Masters

PhD
  LCS
  Rhetoric

Courses

The Carnegie Mellon Department of English offers two PhD programs: the PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies and the PhD in Rhetoric.

The PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies was among the first of its kind in the U.S. As the name suggests, the program in Literary and Cultural Studies is founded on interpretive approaches that regularly link individual texts to the conditions of their production and reception. The program combines extensive theoretical training, spanning many approaches, with an unrivalled flexibility of inquiry across the numerous subject areas of faculty expertise.

The PhD in Rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon is one of the oldest PhD programs in rhetoric in the United States and continues to be one of the strongest. The program focuses on how people produce and understand discourse across a variety of social, cultural, and material contexts, in schools, workplaces, and communities. Students learn about the history and theory of rhetoric as well as about a variety of methods, both qualititative and quantitative, for pursuing their research.

Both degrees are appropriate for students who wish to pursue careers in higher education and academic research. Both degrees require 72 hours of coursework, a qualifying exam, and a prospectus and dissertation for completion. (Please see the individual program pages for program-specific requirements.) Both degree programs also offer four years of tuition support and a yearly stipend in return for teaching undergraduate courses.