English Ph.D.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program in English is determined by careful review of the applicants’ prior academic performance, writing sample, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statement. Only the GRE general test is required for admission to the Ph.D. in English. Approximately, twelve to fifteen students are accepted to the English doctoral program. Admission is for the following Fall Quarter only. The application and supporting documents (official, sealed transcripts, writing sample, three letters of recommendation and GRE scores) are required by the deadline.

Since admission to the graduate programs is competitive, it is recommended that prospective applicants consider carefully the following information:

• Writing Sample: One of the most important components of an application is the writing sample. This should be a critically oriented piece that illustrates an applicant's ability to do scholarly research and interpret literary texts. Although it is not required, it is helpful if the writing sample is relevant to your proposed field of study. Only one writing sample should be submitted (i.e. one single essay; not several shorter pieces), and it should not exceed 20 pages. Please note: the Writing Sample and the Statement of Purpose (part of the university's on-line electronic application) are two separate essays, and both are required for the Ph.D. application. The Statement of Purpose is generally 1-2 pages, and is more of an academic statement.

    Writing Samples must be emailed to pkinjo@uci.edu in PDF format by the deadline.

• GRE Scores: While there is no fixed cut-off for the GRE scores, a reasonable recommendation is a minimum score of 165 on the GRE Verbal Test. Analytical and Quantitative Test Scores are also taken into consideration. To send an official GRE test score to UCI, please select institution code 4859.    
• Grades: A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.50 in the last two years of undergraduate study is recommended to be competitive    
• Prospective International Applicants: All prospective international applicants should be aware of additional University-wide admissions requirements. An applicant who is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and whose primary language is not English must submit an official TOEFL score with a minimum of 550 on the paper examination which is the equivalent to a score of 213 on the computer-based exam. Applicants should also be prepared to document at the time of application sufficient funds to cover all fees, non-resident tuition, living expenses, and transportation. Currently the required amount for single students for one year of academic study is $37,755 (this is subject to change).

As a state university, it has been difficult for us in recent years to support international students who are on F-1 and J-1 visas since they cannot establish California residency, and must pay substantial tuition and living costs for all of the time that they are enrolled in the Ph.D. Program. Teaching Assistantships and fellowships are limited and provide only partial funding. The current stipend is approximately $16,636.98 per year for those teaching one course each term plus a partial fee offset.) For these reasons, we usually are unable to support foreign nationals who do not have independent funding for the duration of their course of study (such as a Fulbright Fellowship, a governmental fellowship from their home country or private funding).
    
Applicants must use the university's electronic application process. Official, sealed transcripts must be submitted in hardcopy form to the English Department by the January 5 deadline.

Ph.D. Programs Application Checklist:

The electronic application.

• $105 (for U.S. Citizens and lawful U.S. Permanent Residents) or $125 (for all other applicants) non-refundable application fee is required for each University of California campus to which an applicant applies. Applicants applying electronically may use a Visa or MasterCard to pay the application fee.
• Transcripts: For application review purposes only, scan and upload copies of transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. In the online application, you will be prompted to upload your scanned documents. Please upload both the front and back sides of the transcript. Uploaded transcripts should be recent and include the following: your name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits and grading legend. UCI reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admission process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found. Official transcripts will be requested if and when you are admitted and decide to attend UCI. Do not send official transcripts until this time, unless you are requested to do so.
• Official GRE General Test scores.
• Three letters of recommendation (submitted via electronic application).
• A single paper or essay on a literary subject of not more than 20 pages must be sent electronically to pkinjo@uci.edu by 11:45pm by the application deadline of January 5. All submissions must be PDF and saved as last name (space) first name (space) application ID number. You will be assigned an application ID number at the time you begin the online application process. Should email submission not be available to you, please contact the Graduate Program Administrator to arrange other accommodations.

Fellowships

The Department is strongly committed to providing financial support to both incoming and continuing graduate students in the form of fellowships and graduate teaching assistantships. In recent years, the Department has been successful in admitting first year students on full or partial fellowships, and/or teaching assistantships. A number of generous fellowships, combined with multiple-year teaching assistant packages, are available to first year students. These fellowships cover in-state fees and in many cases non-resident tuition, and health insurance.

• The Murray Krieger Fellowship in Literary Theory is intended for an outstanding entering graduate student who is pursuing the Ph.D. in English or Comparative Literature and who demonstrates a primary interest in theory as theory relates to literary texts.
• The Graduate First Year Fellowship is awarded annually to an outstanding first-year student.
• The UCI Chancellor's Fellowships is a campus-wide award. Recipients are in the top 5% of admitted applicants.
• The Humanities Pre-Doctoral Fellowship is a two-year fellowship, providing support for the first year in addition to a three-quarter dissertation fellowship after a student has passed the qualifying examinations and is officially ABD.
• The Regents' Fellowships are awarded to outstanding first-year students.

