The Department of English at the University of Toronto offers two doctoral streams, the PhD program and the PhD U (“direct-entry”) program.
Admission to the doctoral streams is highly selective.
The 
PhD Program Timeline and Policy on Satisfactory Progress should be reviewed by all students entering the doctoral programs on or after September 1, 2024. For students who entered prior to September 1, 2024, please carefully review this version.
PhD Program
The PhD program welcomes applications from our own English MA students and English MA students from other recognized institutions.
Candidates for admission to the PhD program must complete an MA in English at this or another university with a standing of A- or better and must satisfy the Department that they are capable of independent research at an advanced level.
The PhD program is designed for completion in five years; it may extend, if necessary, to a maximum of six years.
PhD U (Direct-Entry) Program
The "direct-entry" PhD U program welcomes applications from exceptional students who have completed their undergraduate English BA degree but not an English MA, or who have completed an MA in a program related to but not in the field of English. (If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact the Associate Director, PhD, before applying.)
Please see the Application Information page (under “Programs”) for further information about eligibility for the PhD U program, which involves an additional year of coursework and therefore tends to take an additional year to complete.
Upon registration, all doctoral candidates are assigned a mentor from the Department’s graduate faculty.
A thesis supervisor and supervisory committee are appointed at the end of Year 1 for students in the PhD program or the end of Year 2 for students in the PhD U program.
The Special Fields Examination is normally taken in March, April, or May of Year 2 in the program for PhD students or Year 3 in the program for PhD U students.
Program Requirements and Course Work
At the University of Toronto, the acronym FCE stands for “Full Course Equivalent.” A “full course” is weighted 1.0 FCE and meets for the full year (i.e., two terms or semesters). Almost all of our graduate courses in English, however, run for a single term and are thus called “half courses,” which are weighted 0.5 FCE. (“3.0 FCEs,” in other words, in practice means 6 single-term courses.)
The program requirements (except for ENG9900H) for the PhD are usually completed within the first two years of the program.
The minimum course requirements for the degree are as follows:
- ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series (0.25 FCE); taken in Year 1 of the program
- ENG9900H Teaching Literature (0.5 FCE); students have the option of taking this required course in either Fall of Year 2 or Fall of Year 3
- 3.0 additional FCEs in English, as approved by the department; the department strongly encourages students to complete these 3.0 additional FCEs in Year 1
- Every student must complete at least 2.0 FCEs outside the chosen field of study over the course of their graduate training. The student is encouraged to combine these courses into a minor field. Graduate courses taken as part of the master's program may be counted in this connection, but the following courses may not be counted: ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English, ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series, ENG9900H Teaching Literature.
Language Requirement: PhD students must also demonstrate reading knowledge of French by May 31 of Year 3 of registration. With the permission of the department, another language (including Old English) may be substituted for French provided that this other language is required by the student's research area. The supervisory committee may require the student to qualify in other program-related languages as well.
In order to maintain good academic standing, and to continue in the PhD program, the student must complete each course with a grade of at least B and maintain an average grade of at least A–.
Please see this page for further information on Maintaining Good Standing and carefully consult the PhD Program Timeline and Policy on Satisfactory Progress.
PhD students may take up to 1.0 FCE of coursework outside of the Graduate Program in English, with the approval of the Associate Director, PhD.
Cross-listed courses (that is, courses taught by English graduate faculty in other units) and courses required for a collaborative specialization are equivalent to English courses and may be taken without special permission from the Department.
The program requirements (except for ENG9900H) for the PhD U are usually completed within the first three years of the program.
The minimum course requirements for the degree are as follows:
- ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English (1.0 FCE); taken in Year 1 of the program
- ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series (0.25 FCE); taken in Year 2
- ENG9900H Teaching Literature (0.5 FCE); students have the option of taking this required course in either Fall of Year 3 or Fall of Year 4
- 5.0 additional FCEs in English, as approved by the department. In Year 1, in addition to ENG6999Y the student must complete 2.0 FCEs. In addition to ENG9400H, students must then complete the remaining 3.0 FCEs by the end of Year 3. The department strongly encourages students to complete these 3.0 additional FCEs in Year 2.
- Every student must complete at least 2.0 FCEs outside the chosen field of study. The student is encouraged to combine these courses into a minor field. Neither ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English, ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series, nor ENG9900H Teaching Literature may be counted towards a minor field.
Language Requirement: PhD U students must also demonstrate reading knowledge of French by May 31 of Year 4 of registration. With the permission of the department, another language (including Old English) may be substituted for French provided that this other language is required by the student's research area. The supervisory committee may require the student to qualify in other program-related languages as well.
In order to maintain good academic standing, and to continue in the PhD U program, the student must complete each course with a grade of at least B and maintain an average grade of at least A–.
Please see this page for further information on Maintaining Good Standing and carefully consult the PhD Program Timeline and Policy on Satisfactory Progress.
PhD U students may take up to 1.0 FCE of coursework outside of the Graduate Program in English, with the approval of the Associate Director, PhD.
