Preparation for Graduate Study in English Literature

Students planning to go on to graduate study – a plan that should be discussed with one’s advisor, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and/or the department chair – should be aware that admission to graduate programs requires a more extensive background in literature than the minimum English Department requirement. They should also know that a reading knowledge of a foreign language is usually a requirement for a graduate degree, and that doctoral degree programs may require a reading knowledge of at least two foreign languages. Students should anticipate these requirements by electing courses in foreign languages and literatures and by electing more than the minimum number of hours in English.