Admission Requirements

• Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Requirements

• Master of Arts
• Doctor of Philosophy

Mailing Address:
Department of English (MC 162)
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7120

Campus Location: 2000 UH
Program Codes: 20FS0311MA (MA); 20FS0311PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 413-2239
E-mail: neilo@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/index.html
Head of the Department: Mark Canuel
Director of Graduate Studies: Walter Benn Michaels
Graduate Coordinator: Neil O’Callaghan

The Department of English offers work leading to degrees in English at both the master’s and doctoral levels. The department offers the MA with three concentrations: English Studies, Creative Writing, and English Education. The department offers the PhD in English Studies and Creative Writing.

Interdepartmental concentrations in Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and Second Language Teaching are available to both master’s and PhD students.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy

• Baccalaureate Field Applicants who intend to concentrate in English Studies or English Education must have an undergraduate major in English or the equivalent that includes a balanced program in English and American literature beyond the level of sophomore surveys. Applicants who intend to concentrate in Creative Writing may have an undergraduate major or a graduate degree in any field, if they show substantial evidence of ability to complete the work in literature required for the degree in English.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study and for all graduate work.
• Tests Required GRE General.
• Minimum English Competency Score
  • TOEFL 600 (paper-based); 250 (computer-based); 95, with minimum subscores of Reading 24, Listening 24, Speaking 24, and Writing 22 (iBT Internet-based TOEFL).
  • IELTS 7.0, with subscores of 6.5 for all four subscores.
• Letters of Recommendation Three required, preferably from individuals acquainted with the applicant’s recent academic, professional, or creative work.
• Personal Statement Required. Domestic applicants must submit a statement of about 500 words presenting their reasons for wanting to take graduate work in English at UIC and the relationship of this advanced training to professional and other goals.
• International applicants must submit a two- or three-page summary of their educational experience that emphasizes their work in English and American literature and language. They should conclude this summary with their reasons for wanting to do graduate work in the English department.
• Other Requirements All MA and PhD applicants must submit a sample of their written work of no more than 20 pages appropriate to their proposed area of study. In addition, all MA and PhD applicants must submit a coversheet (available as a writable PDF from http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/Forms/admissions_review_FA2007.pdf) with their application materials.
• Applicants in Creative Writing should submit two copies of 20 pages of material (may be by genre of interest; at least 5 poems, one or more stories, a chapter from a novel, or comparable work).  Applicants may, in addition, submit a critical writing sample of no more than 20 pages.
• Deadlines The application deadline for the PhD program is January 1 preceding fall admission; February 1 is the deadline for the MA programs; May 15 is the deadline for the nondegree program.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
• Course Work At least 12 of the 32 hours must be at the 500-level, and at least 24 of the 32 hours must be in the Department of English. Credit toward the MA is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B.
• Required Courses: All master’s students are required to take the following courses (4 hours each): ENGL 500 and 2 courses from the Bridge Series (ENGL 507, 517, 527, 537, 547, 557, and 567) for a total of 12 hours of required courses. Master’s students who wish to take courses from the other 500-level series (Discourse, Text, and Context; or Theoretical Engagements) must have the permission of the instructor.
• In addition, students are required to meet the following distribution requirements: 2 courses in British and American studies from the beginnings to 1914; and 2 courses in British and American studies since 1914. These distribution requirements can be fulfilled through Bridge Series work and 400-level offerings in the department. Advanced undergraduate courses with a grade of B or better may be counted toward these distribution requirements with the permission of the director of graduate studies. No more than 4 hours of credit each taken in ENGL 596 and 597 (MA independent study) may be counted toward the degree.
• Creative Writing: At least 12 and no more than 16 hours of creative writing workshops in addition to the above requirements.

• English Education: As part of the 32 hours required for the MA degree, students must take the following courses (4 hours each): ENGL 557 as 1 of the 2 Bridge Series courses; 2 courses in Teaching Methods (ENGL 481, 482, 486, 489, or 555); 1 additional course in literature; 2 electives chosen with approval of the advisor.

  • Additional Requirements for Teacher Certification—Students who wish to seek teacher certification must take additional courses in the College of Education and complete student teaching to be eligible for state certification. Such students are also more restricted in their choices of courses within the concentration. Courses should be selected in consultation with an advisor. Contact the Department of English for the current requirements. At the time of this writing, in addition to the MA requirements and the requirements for the Concentration in English Education, students seeking certification must complete ENGL 481, 486, and 489. They must also complete the following education courses and student teaching program:
    • One course from ED 402 or 403
    • One course from ED 421 or 445
    • ED 432 (taken in conjunction with  ENGL 481)
    • SPED 410
    • ENGL 498 and 499 (student teaching semester with seminar)
  • The teaching certificate is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of degree and certification requirements. For more information on application procedures for the teaching certificate, contact the Council on Teacher Education in the College of Education.
• Comprehensive Examination None.
• Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Project consisting of a qualifying paper required for all concentrations. No other options are available. Students must register for 0 hours of ENGL 597; up to 4 hours of credit in this course may be applied toward the degree.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate, 64 from the MA.
• Course Work Credit toward the PhD is not given for any course in which the student receives a grade of less than B.
• Required Courses: All students in the PhD program must take the following courses (4 hours each): year-long proseminar (ENGL 503 and 504); 1 Bridge Series course (ENGL 507, 517, 527, 537, 547, 557, and 567); 2 seminars from the Discourse, Text, and Context Series (ENGL 505, 510, 515, 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, 545, and 550) and/or the Theoretical Engagements Series (ENGL 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, and 588) for a total of 20 hours of required courses.
• Creative Writing: Students in Creative Writing are also required to take 3 workshops (12 hours), not including translation and publishing workshops; students in fiction must take 8 hours in fiction workshops, students in poetry must take at least 8 hours in poetry workshops, and nonfiction writers must take 8 hours in nonfiction workshops.
• Preliminary Examination Required; written and oral.
• Dissertation Required. No more than 32 hours of ENGL 599 can be applied to the degree. Degree candidates in English Studies write dissertations involving innovative research in criticism, theory, rhetoric, and/or literary/cultural histories.
• Candidates pursuing Creative Writing are expected to produce as a dissertation one of the following: a novel, a volume of short stories or poems, a play or group of plays, or a unified collection of essays.
• Other Requirements Language: Students must present evidence of advanced knowledge of a language other than English. Contact the director of graduate studies for more information.
• Teaching: Students lacking teaching experience must take ENGL 555 during their first year. All students must serve as teaching assistants for at least four semesters. All teaching assistants teach sections of ENGL 160 and 161. Teaching assistants are often assigned to other lower-level courses in English appropriate to their concentration.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies after consulting with their graduate advisor. See Gender and Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies. See Latin American and Latino Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Second Language Teaching

Students earning a graduate degree in the department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Second Language Teaching. See Second Language Teaching in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of the catalog for more information.