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English
Location
Location
- Department of English
- Arts Building
- 853 Sherbrooke Street West
- Montreal, QC H3A 2T6
- Canada
- Telephone: 514-398-6564
- Fax: 514-398-8146
- Email: gradstudies.englishlit [at] mcgill.ca
- Website: www.mcgill.ca/english
About English
About English
The English Department has three broad areas of expertise: literature, drama and theatre, and cultural studies. The Department houses the Burney Centre, the Shakespeare Team, the Interacting with Print research group, Â鶹AV Medievalists, and members of the bilingual Novelists on the Novel research group. Research is conducted on all areas of English literature, including diverse national literatures and genres. Cultural studies involves cinema, visual culture, and aesthetics.
The English department offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.
The M.A. program admits 22-25 students each year from around the world. Unlike many other M.A. programs in English, the Â鶹AV M.A. requires a major piece of research, whether a thesis or a research paper, which is carried out under the supervision of a faculty member. Approximately half of Â鶹AV M.A. graduates go onto a Ph.D. program, either at Â鶹AV or elsewhere. Other graduates have found employment with foundations, university development offices, publishing houses, consulting firms, and CEGEPs.
The Ph.D. program admits approximately six students each year from around the world. For their theses, doctoral students specialize in any area of English studies.
All students who apply will be considered for support, which normally takes the form of a Teaching or Research Assistantship.
Students with a B.A. in English, either Honours or major, can apply for the M.A. Typically applicants will have solid coverage in all areas of English studies, whether in theatre, cultural studies, or literature. The Department offers two options toward the M.A. degree, one with a thesis and the other without thesis. Both options consist of 48 credits and are designed to be completed in four terms (of 12 credits each). It is rare for any student pursuing the thesis option to complete the degree in less than two years.
| Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Thesis) (48 credits) |
|---|
| In the thesis option, students must successfully take Bibliography (ENGL 694) and five seminars. They write a thesis of 80-100 pages that adheres to the guidelines spelled out under the thesis regulations of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students submit a proposal for the thesis to the Graduate Administration Committee in the Department; the proposal must be approved before students begin to work on the thesis. |
| Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Non-Thesis) (48 credits) |
|---|
| In the non-thesis option, students must successfully take Bibliography (ENGL 694) and seven seminars. They write a research paper of 40 pages. Students submit a proposal for the research paper to the Graduate Administration Committee in the Department; the proposal must be approved before students begin to write the research paper. The finished paper is evaluated by the supervisor and a second member of the Department. The non-thesis M.A. is designed to be completed in two years, although it is very common for students to finish the program in one calendar year (Fall, Winter, Summer terms) or sixteen months (Fall, Winter, Summer, Fall terms). |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); English |
|---|
| Students with an M.A. in English or a closely related discipline may apply to the Ph.D. program. Doctoral students are expected to complete in their first year (Ph.D. 2) the two halves of the compulsory proseminar ENGL 787 (taken in the Fall term) and ENGL 788 (taken in the Winter term), along with four seminars. The proseminars expose students to current academic issues, theoretical propositions, and professional questions. Students may substitute for the two second-term courses one extended supervised optional research project. Courses must be chosen in order to make possible the identification of a major and a minor area of concentration. In Ph.D. 3, candidates complete a compulsory research project in the area of the dissertation and submit the dissertation proposal. This project, a unique feature of the Â鶹AV Ph.D., replaces comprehensive exams and allows students to work on a publishable piece of research. The language requirement must be fulfilled before the dissertation proposal is approved. The Department urges candidates to complete the Ph.D. program within six years. A candidate intending to submit the thesis to meet the deadline for Spring Convocation must give notice of this intention before January 1. A candidate intending to meet the deadline for Fall Convocation must give such notice before May 1. The majority of students who complete the Ph.D. proceed to postdoctoral fellowships and teaching positions, either at CEGEP or university. |
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)
English Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
English Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements
A statement of proposed research, transcripts, writing sample, and two letters of recommendation are required of all applicants.
M.A. Degree
Admission to the M.A. program requires an honours degree in English or its equivalent. Outstanding applicants from related disciplines may be invited to take a qualifying year.
Ph.D. Degree
Admission to the doctoral program is highly competitive. Outstanding students with the master's degree in hand are accepted into Ph.D. 2. In rare circumstances, outstanding graduates of B.A. programs will be considered for “fast-tracking” into the doctoral program, entering at Ph.D. 1. They follow the M.A. program (Thesis option) and if at the end of the first year their work is evaluated successfully, they go on to complete the remaining requirements of the Ph.D. program.
Application Procedures
Application Procedures
Applications will be considered upon receipt of:
- application form;
- transcripts (two copies);
- two letters of reference;
- $100 application fee;
- a writing sample;
- statement of proposed research.
