91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Ph.D. Preparation

91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Master of Arts in English Program offers you the knowledge, skills and experience you need to pursue your doctorate. Graduates of our program have gone on to doctoral studies at the University of Utah and Utah State University, Idaho State University, Oklahoma State University, the University of South Florida and many more.

In addition to the following resources, the program hosts an annual Ph.D. Prep Night, where you'll learn about the materials needed to apply for a Ph.D., what you should look for in a Ph.D. program and hear from our faculty about their experiences pursuing their doctoral degrees.

Ph.D Resources

Our Doctoral Alumni

I built relationships with my Weber professors and academics at other institutions as I wrote and submitted works for publication and conferences, giving me a strong foundation. When I started looking at Ph.D. programs, I knew I would succeed wherever I was accepted. I am researching and writing my dissertation on British crime fiction at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

—Dannea Nelson, Master of Arts in English, 2022

Obtaining an M.A. in English at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, with a certificate in Rhetoric and Writing, coupled with a lot of hard work and determination, made my current path possible. Weber State provides so many opportunities for its students: the faculty care about student success in a way that is rare. I feel genuinely grateful for my years there as a student, research assistant, and teaching assistant. None of my current success would have been possible without the knowledge, confidence, and support Weber provided. I am now doing IRB-approved ethnographic research towards a Ph.D. at the University of Utah.

—Keolanani Kinghorn, Master of Arts in English, 2022

The Master's in English program gave me the tools I needed to continue my academic career as a Ph.D. student in Idaho State University’s English and the Teaching of English program focusing on contemporary Black literature and cultural rhetoric. The teaching apprenticeship available to MA students gave me experience that has given me a leg up for teaching undergraduate composition as a Ph.D. student. My time in Weber's MA program also helped me find my academic field of study. With the encouragement and guidance of my professors, I published in journals and presented at conferences. My experiences publishing and presenting gave me the academic confidence to take on the challenges of a Ph.D. program. I am grateful for my time at Weber and the fantastic English professors who take an interest in their students' successes.

—Amanda Stevens, Master of Arts in English, 2023 91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Prepare for your Ph.D.

  1. Research the profession. Look at graduate program web pages; visit campuses if you can.
  2. Watch your GPA.
  3. Try to get good coverage across British, American and World literature courses, literary theory, and special topics that resonate with one another.
  4. Create an intellectual focus for yourself. Keep track of your projects—try to narrate your intellectual life as you go. Give yourself a whole summer to write your personal statement, and assume it will go through multiple drafts. This is going to take work!
  5. Apply for conferences and awards to go on your curriculum vitae (an academic resumé).
  6. If you can, get some experience teaching, peer tutoring or working as a research assistant. While these things are not vital to admission, they give you a good sense of what the profession is like, and this sense can help produce a good personal statement.
  7. Begin the process no later than one year before you intend to apply. Get faculty advice on schools with strengths that match yours, faculty you might want to work with at particular places, fellowships available to applicants, etc.
  8. You want to send a 20-page, very high-quality writing sample. Assume you'll need to revise.
  9. Find your future recommenders: 3 professors from whom you have ideally taken two classes and earned A's. Keep your graded work from classes in which you perform well. When you ask for a letter of recommendation, provide the professor with a folder containing copies of your work to help them write a more detailed, useful recommendation. If you will take time off after graduation, get recommendations on file before you leave campus while you are still fresh in your professors' minds.
  10. Either informally or in a preparation course, study hard for the GRE Verbal, Analytic Writing and Subject Tests during the summer before you apply. Research the admission requirements for the programs to which you are applying.