Requirements for the PhD in English Degree

A. Course Requirements

The minimum course requirement for students in the doctoral program is 11 courses, including at least seven 600-level seminars. No course with a grade below B- may be used to satisfy course requirements. In order to continue in the program, students must maintain an average grade of B or better in all coursework, and no more than two grades below B- will be permitted. No transfer credit is accepted at the seminar level.

One of the seven seminars the student must satisfactorily complete is the proseminar (EGL 600: The Discipline of Literary Studies). Students must take this course in their first fall semester in the program, or as soon as it is offered.

While the majority of courses for the PhD requirements must be taken in the English Department, students may, in consultation with their advisors, take courses of an equivalent level in other departments or programs. Requests must be approved in writing by the Graduate Program Director.

It is assumed that students entering the PhD program will have studied Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and a variety of literary periods in their BA or MA programs. However, students with a variety of backgrounds are welcome into the PhD program; those without the kind of broad-based knowledge outlined above will work out a suitable program of study with their advisors.

Students with teaching assistantships must pass the Teaching Practicum before or during their first semester of teaching their own courses.

B. Independent Studies

Only two courses numbered EGL 615, Independent Study, will be permitted to count toward the total courses required for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English. EGL 615 cannot be elected during the student’s first semester of work toward the doctoral degree. EGL 615 may be elected during the second semester only if the student has a B+ average in the first semester and has no Incompletes at the time of registering for EGL 615. A proposal for an EGL 615 course should be submitted in writing to the faculty member under whose direction the student plans to study. This proposal must be submitted before the end of the semester previous to that in which the student will register for EGL 615. The proposal must be approved in writing by both the directing faculty member and the graduate program committee of the English Department before the student registers for EGL 615.

C. Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate the ability to translate writings of moderate difficulty in one language other than English appropriate to the area of study and hence the ability to make use of relevant literary and scholarly writings in this language. Students can satisfy this requirement in three ways:

Option I: By obtaining a grade of B or higher in a 500-level reading/translation course or other  graduate course offered in a foreign language or literature. Language courses offered at other institutions will need the approval of the Graduate Program Director to fulfill this requirement.

Option II: By passing a translation exam (from the foreign language into English). Students may use a dictionary for this exam; passages will be set by examiners from other departments or from English. Contact the Graduate Program Director to arrange an exam.

Option III: By conducting research in, and translation of, a foreign language in the course of writing a seminar paper submitted in any 600-level course (including EGL 600, the Pro Seminar). Students who select this option must complete the appropriate form before submitting the paper, and their plan must be approved by both the instructor of the seminar and the Graduate Program Director.

The following languages are automatically accepted for fulfilling the language requirement: Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Other languages relevant to a student’s graduate program may be approved upon petition to the graduate program director.

Students will not be permitted to take the General Exam without first satisfying the language requirement.

D. Award of MA Degree to PhD Students

Students who enroll in the Doctoral Program in English who do not already have an MA degree are eligible to earn an MA in English. To receive an MA, the student must complete:

1. 10 three-credit graduate courses with a 3.0 overall grade point average. At least one of these courses must be on a literary historical period before 1800. Only one may be an independent study (EGL 615).
2. The language requirement for the doctoral program, described above.
3. An MA thesis. Typically, the thesis will be a revision and expansion of a seminar paper, in response to the thesis advisor’s feedback. The student will not enroll in EGL 598: Thesis Research. Otherwise, the thesis requirements correspond to those for the MA program.

E. General Examination

The general examination is a three-part, three-hour oral with three examiners. It must be taken by the end of the fifth semester in the program. The examination committee should be formed no later the fourth semester. The committee is composed of a chairperson selected by the student and two other faculty members appointed by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the chairperson.

Students will be examined on the contents of three lists developed in cooperation with their examiners. Each list must be accompanied by a syllabus or other document prepared by the student that reflects their understanding of the list. Please see the department website (or handbook) for detailed information.

Each of the three parts will be judged separately as either pass or fail. Each failed part may be retaken one additional time, no later than a year after the original examination.

F. Dissertation Prospectus and Dissertation Prospectus Meeting 

The dissertation prospectus meeting is a discussion between the student and a three member faculty committee, including at least two members of the English department, chosen by the student. 

At least three weeks before the meeting, the student must submit to the committee and the Graduate Office a written statement (the prospectus) of 1500-3000 words (i.e., 7-10 double-spaced pages) describing the dissertation project, with a bibliography of 5-10 double-spaced pages including a preliminary list of the primary and secondary texts that will form the foundation of the dissertation. 

