Graduate Program
Requirements
Ph.D. Requirements:
For the Ph.D. degree, a student must:
- Complete thirteen courses—six courses with at least one grade of Honors and not more than one grade of Pass in the first year; at least twelve courses with a minimum of Honors in four and not more than one Pass by the end of the second year. One of these courses must be English 990, The Teaching Practicum. Two of these courses may be taken as electives outside of the Department and its affiliates.
- Pass the language requirement (see below), in either the two-language or three-language option.
- Pass an oral examination in 8 (one double) or 9 fields, selected from a possible 25 according to guidelines.
- Demonstrate skills as a teacher by successfully teaching at least two sections or courses.
- Submit for approval a dissertation prospectus with bibliography, no later than the spring of the third year.
- Submit for discussion with a faculty committee a dissertation chapter and 1-2 page abstract in January of the fourth year and a substantial portion of the remaining dissertation in the fifth year. This requirement is intended to assist the student in shaping the dissertation and preparing for the job market.
- Submit and have approved by the faculty a dissertation, an original scholarly or critical work.
Language Requirements:
Students must satisfy the language requirement in one of three ways by the end of the second year. Knowledge of Latin or Greek is considered necessary for students specializing in fields before 1750.
- Two languages, by course and exam: one language to be completed by passing an advanced literature course at Yale (graduate or upper-level undergraduate course taught in and requiring papers in the language in question) with a grade of Honors or High Pass; the other to be passed by departmental exam (reading knowledge with dictionary).
- Two languages by exam: strong reading knowledge of one language, as demonstrated by passing a departmental exam without use of a dictionary; reading knowledge of a second language, demonstrated by passing a departmental exam with dictionary.
- Three languages by departmental exam or, in the case of an ancient language, by satisfactory completion of two semesters of introductory Latin or Greek (Latin 110-111 or Greek 110-111). Languages to be selected from the following: (a) Latin or Greek; (b) French or German; (c) one of the preceding languages or biblical Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Spanish, or another language agreed upon by the director of graduate studies. Students specializing in periods after 1750 may, with the permission of the DGS, substitute a third language for selection (a). Two terms of Old English (or one term of Old English and one of the History of the Language) may be substituted for selection (c). The three-language option is to be completed by passing two exams by the end of the first year and the third by the end of the second year.
M.A. Requirements:
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program may receive the M.A. upon completion of six courses with at least one grade of Honors and a maximum of one grade of Pass, and the passing of two of the languages, ancient or modern, by departmental examinations.
Students enrolled in the terminal master's degree program must complete either seven term courses or six term courses and a special project within the English department (one or two of these courses may be taken in other departments with approval of the director of graduate studies). There must be at least one grade of Honors and there may not be more than one grade of Pass. Students must also pass examinations in two languages, ancient or modern. Full-time students normally complete the program in one year.
