Admission to the PhD Program normally requires an MA in English, and MA in Drama/Theatre, or an equivalent degree with at least an A- average in graduate work. In certain exceptional circumstances, students will be considered directly out of the undergraduate degree. Applications are considered by the Graduate Program Committee and a recommendation to admit or decline is forwarded to the Assistant VP of Graduate Studies.
Students are required to take 5 graduate courses in the initial phase of their degree. The standard practice is to take two courses in the Fall semester of Year 1, two courses in the Winter semester of Year 1, and one course in the Fall semester of Year 2. This arrangement of courses is recommended, but remains flexible: any combination of 5 courses over these semesters is acceptable.
Students in the PhD program are required to demonstrate competency in 1 major and 2 minor areas. The list of areas and ways in which a student can demonstrate competency in an area are outlined in the SETS Graduate Handbook.
Students must pass an Oral Qualifying Examination (OQE) by the end of their fifth semester in the program. The basis for the OQE is a 3,000-5,000 word thesis proposal.
Following successful completion of the Oral Qualifying exam, the student must complete an original research project on an advanced topic. Submission and defence of an acceptable thesis on an approved topic completes the requirements of the PhD. More details are available at www.uoguelph.ca/arts/sets.
The advisory committee for the dissertation will consist of three members of the graduate faculty, one of whom assumes the primary advisory role. Ideally, the dissertation supervisor has worked with the student, in an advisory capacity, from their first semester in the program.
The dissertation should normally be between 50,000 and 75,000 words in length. The regulations for submission, examination and publication are outlined in Chapter IV PhD Degree Regulations.
The PhD program in Literary Studies/Theatre Studies in English participates in the collaborative specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS). Consult the Latin American and Caribbean Studies listing for a detailed description of the requirements of the collaborative specialization.
