About the Handbook
This handbook focuses on policies specific to the Department of English. For policies that govern graduate study at Princeton, see the Graduate School and Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities. The Appendix explains acronyms and abbreviations.
1. Program Overview
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Incoming Students
You will most likely move to Princeton with other incoming students in late August. Early Arrivals are allowed for students taking summer language courses. In August, the graduate program administrator (GPA) will contact you about first-year advising and student “buddies,” and the director of graduate studies (DGS) will schedule an advising meeting.
First Year
Begin your coursework, taking an average of three courses each semester toward the required twelve. Make progress on your language requirements. Contact GradFutures and the Center for Career Development to understand the range of opportunities at Princeton.
Second Year
Continue to take courses and complete your language requirements. In the spring, you will invite three faculty examiners to form your general examination committee and prepare your reading lists. Your lists must be approved by your committee and submitted to the GPA by May 1. Study for your exam over the summer in conversation with your committee.
Third Year
In late September or early October, take your general examination. After passing the exam, take the department’s six-week dissertation proposal seminar, which prepares you to write your dissertation proposal, due to your dissertation proposal committee by February 1. In February or March, defend your proposal in a dissertation proposal examination. In the spring semester, most students begin teaching as assistants in instruction (AI) and take the department’s twelve week pedagogy seminar. (Applications for teaching positions are circulated in December.) Over the summer after your third year, consider an internship with GradFutures.
Fourth Year
Focus on your dissertation and continue to fulfill your teaching requirements. Pursue other scholarly and professional activities. Your self-assessment is due February 1.
Fifth Year
Continue to focus on (and even complete!) your dissertation. Complete your teaching requirements. Consult with the department’s job search adviser about applying to full time jobs. Your self-assessment is due February 1. To qualify for the department’s sixth-year funding, you must complete two dissertation chapters and have them approved by your committee by March 15.
Sixth Year and Beyond
At this stage in the program, you should focus on completing and defending your dissertation and securing employment.
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The Graduate School sets Standard Requirements for All Advanced Degree Candidates. Program-specific requirements are below.
Requirement Year Course Requirements
- Six courses fulfilling the department's distribution requirements must be taken for letter grades
- Six additional graduate level courses (500-level and 700-level courses). At least four must be taken for letter grades
Language Requirements
- Proficiency in two languages other than English
- There are five ways to fulfill each language requirement
General Examination Reading List and Committee Approval
- Reading list and committee must be submitted for approval by May 1 of year two
First and Second Year General Examination
- Usually taken late September or early in October of year three
Dissertation Proposal and Examination
- Proposal due by February 1 of year three
- Exam should be scheduled for late February or early March of year three
Third Year Teaching Requirements
- Teaching normally begins in spring of year three
- First semester AIs must complete AI training through McGraw Center and take ENG 581 Pedagogy Seminar if starting in the spring, or approved alternative if starting in the fall
- Must teach a minimum of six teaching hours before the end of year five
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Year Dissertation and Final Public Oral Examination
- One complete chapter approved by March 15 of year five to qualify for reenrollment as a sixth-year (DCE) student
- Two complete chapters approved by March 15 of year five to qualify for the department's sixth-year funding
- The program ends with the successful completion of the FPO
Fourth Year +
2. Housing and Transportation
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According to Graduate School requirements, Ph.D .students are expected to be in residence through the duration of their enrollment. You need not live in Princeton, but you must live close enough to commute for classes and participate daily in the University community. Students doing research away from campus, may enroll in absentia. All students must be in residence for at least one academic year before their General Examination.
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On Campus: Graduate students have many on-campus housing options:
- Lakeside Apartments and Townhouses
- Lawrence Apartments
- 27–29 Edwards Place Apartments
- Graduate College Annexes
- Old Graduate College
- New Graduate College
New students must submit the housing application for incoming students by the spring deadline. Current students can find details on room retention, room draw, and the waitlist on the Housing and Real Estate Services application page for current graduate students.
Meal plans are required for residents of the Graduate College.
Rent for on-campus graduate housing is automatically deducted from your monthly stipend.
Off Campus: You may choose to seek off-campus housing in Princeton or nearby areas such as Lawrenceville or Trenton.
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Visit Transportation & Parking Services for information about parking on campus and resources available for getting around campus and the Princeton vicinity.
3. Funding and Employment
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The University Fellowship supports the majority of graduate students in the department. The fellowship offers five years of funding, paid in a monthly stipend over twelve months, and includes tuition and the Student Health Plan (SHP). Full details regarding funding can be found in the Financial Shopping Sheet.
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When you become an AI, your University fellowship is prorated. AI wages are slightly higher than standard University fellowships. As a result, there is usually a slight increase in your gross pay when holding an AI appointment.
More information about AI payments:
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The department provides funding to sixth-year students who have met the two dissertation chapter requirement by March 15 of their fifth year. This funding provides a twelve-month stipend at the current University Fellowship rate. The funding does not pay DCE fees (reduced tuition and SHP fees). Students with other fellowships for their sixth year are not eligible for the department’s sixth-year funding.
If you have a ten-month fellowship in your sixth-year, the department’s sixth-year funding will begin once that funding ends. In other words, the department will provide two additional months of funding, presuming you have met the relevant requirements.
Funding ends the month after you successfully defend your dissertation. Princeton does not provide funding beyond a sixth year of study.
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Honorific Fellowships — Jacobus, Dodd, Procter, Wallace: Each year, department faculty nominate up to three fourth- and fifth-year students for Honorific Fellowships. The fellowships, which are held in the fifth or sixth year of study, recognize the “highest scholarly excellence in graduate work.” The stipend rates for the fellowships are higher than University Fellowships and include all relevant fees. Recipients of Honorific Fellowships do not teach and are expected to complete their dissertation requirements during the year of the award. Students do not apply directly for these fellowships: departmental nomination is required.
Laurance S. Rockefeller Graduate Prize Fellowships: Graduate students whose research involves “the critical study of human values” may apply for the Laurance S. Rockefeller Graduate Prize Fellowship, awarded by the University Center for Human Values (UCHV). Fellows are expected to participate in the UHCV’s year-long dissertation seminar. Students apply directly for the award: departmental nomination is not required.