All information is to be submitted directly to the Graduate Coordinator.
Dates for Guaranteed Consideration
For dates for guaranteed consideration, please consult the following website: www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/programs. Then select the appropriate program.
Â鶹AV’s online application form for graduate program candidates is available at www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)
English Faculty
English Faculty
| Chair | |
|---|---|
| Allan Hepburn |
| Emeritus Professors |
|---|
| M.D. Bristol; A.B.(Yale), Ph.D.(Princ.) |
| M. Puhvel; B.A., M.A.(McG.), Ph.D.(Harv.) |
| J. Ripley; B.A., M.A.(New Br.), Ph.D.(Birm.) |
| D. Suvin; B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D.(Zagreb), F.R.S.C. |
| W.C. Wees; B.A.(N’western), M.A.(Roch.), Ph.D.(N’western) |
| D. Williams; B.A.(Boston), M.A., Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| Professors |
|---|
| K. Borris; B.A.(Vic., BC), Ph.D.(Edin.) |
| M.N. Cooke; B.A.(Qu.), M.A.(C'nell), M.A., Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| A. Hepburn; B.A., M.A.(W. Ont.), Ph.D.(Princ.) |
| M.A. Kilgour; B.A.(Tor.), Ph.D.(Yale) (Molson Professor of English) |
| M. Kreiswirth; B.A.(Hamilton), M.A.(Chic.), Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| R. Lecker; B.A., M.A., Ph.D.(York) (Greenshields Professor of English) |
| P. Sabor; B.A.(Camb.), M.A.(Qu.), Ph.D.(Lond.) (Canada Research Chair in 18th Century Studies) |
| M. Stenbaek; B.A.(Copen.), M.A., Ph.D.(Montr.) |
| B. Trehearne; B.A., M.A., Ph.D.(McG.) |
| P. Yachnin; B.A.(McG.), M.Litt.(Edin.), Ph.D.(Tor.) (Tomlinson Chair in Shakespeare Studies) |
| Associate Professors |
|---|
| D.A. Bray; B.A.(McG.), Ph.D.(Edin.) |
| S. Carney; B.A.(Manit.) M.A.(Alta.), Ph.D.(York) |
| W. Folkerth; B.A.(Calif. St.), M.A., Ph.D.(McG.) |
| J. Fumo; B.A.(Mass.-Amh.), M.A., Ph.D.(Princ.) |
| P. Gibian; B.A.(Yale), M.A.(NYU), Ph.D.(Stan.) |
| Y. Halevi-Wise; B.A.(Hebrew), M.A.(G’town), Ph.D.(Princ.) |
| D.C. Hensley; B.A., M.A.(Cant.), Ph.D.(Yale) |
| M. Hickman; B.A.(Brown), M.A., Ph.D.(Mich.) |
| E. Hurley; B.A.(McG.), M.A.(Brown), Ph.D.(CUNY) |
| B. Kaite; B.A.(C’dia), M.A.(McM.), Ph.D.(Car.) |
| T. Mole; B.A., M.A., Ph.D.(Bristol) (William Dawson Scholar) |
| M. Morgan; B.A.(Harv.), Ph.D.(Stan.) |
| P. Neilson; B.A.(Bishop's), M.F.A.(Calg.) |
| D. Nystrom; B.A.(Wisc.), M.A., Ph.D.(Virg.) |
| T. Ponech; B.A.(McG.), Ph.D.(N’western) |
| D. Salter; B.A.(Br. Col.), M.A., Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| N. Schantz; B.A.(Stan.), M.A., Ph.D.(USC) |
| M.W. Selkirk; B.A.(Alta), M.F.A.(Ill.) |
| T. Sparks; B.A.(Bates College), M.A., Ph.D.(Wash.) |
| Assistant Professors |
|---|
| T. Heise; B.A.(Flor. St.), M.A.(Calf., Davis), Ph.D.(NYU) |
| A. Osterweil; B.A., M.A.(NYU), Ph.D.(Calif., Berk.) |
| M. Popescu; B.A., M.A.(Bucharest), M.A.(Windsor), Ph.D.(Penn.) |
| F. Ritchie; B.A., M.A.(Durh.), Ph.D.(Lond.) |
| A. Thain; B.A.(McG.), Ph.D.(Duke) |
| M. Van Dussen; B.A.(Ohio Wesl.), M.A., Ph.D.(Ohio St.) |
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)
Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Thesis) (48 credits)
For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Thesis) (48 credits).
Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Non-Thesis) (48 credits)
For more information, see Master of Arts (M.A.); English (Non-Thesis) (48 credits).
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); English
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); English.
Faculty of Arts—2011-2012 (last updated Aug. 11, 2011) (disclaimer)