The Diversity Program awards fellowships to both new and continuing students who can demonstrate that they have overcome socioeconomic and educational limitations. Diversity Fellowships for entering students cover in-state fees, health insurance and are accompanied by multiple-year teaching assistant packages from the Department of English. There are two programs targeted specifically at entering graduate students:

• A campus-wide competitive award, the Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship provides support for two years of enrollment in the program.
• The campus-wide Graduate Opportunity Fellowship is designed to foster graduate study by facilitating the academic career development of students who have experienced educational disadvantage in their prior schooling.

For more information on the Diversity fellowships available at UCI, please click here. If you think you might qualify for one of these fellowships please make sure you complete the "Personal History" section of the online graduate application, and indicate your interest there.

In addition to fellowships provided by UCI, a number of first-year students have entered the program with fellowships, including the Mellon, Javits, Pew and others from outside sources. The University provides generous support for advanced students through various fellowships and research grants, including the Regents’ Dissertation Fellowship, the Strauss Fellowship, the Humanities Alumni Fund Dissertation Fellowship, and Summer Dissertation Fellowships. Recent dissertation students have received Fulbright, Newcomb, and other fellowships.

Teaching Assistantships

The Department endeavors to provide teaching assistantship support for up to fifteen quarters. In 2013-2014 teaching assistants will earn $5,885 per quarter ($17,655 for the full year) for one course per quarter. In addition to the stipend, teaching assistants receive payment of partial in-state fees and health insurance. The campus-wide limit for such teaching awards is four years (twelve quarters) prior to the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. Support after the examination is available. Annual renewal of an appointment is contingent upon satisfactory teaching performance, a good academic record, and funding. The faculty considers teaching experience to be an essential part of the graduate student's education toward the advanced degree.

Graduate Student Housing

UCI guarantees an offer of on-campus housing to every newly-admitted, full-time Ph.D. and MFA student. Ph.D. students will be guaranteed housing for a term of one year less than normative time to degree for the program. More information can be found here. For general information about graduate student housing, including application information, photos, floorplans, and a guide to off-campus housing, please click here.

Graduate/Credential Student Fees 2018-19

Posted 10 August 2018 at http://reg.uci.edu/fees/2018-2019/graduate.html. 

The tuition, fees, and charges posted to your billing statement or account are estimates based on currently approved amounts. These figures may not be final. Actual tuition, fees, and charges are subject to change by the Regents of the University of California and could be affected by increases or reductions in State funding, or other developments. Accordingly, final approved levels (and thus your final balance due) may differ from the amounts shown.

* The non-refundable eTech Fee is required of all students and is used to support the maintenance and improvement of existing education technology, and new services and capabilities. The eTech fee is listed separately as the charged amount varies based on the amount of undergraduate units the student is enrolled in and is assessed later in the term than the other fees listed. The fee is $4 per unit of undergraduate lecture course, up to a maximum amount of $60 (or 15 units) per quarter. It will be assessed after the third week of instruction. The $60 eTech Fee included on this chart reflects the maximum possible fee.

† The Document Fee provides lifetime access to official transcripts and academic verifications without a fee for in-person pickup or delivery by USPS. In addition, there is no fee for mailing the initial diploma. Effective Fall 2018, new undergraduate, professional, and graduate students are assessed the one-time document fee. Eligible students are able to use financial aid to cover the Document Fee.

Jonathan Alexander, Ph.D. Louisiana State University, Campus Writing Coordinator and Professor of English; Culture and Theory; Education; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Informatics (writing studies, sexuality studies, queer theory, new media studies)

Bobbie J. Allen, Ph.D. University of Washington, Lecturer of English

Elizabeth G. Allen, Ph.D. University of Michigan, Associate Professor of English; Comparative Literature; Religious Studies (Chaucer, Gower, 15th century poetry; exemplary literature, romance, chronicle, episodic form; intersections between ethics and politics, politics and religion; hospitality, sovereignty, legal and constitutional history of England)

Michael Andreasen, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Stephen A. Barney, Ph.D. Harvard University, Professor Emeritus of English

Jami Bartlett, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor of English (The 19th-Century Novel, literature and philosophy, narrative theory)

Alice C. Berghof, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of Humanities; English

Emily M. Brauer, M.A. University of Southern California, Lecturer of English

Carol M. Burke, Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park, Professor of English; Religious Studies (literary and cultural theory, literary journalism, new media studies)

Ellen S. Burt, Ph.D. Yale University, Professor Emerita of English (eighteenth-century French literature and nineteenth-century poetry)

James L. Calderwood, Ph.D. University of Washington, Professor Emeritus of English

