The Rhetoric, Composition, & Pedagogy (RCP) concentration curriculum consists of professional development courses; courses in rhetoric, composition, and pedagogy; and elective courses. You can think of the Ph.D. as proceeding in four stages: required courses, elective courses, doctoral exams, and dissertation. We have laid out degree progress here in the ideal order, and you will take Introduction to Doctoral Studies in your first year of study, your exams and dissertation hours after completion of your coursework, and the Writing for Publication course or Research Seminar II as a transition from coursework to dissertation. However, other requirements may be fulfilled in the order that best fits your schedule and needs. Students are required to take 36 total hours of coursework, in the following distribution:  

Stage 1: Required Courses (18 credit hours: 6 classes) 

• Engl 7390: Introduction to Doctoral Studies 
• Engl 8318: Writing for Publication or Research Seminar II (this is a required course but is taken nearer Stage 4, after coursework is complete) 
• 4 classes in Rhetoric, Composition, & Pedagogy, in the following distribution 
  • 1 course in Methodology 
  • 3 courses in Composition, Linguistics, Pedagogy, and Rhetoric  

Stage 2: Electives (18 credit hours: 6 classes)  

18 hours Elective Courses, each contributing to the student’s area of expertise. Students should select each of these courses in consultation with their faculty mentors.  

Electives can be chosen from the wide variety of courses offered within the English Department. Up to three electives (9 hours) may also be taken outside the English Department, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.    

Stage 3: Doctoral Exams   

Students will begin forming their doctoral examination committee in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and create provisional reading lists during the last semester of their coursework (usually spring semester of the second year or fall semester of the third). 

Students will work closely and collaboratively with their faculty advisors to develop examination reading lists.    

• 2 written exams (one major field; one sub-field) 
• 1 oral exam (based on the written exams)    

Stage 4: Dissertation   

When doctoral exams are complete, students may solicit their dissertation committee chair, followed by the remaining committee members in consultation with the chair. The student will then draft the dissertation prospectus in consultation with the chair and defend it before the full committee. Once the prospectus is approved, work on the dissertation may commence, and the completed dissertation is defended before the full committee in the student’s final semester. 

As part of the transition from coursework to dissertation, Ph.D. in RCP students have the opportunity to take English 8318: Writing for Publication. This course may be taken before or after completion of exams, depending on the student’s needs.   

For a complete list of degree requirements and procedures, please see the Ph.D. Student Handbook.