Graduate students in other University of Wisconsin-Madison programs have the option of completing minor courses for their doctoral (or, in rare cases, Master’s) program in the English Department. Official minors are offered in Creative Writing and English Language and Linguistics. Please consult the requirements for individual programs listed below. General inquiries can be directed to the Graduate Coordinator. For a listing of recent or upcoming courses offerings, please consult our “Courses” page under the “Graduate” tab.
Creative Writing
The Minor in Creative Writing requires 9 hours of graduate or advanced undergraduate workshops and one additional 3-credit elective by the students in consultation with the MFA Advisor. To be eligible to apply for the Minor, a PhD student must have already completed, or be currently enrolled in, an advanced-level workshop. Application for admission to the minor consists of the submission (by November 15 of the Fall semester, or April 15 of the Spring semester) of a writing sample in one or more genres (up to 30 pp. of fiction or creative non-fiction; up to 10 pp. of poetry), and a statement (1-2 pp.) justifying the minor’s relevance to the student’s current or future research and career plans.
English – Composition & Rhetoric
This minor is geared toward graduate students from a wide array of disciplines who seek an emphasis in the teaching of post-secondary writing, rhetoric, literacy, and/or composition studies. The minor will appear on the transcript as a Minor in English. Minors must complete 12 credits, generally in the form of four, 3-credit courses. Minors are encouraged to take English 700 (Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric) early in the sequence. Otherwise, any three-credit PhD course in Composition and Rhetoric will count toward the requirement. To learn more about the courses and seek permission to register, contact the Graduate Advisor in Composition and Rhetoric. An internal minor in Composition and Rhetoric is available to English PhD students in Literary Studies and English Language and Linguistics. This will appear as a Distributed Minor (Option B) on the transcript.
English – Literary Studies
Graduate students in other departments may minor in the Department of English with a focus on Literary Studies. This minor will appear on the transcript as a minor in English. The minor in Literary Studies requires twelve graduate credits in the Department of English Literary Studies courses with no grade lower than B. Graduate seminars in Literary Studies (English 800s) offer 3 graduate credits per course. Upper-level undergraduate courses (numbered 400s-600s) may receive graduate credits if the student makes arrangements with the professor at the start of the semester to do additional graduate-level work. For graduate seminars, the student must receive advance approval from the Director of Graduate Studies in English before the student will be able to register. For the upper-level undergraduate courses for graduate credit, the student must arrange for the professor to email the Director of Graduate Studies about the additional graduate work. For the total of 12 credits (4 courses) at least 6 credits (2 courses) should be earned through graduate seminars. Under unusual circumstances it may be possible to transfer graduate English courses completed at another institution within the prior five years to count toward the minor in Literary Studies. Such transfer credits must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies based on the syllabus, transcript, and the seminar paper for the course. An internal minor in Literary Studies is available to English PhD students in Composition and Rhetoric and English Language and Linguistics. This will appear as a Distributed Minor (Option B) on the transcript.
English Language and Linguistics
PhD students in other departments may elect an external Minor in English Language and Linguistics (ELL). The requirement for the Minor in ELL is a plan of 12 credits in courses to be selected in consultation with an ELL faculty member and the ELL Graduate Advisor. Minors are encouraged to take English 713 (a graduate research and professionalism course). Any course in English Language and Linguistics may be included in the minor course plan with written approval by the ELL Graduate Advisor. To learn more about the courses, to obtain approval for a plan of courses, and seek permission to register in specific courses, contact the Graduate Advisor in English Language and Linguistics. An internal minor in English Language and Linguistics is available to PhD students in Composition and Rhetoric or Literary Studies. The minor will appear on the transcript as a Distributed Minor.