English, PhD

Department Website

Through our graduate programs, Stony Brook’s English Department participates in learning communities around the world. Professionals with Stony Brook English degrees teach in secondary schools, colleges and universities, present research at scholarly conferences, and write for specialized and general-interest audiences.

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program pursue a course of study that is designed, in large part, around individual interests and that moves from a broad-based survey to a more narrowly focused specialization. Eleven courses are required of each student. EGL 600, The Discipline of Literary Studies, must be taken during the first fall semester in which it is offered, as it introduces students to the variety of approaches to literature represented in current criticism. Students select their remaining courses in consultation with faculty advisors; these courses are intended to strengthen the student’s literary background and theoretical knowledge, and further define chosen areas of inquiry. To accommodate the latter goal, students may take courses in other departments with approval from the graduate director. While pursuing the Ph.D. in English, students may also earn an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, media, arts, cultural and technology, or composition studies.

Corresponding to the pattern of study that underlies the Ph.D. program are the oral examination and the dissertation prospectus meeting. The first, a three-hour general examination is taken by the end of the fifth semester. Students will be examined on the contents of three lists developed in cooperation with their examiners. Each list must be accompanied by a syllabus or other document prepared by the student that reflects their understanding of the list. Please see the department website (or handbook) for detailed information At the prospectus meeting, held by the end of the sixth semester, the student discusses the dissertation topic with faculty advisors and develops a plan for completion of the project.

Ph.D. students receiving financial support teach one course each semester. Teaching assignments are varied and flexible. Teaching assistants teach courses in composition or introductory courses in literature, and assist professors in large lecture courses. During their first semester of teaching writing at Stony Brook, students must enroll in the Teaching Practicum, which provides them with pedagogical theory and teaching supervision All Ph.D. students on financial support must be registered as full-time students.