Hyde Fellowships: The Hyde Academic Year Fellowships provide a ten-month stipend at a higher rate than the University Fellowship to cover expenses of living abroad, as well as the cost of roundtrip travel from the United States. Hyde Fellowships are also available for summer research to support dissertation research abroad. Students apply directly for the award: departmental nomination is not required.
The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities (IHUM): IHUM provides an additional year of fellowship support for students accepted into the program. Accordingly, students in IHUM do not receive the department’s sixth-year funding. Students apply directly to IHUM: departmental nomination is not required.
Dean’s Completion Fellowship/PGRA Program: Each spring the Graduate School invites departments to nominate one to three students for the Dean’s Completion Fellowship/PGRA program. This competitive sixth-year fellowship provides full support — stipend and fees — for one semester and the opportunity to be appointed as a Postgraduate Research Associate (PGRA) for another. Only students who complete their degrees before the end of the fellowship will be eligible to transition to the PGRA. The PGRA is paid at a higher rate than the department’s sixth-year funding and includes options to teach and pursue other professional opportunities. If students hold the fellowship in the fall and do not defend by the end of January, they revert to the department’s sixth-year funding, assuming they have met sixth-year funding requirements.
Summer Language Funding: Explore resources listed by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS).
Graduate School Professional Development and Scholarly Travel Grants: The Graduate School offers funding programs to assist graduate students in their professional development.
Funding for Events: Students requiring additional funding throughout the year for academic purposes can review funding sources through the Student Activity Funding Engine (SAFE). If you wish to request funding through SAFE for a student group activity, ask the GPA to help you obtain a group netID. Plan ahead; the process can take up to several weeks to complete.
Center for Digital Humanities: CDH offers various fellowships and funding opportunities.
Hardship Funds: The Graduate School provides emergency funding for medical or other hardships on a case-by-case basis.
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Students may use Pivot to search for external fellowships. The Graduate School maintains a list of non-Princeton fellowships and explains its policies for accepting them.
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The Graduate School has a strict policy about graduate student employment:
In no case should students still enrolled and receiving full financial support toward their degree program work more over the course of a semester or the summer than an average of 10 additional hours per week (which may include teaching at most one course at another institution).
All employment — on campus and off — outside of AI assignments must be approved by the DGS. Students who have passed the General Examination require approval from their dissertation advisers as well. To obtain the required approvals, use the Employment Approval Request form. Completed forms should be submitted to the GPA who will obtain necessary approvals through DocuSign. You may not begin work until your application has been approved. Work performed prior to approval cannot be paid retroactively.
International Students: Immigration regulations limit international students on student visas to twenty hours of work per week. AI and AR appointments are considered work and count toward this limit. Accordingly, the combination of AI or AR hours plus the maximum ten allowed by the Graduate School must not exceed twenty hours per week total. International students holding full-time AR or AI appointments are not permitted to work in addition to their appointment. The Davis International Center is a resource for international students.
Advanced students without full support: Students in their sixth year and beyond who are not fully supported by the University are permitted to work for more than ten hours per week. For these students, limits will be set by the DGS and the student’s dissertation advisers with the goal of supporting progress toward degree.
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If you have questions about graduate student finances, a good place to begin is Princeton’s Financial Literacy website. You should also explore the Costs & Funding section of the Graduate School website, the financial support FAQ, and the section of the Princeton Service Portal related to finances.
The Student Financial Center on TigerHub allows you to access your paycheck, your annual financial letter of support, a detailed view of student account transactions, and a Net Pay Tool that displays your paycheck and student account information. For how to use the Student Financial Center, consult these instructions and visual guide.
You’re strongly encouraged to set up a direct deposit with Princeton University. This will greatly facilitate stipend, tuition, and other payments.
4. Research and Travel Account
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The department provides each graduate student with $3000 (total, not annually) to support research and travel. These funds become available upon enrollment and may be used until a dissertation is submitted, assuming satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Students admitted prior to the 2017–18 academic year are provided with $2500 (total, not annually).
Within the scope of university policies linked below, funds may be used for summer language courses at Princeton; language courses outside Princeton; transportation, accommodation, and registration for conferences at which you are presenting; transportation, accommodation, and registration for MLA even if you are not presenting; membership in academic societies; tuition and transportation for a summer institute related to your dissertation research; transportation, accommodation, and duplication fees related to archival research.
Up to $1000 of the $3000 may be used for books and periodicals, databases, and other research materials.
Funds may not be used to purchase: Computers and similar devices; office equipment such as desks, chairs, and bookcases; internet service; and Amazon Prime or similar memberships.
Contact GPA in advance regarding non-travel purchases over $150 or with any policy related questions.
Consult the Princeton travel policy and business expense policy for acceptable expenses.
Consider other funding sources (3.4 on this page) when planning your research and conference travel.
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All claims for reimbursement — travel as well as reimbursement-eligible research expenses — must be submitted through Concur. In the fall, the GPA will share instructions about using Concur. Be sure to save electronic receipts — or photos of actual receipts — of eligible expenses. (For expenses under $50, receipts are not required.) If you are submitting expenses for a conference, you must upload the pages from the conference program that include your presentation. You should submit expenses as you incur them; do not wait until your travel is complete. All expenses should be submitted within thirty days of the transaction date. If you submit an expense late, you must add a brief statement explaining why. Expenses that are not submitted in a timely manner may be counted as taxable income or not reimbursed. Reimbursement typically takes one to three weeks: plan accordingly.
5. McCosh Hall and Firestone Library
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The department is housed in McCosh Hall, named after former Princeton President, James McCosh. Building doors are locked after 8:30pm Monday through Friday and on weekends but graduate students can enter the building at any time using their Tiger Card. There are four rooms in McCosh that require keypad access — codes will be distributed by email at the beginning of the year. Do not share the door codes with undergraduates or anyone outside the department.
Thorp Library — McCosh 22: The Thorp, named after former Princeton English professor Willard Thorp, is the central hub for faculty and graduate students, and the home of the Bain-Swiggett Library of Contemporary Poetry. The closest entry is McCosh door 2. Every graduate student has a mailbox in Thorp, which you should check periodically. There is free tea and coffee in the Thorp: bring your own mug and clean up after yourself!
Hinds Library — McCosh B14: Named after former Princeton English professor Asher E. Hinds, the Hinds is located in the basement. Many graduate seminars and colloquia are held in Hinds. Within the Hinds Library, there is a small kitchen with a microwave and fridge that graduate students are free to use. Please keep the kitchen clean!
