Rhetoric and Composition, Ph.D.

Course Requirements

Students must complete for credit a minimum of 54 semester hours of graduate courses exclusive of 12 credit hours for the dissertation. Postgraduate hours completed more than seven years prior to a student’s admission into TCU’s graduate program in Rhetoric and Composition may not count toward requirements; the graduate adviser will determine applicable credit on a case-by-case basis.

Of the 54 hours, at least 36 must be taken at TCU according to the following requirements:

I. Foundations to the Profession (9 hours)

Students must complete 9 hours in coursework that addresses each of three areas:

II. Electives (27 hours)

Students should select their additional coursework in consultation with the Rhetoric and Composition PhD advisor(s) and the Director of Graduate Studies, focused not only on intended area(s) of specialization but in preparation for qualifying examinations in both rhetoric and composition (e.g., pedagogy, literacy, technology, disciplinary history, and theory and methodology).

Examinations

 A student takes qualifying comprehensive examinations, consisting of a minimum of two exams in two areas, when she or he has completed for credit 48-54 hours of graduate courses, of which 36 must be from TCU; and completed requisite coursework. These examinations are based on the student’s areas of concentration. The student and his or her advisory committee will determine the areas to be covered by the exams. A student who fails one or more areas of the examinations may retake the failed area(s) again, but a second failure on any area of the examination bars the student from candidacy.

Dissertation

Doctoral students must complete a dissertation that demonstrates their ability to do independent and original research, and to synthesize their findings and existing knowledge into a unified document. A candidate must present a dissertation prospectus to their advisory committee for discussion, suggestions and approval before proceeding with the project. The candidate's oral defense of the dissertation is a public lecture based upon their findings, presented to the Department of English graduate faculty, graduate students and other interested persons within the academic community.  

Academic Advising

Students are advised in consultation with the Rhetoric and Composition PhD advisor(s) and the Director of Graduate Studies.