For those interested in careers in college teaching and scholarship, program administration (first-year writing, writing across the curriculum, and writing center), or community and workplace literacy, the Rhetoric and Composition field of doctoral study is designed to balance theory/practice and teaching/scholarship. In addition to seminars in classical and modern rhetoric, feminist rhetoric, research methodologies, composition pedagogy, rhetorical studies of cultural practices, and various other topics, the curriculum offers internships that place students in community and school settings. We also strongly emphasize students' development as writers, with workshop courses offered in the craft of writing, advanced nonfiction, creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry.
The Rhetoric and Composition faculty are committed to collaborative activity with students, engaging with them in local internship opportunities, conference presentations, scholarly research, program development and assessment, and writing projects. In addition, students receive active mentoring in teaching and administration, as well as opportunities to serve in leadership positions in the Core Writing Program and the University Writing Center. PhD students in Rhetoric and Composition also develop expertise in one cognate area, such as American literature, oral history, women's literature, critical theory, environmental literature, narrative theories, secondary school pedagogy, business/technical writing, or linguistics. Qualified PhD candidates also have opportunities to teach intermediate and upper division courses in composition, literature, creative writing, and linguistics.
The PhD program in Rhetoric and Composition has had notable success placing its graduates in tenure track positions. Placements have occurred at a wide range of colleges and universities, including Washington State; University of Michigan, Flint; Texas Christian; Pittsburg State, Kansas; Eastern Michigan; Western Oregon; Viterbo, Minnesota; University of Philadelphia, to name only a few.
MA in Writing
MA Writing students may opt for intensive study in composition research and teaching or in creative writing, with cognate work in linguistics, literature, or literacy studies. These students may opt for a non-thesis or thesis program of studies, with a range of creative or research project options available in the latter.
The MA Writing program has supported students with a variety of profiles, and engaging in diverse kinds of projects (this is just a sampling): memoirs, collections of short stories or poems, interview-based study of secondary teaching, survey of writing program administrators, hybrid-genre writing, family history/life-writing.
Students studying creative writing will find ample access to workshops, seminars, and individual study, taught by faculty with interest in a broad range of forms and genres.
The MA Writing program has placed graduates in community colleges, positions in the private sector, and PhD programs throughout the US.
For more information about English Department faculty, please see the Biography pages