First-Floor Restroom: The first floor restroom is accessible from McCosh door 1.
Graduate Computer Cluster and Copy Room — McCosh 13: The department provides a desktop computer cluster — use door 1.
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Graduate students in English can request access to the English Graduate Study Room in Firestone Library, Room C-1-K.
Please contact:
John Logan
Literature Bibliographer
[email protected]
609-258-3296
Office: Room A-17J-2Students can also request a locker for book storage at Firestone.
The Princeton University Library offers a resource guide for graduate students. The department encourages students to consult with library subject specialists to learn about library resources, including databases and institutional subscriptions. Certain services — BorrowDirect, ArticleExpress — are especially useful. Visit Special Collections and learn how to navigate the collections.
6. Non-Dissertation Advising and First-Year Seminar
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First-Year Advisers: In August before your first year, the DGS will assign you a first-year faculty adviser to answer questions about course selection and graduate study. Your first-year adviser will have expertise related to your proposed fields of study and will be a resource throughout the year and beyond. (If you would like to change your first-year adviser, contact the DGS.) You will also meet with the DGS to discuss course selection.
“Buddies”: You will also be assigned an advanced graduate student “buddy” to provide advice about life at Princeton. Be in touch with your buddy frequently. To encourage conversation, the department will pay for one lunch together each semester during your first year — up to a maximum of $50 for each of the two lunches. (The department will not cover the cost of alcohol.) The advanced graduate student should pay for the meal and submit receipts via Concur.
First-Year Seminar: Every year, the DGS will organize a series of seminars for first-year students to introduce key research and other professional skills. The seminars will also provide advice about navigating Princeton — its culture and resources. Each seminar will feature two faculty members discussing a specific topic — for example, seminar papers, archival research, career paths. Attendance at the seminars is expected and some reading may be assigned in advance. The seminar is also intended to build cohort cohesion and introduce students to faculty members from across the department.
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Second-Year Advisers: The department does not officially assign second-year advisers. Students are encouraged to continue meeting with their first-year advisers and the faculty they have met (and taken classes with) during their first-year. Most faculty are happy to meet informally and offer intellectual guidance and professional advice. If you would like to be assigned a second-year adviser, please contact the DGS.
Mentoring Program: The department encourages graduate students to develop mentoring relationships with faculty, especially faculty outside of their specific areas of study. Mentors may advise on teaching (and observe the mentee’s teaching), discuss job prospects and review application materials, and offer general advice. The mentoring program provides each regularly enrolled graduate student (G1–G5, DC1, DC2) with $150 (in total, not annually) to be used to pay for lunches and/or coffee with faculty mentors. Students should submit expenses through Concur, clearly noting the mentoring program and naming the faculty member as an attendee.
7. Courses
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You are required to take twelve courses, six of which must satisfy the program’s distribution requirements. The department recommends taking three courses each semester. Only graduate courses — 500-level and 700-level reading courses — count toward the twelve. Undergraduate courses do not fulfill course or distribution requirements. You are expected to complete your course and distribution requirements during your first two years in the program. You must complete all course requirements before the general examination.
Register for courses using TigerHub. To access TigerHub, use your Princeton NetID and password. Keep in mind that you must select courses and change the grade options within the period specified on the TigerHub course selection calendar.
Course selection should involve discussions with the DGS and your first-year faculty adviser. You may also want to consult fellow graduate students and other faculty. Read the syllabi for all the courses you might take. Consider how the workload fits with your other courses. (Will you be taking three courses that each ask you to read a 600-page novel every week? Will you be taking three courses that have seminar papers due on the same day?) Create a manageable schedule. Occasionally, instructors will be willing to change deadlines for seminar papers at the beginning of the semester. You may also ask instructors about the possibility of substituting a series of shorter papers for the final seminar paper. (Instructors may decline to make changes.) During the first week of a semester, you may “visit” the seminars to confirm your interest.
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Graduate students in English must take courses in each of the following six areas:
- Medieval and Renaissance
- 18th Century and 19th Century
- Modern and Contemporary
- Theory
- Race, Ethnicity, and Postcoloniality
- Gender and Sexuality
All distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The six-course distribution requirement comprises 50% of the courses required for the degree, leaving room for intensive coursework in your areas of specialization.
While some courses may cover more than one field, you may not use one course to fulfill two or more distribution requirements. For example, a medieval course with a substantial commitment to theory may fulfill either the medieval and renaissance requirement or the theory requirement. To satisfy a specific area requirement at least half the syllabus (and seminar discussion) must be devoted to the study of primary sources in that field.
All courses taken outside the department must have prior approval from the DGS to fulfill a distribution requirement. When submitting a request to the DGS, include a copy of the syllabus, and a brief description of how the course fulfills the requirement.
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Reading courses are small seminars — usually with one to seven students — taught by a faculty member on a mutually agreed-upon topic. Such courses can be useful for exploring interests not covered in the regular course offerings. All reading courses must be taken for a letter grade regardless of the department through which they are administered.
To develop a reading course, begin by inviting a faculty member to teach it. Remember that faculty are not obligated to teach reading courses. (They do not get “credit” for reading courses — that is, their overall teaching and administrative responsibilities are not reduced.) In collaboration with the faculty member, prepare a syllabus that includes:
- Sample reading list
- Week-by-week meeting schedule with specific readings and assignments.
- Grading requirements with percentages for each requirement
Reading courses usually require about thirty pages of critical writing. All students taking the course should be involved in drafting the syllabus.
If the faculty member is teaching an undergraduate course on a related topic, you may attend the lectures as part of your coursework. But all the other requirements still apply, and the syllabus should describe the differences between the undergraduate course and the reading course.
Once you have a syllabus, complete a proposed reading course form and submit it to the GPA. In cases where multiple students are in the same reading course, only one proposed reading course form and syllabus is required.
Because both the DGS and the Graduate School must approve reading courses, submit your proposal no later than one month prior to the start of the semester. The Registrar will add the reading course to your roster; you will not do this through TigerHub.
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Princeton Courses outside the Department: DGS approval is not required to register for Princeton graduate courses outside the department. (Permission is only required if you intend the course to count for a distribution requirement.) For courses with number assignments from more than one department, the home department is indicated by the first course number, for example, ENG xxx/COM xxx/HUM xxx. Subsequent course numbers indicate a cross-listing.
