Doctoral Program

Requirements for Graduate Concentration in Writing Studies at the PhD Level

PhD students in participating departments (English; Communication; Curriculum and Instruction; Education, Policy, Organization, and Leadership; and Information Science) may elect to pursue a concentration in Writing Studies. In order to plan their graduate concentration, students should identify a faculty advisor in their own department and set up a meeting to discuss their program of concentration with the CWS Director. There is no formal admission into the concentration, though students must formally petition to add the concentration through the graduate college. In addition to fulfilling the degree requirements of their home department, students need to complete a minimum of 24 credits of graduate work in Writing Studies that include the following requirements:

Course Requirements:

  • One foundational course (4 credits) in Writing Studies, ENGL 505/CI 563: Writing Studies (4 credits) currently fulfills this requirement.
  • One theme-focused course (4 credits) in Writing Studies, ENGL 583/CI 566: Topics in Writing Pedagogy and Design or ENGL 584/CI569: Topics in Discourse and Writing.
  • Two methodology courses (8 credits) in Writing Studies, one of which must be ENGL 582/CI 565 Seminar in Research and Inquiry in Writing Studies. The other must be approved by contacting the CWS Director.
  • Two additional elective courses in Writing Studies (for a total of 8 credits) chosen from a list approved by the CWS Graduate Programs Committee or approved individually by the CWS Director.

Additional Requirements:

  • Prepare and deliver a lecture based on their research to faculty and students for the CWS Colloquium Series Graduate Research Forum
  • Complete a dissertation that demonstrably focuses on Writing Studies (with a topic approved by the CWS Director) and that is guided by CWS-affiliated faculty serving on the dissertation committee.

Please note that students pursuing graduate concentrations in writing studies at the PhD level must also fulfill requirements from their home departments. See the links below for information on pursuing these departmental, graduate degree requirements.