Contact Information
- Program Coordinator: Christopher Roman | croman2@kent.edu | 330-672-1757
Bee Viton | bviton@kent.edu | 330-672-1708 - Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Fully Offered
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Admission Terms
- Fall
- Spring
Description
The Ph.D. degree in English, with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition, concentrates on the ways literacy practices shape people's lives in educational, workplace and public spheres. The coursework emphasizes data-rich and methodologically sophisticated research and prepares students to investigate literacy, rhetoric and social practice. Collaborative research with faculty, administrative opportunities and community outreach prepare students to sustain and advance in the discipline. Graduates contribute in meaningful ways to university communities and the larger public sphere.
Admission Requirements
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum 2.750 GPA on a 4.000-point scale
- Official transcript(s)
- GRE scores - effective for spring 2023 admission, the GRE will no longer be required
- Writing sample (8-15 pages) relevant to the field of study
- Goal statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
- Minimum 610 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
- Minimum 102 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
- Minimum 86 MELAB score
- Minimum 7.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 73 PTE score
- Minimum 130 Duolingo English Test score
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admission, visit the Office of Global Education’s admission website.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Develop knowledge of the field of rhetoric and composition, its application in diverse contexts and its role in contemporary culture.
- Generate research questions, develop appropriate research designs and practice ethical modes of inquiry.
- Participate in local and international communities of like-minded scholars and teachers.
- Contribute new knowledge in the field of rhetoric and composition.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| ENG 75012 | READING AND INTERPRETING RESEARCH ON WRITING 1 | 3 |
| ENG 75022 | RHETORICAL THEORY:GREEK AND ROMAN | 3 |
| ENG 75044 | RESEARCH DESIGN 1 | 3 |
| ENG 75051 | LITERACY:FUNCTIONS, PRACTICES AND HISTORY | 3 |
| Theory Electives, choose from the following: | 9 | |
| RHETORICAL THEORY:18TH, 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES | ||
| ROLE OF COMPOSITION | ||
| LIGUISTICS FOR RHETORICIANS | ||
| DOMAIN RHETORICS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE | ||
| THEORIES AND SYSTEMS OF WRITING AND REPRESENTATION | ||
| THE RHETORICAL NATURE AND FUNCTION OF EXTENDED DISCOURSE | ||
| THE NATURE AND RELATIONSHIP OF ACADEMIC AND NONACADEMIC LITERACY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF WRITING ASSESSMENT: RESEARCH, THEORY AND PRACTICE | ||
| Practice Electives, choose from the following: | 9 | |
| WRITING ACTIVITY AS SOCIAL PRACTICE | ||
| WRITING TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| FIELD RESEARCH METHODS IN WRITING | ||
| DISCOURSE ANALYSIS | ||
| STUDIES IN LITERACY AND COMMUNITY | ||
| RHETORICAL METHODS | ||
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| ENG 89199 | DISSERTATION I 2 | 30 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 60 | |
- 1
When scheduling permits, students should take ENG 75012 as a prerequisite to ENG 75044; there will be semesters however, when students need to take ENG 75012 and ENG 75044 simultaneously if they want to take ENG 75044.
- 2
Students, with guidance from faculty, complete a qualifying examination before writing a dissertation prospectus. Upon the successful completion of the qualifying examination, students form a dissertation committee whose members direct the student through the dissertation and the completion of the degree. Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for ENG 89199 for a total of 30 hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter ENG 89299, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.