Ph.D. Admissions
The Ph.D. in English
Our Ph.D. program is shaped by commitments to individual mentoring and intellectual community. We invite applications from scholars who hope to pursue their most urgent analytical and ethical priorities, and who wish to sharpen those priorities through engagements with diverse methodologies, disciplines, histories, and geographies. We take it as our goal to foster the development of flexible, focused, and ambitious thinkers as they become experts in their fields. We sustain this ethos by admitting small cohorts of doctoral candidates, who pursue intensive, strongly individuated work with the support of their mentors and colleagues.
- Guaranteed six-year 12-month funding package for admitted Ph.D. students, including international students. Health insurance included.
- 1:1 student-faculty ratio with a superb research faculty whose work crosses disciplines and languages.
- Flexible curriculum tailored to each student’s interests and background.
- Comprehensive system of mentoring and advising from the first year through Project Publish and the search for academic employment.
- Rigorous pedagogical training and opportunities to teach five introductory literature and writing courses as instructor of record (not as TA).
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary work in graduate certificate programs in African American and Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Latinx Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching.
- Opportunities to engage with Vanderbilt’s Writing Studio.
- Generous departmental conference and research travel funding.
- Annual competitive dissertation enhancement grants and other support from the Graduate School.
- Affiliations with archives and summer institutes, such as the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Newberry Library, the Dickens Project, the English Institute, the School of Criticism & Theory, and the Institute for World Literature.
Applying to the Program
The application deadline for fall admission is December 1, 2024. Please check this page for updates. For more information and to start your application, visit the Graduate School Website. For questions about the Ph.D. Program or the application process, please see our Frequently Asked Questions Page or contact: sally.buck@vanderbilt.edu.
- Statement of Purpose: No more than 1,500 words.
- Writing Sample: No more than 25 pages. No creative writing. If uploading more than one piece, please combine into one PDF file.
- Three letters of recommendation and up to five letters permitted.
- Unofficial college transcript(s) uploaded to the application, with official transcript required upon admittance. Upon admittance, official transcripts may be sent either via the postal service of via secure electronic delivery. In order to be considered official, transcripts and other documents must come directly from the institution attended. Some institutions provide secure electronic delivery of transcripts. These submissions may be made to cdm@vanderbilt.edu. Transcripts sent via the postal service should be addressed as follows: CDM-College of Arts & Science, PMB 407833, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37240-7833.
- TOEFL and IELTS scores are accepted for International Students whose native language is not English. For more information, visit the Graduate School’s Language Proficiency Page.
- For Fee Waiver information, visit the Graduate School’s website.
- GRE scores are not required for admission.