After the Ph.D.

Most Ph.D.s in English seek employment at colleges and universities. Although the Department of English cannot guarantee such employment, it can promise vigorous and wholehearted assistance. Whatever the market situation may be at a given time, there are some practical steps which can increase your opportunities for academic employment. Probably the most important advantages are to have the dissertation close to completion when seeking employment and to build a record that includes presentation of papers at conferences, publication of essays and reviews, and evidence of distinction in teaching and scholarship. It is crucial to cultivate expertise in a broadly defined historical and/or critical field as well as in the narrower area(s) of your dissertation. Experience in different kinds of teaching--Rhetoric, General Education, writing and reading labs--is also extremely helpful. The best general advice is to begin well before the final year of study to develop the skills and qualities which will make you attractive to potential employers. Strong course work will ensure strong letters of recommendation; wise planning will create coherence and definition for your program; and an excellent dissertation will be read by academic employers as representing both your achievement and your promise.

A few general remarks about timing might be useful if they are not misconstrued as requirements. Recent experience shows that most students at Iowa who receive job offers have completed the dissertation at the time the offer is made. Because employers are hesitant to hire persons whose dissertations are incomplete, students should aim to complete the dissertation between December and mid-spring of the academic year in which they seek a job. It is important, then, to predict your rate of progress from the Comprehensive Examination through the completion of the dissertation, to hold a prospectus meeting promptly, and to allow sufficient time for the writing of the dissertation. Because there is no certainty that all Ph.D.s in English will find continuing academic employment, it is crucial to remain open to the opportunity of jobs outside the profession of teaching. A number of Ph.Ds are now finding employment in academic administration, business, or government. The MLA Guide for Job Candidates contains a helpful discussion of Alternatives to Teaching, offering advice about how to find and/ or create for yourself challenging work in academic administration or publishing or in a nonacademic setting.

The following pages provide details about the various aspects of the Ph.D. in English.

• Graduate home
• Steps to the Ph.D.
  Policies & Procedures
  • Commencing Study
  • Distribution Requirement
  • Seminar Reqirement
  • Foreign Language Requirement
  • Other Requirements
  • Qualifications
    • Application for Candidacy form (PDF)
  • Comprehensive Exam
  • Dissertation
  • After the PhD
• Admissions
  
• Funding
  
• Courses 
  
• Current Grad Students
  
• Graduate Placement
  
• PhD Student Publications

See Also:

• The Graduate College
• Graduate Assistanship Bulletin Board
• Graduate College Sources of Financial Support