Students should consult the handbook published during their first year of study for details about degree requirements and progress expectations. Note that the first set of requirements below are for students entering in Fall 2025; requirements for current PhD students appear second.
PhD Requirements for Students Entering in Fall 2025
Complete a minimum of 27 credits of graduate course work. No more than 6 credits of 400-level course work will count toward the degree.
1. Core Course Requirements; all of the following core courses (12 credits):
- WRA 801: Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
- WRA 810: Writing, Composing, Designing, Making (3 credits)
- WRA 870: Research Methodologies in Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
- WRA 880: Theories of Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
2. Concentration Requirements
Complete at least three courses, a minimum of 9 credits, in one of the following concentrations:
- Cultures, Identities, and Communities
- Leadership and Administration
- Writing Pedagogy and Learning
- Technical and Professional Communication
A list of courses eligible for each concentration is available from the program director. Courses used to fulfill core requirements may not be used to satisfy concentration requirements. Other concentrations may be approved the student’s guidance committee.
3. Doctoral Exams
Pass a written comprehensive examination on the core and the area of concentration.
Pass a pre-dissertation examination consisting of an oral examination based on a written prospectus and a preliminary bibliography for the dissertation project.
4. Dissertation
Students must prepare a dissertation-length (or the multi-media equivalent) original work and successfully defend it. Additionally, students must complete no less than 24, no more than 36, WRA 999 dissertation credits.
The graduate program runs a hands-on semester-long job placement workshop each fall. Participation in this workshop is mandatory for job-seeking Rhetoric & Writing doctoral candidates.
Completion of the PhD must occur within eight (8) years of entering the program. Completion of all comprehensive exams (core, concentration, pre-dissertation defense) must occur within five (5) years of entering the program. The clock starts ticking the semester of the first class that is counted toward the degree.
PhD Requirements for Current Students
1. Core Course Requirements; all of the following core courses (18 credits):
- WRA 805 Rhetoric Theory and History (3 credits)
- WRA 853 Workshop in Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
- WRA 870 Research Methodologies in Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
- WRA 878 Composition Studies: Issues, Theory, and Research (3 credits)
- WRA 882 Contemporary Theories of Rhetoric (3 credits)
- WRA 885 Research Colloquium (3 credits)
2. Concentration Requirements
The purpose of the concentration requirement is for PhD students to develop a specialized area of study complementary to their rhetoric/writing degree. A concentration consists of at least nine credits of course work (typically, three courses) in a specialized area at the graduate level. Every PhD student is required to develop one concentration; however, our experience has shown us that most students do work that crosses and/or combines “official” concentrations. We encourage that creativity and embrace the innovations to our discipline that comes from it.
The following doctoral concentrations are currently available:
Critical Studies in Literacy and Pedagogy
Required for the concentration (9 credits):
- AL 881 Teaching with Technology (3 credits; or an acceptable alternative)
One course in language, literacy, and culture:
- WRA 877 Community Literacy (3 credits)
- WRA 992 Seminar in Literacy Studies (3 credits)
One additional course in research methodology:
- CEP 931 Qualitative Methods in Educational Research (3 credits)
- CEP 932 Quantitative Methods in Educational Research I (3 credits)
- CEP 955 Research Design and Methods for Learning, Technology, and Culture (3 credits)
- CEP 930 Educational Inquiry (3 credits)
- WRA 872 Methods of Research in Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
- ANP 833 Ethnographic Analysis (3 credits)
Electives for the concentration (3-6 credits, assembled in consultation with student’s committee)
Cultural Rhetorics
Required for the concentration:
- WRA 848 Cultural Rhetorics (3 credits)
- Electives for concentration (6 credits, assembled in consultation with student’s committee)
Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing
Required for the concentration (6 credits):
Both of the following courses:
- WRA 415 Digital Rhetoric (3 credits)
- WRA 841 Professional Writing Theory and Research (3 credits)
Elective for concentration (3 credits); one of the following courses:
- WRA 410 Advanced Web Authoring (3 credits)
- WRA 420 Content Strategy (3 credits)
- WRA 453 Grant and Proposal Writing (3 credits)
- WRA 482 Information and Interaction Design (3 credits)
- WRA 852 Portfolio Workshop (3 credits)
- WRA 860 Multimodal Composing: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
- WRA 877 Community Literacy (3 credits)
- WRA 893B Internship in Professional Writing (3 credits)
- AL 881 Teaching with Technology (3 credits)
- An STA graphic design course (3 credits; in consultation with STA instructor)
Self Designed Concentration
In consultation with their guidance committee, a student must petition the Rhetoric and Writing Graduate Advisory Committee for approval to complete a self-designed concentration. The letter of petition should provide the committee with a list of courses to be taken (minimum of 9 credits, although please note that most self-designed concentrations will require more than the minimum number of credits), a guidance committee that is broadly representative of the breadth of the concentration, and a rationale for the concentration. The rationale should address how the proposed concentration will assist the student’s intellectual work and professional development in the field of rhetoric and writing.
More detailed information about the PhD core and concentration requirements can be found in The WRAC Graduate Programs Handbook.
3. Language Requirement
In Rhetoric and Writing, we believe multiple literacies are important for researchers, scholars, and professionals. At every level, the experience of language/literacy/skill acquisition as a meta discourse activity is useful in understanding the complexities of multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Students must submit a plan to their chair for meeting this requirement within the first two years of coursework. There are two primary pathways for meeting this requirement:
- Coursework: If meeting that requirement requires completing language coursework, the language courses must be listed on the plan of study (note that these courses cannot replace courses taken to fulfill core or concentration requirements for the degree).
Options include:
- Complete two courses in any language other than English
- Complete two courses in African American vernacular English and rhetoric
- Complete two courses in teaching English to speakers of other languages
- Experience: Demonstrate second-year proficiency in a language other than English; if meeting the requirement through experiences outside of language coursework, the student will need approval from their committee, documented in their plan of study describing the experience and providing a rationale for satisfying the language requirement.
4. Doctoral Exams
Students must pass three doctoral exams: the Core, the Concentration, and the Prospectus Defense.
5. Dissertation
Students must prepare a dissertation-length (or the multi-media equivalent) original work and successfully defend it. Additionally, students must complete no less than 24, no more than 36, WRA 999 dissertation credits.
The graduate program runs a hands-on semester-long job placement workshop each fall. Participation in this workshop is mandatory for job-seeking Rhetoric & Writing doctoral candidates.
Completion of the PhD must occur within eight (8) years of entering the program. Completion of all comprehensive exams (core, concentration, pre-dissertation defense) must occur within five (5) years of entering the program. The clock starts ticking the semester of the first class that is counted toward the degree.