Graduate Handbook

Choosing a School

The following categories may help you put the departments to which you are considering applying into perspective. Close study of the fine print of departmental guides will help save you from unwanted surprises down the road. While this checklist is designed primarily for students applying to PhD programs, many of the categories apply equally well to master's programs.

1. Power and prestige of the department

If your goal is to become a college professor, nothing is more important, except perhaps your dissertation advisor. A prestigious department can provide you with better funding, improve your chances for employment, keep you on the cutting edge of scholarship, recruit prominent speakers, and offer a wide range of scholars for possible advisors.

2. Faculty members and their interests

Can you identify faculty members with whom you would like to work? Can you envision a possible dissertation committee? What courses are regularly offered? Does the department as a whole emphasize one theoretical approach over another?

3. Local environment ("natural" and "cultural")

An important factor for students of literature and environment. Where is the school located? What is the character of the natural environment? What opportunities for outdoor recreation exist? What is the character of the built environment? How is the social life? Is there accessible, inexpensive housing?

4. Interdisciplinary resources

What opportunities for interdisciplinary study exist? Are there restrictions on the number or type of courses students may take outside the department? What are the strongest departments in the university? Does the school have an environmental studies program?

5. Degree requirements

a. Course requirements
Are you required to take specific courses in order to graduate? Is there a distribution requirement that you must take courses in different periods or genres? Are you required to audit several courses in addition to the courses you have taken for credit?

b. Language requirements
Most PhD programs require mastery of at least one language or proficiency in two. Proficiency is usually equivalent to two years of college-level work. Specialists in specific periods such as Medieval literature may have additional requirements.

c. Examinations
What kind of qualifying examinations will be required? Are they written exams, oral exams, or both? How long do the exams last? Is time provided for exam preparation? Must the exams be taken at a certain time in the program? Can you choose your examiners?

d. Dissertation requirements
What kind of dissertation is expected? When is the prospectus due? What kind of academic support is offered? Is there a required dissertation seminar? Are dissertation fellowships available? Are you required to teach while working on the dissertation? Is there a time limit for finishing the dissertation?

6. Program of study

a. How long will it take?
Most departments expect you to be out in four or five years, but this often stretches to six or seven, not counting any time you take off.

b. What is the expected schedule of progress?
Generally, the first one to two years of a program are devoted to coursework, the second or third to qualifying exams, teaching, and perhaps further coursework, and the remaining years to teaching and writing your dissertation. Once you complete your qualifying exams, you are known as ABD, "all but dissertation."

c. Does the program involve teaching and/or teaching assistantships?
Some say teaching provides valuable classroom experience; some say it keeps you from completing your degree. Either way, it is usually a requirement in most programs and a supplement to financial support packages. Many programs also offer teaching assistantships (TAs) that require less work but also provide less independence in the classroom. Be sure to ask about the availability of office space.

d. What is the overall atmosphere of the department?
Graduate school experiences range from pleasant years of enjoyable study to nail-biting years of cutthroat competition. Though not all of the tension of graduate school is due to the atmosphere of the department, an unfriendly department can exacerbate existing tensions and make a difficult experience even more unpleasant.

7. Library and research resources
You'll be spending lots of time in the library, so make sure it's time well spent. Are there quiet, relaxing places to study? Are the literature, science, and environmental studies collections extensive enough for your needs? Are the reference and supplementary services adequate? Is computer time free or is there a fee? What kind of software support is there? What kind of Internet access is available?

8. Financial aid resources
What kind of financial aid packages are normally awarded? Does the award package vary from year to year? Are the awards merit-based, need-based, or both? Does the department provide travel grants for conferences? Does financial aid end after a certain number of years?

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