Introduction

The Ph.D. program for master’s degree holders at the Department of English Language and Literature is designed to prepare students for independent work as scholars, critics of literature and as competent and objective academics in the advanced study of literatures in English.

The applicants have to comply with the requirements specified in the regulations of the Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences and also have to have a reading knowledge in one of the modern European languages.

The normal duration of the program is 3 academic years consisting of 6 semesters. The program which is based on a master’s degree in a relevant field requires the successful completion of 180 ECTS with 60 ECTS course work and 120 ECTS thesis work. One ECTS is equal to 25.5 hours of student workload per semester .

The course plan must consist of at least 7 courses with 21 local credits (equivalent to 60 ECTS). The institute may require the prospective students to take additional courses upon the request of the program director if the educational background of the applicant is not seen appropriate to follow the normal program.

The student chooses two areas of concentration, building upon his/ her master’s background, and focuses on a field of interest such as a historical period, a genre, or literary theory and criticism.

The qualifying examination scrutinizes knowledge in the areas of concentration and awareness of the methods of critical interpretation. Each student submits a dissertation in a form approved by his/ her dissertation director and by a committee appointed by the department.

The major areas of concentration are Medieval Literature, Renaissance Literature, 17th and 18th Century Literature, Romantic and Victorian Literatures, Modern English Literature, and Theory of Criticism.

A final public oral examination is given after the candidate’s dissertation has been read and approved. The following topics are to be covered in the examination: a justification of the subject treated and the methods chosen, an account of any new contributions made. The student must develop and answer a series of questions growing out of subjects presented in the dissertation.