university of alberta phd english

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis-based program

Program overview.

Build on your intellectual curiosity and foundational understanding of English Literature to become an expert in your field. Develop an original and focused area of research and proceed to the dissertation to develop original creative or critical work (or a hybrid of both). The University of Calgary's graduate program in English boasts the longest-running program in Canada with a creative PhD thesis option, attracting national and international acclaim. All students pursuing an English doctoral degree will learn from highly accomplished faculty in several traditional and emerging fields. Our creative writing faculty members include a Canada Research Chair in Creative Writing. The program is ideal for students seeking academic careers and advanced training in research, writing and pedagogy. It provides a foundation for a range of careers requiring articulate, thoughtful, creative and innovative thinkers with strong research and communication skills. The creative stream and critical dissertation stream are equally rigorous; all students undertake a range of courses and field of study exams, and defend their thesis work orally.

Prospective students are encouraged to inquire with the department about their minimum funding policy.

Completing this program

• Core course: Graduate Pro-seminar on critical skills and professional issues in graduate-level literary study.
• Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original dissertation.
• Language requirement: Demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English.
• Examinations: Students will complete oral and written field of study examinations, and a thesis proposal.

Specializations

• Literature in English (a Creative Writing option is available within this specialization)

Academic or post-secondary teaching, research, editing, publishing, archival work, educational software and technology, college, university and government administration and policy; communications, technical and creative writing; digital and online publishing, non-profits and NGOs, freelance writing.

A PhD in English is usually considered a final degree.

Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.

Six courses and a Graduate Pro-Seminar course

Learn more about program requirements in the Academic Calendar

Classroom delivery

Time commitment.

Four years full-time; six years maximum

A supervisor is required, but is not required prior to the start of the program

See the Graduate Calendar for information on  fees and fee regulations,  and for information on  awards and financial assistance .

Virtual Tour

Explore the University of Calgary (UCalgary) from anywhere. Experience all that UCalgary has to offer for your graduate student journey without physically being on campus. Discover the buildings, student services and available programs all from your preferred device.

Supervisors

Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree. Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.

Karen Bourrier

Michael Clarke

Faye Halpern

Clara A.B. Joseph

Derritt Mason

Suzette Mayr

Murray McGillivray

Rain Prud'homme-Cranford

Admission requirements

A minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the graduate level.

Minimum education

A completed four-year undergraduate program (or equivalent), and a completed Master’s degree. At least one of the degrees must be in English Literature. In exceptional circumstances, degrees in a closely related discipline may meet admission requirements.

Work samples

A 5-10 page sample of critical writing; for creative writing applicants, an additional 10-page sample of creative writing.

• A statement of intent

Reference letters

Test scores, english language proficiency.

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt)  score of 97.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)  score of 7 (minimum of 6.5 in each section)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)   score of 75, or higher (Academic version).
• Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL)  score of 70 (minimum 70 in each section)  
• Academic Communication Certificate (ACC)  score of A- in each course.
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency  minimum score of 200.

For admission on September 1:

Canadians and permanent residents - apply by Dec. 15  |  submit all supporting documents by Jan. 10

International students - apply by Dec. 15  |  submit all supporting documents by Jan. 10

If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements

Are you ready to apply?

Learn more about this program, department of english.

Social Sciences Building Room 1148

2500 University Drive NW

Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Contact the Graduate Program Administrator

Visit the departmental website

University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Visit the Faculty of Arts website

Related programs

If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.

Course-based MA

Thesis-based MA

Thesis-based MFA

Educational Research

Thesis- based EdD

Thesis- based MA

Course-based MEd - Int

Course-based MEd - Spec

Thesis-based MSc

Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Linguistics, curious about the university of calgary.

Located in the nation's most enterprising city, we are a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude.

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Graduate Creative Writing

Our Creative Writing program attracts national and international acclaim. UCalgary faculty and students actively enhance the local and national arts communities.

