Students must accomplish the following university objectives to earn the PhD:

1. Maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better on all graduate-level work.

2. Accumulate a total of at least 27 graded hours in coursework beyond the MA, plus 24 dissertation hours.

3. Satisfy the University Scholarly Engagement Requirement. To meet this requirement, doctoral students in the English Department must interact with faculty and peers in at least some, if not all, of the following ways:

a. Participate in aspects of department life and the FSU academic community. Examples include serving as a Teaching Assistant, working for The Southeast Review, serving on GESO, taking part in reading groups, and hosting the Jerome Stern Reading Series, among other activities.

b. Attend and take active part in departmental events, such as readings, lectures, workshops with visiting scholars and editors, symposia, and colloquia.

c. Attend and contribute to conferences, readings, and other scholarly and creative activities beyond the university campus.

d. Engage in archival research using FSU libraries and other resources and facilities, as well as libraries and facilities at other institutions.

e. Any doctoral students who hold a Teaching Assistantship in our program or enroll in and successfully complete the Speakers course (ENG 5935) will have satisfied this requirement.

4. Perform satisfactorily on the Preliminary Doctoral Examination. Students are required to take “prelims” by the end of the second semester (excluding summer) after they have completed their coursework.

5. Produce and defend a satisfactory PhD dissertation.

6. Complete all requirements for the doctoral degree within five calendar years from the time the student passes the Preliminary examination. Beyond the five-year period the student’s supervisory committee will require a new preliminary examination.