We are currently welcoming new PhD applications beginning December 2024 for a Fall 2025 start date.  We are also accepting applications for ADP and MA programs in English.

The graduate program in English serves both traditional scholars (who pursue careers in research and teaching) and public humanists (who use their degrees in a vast array of fields). Our small size enables every admitted student to forge their own path within and beyond the academy. 

The Department’s academic programs of study merge traditional and contemporary approaches to literary studies and concentrate on the history and criticism of British, American, and global Anglophone literature, while emphasizing essential aspects of scholarship, historical research, and literary theory. Our programs also offer practical and theoretical instruction in rhetoric and composition to students who hold teaching assistantships and teach in the Foundations tier of the Marquette Core Curriculum. 

Graduate Program Highlights

At Marquette University, graduate studies in English offer both immediate and long-term rewards. While at Marquette, students will enjoy opportunities to:

• Participate in small seminars with lively discussions.
  

• Work closely with nationally and internationally renowned scholars and mentors. 
• Produce original scholarship: seminar papers, conference papers, journal articles, editorial and creative projects, and more. 
• Engage in guided career discernment and development through co-curricular programs sponsored by the Department of English, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for the Advancement of the Humanities, the Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality, and the Career Center.
• Participate in graduate organizations such as the Association of English Graduate Students (AEGS) and the Graduate Student Organization (GSO).

Information and Resources

• Graduate Student Handbook 2022
• Graduate Student Resources (i.e. forms and information regarding dissertations, exams, etc.) 
• Recent Dissertations and Current Student Research
• Association of English Graduate Students (AEGS) (information for new and prospective graduate students)
• M.A./Ph.D. Placements