Join us and be part of the journey!

Want to take creative writing at the graduate level?

We offer an MA  or PhD  in English with a Creative Writing thesis or dissertation option. You'll be required to fulfill the same requirements as other graduate students. The program offers a unique mixing of literature courses and writing workshops.

MA with creative thesis

How it works.

Apply to submit a substantial work of poetry or fiction as a creative project for the MA thesis in English.

Note: You'll need department permission for a creative MA. We can't guarantee permission to pursue a creative writing project, even if:

You're admitted to an MA in English, and/or

You've completed creative writing classes at UCalgary or another university.

Even if you're not accepted, we encourage you to continue writing and applying to creative writing graduate courses.

Application components

1. portfolio, submit a substantial portfolio of previous work during your graduate program application.

This may include:

published work

five to eight short poems or one to two short stories

chapters of a novel

or a combination of poetry and prose).

2. Critical approach

Outline your critical awareness of the approach you expect to take..

• Present a critical discussion of the proposed work
• Call attention to elements like: 
• themes, verse-forms, groups of poems, experimental or traditional approaches, etc.
• Present a critical discussion of possible approaches to:
• characterization, theme, point of view, narrative stance, experimental or traditional approaches.

Final product: Thesis

Your thesis must contain an introduction or afterword, normally of 20–30 pages, showing some critical awareness of the approach taken.

Average length

• Poetry project : About 50 pages. 
• Fiction project: About 150 pages.

English prof spreads awareness about migrant challenges through poetry

PhD with creative dissertation

You may be permitted to submit a substantial book-length manuscript of poetry or fiction for the PhD thesis in English.

However, this is a highly competitive option with an expected high standard for your project.

While we would expect you to have writing and publishing experience, it will not guarantee admission to the doctoral program, or approval of a creative dissertation project.

Submit a portfolio of writing and published works during your graduate program application.

Your dissertation essay must show extensive critical awareness of the approach you expect to take. Expect, as part of your studies, to do research within the genre.

Final product: Dissertation

When you present your dissertation for examination, it must be previously unpublished. It must also be accompanied by a critical essay showing a sophisticated critical and/or theoretical awareness of your approach.

Expectations

Quantity and quality cannot be equated but you must present a substantial body of work.

As with the dissertation for a critical Ph.D., it should be original and publishable.

Creative Writing faculty

View profile

Clara A.B. Joseph

Clem Martini

Suzette Mayr

L. Rain Prud'homme-Cranford

Uchechukwu Umezurike

Aritha Van Herk

View profile  

Anna Veprinska

Joshua Whitehead

Expand your writing career.

Master of Arts (MA), thesis-based

Thesis-based programs require that you pursue independent and original research culminating in a thesis. You will work under the supervision of a faculty member whose expertise matches your research area.

Master of Arts (MA), course-based

In a course-based program, all degree requirements are fulfilled by completing courses. These may include courses that involve a project, such as a major research paper or group project.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Department of English offers a PhD degree with one specialization, Literature in English. The Creative Writing option is available within this specialization.

Ready to apply?

Have you made your final decision and you're ready to apply?

What you'll need

The Faculty of Graduate Studies has detailed instructions about the application process.

Read admission steps and requirements

Do you have everything?

You are responsible for ensuring your application is complete and all documents are received by the deadline. 

Graduate supervisor

The Department of English does not require you to confirm a supervisor prior to admission.

Begin your application

First  create an eID . You must have one to access the online application.

Once you begin, remember to click 'Save & Continue' often to ensure your application is saved.

Online application

Graduate program contacts

Contact us for any questions you may have about the programs we offer in the Department of English.

Graduate Program Advisor

Ask me about graduate program advising

Lori Somner

[email protected]

Associate Head (Graduate Program)

Ask me about graduate degree requirements

Morgan Vanek

[email protected]

Creative Writing Coordinator

Ask me about the Creative Writing Program

[email protected]

In Toronto keynote, Northeastern University president outlines how universities can thrive in an AI-driven world

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“This digital world, this AI world, is impacting every aspect of knowledge that we have and every aspect of society,” Joseph E. Aoun told the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies.

