs of the student. Ordinarily students should not enroll in more than one semester of independent study in the course of their programs. Independent study may not be used to meet the historical period requirements or to replace English 6480. Forms and registration information are available from the Graduate Advisor.
Thesis and Dissertation Hours (English 6970 and 7970) All MFA candidates must register for a minimum of six hours of thesis research. All doctoral candidates must register for a minimum of fourteen hours of thesis research. Students may register for any number of hours in any semester.
Faculty Consultation (English 6980 and 7980) is a three-hour ungraded course used solely in order to maintain the minimum registration required to use campus facilities (like the library). English 6980 and 7980 do not appear on the Candidacy form and do not count toward course requirements.
Continuing Registration (English 7990) is available only to doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy. If the student is not registered for anything else, this course keeps the student on the rolls of the Graduate School and keeps a Supervisory Committee intact. In semesters other than summer, when the student is doing neither coursework nor thesis or dissertation hours nor 7980, the student must register for 7990 (there is a small fee); neglecting this procedure will result in having to reapply for admission and reform a committee. English 7990 does not appear on programs of study and does not count toward course requirements. Students may not register for more than four semesters of 7990.
Family Leave Policy -
The Department of English recognizes that a range of significant life events, including the birth or adoption of a child, might affect a student's ability to make timely progress through the degree program. The Department is committed to making reasonable accommodations for students who must take family or parental leave and who meet the criteria for being an “eligible caregiver” as defined in University Policy 6-315.
Non-emergency family leave will normally be granted for a period coinciding with one or more semesters during the academic year. Students are expected to notify the Director of Graduate Studies and file a Request for Leave of Absence (see below) at least three months prior to the beginning of the semester or semesters for which they are requesting leave. Students should not enroll in courses during the semester or semesters they are on leave.
If family leave is granted for a semester or semesters during which a student is supported by a non-teaching fellowship, the disbursement of the fellowship will not be interrupted. If family leave is granted for a semester or semester during which a student would normally serve as a teaching fellow, the teaching fellowship will be discontinued for the leave period, but family leave will not be counted against a student's eligible semesters of teaching fellowship support.
Family leave will not adversely affect a student's good standing in the graduate program or his or her eligibility for fellowship support. Relevant deadlines for the completion of coursework, qualifying exams, and the dissertation prospectus defense will be extended by the number of semesters of family leave.
Students who experience a medical condition associated with pregnancy and require accommodations recommended by their medical provider should contact the University's Title IX Coordinator, who will work with the student, faculty, and administration, to determine reasonable and effective accommodations. Students are limited to two applications for Family Leave during the course of their degree program. Family Leave shall not extend a student's eligibility for the Graduate School's Tuition Benefit Program.
Leave of Absence -
Students in good standing who wish to discontinue their studies temporarily must file a Request for Leave of Absence. The form, available at http://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/leave.php, must be completed, signed, and submitted to the Graduate Advisor. Leaves of absence are subject to the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School and may be granted in the following circumstances:
Leaves of absence are generally granted for reasons relating to illness, military service, pregnancy and/or child care, or residence outside the state of Utah.
Leaves may be granted to students who, in the judgment of the department, are engaged in work that is beneficial to their academic goals, such as temporary teaching or professional employment that allows the student ultimately to complete the degree.
Leaves for other reasons may be granted with the approval of the Supervisory Committee Chair and the Graduate Director.
Students must apply for leaves of absence for a current semester by the last day of classes of that semester. They must also officially withdraw from classes in any semester for which a leave is granted; failure to withdraw results in the report of E or EU grades for all classes. Leaves are granted for a maximum of one academic year at a time and do not count toward the time period in which the student must complete the degree.
The following protocols will be used in determining fellowship and assistantship renewals for graduate students who take a leave of absence:
The Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Committee recognize that some leave of absence requests will occur due to circumstances beyond the student's control, such as medical or family emergencies. Such involuntary or forced leaves of absence will not count against a student's eligible time as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Fellow.
Student requests for leaves of absence for a full academic year must be approved by her or his supervisory committee chair and the Graduate Director by April 15 preceding the commencement of leave. If the student does not request such voluntary leave by April 15, the year of assistantship or fellowship eligibility will be forfeited. Students who are awarded an external fellowship (e.g., Wallace Stegner Writing Fellowship or Guggenheim Fellowship) have until May 1 to request leave for the following academic year without forfeiting that year of assistantship or fellowship eligibility.
