Ph.D. Program

The Department of English at UNLV offers a program of study leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English. The program centers on the study of English and American literature and is designed to train students for careers in the teaching of English at the college or university level and for the research and writing which ordinarily accompany such careers. It can be completed in from three to five years. The program of study includes course work in English and in a Minor either outside the Department or in Composition Studies, a Qualifying Examination, and a dissertation. There is also a requirement in foreign languages. Admission is for holders of an MA in English only.

 

In contrast to the Master of Arts program at UNLV, which aims at a general and comprehensive understanding of the field, PhD studies are designed to build upon the foundations of such general knowledge an expert competence in three selected areas chosen from predesignated categories that include chronological periods, genres, and a major author approved by the Graduate Committee. (The Composition Studies Minor is an exception—see below). This specialized knowledge is developed in the course-work both within and outside of the English Department, tested in the Qualifying Examination, and is the groundwork for the dissertation, which will concern itself with the areas in which the student has chosen to specialize. The Qualifying Examination and the writing of a dissertation are thus the focal points of the student's doctoral work. It is necessary for the student to have a clear idea at the outset of the program what chronological period (such as the 18th century), what literary genre (such as the novel), and what additional third element—either an additional period, a major author outside of the selected period, or a special topic—are to be the areas of specialization.