PhD Rhetoric and Composition Checklist

60 Credit-Hour Minimum: 34 graded credit hours, 26 non-graded credit hours

Please be sure to discuss your plans with your committee chair and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to ensure that you are on track to completing your degree requirements.

I. Graded Courses [34 credits]

Students who have already taken similar required courses may be able to waive one or more required courses.

A. All PhD Students must take [4 credits]

• ENGL 501: Seminar in the Teaching of Writing: Methodology of Composition [3 credits]
• ENGL 590: Directed Reading [1 credit required, up to 6 credits allowed]
  • English 590 is a graded independent study designed to provide directed research in English studies for individuals (or small groups) in conjunction with one or more faculty members.

B. All PhD Students must take the following courses [9 credits]

• ENGL 502: Seminar in the Teaching of Writing [3 credits]
• ENGL 509: Seminar in the History of Global Rhetorics [3 credits]
• ENGL 515: Contemporary Theories of Rhetoric [3 credits]

C. Elective Courses [21 credits]

• Any 500-level English course (ENGL 545 may only be taken once for credit)
• 500-level courses outside of English (upon approval from committee chair and/or DGS)
• Three credits of a 400-level course in or outside of English (upon approval from committee chair and/or DGS)

II.  Non-Graded Courses [26 credits]

• English 800: Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination (1 credit)
  • At least one per semester during coursework
  • Students will need to take additional credits during exams and dissertation work

III.  Additional Requirements

• Foreign Language Requirement                                                          
• PhD Qualifying Exam                                               
• Dissertation                                                                                             
• Oral Examination