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TORONTO — AI chatbots and driverless cars were still futuristic concepts when Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun anticipated the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education and society at-large.

More than seven years since the publication of his book, “Robot-proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Aoun told a packed hall of college students and administrators about how universities could better prepare their graduates for successful and fulfilling careers in an increasingly AI-driven world. 

He delivered the keynote address at the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies annual conference at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto, a leading tech hub and home to one of Northeastern’s 13 global campuses.

Aoun fielded questions in English and French from the audience and moderators, Fahim Quadir of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and Effrosyni (Faye) Diamantoudi of Concordia University in Montreal.

“This digital world, this AI world, is impacting every aspect of knowledge that we have and every aspect of society,” Aoun said. “You cannot understand now and work on the physical world without integrating AI.” 

New edition of Robot-Proof

This year, MIT Press released a revised and updated edition of Aoun’s book in which he called on colleges to reinvent themselves in order to equip students for the jobs of tomorrow. 

While universities are accustomed to delivering undergraduate and graduate programs, a robot-proof education has no fixed start and end points. It is a “lifelong endeavor,” Aoun said, combining literacy in technology and artificial intelligence, data literacy and human literacy — or the traits that currently set humans apart from machines, such as common sense. In his book, Aoun coined the term “humanics” to describe a curriculum based on these literacies.

While Aoun said each university will develop its own approach to adapting to technological change, he offered an example of how Northeastern offers customized professional studies for lifelong learners in Seattle and Silicon Valley. 

“The tech industry said that they needed more people in computer science. Can you create a new pipeline?” Aoun said. “We took this challenge and we didn’t know if it was going to work.”

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Northeastern launched the Align Master’s in Computer Science program, which gives students without a background in computer science a direct path to an advanced degree.

One benefit of the initiative was that it allowed more women and minorities to enter an industry in which they have traditionally been underrepresented, Aoun said.

Colleges can also help students differentiate themselves by offering experiential education that connects classroom learning with on-the-job training, Aoun added. Using a term from cognitive science, he said experiential learning encourages “far transfer” — the application of skills learned in one context to another dissimilar one. 

“Experiential education is a dimension that distinguishes humans from AI, and humans from machines,” he said. 

More than 11,000 Northeastern students participate in experiential learning programs each year in 149 countries and on every continent. The university has a global network of 4,700 employers across various industries. 

Aoun’s comments resonated with audience

Aoun’s comments on technology and higher education resonated with Rija Kamran, a Ph.D. student in rehabilitative medicine at the University of Alberta. Kamran’s research focuses on supporting spinal-cord injury patients as they move from an in-patient to community setting. 

With the help of a friend experienced in natural-language processing, she analyzed patient transcripts in less than two months — work that would normally take over a year. Now, Kamran is eager to learn natural-language processing techniques herself. 

“If I knew it and could combine it with my knowledge of the [rehabilitative medicine] field, I could do so much better,” she said.

Bryan Trudel, dean of studies at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, said artificial intelligence represents both an opportunity and a challenge for universities. While ChatGPT raises concerns about plagiarism, AI can also be used to perform tedious but necessary work, he said.

“I see great potential to save hours and hours on tasks like literature reviews,” Trudel said. “That’s months of work that could be done in a few clicks.”

Mary O’Brien, dean of graduate studies and vice provost at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, described artificial intelligence as a subject of universal interest in academia. 

A linguist by training like Aoun, she agreed that humans still had an advantage over machines in some endeavors. 

“Of course, a computer can get you information much faster,” she said. “But it’s about conveying that knowledge in a way that can be transmitted meaningfully, understood and appreciated. 

“That’s where we as humans definitely win out in all this.”

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