Courses outside the University: The Graduate School participates in various partnerships, exchanges, and cross-registration programs — click the link to learn about requirements and registration. Through IUDC and Princeton-Rutgers Exchange programs, students can take individual courses at area universities. Contact the course instructor for permission to register before contacting the DGS and beginning the official registration process. To use the course to fulfill a distribution requirement, you will need ask permission from the DGS and supply the course syllabus and a brief description of how the course fulfills the requirement. The Graduate School also offers domestic and international exchanges, including the IvyPlus Exchange Scholar Program.
Graduate Certificates: Various departments and programs at Princeton offer interdisciplinary graduate certificates — in, for example, African American studies, history of science, gender and sexuality studies. Reviewing the certificate requirements can help you select courses.
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All six distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Up to two courses of the remaining six required courses may be audited. Additional classes beyond the twelve may be audited, or taken for a letter grade or P/D/F (see below). In any course, you may ask the instructor about options to substitute a series or shorter papers or an exam for the final seminar paper. The instructor always determines the criteria for evaluation.
Auditing: Auditing a course entails completing all assignments (reading, attendance, possible oral report) except for the final seminar paper. Faculty members should make their expectations for auditors clear; if you are not sure, ask. Changing your grade option for a course from graded to audit once the semester has begun must be discussed with and approved by the faculty instructor prior to making the change in TigerHub. If auditors do not meet the audit requirements for a course, they will not receive course credit.
P/D/F: Some courses may have a P/D/F option — that is, the letter grade given by the instructor automatically converts to a “Pass,” “D,” or “F.” P/D/F courses do not count for requirements.
Seminar Attendance: Graduate seminars meet once a week for three hours. If you cannot attend because of illness or personal emergency, notify the professor as soon as possible. If you join a seminar after the first meeting, talk to the professor about catching up on the reading and discussion. Semesters at Princeton are short: if you miss two classes, you'll have missed a sixth of the seminar. Poor attendance may result in a low seminar grade.
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Under certain conditions, it is possible to write one seminar paper for two courses — a “multiple submission.” To do so, you must provide compelling reasons, and secure written permission in advance from all instructors and the DGS. Without written advance permission, a multiple submission constitutes an academic violation and will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for adjudication. Most students elect not to do multiple submissions. Multiple submissions usually require an essay of greater length than the standard graduate seminar paper.
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The department expects students to complete coursework in the semester in which it is assigned. Faculty are urged to offer clear and feasible options for fulfilling writing requirements; students are urged to recognize that deadlines are a perpetual feature of academic life.
Students may request no more than one INC per semester. The department requires that all work for the fall semester for which a student has taken an INC must be submitted no later than the first Monday after spring recess. All work for spring courses for which a student has taken an incomplete must be submitted by the first day of class of the new academic year. Any student with more than one INC at reenrollment (March) will have their reenrollment deferred until mid-June and asked to submit a plan for completing their outstanding coursework. Instructors may decide whether to offer incompletes or not, and when an incomplete becomes an F.
Incompletes are serious and concern both the department and the Graduate School. Ultimately, incompletes may end enrollment in the program. The Graduate School stipulates the following: “If a student has not turned in the final paper or work for a course within one year after the beginning of the course, the grade in the course will be recorded as an ‘F.’” Once the Graduate School changes an INC to an F, the grade of F is permanent on the student’s transcript.
Please be sure to copy the DGS and GPA when submitting coursework in fulfillment of an INC.
8. Reenrollment
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All graduate students must be reenrolled annually by the Graduate School to continue their graduate studies. Every March, each student submits an online reenrollment application to the department. After reviewing the application, the department submits a reenrollment recommendation to the Graduate School. For first- and second-year students, the DGS is responsible for the department recommendation. For all other students, the DGS and individual advisers make joint recommendations.
Reenrollment is an opportunity to reflect on your progress in the program and discuss challenges with the DGS and your advisers. It is designed to promote communication and improve transparency among students, faculty, and the administration.
Although most students move through reenrollment without complication, students in academic difficulty may have their enrollment deferred until outstanding requirements are completed by clearly defined deadlines. First- and second-year students with more than one INC will have their reenrollment deferred. Students who have not passed the general examination or the dissertation proposal exam by the end of their third year may not be reenrolled. At the dissertation stage, students who have not submitted chapters deemed satisfactory by their advisers, or who have not made significant progress on the dissertation may not be reenrolled or allowed to enter DCE status.
9. Language Requirements
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The department requires students to demonstrate proficiency in two languages other than English. You must fulfill your language requirements during the first two years of the program and prior to taking your general examination. The language requirements are designed to help you conduct research for your dissertation in languages other than English.
Each language requirement may be fulfilled in one of five ways:
Option 1 — Language Exam: Pass a one-hour translation language exam. Language exams are graded pass/fail and are administered by the department once each semester. Copies of previous exams are available from the GPA. Language proficiency exams offered by other departments do not fulfill a department language requirement. Old English does not fulfill a department language requirement.
Option 2 — Introductory Language Courses at Princeton: Take two semesters of an introductory language course at Princeton — for example, FRE 101 and FRE 102. Both courses must be successfully completed with a final grade of B or higher. If you take this option, both semester courses must be completed no later than the spring semester of your second year.
Option 3 — Summer Language Intensive Course: Pass with a grade of “B” or higher an intensive reading course offered by the Princeton Center for the Study of Language. At the beginning of the course ask the instructor to evaluate you on a graded basis, as these courses are usually graded pass/fail. A tuition fee, which is not covered by your University Fellowship, is charged for these courses. You may use your research account to pay for the course or apply for funding through SAFE. Summer language courses may be taken immediately prior to your first academic year. Contact the GPA to begin the registration process.
Option 4 — Graduate Immersion Class: Pass with a grade of “B” or higher a Princeton graduate course conducted in a language other than English—for example, a course in the Slavic department on Tolstoy conducted in Russian.
Option 5 — Native Proficiency: Ask for an exemption from the DGS based on native proficiency in a language other than English.
10. General Examination
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The general examination is the qualifying exam for the English Ph.D. To take the exam, you must have fulfilled the department’s course, distribution, and language requirements, and the Graduate School’s residency requirement. The exam’s purpose is to prepare you to teach in two or more established fields. Exam lists are meant to help you define your fields. Development of the lists is a crucial exercise in scholarly research. The exam itself helps you synthesize information and demonstrate a breadth of knowledge about your fields.
