Contact Info

Contact:Rhiannon Amato
Phone:314-935-5190
Email:amator@wustl.edu
Website:http://english.artsci.wustl.edu/graduate

To earn a PhD at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; pass certain examinations; complete all requirements for doctoral candidacy; fulfill residence and Mentored Experience Requirements; write, defend, and submit a dissertation; and apply for program completion (graduation) via Workday Student.

For the details of doctoral degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Doctoral Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 45
  • Degree Length: 5 years
    • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their coursework, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course (ASGS 9000 Full-Time Graduate Research/Study) that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
  • Grade Requirement: A minimum grade of B is required for coursework to count toward the degree.

Required Courses 

ELIT 5600Literary Studies and Graduate Research3
ELIT 5900Directed Reading6
WRITING 5990Seminar: Teaching Freshman Composition3

PhD in English and American Literature

The PhD program in English & American Literature at Washington University in St. Louis is a five-year course of study leading to a doctorate. All English graduate students take a minimum of 11 elective 3-credit courses at the 5000 level or above, along with two compulsory classes: ELIT 5600 Literary Studies and Graduate Research and WRITING 5990 Seminar: Teaching Freshman Composition; and 6 credits of Directed Reading (ELIT 5900 Directed Reading). Students must take at least two courses in historical periods before 1780 (not in the same period) and at least two in historical periods after 1780 (again, not in the same period). The minimum grade for courses to count towards the PhD is a B; the minimum cumulative GPA in order to maintain good standing is a 3.7, with no more than three grades of a B+ or below in a given academic year.

The PhD program in English and American Literature requires competency in one language in addition to English.

Students entering the program with a master's degree in hand normally follow the standard first-year curriculum. At the end of their third semester, the director of graduate studies will review their MA credits taken elsewhere and determine how many credits (no more than 9) may be applied toward the PhD at Washington University. This request will then be reviewed by the Office of Graduate Studies. Although students receiving transfer credit may be able to complete the PhD in fewer than five years, it is to their advantage to enter the program as first-year students, since this approach ensures them four full semesters of study with minimal teaching responsibilities.

Students who wish to complete the dual-degree program in English and Comparative Literature may do so by fulfilling the English department's requirements for dual degrees. More information about the dual degree may be found on the departmental website.

During the first four semesters, credits are earned by taking courses, independent study, and directed reading. Thus, students complete 14 courses (42 credits) total across years one and two, adding WRITING 5990 Seminar: Teaching Freshman Composition (3 credits) in the fall of year three.

Qualifying Examinations

Progress toward the PhD is contingent upon the student passing examinations that are variously called preliminary, qualifying, general, comprehensive, or major field exams. The qualifying process varies according to the program. In some programs, it consists of a series of incremental, sequential, and cumulative exams over a considerable time. In others, the exams are held during a relatively short period of time. Exams may be replaced by one or more papers. The program, which determines the structure and schedule of the required examinations, is responsible for notifying the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, of the student’s outcome, whether successful or unsuccessful.

Doctoral Candidacy

Candidacy marks the transition from coursework and initial study to independent research and dissertation writing. At this stage, the student is considered prepared to contribute to their field through independent scholarship.

The status of candidacy for WashU Arts & Sciences doctoral students indicates a student has, at minimum, completed and passed their qualifying exam/paper and pre-candidacy requirements. Pre-candidacy requirements are determined by each PhD program. Those requirements may include, for example, completion of required coursework; completion of required foreign language exams; completion of the Mentored Experience Requirement; successful submission of the Title, Scope and Procedure form; and completion of the oral presentation to propose the dissertation to their Research Advisory Committee.

Pre-Candidacy Requirements for the PhD in English and American Literature

The status of candidacy for WashU Arts & Sciences doctoral students requires the completion of the pre-candidacy requirements. For the PhD in English and American literature, these pre-candidacy requirements are as follows. By the end of their sixth semester in the program, students must have, at a minimum, achieved the following: 

Mentored Experience Requirement

Doctoral students, MFA in Writing students, and MFA in Dance students at Washington University must complete a department-defined Mentored Experience Requirement. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a degree requirement that is notated on the student's transcript when complete. Each department has an established Mentored Experience Implementation Plan in which the number of units that a student must earn through Mentored Teaching Experience(s) and/or Mentored Professional Experience(s) is defined. Each Mentored Experience Implementation Plan outlines how doctoral students within the discipline will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels. Some departments may elect to include Mentored Professional Experiences as an avenue for completing some units of the Mentored Experience Requirement. Doctoral students will enroll in ASGS 8005 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, ASGS 8010 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, or ASGS 8015 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience; ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience; or ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience to signify their progression toward completing the overall Mentored Experience Requirement for the degree.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A Research Advisory Committee (RAC) must be created no later than the end of the student's second year; departments may set shorter timelines (e.g., by the end of the student's third semester) for this requirement. As evidence of the mastery of a specific field of knowledge and of the capacity for original scholarly work, each candidate must complete a dissertation that is approved by their RAC.

