Overview

Candidates in this English program at Boston College choose from a wide range of courses and proceed through a streamlined series of exams, culminating in a dissertation prospectus exam and the writing of the dissertation.

We prepare our students to teach, do research, and engage in service in a college or university setting. Given the challenging nature of the academic job market, we now also give our students opportunities to learn about and prepare for other kinds of careers, such as publishing, public humanities, and arts administration.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the degree, students should be able to:

Write academic articles and reviews at the scholarly level in informed, intelligible prose.
Research, design and be examined on two long readings lists in major and minor fields of literary study of their choosing.
Demonstrate mastery of an individual chronological and/or national literary field of their choosing.
Choose or define a question in their chosen field of literary study, and write an effective dissertation on it.
Teach courses in English effectively, at introductory and advanced levels, in the community college, 4-year college or university setting.
Publish their research in peer-reviewed journals and present papers at conferences.
Secure an academic or teaching position.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Seminar: Black Feminist Literature, Art, and Performance, 1970s-1990s
Seminar: Irish Romanticism
Literature and the Political
Psychoanalytic Theory
Nineteenth-Century Poetry, Prose, & Cultural Criticism
Digital Humanities
Joyce’s Ulysses
How Philosophy Turned into Science: Literature and Knowledge in Early Modern England

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-25 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-01-02 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

130

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Newton, United States

Disciplines

Language Studies Literature View 210 other PhDs in Language Studies in United States

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

130

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Application Form & Fee
University/college transcripts are required from all post-secondary education institutions attended.
3 Letters of Recommendation
Statement of Purpose. Most departments require a brief (1-2 pages) personal statement in which applicants should discuss their preparation, motivation, and goals for their proposed courses of study.
English Language Proficiency
Writing Sample. If applying to a program requiring a writing sample, (please consult department requirements for reference) these generally constitute a scholarly work in a student’s intended field of study and are no longer than 20-25 pages.

Tuition Fees

Funding

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for English.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Learning outcomes

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners