Doctor of Philosophy in Composition and TESOL Course Requirements

Overview
To complete the program, all students must take thirty-six semester hours of academic courses beyond the master's degree (in addition to the dissertation credits), including a 9 credit core component; 9 credits in a specialization; 3 credits in research; and 15 credits in electives. The following courses are required of all students in the Composition and TESOL program: (1) ENGL 800 Introduction to Research; (2) ENGL 808 Technology and Literacy; (3) choice of ENGL 803 Language and Cognition or ENGL 805 Language and Social Context.

A. Core Courses (9 cr. hrs.)
The Core examines some of the thematic foundations of our program--the systematic study of writing and language in social, psychological and online contexts. These courses draw upon research in various disciplines such as composition, rhetoric, linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education, and they introduce students to both theoretical and empirical published research in scholarly books and journals. The Research Methods course familiarizes students with the variety of investigative methods used in the study of composition, language, literacy, and teaching and prepares them to read across a range of research methodologies.

ENGL 800 Introduction to Research Methods
AND
ENGL 808 Technology and Literacy

ENGL 805 Language and Social context
OR
ENGL 803 Language and Cognition

B. Specialization (9 cr. hrs.)
Students may choose courses in one specialty or the other or both, depending on career goals. These courses require in-depth study of theory and practice, concentrated reading in scholarly books and journals, and the development of critical perspectives on issues and trends in Composition or TESOL.

Composition Specialization	TESOL Specialization
ENGL Theories of Composition	ENGL Second Language Teaching
ENGL Teaching Writing	ENGL Second Language Acquisition
ENGL Rhetorical Traditions	ENGL Second Language Literacy

C. Research (3 cr. hrs.)
ENGL 815 Qualitative Research
OR
One course in another department which prepares students to conduct a dissertation using statistical methods. Following are some examples:

Qualitative Methods
Anthropolgy: AN 556 Field Research Methods (best before ENGL 715)
Criminology: CR 717 Advanced Qualitative Methods (best after ENGL 715)
Administration and Leadership: LP 783 Analysis of Qualitative Data in Leadership Studies (best after ENGL 715)

Quantitative Methods
Educational Psychology: EP 616 Applied Educational Research Methods (best for those wanting one course in quantitative to go with ENGL 815)
Educational Psychology: EP 715 Doctoral Seminar in Applied Educational Research
Graduate General Service: GR 516 Statistical Methods I
Graduate General Service: GR 517 Statistical Methods II

Mixed Qualitative/Quantitative Methods
Adult and Community Education: AC 745 Practical Research in Adult and Community Education
Elementary Education: EL 780 Seminar in Advanced Research Methods
Masters in Education: ME 663 Teacher as Researcher

Special Purpose (only for those planning dissertations of certain types)
History: HI 614 Research Methods
Political Science: PS 666 Public Policy Analysis

Remember

• Any course you choose should be approved by your advisor.
• The easiest way to do this is to get a recent syllabus from the instructor of the course you want to take and show it to your advisor. If you cannot get a syllbus, at least get an email from the instructor describing plans for the course.
• We do not sponsor these courses; so what they are about and how appropriate they are for our students can vary from semester to semester.

Other courses as developed by the program faculty. Courses in other programs, such as ENGL 751 The History and Theory of Criticism and ENGL 752 Literary Theory for the Teacher and Scholarly Writer, in the department's Graduate Progam in Literature and Criticism, or related courses with approval of C & T Program Coordinator, e.g. EL 700 Writing for Professional Publications; LT 602 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas; and AC 650 Current Topics in Adult and Community Education.

Total Course Credit Hours: 36

Course Descriptions
General English course descriptions are available from the Graduate Catalog.

Course Details and Schedules
Specific course offerings by semester are available from the Graduate Office for Literature and Criticism and Composition and TESOL. You may register for classes online through URSA.

Go Back Top of Page Print Page Get Help