Cross-listed courses (that is, courses taught by English graduate faculty in other units) and courses required for a collaborative specialization are equivalent to English courses and may be taken without special permission from the Department.
Supervisory Committee, Special Fields Examination, and Thesis Information
Along with the information provided under the headings below, please carefully consult these two important documents:
- Graduate English Guidelines: Supervisory Committee, Special Fields Examination, and Thesis (from Topic to Submission)
- COVID 19 Pandemic Addendum to the Graduate English Guidelines
The Graduate English faculty is extensive and extraordinarily wide-ranging. Students are advised to consider all potential supervisors from among faculty holding the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
Every PhD student is assigned a mentor, who is one source for information about potential thesis supervisors. Above all, coursework offers the chance to explore intellectual affinities with potential supervisors, and the Director and Associate Directors of the graduate program can offer useful advice.
Members of the Graduate Faculty are always willing to discuss thesis topics and supervision with candidates, and asking a faculty member to read and comment on a fellowship proposal is an excellent way to begin to gauge the potential of a supervisory relationship.
Students should initiate discussion of a thesis topic with potential supervisors early in the second term of the first year of the PhD program (or second year for direct-entry students).
Careful consideration in the process of choosing a thesis topic is critical for all doctoral candidates. Select a subject that excites your curiosity, engages your interest, and represents your current thinking and expertise. A thesis topic should emerge from coursework and intellectual growth during the first stages of the program.
Even candidates who enter the program with ideas about a thesis topic are advised to test them further against their own development, the current state of scholarship in the field, and available faculty and archival resources
Form A can be downloaded here in either 
Word doc or PDF format.
After securing a thesis supervisor and developing a thesis topic in consultation with that supervisor, the student and supervisor work together to submit Form A to the Department by May 15 of the first year (or second year for PhD U students).
As part of the process of completing Form A, the student should consult with four (or, at a minimum, three) additional members of the graduate faculty to gain further perspectives on the design and viability of the project. On the form, the student lists the names of the faculty members consulted and the names of up to four faculty members to be considered as potential members of the supervisory committee. (The names of the faculty consulted and the potential committee members are often, but may not necessarily be, the same.)
The Preliminary Thesis Proposal is a statement of approximately 1-2 single-spaced pages outlining the focus and approach of the proposed program of research. Successful proposals will be written in clear, concise prose. As its title suggests, the proposal is preliminary: the position paper component of the Special Fields Exam (at the end of the following year) will provide the opportunity for revision and expansion. Students should feel free, if it in fact reflects their current thinking, to adapt their Program of Study from a SSHRC or Plan of Study from a OGS proposal. As above, be sure that your Thesis Proposal reflects your current thinking, growth, and knowledge of the field.
Form B can be downloaded here in either Word doc or PDF format.
After Form A has been received, the Director and Associate Director, PhD, will determine the composition of the supervisory committee (the supervisor plus two additional members). Early in the summer, the candidate should then meet with the supervisory committee as a group to discuss the proposal, draw up an initial list of texts for the Special Fields Examination (see below), and develop a plan of work.
In late summer or early fall the student consults with the committee once again to complete Form B, which must be submitted to the Department by October 1 of the second year of the program (or third year for PhD U students).
Please see below for further information about the Special Fields Examination.
Please carefully consult Description of Special Fields Exam and Timeline for Thesis Proposal, Reading List, and Special Fields Exam.
The Special Fields Examination must be completed by the end of Year 2 (or Year 3 for direct-entry students) and will normally be taken in March, April, or May of that year.
The Special Fields Examination both prepares students for teaching and scholarly work in a particular field and facilitates the transition to writing the doctoral thesis.
Accordingly, the Special Fields Reading List, which forms the basis for the examination, comprises between 80 and 100 texts, roughly two-thirds (55-65) in a major field and roughly one-third (25-35) in a minor field. Students construct their own lists in consultation with their supervisor and thesis committee.
It is critical to the success of the working relationship between supervisor and candidate to develop an initial agreement about the method and scope of the research, and to clarify the expectations of supervisor and candidate: about the kind and amount of advice that the candidate wants and the supervisor is able and willing to offer; about the involvement of the members of the supervisory committee; about the frequency, regularity and contents of consultations; about an appropriate time scheme for the completion of the thesis; and about the way draft work is to be submitted.
The candidate meets with the supervisor and individual committee members according to the schedule they have established, but the candidate must meet with the full supervisory committee at least once every year in order to meet SGS registration requirements.
Please carefully consult the following SGS publications:
In preparation for the submission of the thesis and for information about the Final Oral Examination, students should carefully consult the following documents:
- Procedure for Students and Supervisors in Advance of the Final Oral Examination (FOE)
- Graduate English Guidelines: Supervisory Committee, Special Fields Examination, and Thesis (from Topic to Submission)
- COVID 19 Pandemic Addendum to the Graduate English Guidelines
Please see as well the guidelines listed on the School of Graduate Studies Producing Your Thesis page.