Graduate English
The graduate program in the Department of English and Film Studies is large and diverse, with internationally recognized strengths in many fields including Canadian literature, Cultural Studies, English literature, American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Modernism. We encourage innovative, interdisciplinary research, and we have a vibrant intellectual climate. Our department is consistently ranked as one of the top English graduate programs in Canada.
We have excellent internal funding packages and a very high success rate for external funding. We are often able to offer incoming students a funding package approaching, and occasionally, exceeding $30,000 for PhD and $20,000 for MA students annually. We have very high success rates for SSHRC and other major scholarships: currently about half of our PhD students hold a major external award, including a Trudeau scholarship and two Vanier scholarships. We support student travel for research and conferences, and we have innovative program structures that allow students to pursue exciting and original research. We have an active and very supportive Graduate Students of English Collective, and a department culture that values graduate student participation.
Below, you can find specific information about our programs, the MA in English (both Course-Based, and Thesis-Based), and the PhD in English, as well as application information. The application deadline for this year is January, 15, 2025. On the website for the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research you can find information for prospective students about the web-based application, about tuition, fees, and cost of living, and about general issues pertaining to studying at the U of A and living in Edmonton.
Feel free to get in touch with the contacts listed on this page at any point. We look forward to hearing from you!
Registration Dates
To apply, please use the University of Alberta online application system. The system is open for registration from October 1, 2024, to January 15, 2025.
Our Courses
Students tell us that our graduate English course offerings are among the best in Canada. Check out our latest courses and find out why.
-- an undergraduate degree in English or its equivalent in number of courses (usually 54 credits, or 18 courses).
-- a breadth of courses representing the major historical periods [Old and Middle English, Early Modern, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century literature and culture] and in Canadian, American, Indigenous, and postcolonial literature and culture, as well as some grounding in literary and cultural theory.
-- high academic standing (a minimum 3.3 GPA in courses in English).
-- proof of English language proficiency, where applicable (see How to Apply for details).
-- high academic standing (a minimum 3.5 GPA in courses in English)
-- proof of English language proficiency, where applicable (see How to Apply for details)
Our Researchers: Videos
Program Details and Forms for Current Students and Supervisors