Doctor of Philosophy in English 

Dr. Joyce Neff, Graduate Program Director

The PhD in English is an innovative program that integrates writing, rhetoric, discourse, technology, and textual studies. Offering opportunities for creative reinterpretation of these fields within the discipline of English, the program emphasizes research that examines texts in a variety of overlapping and sometimes competing language-based worlds. Our focus is on how the creation and reception of texts and media are affected by form, purpose, technology of composition, audience, cultural location, social practices, and communities of discourse. 

Students may pursue full- or part-time study through a combination of on-campus and distance learning courses.  Students focus their studies in one of the following doctoral fields:  1) Rhetoric and Textual Studies and 2) Professional Writing and New Media.

Full-time students attend classes on the Norfolk campus and otherwise complete their degree program in the usual way.  Part-time students may fulfill their requirements through attendance at on-campus classes or through access via distance media.  Selected courses will be offered in hybrid learning environments, primarily synchronous, two-way video as well as occasional online delivery, to accommodate students at a distance who wish to pursue doctoral study.

At present, we plan to offer two to three distance learning courses per semester, but distance students will have the opportunity to take six to nine additional hours through the Summer Doctoral Institute.

The goal of the program is to provide coursework and research opportunities that appeal to professionals working outside the classroom and those who wish to pursue a more traditional academic teaching career.