Graduate Programs

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Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication
The Ph.D. program in Rhetoric and Professional Communication offers courses in rhetoric, composition studies, professional communication, and critical/cultural studies. Drawing on a range of research methods and pedagogical approaches, we support students from diverse backgrounds pursuing interests in industry, government, and education, including universities, community colleges, and public schools.

The faculty in the Rhetoric and Professional Communication Program approach research, teaching, and other professional practices from multiple perspectives. We value collaboration and synthesis. We encourage critical engagements that challenge the borders traditionally drawn between theory and practice, production and reception, and creativity and critique. We promote situated inquiry that negotiates cultural, technological, disciplinary, and textual constraints in order to imagine and realize new possibilities.

We admit students in the fall semester of each academic year. Complete applications are due by February 1.

Students entering the program before Fall 2006 can access PDF or Word versions of the previous requirements here:

Faculty

Top | Faculty | Course Work | Examinations | Internship | Dissertation | Assistantships | Application

Degree Requirements (requirements listed here are effective beginning Fall 2006)
In addition to meeting the requirements of the Graduate School, students must satisfy the following requirements.

Requirement 1: Course Work (54 Semester Credit Hours)
Students in the doctoral program will develop individualized plans of study in consultation with advisors. Students will complete at least 54 hours of graduate course work, including

English 610: Doctoral Proseminar in Rhetoric and Professional Communication;
6 credit hours in research methods;
12 credit hours in core courses;
15 to 18 credit hours in courses in an area of specialization.

English 610: Doctoral Proseminar (3 credit hours). Students must successfully complete English 610: Proseminar in Rhetoric and Professional Communication, during their first semester in the program.

Research Methods (6 credit hours). Students must successfully complete two courses in research methods. The English Department offers four methods courses. With the advisor's approval, students may also substitute relevant methods courses offered in other departments across the university.

Engl 548: Graduate Study in Empirical Research
Engl 601: Qualitative Research
Engl 602: Quantitative Research
Engl 603: Rhetorical Criticism

Core Courses (12 credit hours). Students must successfully complete at least one course in each of four core areas.

Core Composition Courses

Engl 664: Composition History and Theory
Engl 571: Composition Pedagogy and Practicum [designed for first-semester English Dept. graduate assistants]

Core Critical/Cultural Studies Courses

Engl 517: Graduate Study in Critical Theory
Engl 668: Rhetorical/Cultural Studies

Core Professional Communication Courses

Engl 512: Graduate Study in Writing in the Workplace
Engl 572: Technical & Professional Communication: Theory and Pedagogy

Core Rhetoric Courses

Engl 518: History of Rhetoric
Engl 519: Modern Rhetorical Theory

Specialized Courses (15-18 credit hours)
Students must successfully complete 15-18 credit hours in a specialized area. Students define their specialized area, a coherent set of related courses drawn from both inside and outside the Department of English, in consultation with their doctoral committee. Possible specializations include Border Rhetorics and Cultures; Writing Program Administration/Writing Center Administration; Assessment; Pedagogy; Literacy Studies; Identity and Political and Social Rhetoric; Multimedia Rhetoric and Design; Intercultural Rhetorics; Writing Across the Curriculum; Workplace Communication; and the Rhetoric of Science.

Transfer Courses (up to 18 credit hours)
Students may apply 18 hours of master's level work to the 54-hour coursework requirement with departmental approval. In consultation with an advisor and the Doctoral Committee, students petition for transfer credits when they are filing the Program of Study with the Graduate School.

Requirement 2: Qualifying Portfolio
Qualifying Portfolio
During the second semester of coursework, students will submit a portfolio to the Rhetoric and Professional Communication faculty for purposes of review and evaluation. The qualifying portfolio allows students to demonstrate that they have the requisite reading, writing, and critical skills to successfully pursue the Ph.D. Students will discuss and begin to prepare the Qualifying Portfolio in English 610. The Qualifying Portfolio consists of a file compiled during the first six months of doctoral study and submitted on March 1. The Rhetoric and Professional Communication faculty will assess the portfolio in the form of a first-year review by April 15. Students will then meet with their advisors to discuss the portfolio and first-year review letter. The portfolio will include:

an academic profile in which students assess their relevant professional background and their previous, current, and future graduate level work. This includes a discussion of the students' plans and goals related to coursework, research, teaching and professional development;
a critique of a scholarly article (the selection of which is approved by the Engl 610 instructor) within the field of rhetoric and professional communication, not to exceed 1500 words

Through this portfolio, students will:

establish a plan shaping their academic careers;
provide evidence of specific research interests and a clear research trajectory;
demonstrate the reading, writing, research, and critical skills required to successfully pursue the Ph.D.

Requirement 3: Comprehensive Examinations
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive examination is normally taken within the academic year following completion of doctoral coursework. The comprehensive examination tests students' knowledge in the four core coursework areas and in a specialized area. The examination covers course work and related reading in all areas. In addition, the examination provides the student an opportunity to propose a plan for dissertation research. The examination comprises:

Part 1: Written examination on core course work.
Part 2: Written examination on area of specialization.
Part 3: Oral exam on parts 1 and 2.

The doctoral committee prepares and administers the comprehensive examination. Students unsuccessful in part or all of the comprehensive examination will be expected to retake the necessary part(s) by the end of the following semester.

