Graduate Students

Graduate English Administration/Staff

• Dr. Bill Levine, Graduate English Director
• Dr. Laura White, Graduate English Advisor
• Ms. Amanda Triplett, Graduate English Secretary

General Information

• Graduate Student Handbook
• English Graduate Program Requirements
  • English MA
  • English PhD
• Student Code of Conduct
• Graduate Catalog
• College of Graduate Studies Forms
• College of Graduate Studies Assistantships Policy

• College of Graduate Studies Application
• College of Graduate Studies Funding
• Prospective Student FAQ (including advice on statements of intent, writing samples, and recommendations)
• Information and Resources for International Applicants

Current Students

• Important Dates (Spring 2026)
• Graduate Studies Calendar
• English Graduate Student Organization (EGSO)
• Student Awards
• Graduate Student FAQ
• Form for Sharing Accomplishments
• Support Services:
  • MTSU Campus Resources for Students
  • Murfreesboro Community Resources
• Library Resources:
  • Library Resources for Graduate Students 
  • English Language & Literature Research Guide
  • Student Research Carrels Application/Graduate Student Office Application (scroll to the bottom)
  • Graduate Student Study Rooms (online booking)

Portfolio/Thesis/Dissertation

Begin by reviewing the relevant sections in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Directed Portfolio

• How do I complete a Directed Portfolio?
• Portfolio PowerPoint: A Student’s Perspective
• Portfolio Approval Form

Thesis and Dissertation

• Thesis/Dissertation Development Workshop
• Advisory Committee Form
• Change of Advisory Committee Form
• College of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines

 Professionalization

• Professional Development Resources
• Tips and Resources for Comprehensive Job Planning
• Panel on Preparing for the Academic Job Search
• Taking Stock of Transferable Skills for Non-Academic Careers

GA and GTA Resources

• GTA Inter-Office Form
• Nonteaching GA Timesheets
• Nonteaching GA Assignment Guidelines
• Guidelines for Mentored Teaching Assistant in Composition
• Guidelines for Mentored Teaching Assistant in Literature/Upper Division

Preliminary Examinations

• Preliminary Examination Policy
• Examination Areas and Reading Lists:

1. Old and Middle English 
2. Early Modern British Literature (1500-1660, including Milton) 
3. Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature 
4. Nineteenth-Century British Literature (formerly Romantic & Victorian) 
5. Twentieth-Century British Literature 
6. American Literature to 1910 (formerly split into -1830 and 1830-1910) 
7. American Literature: 1880-present 
8. Criticism and Critical Theory 
9. Rhetoric (formerly Composition, Language, and Rhetoric)
10. Composition Theory and Pedagogy (formerly Composition, Language, and Rhetoric)
11. Film Studies  
12. Anglophone Literature 

To view former preliminary examination areas, see Archive: Former Exam Areas & Reading Lists in the Graduate Student Handbook.