Chieh L. Chieng, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Jerome C. Christensen, Ph.D. Cornell University, Professor Emeritus of English (Hollywood motion pictures, corporate authorship, romantic literature)

Michael P. Clark, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Professor Emeritus of English

Rachael L. Collins, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Miles Corwin, M.A. University of Missouri-Columbia, Professor of English (law enforcement, the criminal justice system, homicide, inner-city education, affirmative action)

Keith Danner, Ph.D. University of California, Riverside, Lecturer of English

Rebecca Davis, Ph.D. University of Notre Dame, Associate Professor of English; Religious Studies (Old and Middle English literature, Piers Plowman, medieval religious culture, women’s writing, medieval philosophy)

Susan E. Davis, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Lorene D. Delany-Ullman, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Amy Depaul, B.A. Boston University, Lecturer of English

Jaya Dubey, M.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Kathryn Eason, M.A. University of Colorado Boulder, Lecturer of English

Loren P. Eason, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Christopher Fan, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Assistant Professor of English (transnational Asia American, 20th, and 21st century literature, speculative fiction, political economy)

Anita W. Fischer, M.A. Loyola Marymount University, Lecturer of English

Robert Folkenflik, Ph.D. Cornell University, Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship and Professor Emeritus of English

Linda M. Georgianna, Ph.D. Columbia University, Professor Emerita of English

Amy Gerstler, M.F.A. Bennington College, Professor of English (poetry, creative writing, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrid literature, visual art, lyric essay, art and science, women writers)

Richard Godden, Ph.D. University of Kent, Professor of English (20th century and contemporary American literature, Faulkner)

Daniel Gross, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of English (emotion studies, history and theory of rhetoric, early modern literature and culture, Heidegger and rhetoric)

Alberto D. Gullaba, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Linda G. Haas, Ph.D. University of South Florida, Lecturer of English

Martin Harries, Ph.D. Yale University, Professor of English (20th century theater, critical theory)

Erika Hayasaki, B.A. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Associate Professor of English (literary journalism in the digital age, narrative nonfiction, immersion journalism, youth, culture, crime, poverty, health, science, education, urban affairs, death)

Rebeca Louise Helfer, Ph.D. Columbia University, Associate Professor of English (Renaissance literature and culture, memory, Spenser)

Andrea K. Henderson, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, Professor of English (19th century literature, literature and visual arts, literature and science)

John W. Hollowell, Ph.D. University of Michigan, Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment Emeritus of English

Oren J. Izenberg, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, Associate Professor of English (poetics, modern and contemporary poetry, 20th century literature and culture, philosophy and literature)

Virginia W. Jackson, Ph.D. Princeton University, Chair in Rhetoric and Communication and Associate Professor of English; Comparative Literature (poetics, 19th, 20th and 21st century American poetry, 19th century American literature and culture, the history of literary theory)

Joseph Jonghyun Jeon, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of English (Asian-American literature, film modernism)

Leah C. Kaminski, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Laura H. Kang, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies; English (feminist epistemologies and theories, cultural studies, ethnic studies)

Charlene J. Keeler, M.A. California State University, Fullerton, Lecturer of English

Jonathan I. Keeperman, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Tarah M. Keeperman, M.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Arlene Keizer, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor of English; Comparative Literature (African American and Caribbean literature, critical race and ethnic studies, feminist and psychoanalytic theory, cultural studies)

Douglas V. Kiklowicz, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Peter O. Krapp, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, Department Chair and Professor of Film and Media Studies; English; Informatics; Music; Visual Studies (digital culture, media history, cultural memory)

P. Michelle Latiolais, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Professor of English (creative writing, fiction, contemporary literature)

Karen R. Lawrence, Ph.D. Columbia University, Professor Emerita of English

Rodrigo Lazo, Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park, Associate Professor of English; Culture and Theory (hemispheric American studies, nineteenth century, Latino studies and the Americas, Cuba, immigrant literature)

Jerry Won Lee, Ph.D. University of Arizona, Associate Professor of English; Anthropology; Culture and Theory

Jayne Elizabeth Lewis, Ph.D. Princeton University, Director of Humanities Honors Program and Professor of English; Religious Studies (literature and medicine, restoration and 18th century British literature, literature of the supernatural and gothic fiction, history and/of fiction, atmosphere as literary concept and construct within natural philosophy)

Julia R. Lupton, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of English; Comparative Literature; Education; Religious Studies (Renaissance literature, literature and psychology)

Juliet F. MacCannell, Ph.D. Cornell University, Professor Emerita of English

Steven J. Mailloux, Ph.D. University of Southern California, Professor Emeritus of English; Comparative Literature (rhetoric, critical theory, American literature, law and literature)

Theodore Martin, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor of English (Contemporary literature, genre fiction, literary history, crime, and the novel)

