Philosophy Regarding Coursework

The UC Davis Department of English believes that the graduate seminar, whether in English or in another department or program, should be the primary vehicle for graduate education before a student is advanced to candidacy.

The Department of English Ph.D. program attempts to offer over a three-year cycle comprehensive coverage of both English and American literature. Students are encouraged to select courses for breadth, to avoid too narrow a specialization too early in their program, and to consider course work in other graduate programs that might enlarge their knowledge of other literatures, cultures, and eras.

The Department of English will hold all graduate students responsible for thorough mastery of documentary style (footnotes and bibliography) as set forth in the Chicago Manual of Style or the Modern Language Association Manual of Style.

Graduate Student Course Load

Full-time graduate students must carry 12 units every term. For satisfactory progress toward the degree objective, the department requires full-time graduate students to take a course load of at least five graduate-level courses of 4 units each year.

The Dean of Graduate Studies requires the additional units. (First-quarter Teaching Assistants with no prior teaching experience should take one English seminar, English 390, and one group study.)

At the discretion of the Graduate Studies Division and the Graduate Studies Committee of the department, University policy permits a graduate student to transfer a maximum of six units of credit for courses taken at other graduate schools when the course work did not lead to the awarding of an advanced degree. The residency requirement is two years for the Ph.D.

End-of-Year Review for All Students

The Graduate Dean requires a Progress Report on each student at the end of each academic year. To review overall performance in the program and progress toward the degree objective, each English graduate student meets with the Graduate Adviser in a scheduled conference, and the Graduate Adviser prepares a Progress Report on each student.