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In the thesis option, students must successfully complete Graduate Research Seminar (ENGL 694) and five seminars, and write a thesis of 80鈥�100 pages that adheres to the guidelines set under the thesis regulations of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students submit a proposal for the thesis to the Graduate Administration Committee in the Department; the proposal must be approved before students begin working on the thesis. When completed, the thesis is submitted to the Thesis Office and is reviewed by an External Examiner.

In the non-thesis option, students must successfully complete Graduate Research Seminar (ENGL 694) and seven seminars, and write a research paper of 40 pages. Students submit a proposal for the research paper to the Graduate Administration Committee in the Department; the proposal must be approved before students begin to write the research paper. The finished paper is evaluated by the supervisor and a second member of the Department. Although the Non-Thesis (research paper) M.A. is designed to be completed in two years, some students complete the program in one year (Fall, Winter, and Summer terms) or in 16 months (Fall, Winter, Summer, and Fall terms).

Students with an M.A. in English or a closely related discipline may apply to the Ph.D. program. In their first year (Ph.D. 2), doctoral students are expected to complete the two halves of the compulsory proseminar: ENGL 787 (taken in the Fall term) and ENGL 788 (taken in the Winter term), along with four seminars. The proseminars expose students to current academic issues, theoretical propositions, and professional questions. Students may substitute for the two second-term seminars one extended supervised Optional Research Project. Courses must be chosen in order to make possible the identification of a major and a minor area of concentration.

In Ph.D. 3, candidates complete a Compulsory Research Project in the area of the dissertation and submit the dissertation proposal. This Compulsory Research Project, a unique feature of the 91社区 Ph.D., serves the purpose of a field exam and replaces comprehensive exams, allowing students to work on a publishable piece of research. The language requirement must be fulfilled before the dissertation proposal is approved.

Doctoral students must complete the Ph.D. program within six years. A candidate intending to submit the thesis to meet the deadline for Spring Convocation must give notice of this intention before January 1. A candidate intending to meet the deadline for Fall Convocation must give such notice before May 1. The majority of students who complete the Ph.D. proceed to postdoctoral fellowships and teaching positions, either at CEGEP (colleges) or at universities.