Students entering the Ph.D. program in English usually are expected to have an MA in English literature. This does not preclude the admission of students whose education has been in other fields. (In these exceptional cases, candidates, in consultation with the graduate director, may be asked to undertake additional study.) After completing their courses, candidates specialize in three fields of scholarly interest preparatory to field examinations and in a specific area of expertise leading to the dissertation.
The English Graduate Admissions Committee admits qualified students to the Ph.D. program on the basis of their total records, including transcripts, GRE general test as well as the GRE subject test for literature in English, recommendations, and a sample of their critical writing (10 to 20 pages). Applicants who wish to choose the creative writing option for the dissertation should so indicate on the front page of the application and should submit a portfolio of their creative work (not more than 50 pages of fiction or 25 pages of verse) in addition to the critical writing sample.
The deadline for application for the fall semester to the Ph.D. program, whether or not the student wishes to be considered for financial aid, is February 15. The deadline for application for the spring semester is November 15. All applicants for the PhD should go to the following website:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/grad-school/prospective-students/how-to-apply/index.html
in order to enter an online application.
The graduate director serves as the new Ph.D. student's initial adviser. After taking several courses, the student chooses an adviser in his or her main area of interest. In consultation with the adviser, the student plans a program of study comprising at least eight courses and begins to determine three areas of special interest (see below under "Field Exams"). As part of their eight-course minimum, students may take no more than three creative writing workshops, no more than two appropriate courses in other departments, and no more than two graded courses from the same faculty member. Those students who are admitted to the creative writing dissertation option must take at least two creative writing workshops. Students may take no more than two independent studies. One of the eight required courses must be ENG 589, Teaching of College English. Beyond the eight-course minimum, these limitations do not apply.
Students must maintain at least a B+ average to remain in the program; more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. Students not in residence must register each semester to remain in good standing.
Coursework is normally completed at the end of the second year of docoral study. Students are then expected to complete three distinct field examinations by the end of the third year (though many students will begin taking these examinations earlier.) While areas acceptable as fields of study are not predefined, they must be approved by the graduate director. A field of study may be defined in various ways: e.g. by nationality and chronology, genre, topic or critical theory. Students may coordinate their fields of study so that the time spent preparing for their examinations will provide a foundation for their dissertations, as well as preparation for their professional identities.
In the fourth semester of coursework, each student, in consultation with the graduate director, works with a chosen professor to define each field examination, draw up a reading list, and pursue the topic chosen. All three examinations are normally administered in the third year of study.
Detailed guidelines for PhD students working on field exams are available in the English Department Graduate Office.
All PhD candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language at a level of competence sufficient for the understanding of scholarly and critical materials. Such competence may be demonstrated in any one of four ways:
In the course of doctoral study, the student establishes a dissertation committee consisting of a director and two readers. The dissertation is a substantial study of some significant topic in the area of the student's professional interest, or a creative writing dissertation for those students who are admitted to the creative writing dissertation option.
The student's dissertation director must formally approve, and submit to the graduate director, a written prospectus of the dissertation, or for those submitting a creative dissertation a sample of work in progress, at least one semester prior to completing the dissertation. The prospectus or the sample of creative work in progress will be shared with all members of the dissertation committee. On completion of all other requirements, the student submits a finished dissertation for approval and defends the dissertation in an oral examination. The submittted dissertation must conform to the Graduate School requirements for a dissertation, as outlined in the Graduate School Handbook.
After successful completion, defense, and submission of the dissertation, the student is awarded the Ph.D. in English.