Annie McClanahan, Ph.D. University of California, Berkely, Associate Professor of English (U.S. culture, the novel, political and economic theory)

Gregory J. McClure, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Lowell B. McKay, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

James L. McMichael, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor Emeritus of English

John Miles, Ph.D. Harvard University, Professor Emeritus of English; Religious Studies (religion, literature, international relations, western scriptures [Jewish, Christian, Muslim] as literature; religious poetry and music, religion, science, and the environment)

J. Hillis Miller, Ph.D. Harvard University, UCI Endowed Chair and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature; English (Victorian literature, critical theory)

Tyrus Miller, Ph.D. Stanford University, Dean of the School of Humanities and Professor of English; Art History; Visual Studies (modernist and avant-garde studies in literature and visual arts; critical theory and aesthetics; modern architecture and urbanism; East-Central European studies; culture of socialism and post-socialism; Frankfurt School theory)

Jane O. Newman, Ph.D. Princeton University, Professor of Comparative Literature; English; European Languages and Studies; Religious Studies (comparative Renaissance and early modern literature and culture [English, French, German, Italian, neo-Latin], Mediterranean Renaissance studies, Baroque, afterlives of antiquity, Walter Benjamin, Erich Auerbach, pre-modern lessons for the modern and post-modern)

Robert W. Newsom, Ph.D. Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of English

Margot Norris, Ph.D. State University of New York College at Buffalo, Professor Emerita of English; Comparative Literature (modern Irish, British, American and continental modernism, literature and war)

Laura B. O'Connor, Ph.D. Columbia University, Associate Professor of English; Comparative Literature (Irish literature, twentieth-century poetry, Anglo-American modernism)

Robert L. Peters, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Emeritus of English

Bradley A. Queen, Ph.D. Boston University, Lecturer with Security of Employment of English

Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan, Ph.D. Binghamton University, State University of New York, UCI Chancellor's Professor of English; African American Studies; Comparative Literature; Culture and Theory (critical theory, postcoloniality, nationalisms and diasporas, poststructuralism, postmodernism, democracy and minority discourse, cultural studies, globalization and transnationalism)

Barbara L. Reed, Ph.D. Indiana University, Lecturer with Security of Employment Emerita of English

Hugh J. Roberts, Ph.D. McGill University, Associate Professor of English (romantic literature, Shelley, literature and science, chaos theory and literature, politics and literature)

John C. Rowe, Ph.D. State University of New York College at Buffalo, Professor Emeritus of English; Comparative Literature

Michael Ryan, Ph.D. University of Iowa, Professor of English; Religious Studies (American literature, creative writing, poetry, poetics, autobiography)

Edgar T. Schell, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor Emeritus of English

Gretchen K. Short, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of Humanities; English

Barry E. Siegel, M.S. Columbia University, Professor of English (literary journalism, English)

Victoria A. Silver, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Associate Professor of English; European Languages and Studies; Religious Studies (early modern literature and culture, religious studies, history and theory of rhetoric, literature and philosophy)

Richard A. Sims, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

James Steintrager, Ph.D. Columbia University, Director of the Emphasis in Critical Theory and Professor of English; European Languages and Studies (eighteenth-century comparative literature, ethical philosophy and literature, systems theory, amatory and erotic fiction)

Michael F. Szalay, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, Department Chair and Professor of English; Film and Media Studies; Visual Studies (contemporary television and literature)

Ngugi Wa Thiong'O, B.A. Makerere University, UCI Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature; English (African and Caribbean literatures, theater and film, performance studies, cultural and political theory)

Brook Thomas, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, UCI Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of English (U.S. literature and culture, law and literature, literature and history)

Harold E. Toliver, Ph.D. University of Washington, Professor Emeritus of English

Andrew T. Tonkovich, M.F.A. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Irene Tucker, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of English (Victorian studies)

Georges Y. Van Den Abbeele, Ph.D. Cornell University, Professor of Comparative Literature; English; European Languages and Studies (French and European philosophical literature, travel narrative and tourism/migration studies, critical theory and aesthetics, francophone literature, history of cartography, media history and theory)

Ann J. Van Sant, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor Emerita of English (restoration and 18th century literature)

Andrzej J. Warminski, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Dean for Academic Personnel and Professor of English; European Languages and Studies; Humanities (romanticism, history of literary theory, contemporary theory, literature and philosophy)

Jacqueline Y. Way, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer of English

Henry Weinstein, J.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of School of Law; English

Amy Wilentz, B.A. Harvard University, Professor of English (formal mechanisms of literary journalism, travel journalism as a literary form, explanatory journalism, role of journalism for the everyday reader)

Geoffrey Wolff, B.A. Princeton University, Professor Emeritus of English

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