Ph.D. in English

Ph.D. in English

The graduate faculty in English at Texas A&M University-Commerce offers a graduate program leading to the Ph.D. in English. This degree is designed for students wishing to teach in community or four-year colleges and universities. It stresses both substantive knowledge of the various divisions within the field of English and an extensive introduction to the profession, including classroom teaching, tutoring, and computer-assisted instruction. The degree requires that each candidate serve as a teaching assistant.

The Ph.D. in English requires 90 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree or 60 semester hours beyond the Master's. Students with master's degree work may petition the Director of Graduate Studies and Head of the Department of Literature and Languages, to use relevant Master's level course work to satisfy some requirements.

Ph.D. in English Required Coursework

Residency:

• Doctoral students will enroll in a series of graduate seminars in both their specialization and related areas, seminars that require interaction with other students, interaction with a professor, and extensive use of library facilities.
• Doctoral students will also enroll in a series of professional and pedagogical seminars and colloquia that will introduce them to the issues and history of the profession of Teaching College English, as well as provide them with mentors. They will observe senior faculty and other assistants teach and be observed by the director of First-Year English, the director of Graduate Studies, the department head and/or their faculty mentor.
• Doctoral students will be encouraged to participate in the summer conference held by EGAD (English Graduate Students for Academic Development), both in planning and arranging and by appearing on the program.
• Doctoral students will be trained as tutors and work in the Communication Skills Center within the Department, and all will work in the Computer Classroom and become familiar with the Daedalus software system.
• Doctoral students are encouraged to become professionally involved by subscribing to relevant journals and by attending professional conferences both local and national, both as participants and as observers.

Examination:

A comprehensive and in-depth Qualifying Examination, consisting of both written and oral portions, is required at or near the completion of course work and before beginning work on the dissertation.

Dissertation:

• Written in one's area of concentration under the direction of an advisor and two other committee members from the department, plus one member from another department.
• Requires a written proposal and oral defense of the proposal before the committee. The proposal defense is open to the university community.
• Requires a final oral defense after completion. The oral defense is open to the university community.

Note:

The Department reserves the right to suspend from the program any student, who in the judgment of a duly constituted departmental committee, would not meet the professional expectations of the field.