English PhD Program

Doctoral Program

The PhD in English offers in-depth, cross-cultural knowledge of the English language and literature, allowing students to produce an original contribution to their field of specialization.

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Why Pursue a PhD in English

This doctoral program offers students opportunities for advanced study and research in cross-cultural, transnational approaches to English language and literary studies, with coursework required in U.S. Latinx literature and rhetoric and composition. This program also offers study abroad opportunities in England, Italy, and Mexico.

Research Concentrations

Funding is available for graduate student travel to conferences. In addition, Graduate Certificates in Creative Writing and in Rhetoric and Composition are available. Faculty research concentrations include:

American Literature
British Literature
Comparative Literature
Creative Writing
Cultural Studies
Linguistics
Rhetoric and Composition
Technical and Professional Writing

English Department Faculty

UTSA English department faculty engage in innovative research in diverse fields, publish regularly with leading presses and journals, and assume leadership in an array of prestigious national and international organizations. With a low student-to-faculty ratio, graduate students can expect extensive mentoring and guidance from award-winning faculty advisors.

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Admission & Application Requirements

Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.

English (PhD)
Admission is only available for the Fall semester
	Required Degree	Master’s in English Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution.
	Minimum GPA	3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours
	Coursework	18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level.
	Transcripts*	Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English
	Credential Evaluation	Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform
	English Language Proficiency	550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100
	Purpose Statement	Required
	Letters of Recommendation	3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time)
	Writing Sample	Required
*Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University.

Apply 2024-25 Application

Application Deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.

English (PhD)
Timing on Admission Decision: Students can expect to hear back on an admission decision within 4 to 6 weeks after February 1.
Application Deadlines for:	Priority	International	Domestic
Fall 2024		February 1	February 1
Spring		Not Available	Not Available
Summer		Not Available	Not Available

Funding Opportunities

The English PhD program offers nationally competitive graduate fellowships (usually lasting 5 years) to our most competitive applicants. Fellowships include a monthly stipend, full tuition/fees, full UTSA health care, and a variety of research and teaching opportunities. Financial aid is also offered to eligible students in the form of scholarships. Students have received University Teaching and Dissertation Fellowships and external fellowships, such as the Ford Dissertation and Smithsonian Graduate Fellowships.

For more information about graduate funding, click below.

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Career Options

UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.

Graduate classes are generally offered in the evening and may also be offered in the afternoon or morning. A full listing of current classes may be accessed through ASAP (Course Schedules) and syllabi may be accessed through Bluebook.

Recent Graduate Course Titles