University of California, Irvine

Program Information

Degree Offered

Ph.D. - English & American Literature

Program Description:

UC Irvine's Department of English offers students a challenging and supportive environment in which to work towards a Ph.D. in English and American Literature. Our Ph.D. program in English is especially noted for its strength in Literary History, Critical Theory and Cultural Studies. Our M.F.A. in Writing programs (see seperate listing) are also among the most highly rated in the country. We pride ourselves on a unique spirit of professional training that combines intellectually rigorous seminars and strong support of individual research with vigorous encouragement of collaborative projects.

The English Ph.D. Program addresses all aspects of the literatures in English throughout the world. The interests of its faculty span the full historical range of these literatures and bring into special focus the history of criticism and literary theory. We also seek to study the historical relationship of theoretical, literary and cultural practices. We have designed our Ph.D. programs to be as flexible as possible, in order to allow students to customize their course work and their Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations to fit their own intellectual interests. As a result we have very few fixed requirements in order to allow each student's course of study to be shaped in close consultation with faculty mentors. Students are encouraged to take seminars in other programs to gain experience of various forms of critical theory and its history.

Accreditation:

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WACS)

Eligibility Requirements:

Admission to the PhD Program is determined by careful review of the applicants’prior academic performance, writing sample,GRE scores,letters of recommendation, personal statement,& foreign language competency statement. Both the GRE general test and subject test are required for admission to the PhD in English. Approximately,12-15 students are accepted on a competitive basis. As such, carefully consider the following: 1.Your Writing Sample is one of the most important components of your application. It is a critically oriented piece that illustrates your ability to do scholarly research & interpret literary texts.2.While there is no fixed cut-off for GRE scores,a reasonable recommendation is a minimum VERBAL score of 680 w/Analytical & Quantitative Scores also taken into consideration.English Ph.D. applicants are required to take the Literature in English Test. A minimum score of 650 is recommended.3.A minimum GPA of 3.50 in the last years of undergraduate coursework.

International Student Requirements:

There are additional University-wide admissions requirements International applicants must meet.An applicant who is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and whose primary language is not English must submit an official TOEFL score with a minimum of 550 on the paper examination which is the equivalent to a score of 213 on the computer-based exam. Applicants should also be prepared to document at the time of application sufficient funds to cover all fees, non-resident tuition, living expenses, and transportation. Currently the required amount for single students for one year of academic study is $37,755 (this is subject to change).

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Format: Campus

Classification: Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Midsize City

Size & Settings: 20,000 and above