These courses are intended as guidelines. Speak to your guidance counsellor to see what courses are offered at your school.

Candidates for the PhD must have a strong first-class MA degree or its equivalent. Competition for entry into the PhD program is keen; successful applicants typically have excellent records. The PhD program usually consists of three full graduate courses (or an equivalent combination of full and half courses), qualifying examinations, and a dissertation. Admission is on a competitive basis. To be considered for admission, an applicant must have the MA degree (or its equivalent) with a grade average of A (80 84%) or higher. This is the minimum requirement and it does not guarantee admission. The minimum requirement for consideration is a grade average of 78% across all graduate courses, where there are grades available. If no grades are available, the last 10 full or 20 half courses are counted in calculating the average. Attainment of this minimum requirement does not, in and of itself, constitute eligibility for admission. An applicant for the PhD program must normally have taken courses at the Honors or MA level in at least five of the following six areas of English Language or Literature: 1. Old English, Middle English, OR History of the Language 2. Renaissance dramatic OR Renaissance non-dramatic 3. 18th century OR 19th century 4. American OR Canadian 5. Twentieth-Century British OR Postcolonial 6. Theory (e.g., historical, contemporary, feminist, genre, etc.).