Graduate students take the exam early in their fifth semester, but begin preparing in their fourth semester. Under special circumstances, second-year students who will have completed all the necessary program requirements by the end of their fourth semester may petition the DGS to take the exam early. Please contact the DGS by March 1 if you wish to take advantage of this option. Deferring the general exam may be possible in extraordinary circumstances, but only with the approval of the DGS and Dean of the Graduate School.
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February – March: Exam information session with a graduate action committee (GAC) panel of third-year students. Begin thinking about the faculty members you would like to invite to serve on your exam committee.
March – April: Contact potential committee members to confirm their availability to be on your exam committee. Develop your lists in dialogue with your committee. Finalize the lists.
May 1: Submit the general examination committee form and reading lists to the GPA and DGS for final approval. Discuss study strategies with your committee. Many committee members will want to meet with you over the summer to discuss texts on your lists.
May – September: Read. Study. Meet with your committee. Organize reading groups with your cohort. The summer of exam preparation is a special time. The department recommends keeping other responsibilities to a minimum. Schedule your exam with your committee.
September: Submit your reflection paper (see below) to your committee.
October: Take and pass your general examination.
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Your general examination committee consists of three faculty members. At least one must be tenured; in rare instances, an examiner from outside the department or Princeton may be requested. (Tenured professors have the rank of “associate professor” or “professor.”) Requests for non-department examiners must be submitted to the DGS. Students often benefit from close contact with their committees over the summer.
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Once you have confirmed your general examination committee, you should meet with them to develop your reading lists. As you put your lists together, bear in mind that you only have one summer of intensive reading. Your lists will not cover everything you will ever read in your field but should make you conversant in the field’s major debates and texts. Sample versions of approved lists are available for consultation. There is no set number of texts that need to be on the lists. The number will depend on your fields, examiners, and the texts themselves.
There are two models for reading lists:
Model A – Two Major Fields: The model creates a two-field exam that qualifies you to teach in two major fields. In the oral exam format, one hour will be devoted to each of your two major fields. Typical major fields are structured around periods, genres, traditions, and methods. Periods usually cover one hundred years of writing.
Model B – One Major and Two Minor Fields: This examination model creates a three-field exam with one major and two minor fields. In the oral exam format, one hour will be devoted to the major field, and thirty minutes to each of the minor fields. The major list follows the format described above. The minor lists may be more idiosyncratic — for example, a specific author (Chaucer, Douglass), a critical tradition (theories of the lyric, sociological approaches to literature, environmental humanities), or a theme (sentimentality). To ensure coherence, it is especially important to develop your minor lists in dialogue with your committee.
The final version of your list is due by May 1. Prior to that date, you will receive a request from the GPA via DocuSign to complete a cover sheet and attach the final version of your reading list for approval by your committee and the DGS.
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The general examination is either written or oral. Consult with your exam committee and the DGS about which format is best for you. The vast majority of students choose the oral format. All oral exams must be conducted in person and all written exams must be conducted on campus.
Written: The written examination is closed-book and takes place over eight hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the first Monday in October. Six hours are recommended for writing the exam and two hours for revising it. You will be offered a choice of questions — generally three per section.
Oral: The oral examination is two hours long. During the summer, students confer with their exam committees to confirm a date, time, and location during the Graduate School’s fall exam period. Exams are usually held in the office of a committee member. Exams must be held in person. If you cannot find a time for all committee members to be physically present for your exam, one (but no more than one) may participate by video conference. The oral exam format begins with the student making a five minute presentation explaining why they chose their fields, how the fields are interconnected, and what critical questions arose from their reading.
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All students who elect to take an oral exam must write an informal reflection paper about their reading lists prior to the exam. The paper should be three to five pages in length, and submitted to the exam committee and DGS at least ten days before the exam. The paper is an opportunity to formulate critical questions that have risen during your reading. The paper might guide the conversation during the exam, but will not define the exam’s scope.
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After the oral exam, the student will be asked to step out of the room while their committee deliberates. Once deliberation has concluded, the student will be invited back to hear the verdict and have a general discussion. Both oral and written general examinations are graded pass/fail. On rare occasions, when a student’s performance rises to an unusual level of proficiency and originality, a grade of “Pass with Distinction” will be granted. (The accolade does not appear on the student’s transcripts.) In cases where a written exam requires clarification or elaboration, your examination committee may request a follow-up one-hour oral exam. If a student fails one or more parts of the exam, they will be retested the following January on the failed part(s). Students who fail the general examination a second and final time have their Ph.D. candidacy and enrollment terminated on the first day of the month following the examination.
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Students who have satisfactorily completed the general examination may apply via TigerHub to the Graduate School for an incidental Master of Arts degree. Students who complete all course, distribution, and language requirements, but leave the program before general examination, or do not pass the exam, will receive a terminal Master of Arts Degree.
11. Dissertation Proposal
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Following successful completion of the general examination, you will have roughly four months to write a dissertation proposal. To supplement and help guide your preparation and conversations with potential advisers, the department conducts a dissertation proposal seminar. All third-year students are expected to participate in the seminar. Although the structure of the seminar depends on the instructor, all seminars discuss research methods and assist you in organizing your proposal and beginning your dissertation. The seminar typically meets six times between mid-October and December, with additional one-on-one meetings with the instructor.
In the seminar, you will likely be asked to write a field statement between ten and fifteen pages in length. The statement outlines the historical and literary dimensions of your primary field; discusses the major critical questions, and primary and secondary works; details the theoretical approaches, historical materials, and specialized research methods that will contribute to the dissertation. The statement should demonstrate expertise in the leading arguments in your field and put subfields into conversation with one another.
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During the seminar, you should consider the composition of your dissertation proposal exam committee and the dissertation committee itself. Often these committees are the same as the general examination committee. But occasionally it makes sense to switch committee members as you develop a deeper understanding of your dissertation and its goals.
By the new year, you should have confirmed the committee that will evaluate your proposal. The proposal is due to both the committee and the DGS by February 1. Your proposal should include:
- A dissertation abstract
- A review of relevant scholarship
- A chapter-by-chapter outline
The proposal will be between fifteen and twenty pages, plus a five to ten-page working bibliography. Parts of the field statement may be incorporated into the proposal. A completed Dissertation Proposal Committee form should be attached and submitted as a cover sheet. The form includes the names of your proposal exam committee.
