The Rutgers Graduate Program of Literatures in English is currently accepting applications for this graduate admissions cycle. The deadline to apply is December 15, 2023. Our admissions process reflects the anti-racist values of the department, and we are committed to admitting, recruiting and supporting a diverse community of exceptional scholars, including students of color, international applicants, and those whose socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds are underrepresented in our fields of study. 


The program is designed for students who wish to complete the Ph.D. Our nationally recognized faculty is remarkably diverse in fields and approaches. They teach in all the major periods of British, American, and global Anglophone literature, including Medieval and Early Modern studies, colonial American literature, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British and American writing, modernism and postmodernism, postcolonial studies, and contemporary literary studies. We also have a longstanding commitment to non-traditional, non-canonical literatures. One of our strongest concentrations is in African American, Caribbean, and African Diaspora studies, in which we have a large group of faculty and students. Many faculty members are interested in comparative Anglophone studies and theories of world literature. Our department is known for its work in feminist and gender studies, as is Rutgers as a whole, as well as in the history of the novel and the history of the book.  


This section is provided for prospective students interested in our program. Please visit this section of the Website frequently for up- to-date information.

General Information

Open House

  • Spring 2024 Open House information forthcoming