General Information
The PhD prepares graduates as scholars and teachers of
literature. The PhD may be earned in any field of English,
American, Anglophone, or multicultural literary
studies; the faculty welcomes work from a variety of
theoretical, cultural-studies, and cross-disciplinary approaches.
All work must be completed within six years
of beginning the program, although extensions may be
granted. Recent graduates of our PhD program have
earned tenure-track positions at colleges and universities
throughout the United States. For more information
about our placement record, contact the director of
Graduate Studies.
Admission requirements
• An MA degree in English or 30 semester hours of
graduate English coursework (exclusive of speech,
creative writing, and composition).
• Satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing
sections of the GRE General Test (approximately
600/5.0)
• Satisfactory score (approximately 600) on the GRE
Subject Test: Literature in English
• Submission of a complete application by January 1
(December 1 for international applicants).
Coursework, Comprehensive Examination,
and Dissertation
PhD students must complete 18 hours of coursework
(6 courses) beyond the MA. This coursework must fill
any deficiencies in the MA in Literature requirements
(see above); in exceptional cases petitions for waivers
will be considered. After completing coursework, PhD
students go on to pass a comprehensive examination
and to write and defend a dissertation.
Foreign language requirement
Students earning the PhD must complete a foreign
language requirement, either before or after enrolling at
CU-Boulder, in one of the following ways:
1. Demonstrating advanced proficiency in one foreign
language by:
• Completing with a grade of B or better a 3-credit
graduate course offered by one of the departments
of foreign languages; or
• Presenting other evidence of advanced proficiency
to the director of Graduate Studies.
2. Demonstrating moderate proficiency in two foreign
languages by:
• Completing a fourth-semester (second-semester
sophomore) college language course with a grade
of C or better; or
• Presenting other evidence of moderate proficiency
to the director of Graduate Studies.
Application Requirements
Applications are available to process online via the Office of Admissions website.
This link directs you to the online application service, ApplyYourself
www.colorado.edu/prospective/graduate/apply/application.html
The address to send by mail is:
Graduate Admissions
Department of English
CU Boulder
Hellems 101 / 226 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0226
If you are an international applicant, please visit this link for additional information on required testing and documents.
http://www.colorado.edu/prospective/international/index.html
•Applicants are eligible to apply for one English Graduate program in any given admission session. If you are applying for the MFA in Creative Writing, you will not be eligible to apply for the MA in Literature.
•English Department Graduate Program Applications are accepted exclusively for Fall Admission. Deferral to start in any semester other than that of your admission year is available through petition only due to exceptional circumstances.
The application deadline of January 1st, 2008 for Fall 2008 admission has passed. Applications for Fall 2009 will be accepted beginning Summer 2008.
•Domestic Applications, with all materials, are due to the English Department no later than January 1, 2008.
•International Applications, with all materials, are due to the Office of Admissions, International Admissions Team (IAT) no later than December 1, 2007.
THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION
Please note, due to security and authenticity issues, we are unable to accept ANY electronic application materials unless they are submitted through the online application system, ApplyYourself.
• Complete/submitted application from ApplyYourself
http://www.colorado.edu/prospective/graduate/apply/application.html
• Three letters of recommendation (a fourth is optional). At least two letters should be from persons with whom the applicant has taken a graduate course in literature.
• Tuition Classification Form for those seeking Colorado resident tuition.
• Teaching Appointment Application for those seeking a Graduate Part-Time Instructorship (GPTI). Please visit this link for the application. http://www.colorado.edu/English/acadprograms/gradteachapp.htm
• Nonrefundable application fee of $50 ($70, for international students). Check, cashier’s check, or international money order in U.S. funds made out to the University of Colorado.
• Two official copies of transcript(s) from each college
or university attended.
• A statement of purpose (1–2 pages).
• Writing sample. A critical writing sample of 15-25 pages.
• Scores on the GRE General and GRE Subject Test sent to the Department of English. For reporting purposes, the UCB Institution code is 4841.
The Subject Test code for Literature is 2501.
International Applicants
International applicants must submit the following materials, and mail all application materials to
Office of Admissions
Regent Administrative Center 125
University of Colorado
65 UCB, Boulder, CO
80309-0065 USA.
International applicants are urged to consult the Office of Admissions web site at http://www.colorado.edu/prospective/international/index.html for further information about admission to and study at the University of Colorado and Boulder.
• International Student Application for Admission
• Financial Statement for International Applicants with the required documentation.
• Scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or acceptable equivalent examination. Students who speak English as a native language or
who have completed at least one year of full-time academic study at a U.S. institution at the time of application are exempt from this requirement.
• All other materials specified above.
If you have any further questions, please send them to ssengl@colorado.edu.
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