The Graduate Program in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is consistently ranked as one of the best in the country and offers an experience that is both rigorous and supportive. The program offers five distinct tracks focused on Literary Studies, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Interdisciplinary Theater Studies, and Composition and Rhetoric.
Graduate study in English at UW-Madison prepares students for a range of future careers. Former students teach at top colleges and research universities, nationally and internationally. They direct writing centers and administer humanities centers. They teach at private high schools and community colleges, and they work in the non-profit and private sector using their research and teaching to shape knowledge and society. Over the course of a student’s time in Madison they will have many opportunities to explore potential career tracks and can gain experience in undergraduate teaching, university administration and advising, and in the public humanities.
The department has a longstanding commitment to cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, both in traditional areas, like Medieval Studies and American Studies, and in newer fields like Ecocriticism and the Environmental Humanities and Global Black Studies, in which the department has ongoing commitment and has hired many new faculty. Students across the graduate program participate in collaborative research workshops and colloquia.
Welcome from the Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Martin Foys
Director of Graduate Studies
English Department
The University of Wisconsin Department of English offers three graduate degrees with areas of focus: the MFA degree in Creative Writing; the MA degree in English (Applied English Linguistics); the PhD degree in English (Composition and Rhetoric, English Language and Linguistics, Literary Studies).
While it is my job to insure that all these areas are functioning well and in harmony with one another, each area has its own advisor. I primarily direct the Literary Studies program; prospective students who are interested in studying in other areas and who need assistance should contact the appropriate area directors. You’ll find contact information by clicking on the graduate area listed in the menu on the right side under “Programs.” As the Director of Graduate Studies for the English Department, I am happy to meet with any graduate student, from any area, should the need arise.
I extend a warm welcome to all the incoming students arriving from across the U.S. and around the globe. While you are here, those of us on the English Department faculty will do all we can to make sure you acquire both breadth of knowledge and the particular skills you need to excel in your area of focus, and that you do so in a climate that is both supportive and intellectually challenging. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your area director, or to our Graduate Program Managers at our Graduate Admissions Office at gradcoord@english.wisc.edu.
I hope too you’ll stop by my office (7195F Helen C. White) or email me if you’d like to make an appointment, if only to introduce yourself. I’m eager to meet all of you!