The proposal does not set your dissertation plans in stone; your readers understand that the actual writing of the dissertation will alter your arguments, methods, and chapter organization.
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Once your dissertation proposal committee members have been approved by the DGS, you should contact them to schedule a date and time in late February or early March for your dissertation proposal exam. (If you only identify two committee members, the DGS will select a third.) The exam will be held in a faculty member’s office and will be one hour in length.
You will give a five minute presentation that outlines how you arrived at your topic, what questions your dissertation seeks to address, and how you intend to develop your project. The rest of the hour will be a conversation about your goals and their feasibility, purpose, and relevance. Your three examiners may use the exam to ask questions about your methodology, selection of primary texts, and use of secondary works. You may wish, in turn, to voice your concerns about the dissertation and seek advice about how to strengthen and focus your research. The dissertation proposal exam is more open-ended than the general examination. Its goal is to give you a strong foundation for writing the dissertation.
The exam is also an opportunity to discuss the intended audience for your dissertation and to confirm that you and your committee have similar expectations about its format and scope. Successful dissertations take many forms; but they all require support from committee members.
At the end of the hour, you will be asked to step out of the room while your committee confers. When you return, your examiners will recommend that your dissertation proposal be approved, not approved, or resubmitted with revisions. If your proposal is approved, you may begin researching and writing your dissertation. If revisions are required or if the proposal is not deemed satisfactory, your committee will provide detailed feedback and you will be asked to resubmit no later than May 1. (Your committee may set an earlier deadline.) The committee will typically not meet again as a group but will confer informally about your proposal before making their final recommendation to the DGS. In some cases, a second follow-up exam may be required. In the case of a divided committee, the DGS will arbitrate and adjudicate. Failing the dissertation proposal exam may result in the end of your enrollment. The GPA will confirm the outcome of the proposal exam with your advisers via DocuSign.
12. Teaching
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All teaching must be approved by the DGS. Most students begin teaching in the spring of their third year. Princeton uses specific terminology to discuss teaching. Here are key terms:
AI/Preceptor: Your teaching position will be as an assistant in instruction (AI) — known elsewhere as a teaching assistant or TA. The position involves leading discussion sections, attending lectures by the lead instructor, and grading papers. An AI is also called a “preceptor.”
Precept/Discussion Section: Precept is another name for the fifty-minute small group discussion sections that you will lead as an AI for undergraduate lecture courses.
AI Hour or Teaching Hour: Teaching one weekly precept for a course counts as one AI hour. Students often teach two AI hours in a semester—that is, two precept sections every week.
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The department requires all students to teach a minimum of six teaching hours in department courses before the end of their fifth year. Up to two of these teaching hours may be for non-departmental courses — for example, students often serve as AIs for African American Studies, the High Meadows Environmental Institute, and the Effron Center for the Study of America. (For students beginning the program before 2024–25, the minimum is four teaching hours.) Teaching a course for the Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) can count as one teaching hour toward the department teaching requirements. Search for non-departmental AI opportunities on the Graduate School’s AI job posting page.
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Late in the fall semester, the GPA will send an email requesting AIs for the spring. The email will include a list of English lecture courses that offer precepts. To apply for an AI position, rank the courses and send the ranking to the GPA. Indicate how many teaching hours you would like. The GPA will consult with the DGS and course instructors, and email you with your assignment, which you may accept or decline. A similar process occurs every semester. Most student begin teaching in the spring of their third year, but some wait until the fall of their fourth year.
Allocating and assigning AI positions is a complicated process. The DGS and GPA work with the director of undergraduate studies and associate chair to predict undergraduate enrollments and allot AI positions. Undergraduate enrollments often shift during the first two weeks of the semester and students may be asked to take on (or give up) precepts. It is important that students remain patient and flexible. The department prefers to add precepts than cancel them. Teaching two precepts for the same course is not twice as much work as teaching one: you are already attending lectures, doing the assigned reading, and preparing weekly lesson plans. Teaching multiple precepts for the same course is the best way to fulfill your teaching requirements as efficiently as possible.
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During your first semester as an AI, you will be required to participate in a pedagogy seminar. ENG 581: Pedagogy Seminar is offered every spring and is taught by department faculty. The seminar meets for approximately ninety minutes every week for twelve weeks and discusses the basics of teaching and course planning from syllabus construction to grading to course evaluations. Practical issues are the focus: facilitating discussions, offering constructive feedback, time management, lecturing strategies, and new teacher anxieties.
If you begin teaching in the fall semester, you will be required to take CTL 501: Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning, offered by the McGraw Center. (Some students take both pedagogy courses.) All students, no matter when they start teaching, must attend the McGraw Center two-day AI Orientation. Comparative literature also offers a fall pedagogy seminar, but the DGS needs to give permission for it to count for the English department’s pedagogy requirement.
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Through support from the Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC), the department allows advanced graduate students to apply to co-design and co-teach courses with faculty. Students should approach individual faculty members in the early fall to discuss the possibility of co-teaching the following year. The faculty member will then coordinate with the DGS and department, and respond to a call for proposals from ODOC in December. Teaching via the Collaborative Teaching Initiative counts as three AI hours.
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If you serve as an AI at Princeton while on a University Fellowship, your monthly fellowship stipend will be prorated to reflect your teaching income. Teaching in DCE status, however, results in direct income if you are not funded by the department’s sixth-year funding initiative.
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In addition to teaching as an AI, graduate students may participate in a variety of other teaching activities and opportunities at or in partnership with the University:
- McGraw Center—Graduate Teaching Fellows
- Princeton/Community College Teaching Partnership
- Princeton Writing Program—Quin Morton Teaching Fellows
- Petey Greene Prisoner Assistance Program
- Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI)
- Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP)
- Center for Digital Humanities Humanities Data Teaching Fellows
These teaching opportunities do not count toward the department’s teaching requirements. Exceptions may be made for courses through PTI. Please note that most of these positions are considered employment and thus require an employment approval request form. Contact the GPA to confirm.
PUPP is a special opportunity to gain certification to teach in public schools in many states, including New Jersey. Contact the DGS to discuss ways to integrate PUPP into your studies.