A Title, Scope, and Procedure form for the dissertation must be signed by the committee members and by the program chair. It must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, at least one year before the degree is expected to be conferred or before beginning the eighth semester of full-time enrollment, whichever is earlier.

A Doctoral Dissertation Guide and a Dissertation Template that give instructions regarding the format of the dissertation are available on the website of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Both should be read carefully at every stage of dissertation preparation.

The Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, requires each student to make the full text of the dissertation available to the committee members for their review at least one week before the defense. Most degree programs require two or more weeks for the review period; students should check with their faculty.

The Dissertation Defense

Approval of the written dissertation by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is strongly recommended before the student can orally defend the dissertation. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee that examines the student during the defense consists of at least five members. Normally, the members of the RAC also serve on the Doctoral Dissertation Committee. The dissertation committee is then additionally augmented to ensure that the following criteria are met:

  1. Three of the five members (or a similar proportion of a larger committee) must be full-time Washington University in St. Louis faculty members or, for programs involving Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partners, full-time members of a Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partner institution. All members must be authorized to supervise PhD students and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study. One of these three members must be the PhD student's primary thesis advisor, and one may be a member of the emeritus faculty.
  2. All other committee members must be active in research/scholarship and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study whether at Washington University in St. Louis, at another university, in government, or in industry.
  3. At least one of the five members must bring expertise outside of the student's field of study to the committee, as judged by the relevant department/program and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The approval processes outlined in the RAC section of the Doctoral Council bylaws also apply to the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including approval of each dissertation committee by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The student is responsible for making the full text of the dissertation accessible to their committee members for their review in advance of the defense according to program rules. Washington University in St. Louis community members and guests of the student who are interested in the subject of the dissertation are normally welcome to attend all or part of the defense but may ask questions only at the discretion of the committee chair. Although there is some variation among degree programs, the defense ordinarily focuses on the dissertation itself and its relation to the student's field of expertise.

Attendance by a minimum of four members of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including the committee chair and an outside member, is required for the defense to take place. This provision is designed to permit the student's defense to proceed in case of a situation that unexpectedly prevents one of the five members from attending. Students should not plan in advance to only have four members in attendance. If four members cannot attend, the defense must be rescheduled. The absence of all outside members or of the committee chair also requires rescheduling the defense.

Students, with the support of their Doctoral Dissertation Committee chair, may opt to hold their dissertation defense in person or by utilizing a virtual or hybrid format.

Submission of the Dissertation

After the defense, the student must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation online to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, by the established deadline for their graduation term. Dissertations must be submitted no later than three months after the oral defense of the dissertation. Petitions for an extension to the three-month limit may be submitted to the director of graduate studies for consideration and approval. 

The submission website requires students to choose among publishing and copyrighting services offered by ProQuest's ETD Administrator. Students are asked to submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates separately. The degree program is responsible for delivering the final approval form, signed by the committee members at the defense and then by the program chair or director, to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Students who defend their dissertations successfully have not yet completed their PhD requirements; they finish earning their degree only when their dissertation submission has been accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Master's Degree Along the Way

It is assumed that all entering graduate students are aiming for the PhD; the English department does not admit students aiming for a terminal MA degree. The MA is awarded during the course of study when a student has completed 36 credit units, including ELIT 5600 Literary Studies and Graduate Research, usually at the end of the second year. To satisfy the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, requirement of demonstrated excellence, candidates for the MA may also be asked to submit a graded seminar essay (or the equivalent) for review by the English Graduate Committee.

Visit the English page
for additional information about this program.

As part of their degree requirements, PhD students must complete a program-defined Mentored Experience Requirement (MER) as per these guidelines. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plan (MEIP) is the written articulation of a program-defined degree requirement for PhD students to engage in mentored teaching activities and/or mentored professional activities, collectively referred to as the MER.

