
Graduate Study
Recommendations for Graduate Study in English
- Courses: Literary Theory
At least one course from each of the following fields:
- Medieval Literature
- Renaissance (Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century) Literature
- Shakespeare
- Eighteenth-Century Literature
- Nineteenth-Century British Literature
- Twentieth-Century British Literature
- American Literature
- Ethnic American Literature
- Postcolonial Literature
- A directed study or, better, an honors thesis in an area which you plan to study in graduate school.
- Reading knowledge of at least one language and preferably two (including Latin if you wish to study pre-1900 literature). One of the best graduate programs requires that candidates pass reading examinations in one ancient and two modern languages; many of the finest programs require one ancient and one modern language. Most graduate programs require that two language exams be passed within the first two years.
- A concentration of work in a field which bears on your interests in English literature: philosophy, history, psychology, literature in another language, art history, and so on.
- Tutoring: Working as a Writing Tutor gives you a chance to experience teaching. If you do not enjoy teaching, you should not seek a Ph.D. in English under most circumstances.