PhD Advisement

Students choose an advisor with the approval of the Graduate Director before the end of their first semester of coursework. An advisor of a PhD candidate must be a member of the graduate faculty of the English Department and be familiar with the subject matter area in which the student plans to write the dissertation. PhD students also select an advisory committee for assistance in developing a plan of study and for guidance in writing the dissertation.

Advisory Committee. The doctoral Advisory Committee will normally consist of the student's major advisor as committee chair, two or three members of the English Department's graduate faculty, and one member of the graduate faculty from outside the English Department. At least one of the departmental members of the committee must be from outside the student's primary research area. For example, a student specializing in Technical Writing would choose someone in the department who normally teaches rhetoric, TESL, linguistics, composition, screen studies, or literature. The committee, therefore, consists of three or four members from the English Department and one from outside the department.

Committee Changes. To change one's advisor or Advisory Committee, a student must submit a written request for the change to the English Graduate Director (Morrill 308; 405-744-9469/6222) and provide reasons for the requested change. The Graduate Director will forward the request to the Graduate College for final approval.