What to Expect
Our program's distinctive emphasis on multiple forms of writing allows you to pursue literary and scholarly work that combines intellectual rigor with creativity and develop projects that reach new audiences. Thanks to our small size, you and your cohort members in the PhD program can devise customized sequences as you prepare for a diverse and multi-disciplinary market.
You’ll also be challenged to develop unique areas of study with your dissertation—joining a network of alumni who have explored everything from the language of dress in late-19th-century fiction to the history of computers and composition. For those with existing creative practice and an interest in scholarly work, you can opt to complete a creative dissertation with a rigorous critical apparatus.
Additionally, our weekly department colloquium grants you the opportunity to interact with top scholars, creative writers, editors and journalists. We also encourage you to travel to archives and conferences to contribute to a well-rounded education.
As a graduate teaching assistant (TA) in our program, you will be exposed to the widest possible range of pedagogical styles and practices. The valuable teaching experience you will gain as a TA will be vital as you begin to design and run classes on your own. Paired with individual mentoring, graduate TAs are integrated into the writing program faculty, where they actively participate in workshops, seminars and other training sessions.