English PhD candidates may specialize in a range of traditional literary-historical areas of study or develop a program that emphasizes such cultural studies fields or interdisciplinary areas as American studies, film studies, digital humanities, race and ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, or religious studies.
Students will take ten courses of at least three credits each. Teaching colloquia do not count toward the ten courses required for the degree, nor does English 7910: Independent Study (unless approved in advance by the Graduate Director). PhD candidates should work closely with the Graduate Director and their committee chairs in choosing classes that will prepare them for their qualifying exams.
from the following types of courses:
At least 3 courses in Literary History
One must cover literature before 1700
One must cover literature between 1700 and 1900
from the following types of courses:
Six additional courses.
Up to two may be taken offered by departments other than English with the prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Students will be examined in four fields; lists in each field normally include 25-30 major works or their equivalent. Students must complete all required coursework and satisfy the language requirement before scheduling their qualifying exams. Examination lists in the following fields will be devised by students in consultation with the members of their committee.
British: Medieval, Early Modern, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, Romanticism, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
American: Colonial and Early National, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Topics are devised in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee, especially the committee chair, and might focus on specific literary, generic, or thematic areas (e.g., history of lyric, gothic literature, graphic novels, the literature of war, queer literature, etc.) or a cultural studies field or otherwise interdisciplinary area (e.g., American studies, digital humanities, Environmental humanities, film studies, gender/sexuality studies, race/ethnic studies, religious studies, etc.).
See the description of possible topics above.
The list of works for this field will be generated by the candidate in consultation with the supervisory committee. This field may be defined broadly (such as literary theory, cultural criticism, or ethnic studies) or more narrowly (such as feminism, Marxist theory, historicism, narrative theory).
Students will take ten courses of at least three credits each at the 6000- or 7000-level. Teaching colloquia do not count toward the ten courses required for the degree, nor does English 7910: Independent Study (unless approved in advance by the Graduate Director).
Students may take up to two courses in departments other than English, with the prior approval of the Graduate Director, but all students must complete a minimum of 24 hours in English. PhD candidates should work closely with the Graduate Director and their committee chairs in choosing classes that will prepare them for their qualifying exams.
from the following types of courses:
At least 3 courses in Literary History
One must cover literature before 1700
One must cover literature between 1700 and 1900
3 - 4 Creative Writing Workshops
One in a genre other than the dissertation is recommended
1 - 2 additional courses
One of which may be taken in a department other than English, with the prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
The genre from its beginnings until the end of the nineteenth century.
The genre from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present.
Topics are devised in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee, especially the committee chair, and might focus on specific literary, generic, or thematic areas (e.g., history of lyric, gothic literature, graphic novels, the literature of war, queer literature, etc.) or a cultural studies field or otherwise interdisciplinary area (e.g., American studies, digital humanities, Environmental humanities, film studies, gender/sexuality studies, race/ethnic studies, religious studies, etc.).
This list will focus on theoretical questions relevant to the genre or the dissertation.
Students will take ten courses of at least three credits each at the 6000- or 7000-level (with the exception that course work undertaken in another department may be at the 5000-level, with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of Writing and Rhetoric Studies). Teaching colloquia do not count toward the ten courses required for the degree, nor does English 7910: Independent Study (unless approved in advance by the Graduate Director). PhD candidates should work closely with the Graduate Director, Writing and Rhetoric Studies faculty, and their committee chairs in choosing classes that will prepare them for qualifying exams.
from courses with the following subject code:
ENGL
from the following types of courses:
Two additional courses in Writing and Rhetoric Studies or another department (with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies and advice from Writing and Rhetoric Studies faculty)
After successfully completing the program of study described above, the student will take an oral examination covering the core fields. A member of the literature faculty will examine the student on the literary studies core.
The supervisory committee chair must be a Writing and Rhetoric Studies faculty member jointly appointed in English. The other four members will be appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the candidate and the Committee Chair. Normally at least one other English Department faculty member and one other Writing and Rhetoric Studies faculty member will be on the committee. In addition, a faculty member from an appropriate department will be on the committee to represent the student’s allied field core.