A&S—English
The Department of English offers the following degrees and certificate:
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Certificate in Composition, Literacy and Pedagogy
Contact Information
- Director of Graduate Studies: Troy Boone
- Main Office: 526 Cathedral of Learning
- 412-624-6549
- Fax: 412-624-6639
- E-mail: boone@pitt.edu
- http://www.english.pitt.edu/graduate/
Additional information concerning the department’s graduate program may be obtained from the University of Pittsburgh, Department of English, Graduate Administrator, 526 CL, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Phone: 412-624-6549. Fax: 412-624-6639. E-mail: engrad@pitt.edu. Web site: www.english.pitt.edu/graduate.
Applicants for admission must submit an online application, official transcripts of all college-level work, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a writing sample (which varies by degree—please consult the application requirements link above), and scores on the verbal and writing assessment-analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination. International applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit either the TOEFL administered by the Educational Testing Service with a minimum score of 550 (paper-based test)/213 (computer-based test), or the IELTS administered by the University of Cambridge, Local Examinations Syndicate with a minimum score of 6.5 (taking the academic writing and reading modules). Applications will be accepted for fall term admission until December 9. The department admits students only for the fall term.
Applicants can apply online at the following site: app.applyyourself.com/?id=up-as.
All PhD students are offered a non-teaching fellowship for their first year of study. Students making satisfactory progress are then ordinarily supported with renewable teaching assistantships and teaching fellowships for up to five more years, depending on course and funding availability. The department does not usually offer support to MA students. A limited number of teaching assistantships are available for qualified MFA students.
A limited number of graduate student assistantships are available for qualified MFA and MA students.
General Requirements. The MFA requires 36 credit hours with a minimum grade point average of 3.00, plus the completion of an acceptable final manuscript. Twelve credits are to be earned in four writing courses, at least nine of the 12 in workshops in the student’s area of major interest (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), and three in a graduate-level readings course. Twelve credits are to be earned in English courses outside the writing program (literature, film, composition); nine of these credits must be in MA/PhD courses, and a maximum of three may be earned in English courses outside the writing program at the 1000 level. The remaining 12 credits can be taken as electives. There are no second language requirements for MFA students. The Final Manuscript. The final manuscript is equivalent to the MA comprehensive examination. It consists of a book-length manuscript of the student’s best work in the area of major interest. The manuscript shall be submitted to a committee of three English faculty members—two writing graduate faculty in the student’s area of major interest and one English graduate faculty member outside the writing program. The student may recommend committee members, but the writing program director has final approval.
General Requirements. The MA requires 27 credit hours in courses at the 2000 or 3000 level, with a minimum grade point average of 3.00. Two of these courses must be ENGLIT 2000: History of Criticism (three credits) and one course (three credits) in the scholarship of pedagogy. Among the remaining 21 elective credits, three seminars (nine credits) must be designated as constituting a teaching and research field. MA students must complete a master’s research paper in an elective course of their choice (see below), and must demonstrate reading knowledge of one second language. Master’s Research Paper. All MA students must also complete a master’s research paper in an elective course of their choice. The master’s research paper should be of professional article length, defined by the Modern Language Association (MLA) as 6,000–8,000 words. Students must engage in primary research beyond course readings and/or what is ordinarily required for a term paper, and the master’s research paper must reflect that research. Students must consult an instructor, and receive the instructor’s approval, no later than the end of the add/drop period if they wish to write their master’s research paper for that instructor’s seminar. The instructor of the seminar will be solely responsible for evaluating the paper. The master’s research paper must be completed no later than the last day of the spring term of a student’s second year, or fourth term in residence. In order for the master’s research paper to count toward earning the MA, a student must receive a grade of B or better on the paper and as a final grade for the course in which the paper was completed.
General Requirements. The PhD requires 72 credit hours, 39 of which must be in courses at the 2000 or 3000 level, with a minimum grade point average of 3.00. Two of these courses must be ENGLIT 2000: History of Criticism (3 credits) and one course (3 credits) in the scholarship of pedagogy. Two of the remaining 11 elective seminars (33 credits) must be at the 3000 level. Among elective credits, five seminars must be designated as constituting a teaching and research field. The remaining credits are earned through independent studies in preparation of the PhD project and dissertation research credits. PhD students must also demonstrate reading knowledge of two second languages or comprehensive command of one, and must teach for at least two terms. Earning the MA. PhD students may elect to earn an MA as they progress in the PhD program, although they are not required to do so. If they wish to earn the MA, they must successfully complete the two core courses listed above with a grade of B or better, and either complete the master’s research paper (outlined above under "Requirements for the MA Degree"), or successfully pass their PhD project examinations. The PhD Project. The PhD project fulfills the University requirement for a comprehensive examination prior to being granted doctoral candidacy. It is a historical and theoretical investigation of a topic that can be demonstrated by the student to be of long-term significance for critical study. The project allows students to examine and synthesize a range of interests that ordinarily lead into the more detailed inquiry of a dissertation. While we no longer insist on "comprehensiveness" as knowledge of all literature written in English, the project is meant to demonstrate a breadth of knowledge as well as the ability to work on a single problem. For more specific regulations governing the PhD project, please consult the PhD Web site listed above. The Dissertation. After students have passed their project examinations, they will register for independent study credits in order to write a prospectus for the dissertation. The student should choose a dissertation director and a committee at this time. Once a dissertation committee has been formed, the student will submit a formal dissertation prospectus to them for approval. When the dissertation committee has approved the prospectus, the dissertation director will submit for the student an application for admission to doctoral candidacy. Once students have had their dissertation prospectus passed and have been admitted to doctoral candidacy, they should begin the work of researching and writing the dissertation. Normally students will complete the dissertation during the fifth and sixth years in the program, the fifth through the eighth terms as a teaching fellow, or the ninth through the 12th terms in residence. Once the dissertation is completed, students must successfully defend the dissertation in order to earn the PhD.
Certificate in Composition, Literacy and Pedagogy
This graduate certificate recognizes sustained, advanced study in composition, literacy, and pedagogy. It can be awarded to students who have earned the MS, MFA, or PhD degree in the department of English, and to those earning graduate degrees in other programs and departments.
To qualify for the certificate, students must successfully complete 12 to 18 credits (depending upon the level of the certificate being awarded).
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