Rhetoric & Composition Requirements & Courses
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Requirements & Courses
The Ph.D. requires a total of 72 hours, split between coursework (48) and dissertation research (24). Courses for Rhetoric & Composition Ph.D. students include required seminars, and elective minor areas in English and American literature, creative writing, linguistics, rhetoric and composition. For the most part, these requirements aim to provide a generalist education, and the flexibility needed for your concentration and research interests.
Exams
You may take your comprehensive exams beginning in the semester after you complete your coursework and foreign language requirements. Following exam specifications required of your concentration, students select four areas for examination, one primary area and three secondary areas. You may opt to take two additional courses to replace one minor exam. Talk to your advisor for more information.
Dissertation:
Rhetoric & Composition students complete a book-length scholarly dissertation which engages issues, ideas, and/or theory of literary studies.