The focus of the meeting will be the topic that the student has chosen for his or her dissertation along with the proposed plan for advancement to completion of the degree. Thus, the prospectus should embrace the various kinds of texts and the overarching method that the student will engage in order to begin writing the dissertation. The prospectus should not be thought of as a contract; both the prospectus and the meeting work toward the demonstration of a well-wrought initial account of the argument, methods, architecture, scope and scholarly contribution of the project, as it will be realized in the dissertation.

In order for the student to advance to candidacy, the prospectus must be approved by the committee and the student must submit to the chair of the committee a summary of the conversation at the dissertation prospectus meeting, highlighting the committee’s suggestions. The chair must approve this summary and forward it to the Graduate Office to be placed in the student’s file. If the prospectus is not approved, the student must schedule another dissertation prospectus meeting for a later date.

All the doctoral requirements described above must be completed before a student is allowed to schedule the prospectus meeting.

G. Advancement to Candidacy

After the approval of the prospectus and the summary of the meeting, the student is recommended to the dean of the Graduate School for advancement to candidacy.

H. Dissertation

The dissertation is a scholarly monograph of extended scope, written with the guidance of a committee composed of a Director and three readers. At least two of the committee members must be from the English department, and at least three must be from the University. One, the outside reader, must be from a different department at the University or from a different university.  

In order to establish the working arrangement between the student and the committee members, the semester after the Prospectus Meeting the student should have the director and the readers sign a contract supplied by the Graduate Office. On this contract, each Committee Member indicates whether he or she will read and comment on individual chapters or only on the completed dissertation. When the outside reader is identified, he or she should add his or her signature to the document or send an e-mail message indicating the method of response. 

At some point during the writing of the dissertation, the dissertation director will call a meeting of the student and all members of the committee with the exception of the outside reader. This meeting can serve to discuss specific chapters, the student’s overall progress, and any other issues as necessary. It will serve as a crucial opportunity to provide clear direction and advice. Either the student or the director can call additional such meetings, but one meeting is required by the program.

The Dissertation Committee must recommend acceptance of the dissertation before it can be approved by the Graduate School. Students will present the results of dissertation research at a colloquium (the Defense) convened for that purpose by the Department of English, which will be open to interested faculty and graduate students.

I. The Dissertation Defense

At least eight weeks before the Graduate School’s deadline for submitting the completed dissertation, the student will submit to his or her readers what is intended to be the final draft of the dissertation. No more than four weeks after that, if the readers have agreed that the dissertation is ready to be defended, the director will schedule the defense. (This is distinct from the actual acceptance of the dissertation, which can take place only at the defense itself.)

The defense is a formal presentation by the student of the results of the dissertation research at a colloquium convened for that purpose by the Department of English. It will be open to all interested Stony Brook University faculty and graduate students. All members of the Dissertation Committee must be present at the defense; outside readers may participate via videoconference.

J. Teaching Program

Training in teaching is stressed by the department, and every student should expect to teach as part of the doctoral program. Teaching assistants instruct in a variety of courses, introductions to poetry, fiction, drama, and composition, and assist in large lecture courses. An important part of the teaching experience is the Practicum in Teaching, required of all teaching assistants.

K. Residency Requirement

The Graduate School requires at least two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study beyond the baccalaureate. Students will be considered in full-time residence during any semester in which they (1) are taking at least one 500-level course or 600-level seminar or are, in the opinion of the graduate program committee, properly preparing for the special field oral examination; (2) are holding no position other than that required under the teaching program; or (3) are registered for EGL 699 Dissertation Research or EGL 690, Directed Reading for Doctoral Candidates, for three, six, nine, or 12 credit hours, depending on the number of other courses being taken, and the teaching assignment. The total of all these credits and teaching hours is to be no more than 12 for G3, 9 for G4, and 6 for G5 students.

L. Time to Degree

Students are expected to complete the PhD in seven years or less, meeting the benchmarks stipulated in the PhD Handbook, including:

By the end of second year

• • Required course work must be completed with a 3.50 GPA or better
  • Language requirement must be fulfilled
  • Three lists for General Exam must be submitted

By end of third year

• • General Exam must be completed (Fall)
  • Prospectus Meeting must be completed (Spring)

By end of seventh year

• • Dissertation must be defended
  • All paperwork must be submitted to the Graduate School

Students and candidates are encouraged to contact the Graduate Program Director with any questions that they may have!