Department website: https://english.wvu.edu/
Degree Requirements
- Regular Standing: Includes students who have completed an undergraduate degree in English or a closely related field.
- Advanced Standing: Includes students who have completed a graduate degree in English or a closely related field.
- Credit Hours:
- Regular Standing: Students are required to complete a minimum number of 60 graduate credit hours, typically across five full-time academic years, in English or Writing Studies courses at the 500 level or above. Courses taken outside of the department must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
- Advanced Standing: Advanced Standing: Students are required to complete a minimum number of 42 graduate credit hours, typically across four academic years, in English or Writing Studies at the 500 level or above. Courses taken outside of the department must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
- Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 3.00 in all courses applied to the degree.
Curriculum Requirements (Regular Standing)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| THEORY COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Studies in Composition and Rhetoric | ||
| Professional Writing Theory | ||
| Recent Literary Criticism | ||
| Current Directions in Literary Study | ||
| METHODS COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to the Digital Humanities | ||
| Introduction to Literary Research | ||
| PRACTICE COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Publication Production | ||
| Proposal and Grant Writing | ||
| Approaches to Teaching Composition | ||
| Editing | ||
| College Composition Pedagogy | ||
| Professional Writing Internship | ||
| Writing Health and Medicine: Narrative Approaches and Professional Practice | ||
| Writing Science for Public and Scientific Audiences | ||
| PRIMARY AREA: * | 24 | |
Any ENGL or WRIT courses at the 500 level or above | ||
| BREADTH: | 9 | |
Any ENGL or WRIT courses at the 500 level or above | ||
| RESEARCH: ** | 6 | |
| Research (minimum of 3 credits) | ||
| TEACHING PRACTICUM: | 6 | |
| Teaching Practicum (maximum of 6 credits) | ||
| DISSERTATION: *** | 6 | |
| Thesis or Dissertation | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Curriculum Requirements (Advanced Standing)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| THEORY COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Studies in Composition and Rhetoric | ||
| Professional Writing Theory | ||
| Recent Literary Criticism | ||
| Current Directions in Literary Study | ||
| METHODS COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to the Digital Humanities | ||
| Introduction to Literary Research | ||
| PRACTICE COURSE: | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Publication Production | ||
| Proposal and Grant Writing | ||
| Approaches to Teaching Composition | ||
| Editing | ||
| College Composition Pedagogy | ||
| Professional Writing Internship | ||
| Writing Health and Medicine: Narrative Approaches and Professional Practice | ||
| Writing Science for Public and Scientific Audiences | ||
| PRIMARY AREA: * | 9 | |
Any ENGL or WRIT courses at the 500 level or above | ||
| BREADTH: | 6 | |
Any ENGL or WRIT courses at the 500 level or above | ||
| RESEARCH: ** | 6 | |
| Research | ||
| TEACHING PRACTICUM: | 6 | |
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| DISSERTATION: *** | 6 | |
| Thesis or Dissertation | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
- *
Students must consult their Dissertation Adviser to choose one of the three primary areas of study: 1. Writing and Rhetoric; 2. Literature and Cultural Studies; 3. Interdisciplinary.
- **
Students must complete at least six hours of ENGL 797; however, most students complete more than 15 credit hours of research.
- ***
Students must complete at least six hours of ENGL 798; however, most students complete more than 27 credit hours of research.
Major Learning Outcomes
English
Upon completion of the PhD program, graduates will be able to:
Learning Outcome 1: Research & Analysis
- Perform close textual analysis of language, rhetoric, and structure
- Demonstrate facility with primary and secondary research databases
- Deploy a range of theoretical approaches
- Investigate historical and cultural context that inform a student’s field of study
- Join scholarly and public conversations
Learning Outcome 2: Teaching & Instructional Leadership
- Create a teaching portfolio consisting of pedagogical materials, course designs, examples of teaching praxis, and a statement of teaching philosophy
- Design and teach courses that incorporate writing, critical analysis, and level-appropriate subject matter
- Employ a variety of pedagogical methods in the classroom, including using technology, lecturing, and facilitating discussion
- Evaluate, assess, and give effective feedback on student work
- Engage in professional development opportunities
Learning Outcome 3: Writing & Editing
- Apply rhetorical thinking to the writing invention process
- Compose an analysis of a text’s rhetorical structure, audience address, and generic conventions
- Communicate the results of research and academic inquiry to various audiences through public-facing writing
- Develop writing, editing, and document design skills for a variety of print and digital platforms
- Produce a variety of academic and professional genres