Our graduate students come from across the globe, with a huge range of life experiences, tastes, and talents. Graduate education in the Harvard English Department is about helping each of our unique students become the scholar, teacher, writer, reader, mentor, and citizen they want to be. To that end, we have rigorous requirements: exams, coursework, and, of course, the dissertation, all of which help inspire the next generation of leading scholars of English literature. But we also know that university teaching and research is only one possible career for our graduates. Academia is undergoing immense changes; no two students’ paths—through our program and after it—will look the same. Thus we train students for professional success in academia while simultaneously preparing them for a wide range of other lives and careers.
Our program encourages you to find your own path through this work, in consultation with advisors, mentors, and peers. Your journey includes opportunities to enrich your intellectual life, to gain comfort and skill as a teacher, and to practice leadership and organizational skills applicable to any endeavor. Some students teach a tutorial on a subject of their choosing to junior English concentrators. Others organize graduate colloquia in their field of study, convening leading scholars from around the world to present cutting-edge research. Still others represent graduate students on committees, serve as tutors in the Residential Houses, or run new initiatives such as Literary Careers. In all of these endeavors, and many more, graduate students play a central role in departmental life.
To make these explorations possible, we provide students with an extensive array of resources such as fellowships, travel grants, and opportunities for recognition. Above all, we build an environment where rich explorations of literature thrive. Through courses, colloquia, readings, guest lectures, meetings with mentors and students, and casual gatherings over barbecue or cupcakes, students build relationships and acquire knowledge that help them grow into the best version of themselves.
I encourage you to apply to join our community and to learn more about all we have to offer.
Prof. Derek Miller, Director of Graduate Studies