Mentored Experience Requirement (MER)

Philosophy of Teaching

Professional development in the teaching of literature and the teaching of composition is an essential component of a PhD in English Literature. Learning how to convey the principles and practices of successful critical analysis and communication is intricately tied to the larger project of training as a literary scholar. Formal support in preparing doctoral students for academic careers as English professors is one aim of our teacher preparation, but not the only aim. Our approach to teacher preparation readies graduate students for long-term engagement in education, communication, and scholarship, both within and beyond academia.

Preparatory Engagement

Preparatory Engagement activities are those that represent an introduction to the foundational skills associated with teaching or communication. Pedagogical preparation engagement activities are normally completed before students are permitted to engage in assisting or teaching in a classroom.

Students are required to complete two Preparatory Engagement activities:

  1. Center for Teaching and Learning Teaching Orientation (Summer after Year 2)
  2. Departmental Pedagogy Practicum (begins Summer Year 3 and continues throughout Year 4)

Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs)

Assistant in Instruction (AI)

An Assistant in Instruction (AI) is a PhD student who is directly engaged in the organization, instruction, and/or support of a semester-long course primarily taught by a faculty member. An AI receives mentorship from a faculty member related to best practices in classroom engagement, instruction in the field, interpersonal engagement, and other relevant skills. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each AI experience. To complete each AI assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for course numbers and details.

English has both 10- and 15-unit AI assignments: AI at 10 units and Writing Intensive AI at 15 units. Students can complete between one and four engagements for a range of 10 to 60 MER units. The number of engagements completed will depend on their Mentored Independent Teaching assignments.

Mentored Independent Teaching (MIT)

MIT is a semester-long experience for PhD students who engage as the primary instructor or co-instructor of a course under the mentorship of a faculty member as part of the MER. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MIT experience. To complete each MIT assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

English requires students to engage in MIT two times during their program. An MIT experience will count for 20 MER units. Students can engage in MIT experiences up to four total times.

Mentored Professional Experiences (MPEs)

The MPE is an unpaid professional experience for PhD students that allows students to develop skills and experiences relevant to their intended career outcomes. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MPE. To complete each MPE assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must submit the Mentorship Registration Request form for approval and register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

English allows students to take 0 to 3 MPEs, which will be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Graduate Committee and the Office of Graduate Studies.

A wide variety of MPEs are available, including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Undertaking an unpaid internship in a related nonprofit or business, museum, gallery, publisher, and/or publication;
  • Serving in the library’s Writing Center, Center for Career Engagement, Program in Public Scholarship, Center for Literary Arts, or other student service roles on campus; and
  • Assisting with the editing of a special issue of a journal or book collection.

Required Pathways for Completion

Students work with their faculty mentor and their Director of Graduate Studies to plan how and when they will complete their MER. Students register during the normal registration period for courses in accordance with one of these approved pathways.

English requires students to complete 80 to 115 MER units with the following guidance:

  • One AI experience is required either for 10 MER units (ASGS 8010 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience) or 15 MER units (ASGS 8015 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience). No more than four engagements may be completed for a total of 10 to 60 MER units.
  • Two MIT experiences are required at 20 MER units each (ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience). No more than four MITs may be taken.
  • MPEs are optional and can be completed for 20 MER units each (ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience). No more than three MPES can be taken.

Some students will finish their requirement as early as the Fall of Year 4; others will finish in the Spring of Year 4. Each student should work with their faculty mentor and the Director of Graduate Studies to plan their pathway.

Pathway #1
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #2
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times

Pathway #3
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #4
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take two times

Pathway #5
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take four times

Pathway #6
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #7
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take two times

Pathway #8
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #9
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times

Pathway #10
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #11
ASGS 8010 Take four times
ASGS 8020 Take two times

Pathway #12
ASGS 8010 Take four times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take one time

Pathway #13
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take three times

Pathway #14
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take three times

Pathway #15
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take three times

Pathway #16
ASGS 8015 Take four times
ASGS 8020 Take two times

Pathway #17
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times

Pathway #18
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times

Pathway #19
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take three times

Pathway #20
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take four times

Pathway #21
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take four times

Pathway #22
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take three times

Pathway #23
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #24
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #25
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take two times

Pathway #26
ASGS 8015 Take one time
ASGS 8020 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take three times