The PhD Program offers a rigorous course of study in the field of Composition & Rhetoric. Designed to prepare candidates to do high-order scholarly and pedagogical work, our area features an active and wide-ranging faculty committed to mentoring graduate students, and we are able to offer a low student-to-professor ratio, a vibrant graduate student community, and numerous teaching and professionalization opportunities. Thanks to this, our students have had a particularly strong track record with job placements over the past decade.
Doctoral Program in Composition & Rhetoric
The PhD in English with a focus on Composition & Rhetoric is an advanced research degree designed to prepare candidates to do scholarly and pedagogical work of a high order. Students move from general training and preparation during coursework to their preliminary examinations and a specialized dissertation project.
Additionally, we offer several flexible programs for graduate students, including a PhD Minor in Composition & Rhetoric. We invite you to consult the following pages for more detailed information on the program, the application process, and our faculty and graduate students. For procedural questions about applying to graduate study in Composition and Rhetoric, please contact our Graduate Coordinator. For questions about academic interests and the PhD program in Composition and Rhetoric, please contact Professor Morris Young.
A masters degree is required to begin the PhD with an emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric. We do not admit students who will only have a BA/BS. If you are interested in applying to the Bridge Program in Afro-American Studies to earn an MA and then move into the Ph.D. with an emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric please see detailed information on the Afro-American Bridge Program.