NOTE: Students preparing for the comprehensive examination may enroll in Engl 600 (Doctoral Research). Engl 600 is not required as part of the program, but students holding Graduate Assistantships can use Engl 600 hours to maintain full time status while preparing for the exam.

More extensive guidelines for the Comprehensive Examination can be found here.

Requirement 4: Internship (6 credits)
Students will earn a minimum of 6 credits (English 597) for an internship. Students develop an internship plan in consultation with their advisors. The internship should complement the program of study and career objectives. Note: Students with professional experience equivalent to an internship may petition the Rhetoric and Professional Communication Committee for a waiver of the internship requirement. If the waiver request is approved, students will complete six additional hours of course work.

Requirement 5: The Doctoral Committee and the Dissertation (18 credits)
The dissertation process includes five components:

the Doctoral Committee
the dissertation proposal and proposal hearing
18 hours of dissertation credit hours
the dissertation
the dissertation defense

Early in the second year of the program (after passing the qualifying portfolio), students should choose an advisor and begin exploring possible dissertation topics. Students will constitute a Doctoral Committee of faculty members inside and outside the department of English. This committee is normally composed of three members of the graduate faculty from the Department of English and one member of the graduate faculty from another department. Each committee must include at least four Graduate Faculty members. The Committee's responsibilities include approving the course of study, administering and evaluating the comprehensive examination, and serving as the committee for the dissertation and its defense.

After passing the comprehensive examination, the students begin full-time work on the dissertation. Early in the dissertation process students develop a formal dissertation proposal comprising a definition of the problem to be explored, a literature review, a methodological or theoretical section, and a working bibliography. With the chair's approval, the proposal is submitted to all members of the doctoral committee. The proposal must be approved by all members of the committee who then sign off on the proposal. A copy of the sign-off sheet and the approved proposal are stored in student departmental files.

During this period, students enroll in ENGL 700 (Doctoral Dissertation); a minimum of 18 credits of ENGL 700 is required for the student to graduate. Students who achieve ABD (all but dissertation) status must register for a minimum of 3 credits of 700 each semester until they complete the dissertation and pass the final oral examination; the dissertation must be completed and approved within 5 years after the comprehensive examination.

After the dissertation is completed, students defend the dissertation in a final oral examination.

The 54 credits of coursework, 6 credits of internship, and 18 credits of dissertation sum to the minimum of 78 hours past the bachelor's necessary for the completion of the degree. In addition, students need to comply with all requirements and deadlines established by the Graduate School, including the requirement of at least two semesters of full-time study in residence.

Graduate Assistantships
Students interested in being considered for Graduate Assistantships should also submit an Application for Financial Support.

Ph.D. students can expect five years of Graduate Assistant support (10 semesters) and some summer teaching is available. The graduate stipend for 2008-2009 is $16,000 for the academic year for Ph.D. students, with an increment upon finishing comprehensive exams. An assistantship requires twenty hours of work per week; normally this includes teaching one course and performing additional duties such as working in the writing center, working on the department's publications, or other instructional assignments. For the first year, Graduate Assistants pay tuition at the in-state tuition rate. After the first year, Graduate Assistants will be responsible for establishing New Mexico residency so that they can continue to pay tuition at the in-state rate. All new Graduate Assistants are required to attend a weeklong teaching orientation that begins the week before classes start. In addition, all new Graduate Assistants are required to enroll in English 571: Composition Pedagogy and Practicum during their first semester as assistants.

Note: Ph.D. students teach a range of course, including first-year writing, business and technical communication, and writing in the humanities and social sciences. Graduate students occasionally are offered appointments in other colleges and become involved with research and development projects, especially in Business, Engineering, Education, and the Graduate School.

Application Procedures
Admission to the doctoral program in Rhetoric and Professional Communication will be determined by the English Department's Rhetoric and Professional Communication Committee. The Committee will consider any material that an applicant presents, but a completed application must include the following:

A completed Application for Admission to Graduate School: http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/admit-form.html
Complete official transcripts of all college work sent to the Graduate School. (Note: The Graduate School requires transcripts from all institutions attended, not just degree-granting institutions.)
A completed Application for Study in English http://www.nmsu.edu/~english/apply/application.html
A curriculum vitae or professional resume.
A statement of purpose addressing personal, academic and professional interests and experience. This statement should also indicate how our program is appropriate for the applicant's research interests and career goals.
A statement of teaching interests and qualifications, with a description of relevant experience (required only of applicants requesting a graduate assistantship).
Samples of writing. These samples should include academic work that reflects strong research potential. They may also include work done as a professional communicator, such as grant proposals, research reports, manuals, program evaluations, or brochures. Work whose authorship is either shared or unspecified should be accompanied by a brief statement clarifying the applicant's role in the project.
Three letters of recommendation from professors, employers, or others qualified to evaluate potential for graduate work, along with a completed recommendation form. If applying for a graduate teaching assistantship, these letters should also address experience or potential as a teacher.

Note: The first two items on the list should be submitted to the Graduate School. All remaining items should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies in the English Department. An application cannot be considered until all items are received. We also encourage applicants to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to the Graduate School. Applicants who wish to be competitive and who are applying for a graduate assistantship should complete the application procedure by February 1 for Fall admission. .