Some advanced graduate students teach as adjuncts at tri-state area colleges. (That is, they work as part-time instructors, paid per course.) Adjuncting is a good way to gain teaching experience and additional income, although it is often not financially sustainable over the long term. If you are being funded by a University Fellowship or as a DCE student, you must submit a employment approval request form for adjunct positions.
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The McGraw Center: McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning offers resources and programming geared toward training in pedagogy and writing support. Their teaching transcript program warrants special attention: the program documents a student’s pedagogical training and formal teaching experience. Students may begin participating before serving as an AI by attending pedagogy programs sponsored by the McGraw Center.
The Pocket Instructor: Co-edited by professors Diana Fuss and Bill Gleason, the Pocket Instructor, Literature 101: Exercises for the College Classroom outlines activities and exercises for teaching, with entries by many professors in the department and past assistants in instruction.
13. The Dissertation
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After your dissertation proposal exam, you will decide on a dissertation advising committee, which usually comprises three department faculty members. As a default, the department assumes that your proposal committee will become your dissertation committee. But that need not be the case: you are able to change your dissertation committee at any time, provided you have approval from your proposed advisers. You must also obtain approval from the DGS to add a faculty member from outside the department. Contact the DGS and GPA if you would like to change your committee at anytime.
You may petition the DGS to have one of your advisers be from outside Princeton. The DGS, in consultation with your other advisers, will make a decision about the appropriateness of the request. The department does not offer honoraria to outside advisers or reimburse for travel to attend a student’s annual self-assessment meetings or FPO. Keep in mind that you can always consult faculty even if they are not on your committee.
Keep in touch with your dissertation committee as you write your dissertation. (The department requires annual dissertation meetings, but you should be in touch more frequently.) Discuss what kind of feedback you find most useful. Don’t be shy about asking for written feedback on each chapter. It is especially important to keep in touch when you are facing challenges. Do not wait until you have a complete chapter to contact your advisers.
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The Graduate School has its own requirements for entering DCE status — the sixth year of the program: at least one approved chapter and active engagement in research. The department has a more rigorous requirement for its sixth-year funding: at least two approved chapters by March 15 of the student’s fifth year. Technically, a student could enter DCE status without receiving the department’s sixth-year funding.
In addition to these requirements, which represent a minimum standard, the department has a set of benchmarks to measure standard progress through the program:
- One complete chapter approved — January of fourth year
- Two complete chapters approved — September of fifth year
- Three complete chapters approved — March of fifth year
Students may take advantage of the dissertation success curriculum from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The Princeton Writing Program also offers dissertation boot camps.
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Beginning in your fourth year, you will submit a self assessment annually. Modeled on the progress reports that faculty submit each year, the self-assessment asks you to update the department on three areas:
- Progress on your dissertation
- Future plans for work on your dissertation, including timeline for completion
- Publications, presentations, awards, and fellowships
The self-assessment should be between two and three single-spaced pages. You need not reproduce your dissertation proposal; a concise and clear abstract is sufficient. Be sure to identify how many chapters you have written and have left to write. The self-assessment has a number of functions, chief among them is to help you and your committee understand what you have accomplished and still need to accomplish. The self-assessment also functions as a genre of professionalization. It can serve as the basis for job letters and grant proposals.
Your self-assessment and CV are due to the GPA by February 1. The GPA will use DocuSign to coordinate the submission process. It is vital that you share drafts of your self-assessment with your advisers before submitting it; they will be asked to approve it. Self-assessments from fourth- and fifth-year students serve as the basis of honorific and DCF/PGRA nominations.
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The department requires that every student writing a dissertation meet with their full dissertation committee once a year. You are encouraged to contact your advisers each fall to set up a meeting before the end of February. The annual meeting is an opportunity for you to discuss your most recent dissertation chapter or chapters, as well as your general progress and wellbeing. All material to be discussed should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the meeting. The meeting is also an occasion to discuss career plans.
14. DCE and ET/DCC Status
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The Graduate School defines its “degree-seeking statuses,” including regular enrollment, DCE, and ET/DCC statuses. As a graduate student at Princeton, you are formally part of a five-year program. This means that for five years of graduate study you will have regular enrolled status and your health insurance is provided and funded by the Graduate School, either through your University Fellowship or a combination of your University Fellowship and AI appointments.
Often graduate students remain in the program for a sixth year and sometimes a seventh year and beyond. At the end of your fifth year, you have two options: DCE status or ET/DCC status. DCE status extends enrollment for students in good standing, albeit without financial support by the Graduate School, except in the case of honorific, childbirth and adoption accommodation, IHUM fellowships, and DCF/PGRAs. (The Graduate School has a minimum one chapter requirement to enter DCE status.) Through the sixth-year funding initiative, the department offers funding for the first DCE year. (The department has a minimum two chapter requirement for its sixth-year funding.) Princeton does not offer support for the second DCE year although students may receive AI assignments.
Once in DCE status, you are responsible for DCE fees — reduced tuition fee and SHP. Your DCE fees will be covered by the Graduate School as part of your AI stipend if you teach at least two hours per semester. In addition, you will receive the regular AI salary for teaching. If you are awarded an assistant in research (AR) for other work on campus, your DCE fees will likely be covered by the hiring unit. As a DCE student, you will continue to have all the privileges of a graduate student at Princeton — that is, access to University housing, a University ID card, library privileges, athletic pass, etc. AI and AR appointments are usually 10-months in length. Please consult the DCE Handbook for additional information.
At the end of your fifth year or sixth year, you may opt for ET/DCC (enrollment terminated/degree candidacy continues) status. You will no longer be considered an enrolled student for purposes of student visas, loan deferral, health insurance, housing, etc. But you will retain library privileges for up to five years after you have completed your general examination. ET/DCC status is the only option for remaining a student after a seventh-year. Students with ET/DCC status do not have to pay DCE fees and cannot teach at the University.
15. Defending the Dissertation
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When you are ready to schedule your final public oral (FPO) examination, you will need to contact your dissertation committee and the DGS to confirm a date and time. You should begin this process at least two months prior to your target FPO date. The GPA will provide a FPO checklist, and guide you though scheduling requirements and dissertation submission guidelines. You should send your completed dissertation to your advisers at least six-weeks prior to the FPO.
