Perhaps you are a former English major who has done some high school teaching, become deeply interested in how students become effective writers and readers, whetted your curiosity with an MA, and are now looking for the next step in your own learning.  Or perhaps you worked in a writing center as an undergraduate, went on to take an MA in rhetoric and composition or writing studies, have done some teaching at the college level, and would like to prepare to become a full-time scholar in the field. Or perhaps you were always fascinated by the ways that people both inside and  outside of school develop and carry out their reading and writing practices, took an MA in literacy studies or a related field, and would like to deepen your knowledge of literacy more largely.  If any of these profiles describe you, the Joint PhD in English and Education may be the right choice for you.

This is a small program--we typically accept five students per year, and we work closely with them to help them put together a program of study that suits their needs.  Students investigate a variety of topics including  the ways digital technologies change high school classroom dynamics, the influence of heritage languages on students learning science in English, and the role of race in the history of writing assessment. The majority of our students take tenure track positions in schools of education or departments of English, and a few move into other academic positions or find employment in school districts. We work with each of them to assure that they are well prepared for a challenging job market.

If this sounds like the right program for you, we encourage you to get further information from our website