Graduate Coursework Requirements

M.A. and Submat Coursework Requirements

M.A. and submat students are required to complete a total of eight grade-bearing graduate courses (i.e., courses rostered at the 5000 level or above). At least one of the eight courses must be a 7000-level seminar. The eight courses chosen do not need to fulfill the Ph.D. distribution requirements (see below).

In addition to their courses, M.A. and submat students must also complete a scholarly report (which can be a seminar paper from one of their eight courses), one foreign language requirement, and a general examination. The general exam will be satisfied by a one-hour discussion of coursework by two members of the Graduate Group.

Ph.D. Coursework Requirements

Ph.D. students are required to complete a total of fourteen grade-bearing graduate seminars in their first two years of the program, including five 7000-level seminars. Two of these courses are required: ENGL 6000, the first-year Proseminar, and ENGL 8000, Pedagogy. Ph.D. students are also required to complete distribution requirements.

Students who enter the Ph.D. program with an M.A. in hand can transfer up to two of their M.A. courses toward their coursework at Penn, meaning they would only need to complete a total of twelve courses in the first two years. (Note that these transferred courses cannot fulfill the distribution requirements.) Transfer credits are formally processed at the end of the Ph.D. student's first year in the program.

Note: Students in the Ph.D. program who wish to obtain their M.A. 'in passing' are required to complete all components of the M.A. degree, including the scholarly report and the general exam (which can be fulfilled by passing the 50-Book Exam).

Additional Rules and Regulations

Courses outside the Department

M.A. and Ph.D. students may take one graduate-level seminar per semester in a department outside of English, for a maximum total of two seminars for M.A. students and 4 seminars for Ph.D. students. "Outside courses" may be taken in other departments at Penn or (for PhD students only) at participating institutions through the Ivy+ Exchange and Penn-Rutgers Exchange programs.

Courses that are already cross-listed with the English department—that is, courses with an ENGL course number that are hosted in another department at Penn—are not considered to be "outside courses," and hence are not subject to the above limitations.

Independent Studies

Ph.D. students may count two grade-bearing independent studies toward their coursework requirements, contingent on the permission of a faculty advisor and the Grad Chair. M.A. and submat students may count one such independent study toward their coursework requirements, subject to the same conditions and permissions.

Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) Courses

M.A. and submat students may count Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) seminars, hosted by the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS), toward their coursework requirements. Ph.D. students are generally not allowed to count MLA seminars toward their coursework requirements and must receive permission from the Graduate Office.

Auditing Courses

M.A. and Ph.D. students in coursework may audit a maximum of 2 courses per semester above and beyond their registered courses. This includes undergraduate- and graduate-level language courses in other departments.

Ph.D. students who have finished their coursework requirements may audit or take for credit one additional graduate seminar per semester.

Good Standing

All graduate seminars are graded. Both M.A. and Ph.D. students must maintain a 3.0 (B) average to be considered in good academic standing. Students who take incompletes will be considered not in good standing until the incomplete is resolved. See the Academic Good Standing page for full details.

For full rules governing coursework requirements, please see the Graduate Program Handbooks.