Except in circumstances in which degree requirements must be completed for students to begin a job, the department does not schedule FPOs during the summer.
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The FPO lasts one hour. According to the Graduate School, there must be “at least three principal examiners, all of them normally members of the Princeton faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher.” At least two of these examiners must not be members of the dissertation committee, and at least one “must be from the student’s home department.” Accordingly, most FPOs include at least five faculty members: the three person dissertation committee, plus two additional faculty members, one of whom is usually the DGS. Since the FPO is a “public oral” exam, students and guests may attend.
The FPO must be held in person. A hybrid model is occasionally possible: “In extraordinary circumstances, a department may request that the Graduate School approve the virtual, video-conferenced participation of an examiner, but in no case may there be fewer than two examiners who participate in person.”
At the FPO, you will begin with a twenty-minute presentation that summarizes your dissertation, and describes theoretical and methodological challenges and future lines of inquiry. For the next forty minutes, the faculty examiners will ask questions about the dissertation. Time permitting, other audience members may ask questions. After the question period, you, as well as the audience, will leave the room and the faculty in attendance will confer on a final grade: pass or fail. This exam is the last formal requirement for the Ph.D.
16. Careers After the Ph.D.
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Every spring, the department’s job search adviser holds a meeting for students planning to enter the academic job market the following fall. The job search adviser outlines the process for applying for academic jobs and establishes a schedule for editing students’ job materials. The department’s job placement handbook is available via the department’s Ph.D. outcomes and career resources webpage. Log in using your netID and password; a secondary password, when required, is available by contacting the GPA.
The department supports students who seek non-academic and para-academic jobs. Students should begin consulting with GradFUTURES and the Center for Career Development as early as their first year in the program. Developing skills and gaining work experience are essential for securing both academic and non-academic positions. Princeton sponsors many internships, and University Administrative Fellowships have been particularly helpful for our students.
The department tracks Ph.D. outcomes. The GradFutures also keeps data on the professional outcomes of alumni.
17. Committees and Governance
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The department has two groups for addressing student concerns and needs: the graduate action committee (GAC) and the working group for graduate issues (WGGI).
The Graduate Action Committee: GAC is a representative group of graduate students that holds meetings throughout the academic year, chaired by student-elected co-presidents. Its goals:
- Organize sessions about the profession
- Represent the concerns of the department to graduate students
- Improve the quality of graduate student life within the department
- Promote intellectual and social interaction between faculty and graduate students
The department provides GAC with an operating budget. Every graduate student in the department is welcome and encouraged to participate in GAC. All department graduate students are automatically GAC members.
The Working Group for Graduate Issues: WGGI is the intermediary group between GAC and the faculty. WGGI comprises:
- GAC co-presidents
- Four or five graduate student-elected cohort representatives
- DGS, department chair, and one other faculty member
The student representatives share concerns brought up at GAC meetings. Faculty share program changes, which WGGI relays to the graduate student community at GAC meetings.
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Graduate Student Government is a University-wide group of elected students who advocate for graduate students, organize social events, and work with administrators and faculty to make Princeton a better institution. The WGGI chair serves as the department’s representative at monthly assembly meetings.
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Graduate colloquia are a vital part of intellectual life in the department. The colloquium system allows graduate students to invite speakers from a variety of fields to participate in public events. In recent years, the department has supported colloquia in the following fields: Americanist, Contemporary Poetry, Ecotheories, Eighteenth-Century/Romantic, Medieval, Postcolonial, Renaissance, Theory, Twentieth-Century, and Victorian.
Each colloquium is led by one or two graduate students who plan events, consult with other students in the field, and work with faculty and staff. The department encourages colloquia to rotate leadership every year or two. Although students should take the lead in programming decisions, each colloquium must also have a faculty member as an adviser who is responsible for ensuring academic integrity of events and adherence to the approved budget.
A call for proposals and updated colloquium guidelines for the next academic year are distributed late in the spring semester. The department aims to approve proposals by early summer so organizers can invite speakers and submit a final schedule before the start of fall semester.
The current graduate colloquium guidelines are available here.
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The department supports ad-hoc events organized by graduate students and focused on graduate student concerns. In the past, the department has supported talks by visiting scholars on professional topics such as article writing and book publishing. The department has also supported works-in-progress talks by graduate students and graduate student conferences. If you are interested in organizing an event or believe graduate students would benefit from a seminar on a specific topic, write the DGS and GPA.
18. Healthcare, In Absentia, and Leaves of Absence
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Childbirth and Adoption Accommodation: The Graduate School has a policy to support graduate student parents.
University Health Center: Princeton University Health Center (UHS) is located next to the Frist Student Center at the heart of campus. Use their website to upload immunization and other medical records, make appointments (referrals are required if you’re on the student health plan and want to see off-campus specialists), and view insurance details. The Graduate School provides emergency funding for medical or other hardships on a case-by-case basis.
Counseling and Psychological Services: UHS also offers in-person and telehealth counseling services, and various other programs. Urgent consultations are available during and after business hours. The Graduate School also has a resource page for crisis support.
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The Office of Disability Services (ODS) coordinates accommodations for graduate students with documented disabilities. Accommodations include (but are not limited to) housing, dining, academic work, and transportation.
If a student has mobility-related accessibility needs, ODS can arrange transportation to Princeton-sponsored off-campus events
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In absentia status is designed for regularly enrolled students who need to conduct research away from Princeton. In absentia students still need to complete semester sign-ins and participate in the annual reenrollment process. Students must receive approval from their advisers and the DGS to enroll in absentia.
Students unable to make active progress on their coursework, exam preparation, or dissertation research should consider taking a leave of absence from the program. A semester leave of absence pauses University fellowships, and pushes department and University deadlines back one semester.
Appendix
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CDH: Center for Digital Humanities
DCE: Dissertation Completion Enrollment
DCF/PGRA: Dissertation Completion Fellowship/Postgraduate Research Associates
DGS: Director of Graduate Studies
ET/DCC: Enrollment Terminated, Degree Candidacy Continues
FPO: Final Public Oral Examination
GPA: Graduate Program Administrator
IHUM: Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities
IUDC: Inter-University Doctoral Consortium
ODS: Office of Disability Services
PTI: Prison Teaching Initiative
PUL: Princeton University Library
SAFE: Student Activities Funding Engine
SHP: Student Health Plan