M.A. students must take eight grade-bearing course units (i.e., not the ungraded Independent Reading course, English 999).

All first-year Ph.D. students must take English 600, the Proseminar. This course is optional for M.A. students

With the Graduate Chair's approval, students may elect graduate courses in other departments at Penn for credit toward the Ph.D. in English.

Students with MAs from other schools may petition the graduate chair to have two of those courses counted toward their courses.

M.A.

8 courses:

• At least 1 700-level course

• 7 additional courses (998 only by permission of Grad Chair; no 999s)

• one language exam must be passed as well.

Ph.D.

20 Courses:

1st Year
Take 7 courses- four courses one semester and three courses the other. ENGL 600 (Proseminar) must be taken in the Fall. Also register for Independent Reading (ENGL999) during your 3-course semester. Total c.u.s after the first year is 8.

2nd Year
Take 5 courses during your 2nd year, three in the Fall and two in the Spring. In addition, all students will be enrolled in ENGL800 (Pedagogy Seminar) in the spring. All students work as TAs for both semesters. Total c.u.s earned after the second year is 14.

3rd Year
Take 2 courses during your third year, one each semester. In addition, all students will be enrolled in ENGL850 (Field List) in the Fall and ENGL851 (Dissertation Proposal) in the spring. In addition, all students will enroll in ENGL801 (Pedagogy Seminar) in the fall, and ENGL999 (Independent Reading) in the spring. Total c.u.s earned after third year is now 20.

Teach your own courses in critical writing (one each semester).

Dissertation Proposal workshop in May and end of August.

4th Year
Dissertation Proposal Due (September 30th)
Two language exams should be passed by the end of this year.
Research and write your dissertation
(No teaching requirements)

5th Year
Research and write your dissertation
(No teaching requirements)
Limited Grader and Supergrader Positions Available

6th Year
While we have no formal obligations, the department and the university have many ways in which we continue to support graduate students: competitive fellowships from SAS; outside fellowships; teaching fellowships at the writing center; teaching courses in the department and in the College of General Education; departmental post-docs; and year in London.
Limited Grader and Supergrader Positions Available

Please refer to this link for more information:  http://www.english.upenn.edu/Grad/otherfunding.php


You must have at least 5 700-level courses (one Independent Study course [English 998] may be counted as a 700-level class, provided it involves writing a full-length term paper)

Students may petition the GEC (www.english.upenn.edu/Grad/gec.php) for exceptions to these requirements.

Students must have a total of 20 c.u.s completed before going onto dissertation status.