Residency Requirements for the PhD in English
Generally, the PhD in English is sought by those who wish to teach English on the college level;
therefore, we require that you have teaching experience before you complete your degree. You may
fulfill this requirement as a teaching assistant in our program for at least one academic year, or you
may substitute teaching in another setting (such as at a community college, high school, or other
academic institution) by making the request to the department in writing as part of your application
to the program. If you cannot serve as a teaching assistant and have no teaching experience, you
must consult with and make special application to the Director of Graduate English Studies to be
considered for the doctoral program.
Residency requirement:
You must complete a residency. The purpose of the residency is to provide you with access to
faculty mentoring and instruction. You may satisfy residency requirements in two ways:
I. You must teach as a teaching assistant for at least one academic year (carrying at least the
minimum course load to maintain the assistantship) and must successfully complete Eng
675. It is understood that, as a teaching assistant, you will participate in a number of various
professional activities (e.g. Junto, EGAD, the Federation of the Universities of North Texas
Rhetoric Symposium, conferences, poetry readings, etc.). In addition, as a teaching assistant,
you will be required to observe others’ teaching as well as have your teaching observed by
the Director of First-Year Composition, other faculty members, and your peers. Finally, you
will be assigned a mentor from the faculty or from your more experienced peers with whom
you will discuss your teaching as well as professional development.
OR
II. Without the one-year teaching assistantship and 675, you are required to take no fewer
than four classes each academic year for two years, and you must do so by enrolling in both
the fall and spring semesters as well as at least one summer session. You must, in addition,
take at least one course in each of three separate, consecutive Summer Sessions. At least one
of those courses must focus on pedagogy.
In addition, if you do not serve as a teaching assistant, you must maintain a portfolio of
“residency activities” that contribute to professional development in your area of focus for
each academic year prior to the completion of the comprehensive exam. The portfolio
should document that development; in particular, the portfolio should be prefaced by a brief
(2-3 pages) reflective analysis of the activities for that year. Examples include:
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Conferences and workshops (attendance, participation, organization, etc.)
Lectures and presentations
Professional development activities
Departmental academic advisement
Development of multimedia resources
Participation in student organizations (e.g. Doctoral Students Association, SEGAD,
etc.)