About this Program
¹ú²úÂ×Àí offers a Doctor of Philosophy in English degree. It is an innovative program that integrates digital humanities, writing studies, literature, rhetoric, discourse, and cultural studies, offering opportunities for creative reinterpretation of these fields within the discipline of English. Students may pursue full- or part-time study through a combination of on-campus and distance learning courses. This program prepares students for academic careers, as well as other careers in which reading, writing, and critical inquiry figure prominently; the program also helps students professionalize within their current careers.
Program Highlights
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There are three main concentrations: 1) Literary and Cultural Studies; 2) Rhetoric, Writing, and Discourse Studies; and 3) Technology and Media Studies. Students whose interests and scholarship recommend it may work with an advisor to assemble a 4) Student-created concentration that must be approved by the graduate program director.
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Distance/Online Learning: Each year the English PhD program recruits and admits candidates who will take the program part-time and at a distance (mostly through WebEx). Students at a distance are required to meet the same admissions standards and have the same course requirements and program expectations as on-campus students. Students at a distance are expected to obtain the requisite software necessary to engage in synchronous video classes, access Blackboard, and otherwise participate as fully in class life as electronic means will allow. Students at a distance should visit the .
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Dynamic: It underscores the English’s interdisciplinarity. Students are invited to study the teaching of writing in view of technological and textual innovations; to examine cultural spaces as rhetorical ecologies; to consider literary archives as cultural effects; and more.
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The Summer Doctoral Institute allows distance students to complete the program at the same pace as full-time students who attend on campus. It features a two-week on-campus residency that has students working intensively with one another and with faculty they customarily see on screens.
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The Research Competency Requirement allows students to creatively establish their research methods by allowing foreign languages, statistical analysis, and technological expertise to complete it.
Featured Courses
Requirements
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A completed master's degree (or its equivalent) in English or in an appropriate field from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
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A minimum GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) overall for the master's degree
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TOEFL scores if applicable
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A 1500 word statement of the applicant's academic and professional goals and discussion of how the Ph.D. in English will contribute to the achievement of those goals
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Three letters of reference from sources capable of commenting on the applicant's readiness for advanced graduate study in English
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A writing sample of at least 15 double-spaced pages on on a topic related to the applicant's expertise
Careers
Check out these ideas from ¹ú²úÂ×Àí's Center for Career & Leadership Development and the . A median salary is a midpoint of what people typically earn—half of those surveyed earned above the median salary, and half earned below.
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
Engage in promoting or creating an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media.
Cost of Attendance
Tuition is charged per credit hour. Amounts shown are tuition only and do not include mandatory fees, technology-delivered course fees, course-specific fees, books, housing, meal plans, or other costs. Campus-based students may take technology-delivered or online courses. Tuition is based on student classification. Fees for technology-delivered courses and other costs are listed on the ¹ú²úÂ×Àí tuition and fees page.
Ways to Fund Your Degree
There are a few ways for you to save on the cost of attending ¹ú²úÂ×Àí, including scholarships, assistantships, and student loans. For more details about financial aid at Old Dominion, visit the Financial Aid Office page.
Assistantships
Our online program allows students to pace their progress through the degree in an affordable fashion while losing little time as they advance toward completion. The online per-credit cost is comparable to in-state tuition. All on-campus students enjoy five years of support in assistantships. Their work includes editorial assistant of a peer-reviewed journal and MediaCommons; administrative work supporting the directors of the Writing Program and the Writing Center; coordinating the use of the MPark, our department’s learning lab and maker space; research and teaching in upper-division writing and literature courses; and teaching in our general education program.
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