PhD English Literature at University of Pittsburgh

Programme overview

The Literature concentration of Pitt's English PhD, taking a cultural studies approach to literary study and encouraging cross-fertilization between programs, disciplines and traditional periods. Doctoral students design and teach courses in literature.

Faculty: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences | Department: English / Literature Program | Intake: Fall | Location: Pittsburgh, PA, United States

What you will study

Seminars and four focal areas: Children's Literature and Childhood Studies, Genealogies of Modernity, Media and Material Practices, and Race, Poetics and Empire, plus research and reading groups. Students benefit from Humanities Engage micro-internships and dissertation research fellowships.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is through the English Department PhD: GradCAS application, unofficial transcripts, 2-4 page statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, writing sample of about 20-25 pages, $75 fee; Dietrich minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA; GRE not required. The PhD is on alternate-year admissions with the next cycle opening September 2027.

Domestic applicants: USD 27,412 a year (2026-27). Pennsylvania-resident graduate tuition, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, full-time two terms (fall and spring). Tuition only; mandatory fees and other expenses excluded. Source

International applicants: USD 49,272 a year (2026-27). Out-of-state (non-PA resident) graduate tuition, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, full-time two terms (fall and spring). Tuition only; mandatory fees and other expenses excluded. Source

Intake: Fall

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