Doctor of Philosophy in Literature
PhD in Literature
The PhD in Literature at UT Dallas is designed for students who are passionate about literature and critical theory and want to contribute new knowledge to the field. This program can prepare students for academic careers, where they can teach at the college level and engage in high-level research across a wide range of literary traditions, critical methodologies, and cultural contexts. Students will explore texts from various time periods, genres, and languages, honing their skills in literary analysis, critical thinking, and scholarly writing. Additionally, students have the opportunity to focus on creative writing or translation as part of their dissertation work, adding a unique dimension to their research.
The program offers flexibility through coursework in literary studies, as well as seminars in related disciplines like philosophy, film studies, and the visual and performing arts. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, an essential tool for accessing and analyzing primary sources in different literary traditions. The program includes comprehensive field examinations, after which students begin preparing their dissertation proposal with the support of a supervising committee. This is followed by the completion and defense of their dissertation.
Graduates of the PhD in Literature will be equipped with the expertise needed to conduct independent, original research and to teach at the college level in literary studies. They will emerge with strong skills in critical thinking, analytical writing, and cultural interpretation, guided throughout the process by a faculty with expertise in a broad range of literary and interdisciplinary fields.
- Program type: doctorate
- Format: on campus, with full- and part-time options available
- Estimated time to complete: 5-7 years
- Semester credit hours: 60
Dissertation
Students are formally advanced to PhD candidacy when they have successfully completed the doctoral field examinations and received final approval for dissertation topics. Students should submit a preliminary dissertation proposal for consideration during the oral section of the doctoral field examination. After that examination, a four-person supervising committee is formed, normally from the examining committee plus an additional faculty member, to oversee dissertation work. The supervising committee must then approve a formal dissertation proposal before the student submits it to the Graduate Studies Committee for final approval.
Each candidate then writes a doctoral dissertation, which is supervised and defended according to general University regulations.
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