Overview

The University of Calgary's graduate program in English boasts the longest-running program in Canada with a creative PhD thesis option, attracting national and international acclaim.

All students pursuing an English doctoral degree will learn from highly accomplished faculty in several traditional and emerging fields. Our creative writing faculty members include a Canada Research Chair in Creative Writing.

The program is ideal for students seeking academic careers and advanced training in research, writing and pedagogy. It provides a foundation for a range of careers requiring articulate, thoughtful, creative and innovative thinkers with strong research and communication skills.

The creative stream and critical dissertation stream are equally rigorous; all students undertake a range of courses and field of study exams, and defend their thesis work orally.

Outcomes

Academic or post-secondary teaching, research, editing, publishing, archival work, educational software and technology, college, university and government administration and policy; communications, technical and creative writing; digital and online publishing, non-profits and NGOs, freelance writing.

Programme Structure

Completing this program:

Core course: Graduate Pro-seminar on critical skills and professional issues in graduate-level literary study.
Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original dissertation.
Language requirement: Demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English.
Examinations: Students will complete oral and written field of study examinations, and a thesis proposal.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2025-08-28 00:00:00
- Apply before 2024-12-15 00:00:00

Language

English

PTE Academic

75

TOEFL^® IBT

105

Credits

18 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Disciplines

Language Studies Literature Linguistics View 22 other PhDs in Linguistics in Canada

Academic requirements

GPA

3.5

English requirements

PTE Academic

75

TOEFL^® IBT

105

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

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Other requirements

General requirements

GPA

A minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the graduate level.

Minimum education

A completed four-year undergraduate program (or equivalent), and a completed Master’s degree. At least one of the degrees must be in English Literature. In exceptional circumstances, degrees in a closely related discipline may meet admission requirements.

Work samples

A 5-10 page sample of critical writing; for creative writing applicants, an additional 10-page sample of creative writing.

Documents

A statement of intent
A C.V.

Reference letters

Two

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

5604 CAD/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 2802 CAD per semester during 48 months.
National

2402 CAD/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 1201 CAD per semester during 48 months.

fees per term

Living costs for Calgary

1247 - 1953 CAD /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for English.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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