Graduate Studies

The graduate degree programs in English at the University of Cincinnati combine the advantages of a small program with the extensive resources of a distinguished research university. Graduate students can choose from many degree programs: a Doctor of Philosophy program which emphasizes 20th-century literature, but allows work in a range of literary historical periods as well as in rhetoric and composition, and allows both creative and scholarly dissertations; Master of Arts programs in Literature, Creative Writing, or Professional Writing and Editing; and the graduate certificate in Professional Writing.

To ensure individual attention for each student, class sizes are small. Students have ample opportunity to work individually with professors in their chosen fields. This proves to be extremely valuable for students writing the MA thesis, preparing for the comprehensive doctoral exam, and, above all, writing the doctoral dissertation.

Our Faculty

All graduate students have the opportunity to work under faculty who are not only committed teachers but also active and dedicated scholars. UC is a Carnegie Foundation Research VH institution (a designation given to only 96 universities in the United States), and faculty publications and awards in any given year are impressive. Members of the English Department have published in such journals as PMLA, Paris Review, Atlantic Monthly, Critical Inquiry, American Literature, Critique, American Literary History, English Literary History, The New York Times Book Review, College Composition and Communication, and College English. Recent faculty awards include the Pushcart Prize, the Edgar Award, the Academy of American Poets Award, the Whiting Fellowship, the NCTE Promising Researcher Award, and NEA and NEH grants.

Resources

The English Department's considerable resources are employed to provide students with instruction and enrichment by a range of national figures. Endowments for this purpose include the George Elliston Poetry Foundation, The Charles Phelps Taft Memorial Fund, the Ropes Endowment, and the Weinberger Center for the Study of Drama and Playwriting. In recent years these funds sponsored visits by fiction writers (including E.L. Doctorow, John Updike, Francine Prose, Lorrie Moore, ZZ Packer, Michael Cunningham, and Richard Russo), critics (including Christopher Hitchens, Bruce Robbins, and Wilson Moses), playwrights (including Athol Fugard, Wole Soyinka, and Jose Rivera), and poets (including Keneth Koch, Adrienne Rich, C.D. Wright, Carl Phillips, Alan Shapiro, and David Wagoner). Students have extensive opportunities to meet with these visiting writers and critics both in the classroom and in informal settings.

With creative, dedicated faculty and maximum available resources devoted to graduate students, the graduate programs in English at the University of Cincinnati are rising to prominence. This is a dynamic place, and we invite you to apply to become part of it. We welcome your inquiries, and are happy to discuss our program options with you. For more information, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Jessica Vieson, at 513-556-3906 or jessica.vieson@uc.edu.