Welcome to Graduate Studies in English at UT. Our graduate program offers both the M.A. and the Ph.D. in English. Within the M.A., we have concentrations in literature and in writing. In the Ph.D., we have concentrations in Literature, Criticism, and Textual Studies; in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics; and in English with Creative Dissertation. UT graduate students have access to a nationally and internationally recognized graduate faculty as well as a superb research library with special collections in British and American literary and cultural history. We offer students opportunities to collaborate with faculty on scholarly journals and advanced research, teach and design undergraduate courses, and participate in our graduate student organization and English community activities. Students in our program regularly present their work at professional conferences and publish in refereed journals, and graduates teach in colleges and universities across the country. The program rewards excellence by offering financial support for both M.A. and Ph.D. candidates, including travel funds for conferences and research.
You can download our current course descriptions on the department's home page or click on links to find other information about teaching opportunities, recent placements of our Ph.D.s, application information, financial support, and more about the Graduate Students in English, our in-house organization for graduate student life and advocacy.
We invite you to read on and find out more about us. We are excited about the things happening at Tennessee, and invite you to join our vibrant and growing intellectual community.
Good News from the Graduate Program
- Teresa Hooper is currently attending a 10-session seminar at the Newberry Library on the Beowulf manuscript. The seminar, focusing on the other four texts of the codex, is led by Dr. Susan Kim from Illinois State University.
- Congratulations to PhD candidate Sarah McCollum, who has been accepted to the Newberry Library seminar Praying by the Book: Devotional Manuscripts and Their Uses in the High and Later Middle Ages. She will participate in the seminar this March to June.
- Congratulations to our recently placed candidates
- Ph.D. Dissertations and Jobs
- Recent Honors
- Welcome to our new Ph.D. and M.A. classes, 08-09
Student Resources
Application Deadlines
- December 15 - Ph.D. applications
- January 15 - M.A. applications
Contact Information
Dr. Allen Dunn, Director
306 McClung Tower
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-6933
Fax: (865) 974-6926
Email: hinkle@utk.edu

