Resources

Undergraduate Resources

Graduate Resources

Graduate Handbook

Independent Study Form

Use the independent study form to register for ENG 0293 or ENG 0294.

Graduate Student Travel Grants

Travel reimbursement is available to doctoral or master's degree candidates who have had an accepted paper presentation of their research at a conference or professional meeting. Smaller grants are available for graduate students who are not presenting their work but attending professional meetings or for specific research related trips.

Requests for travel funding must be made at least two weeks in advance and require the approval of the department chair. Awards are limited and made on a first-come, first-served basis and given only once per student per academic year (July-June).

Funds for these grants are administered through the dean's office (Ballou Hall, 617-627-3106). For more information, or to apply for funding online, please visit the Graduate Student Travel Fund website. A limited amount of travel funding is also available from the English department. You may pick up a Travel Reimbursement Request form from the English office or download the form.

Teaching Leave

As teachers in the First Year Writing Program (FWYP), graduate students have full responsibility for course design and implementation. Most graduate student instructors teach one section of English 1 in the fall and one section of English 2 in the spring semester. Students can request a leave from teaching for a semester if circumstances hinder their ability to teach. A leave from teaching is granted for no more than one year and must have the written support of the Director of Graduate Studies and the First-Year Writing Program Director. Request for Leave of Teaching form.

PhD Comprehensive Oral Examination

Students take a two-hour comprehensive oral examination by the end of Year 3. No standardized list of texts is issued for this exam. Instead, students construct their own reading lists in consultation with faculty.

By the fall of your 3rd year, the student will choose a professor to be the chair of their Orals and begin constructing their reading lists. Please fill out and submit the Orals Lists Approval Form when ready to begin preparing for the oral examination.

PhD Prospectus Approval Form

Following the completion of the PhD oral examination, you will meet with your Orals chair to discuss your exam performance as well as your ideas for your dissertation prospectus. The prospectus is a 20-30 page document that includes your dissertation argument, abstracts for each chapter, and a working bibliography. This step is designed to give you a map for your dissertation writing. Once the prospectus is approved by your advisor, you will be required to submit a Prospectus Approval form along with a copy of the prospectus to the English office.

PhD Dissertation Defense

Students are required to file the Form for Scheduling a Dissertation Defense with the DGS at least two months before the defense is to take place. If the student wishes to defend in the spring semester in time for a May degree, the form must be submitted to the DGS by January 30 of the spring semester.

MA and PhD Degree Sheets

The forms to certify your MA or PhD Degree Award is available through the Graduate Student Services.