Admission is competitive and based upon transcripts, G.R.E. general and subject test scores, recommendations, and writing samples. The applicant must have received a bachelor's or master's degree in English or its equivalent from a compatible institution and must satisfy the Graduate School's requirements for admission to doctoral study. Each student, working in collaboration with the Director of Graduate Studies, puts together a Ph.D. Committee, comprised of three members of the English department graduate faculty whose teaching and research interests complement the student's own plans for doctoral study.
Proficiency is defined as a genuine working knowledge of the language.
The Ph.D. Committee will determine the specific manner in which the student demonstrates proficiency. Admission to Advanced Candidacy follows the successful completion of the Advanced Candidacy Examination. The candidate and the Ph.D. Committee will draw up and agree upon an intensive reading list for each of the three areas of inquiry. All four members of the Committee will participate in evaluating the written and oral sections of the Examination, and all future responsibilities of the Committee. The reading lists and topics of these two papers should be arrived at through consultation between the student and his or her committee.