prospective student information



Thank you for your interest in our Ph.D. program.

The Berkeley English Department offers a wide-ranging Ph.D. program, engaging in all historical periods of British and American literature, Anglophone literature, and critical and cultural theory. The program aims to assure that students gain a broad knowledge of literature in English as well as the highly-developed skills in scholarship and criticism necessary to do solid and innovative work in their chosen specialized fields.

Please review the English Department Admissions FAQ  or contact the English Department Graduate Office with your questions: gradadvisor_english@berkeley.edu.

• Admission requirements: Graduate Division and English Department.
• Help with Applying to Graduate School Link
• Graduate Handbook for the English PhD program -  provides all necessary information about our departmental policies. Download the handbook here.
• Cost of Living for Graduate Students Link
• Berkeley Visitor Center Link
• Campus Map Link
• Guide for incoming graduate students titled "Where to begin..." (PDF)
• Welcome to Berkeley Newsletter (PDF)
• Graduate Student Life and Resources Link
• Graduate Funding Link
• Graduate Diversity Program Link
• The Graduate Assembly Link
• Graduate Student Wellness Guide Link
• The UC Berkeley Graduate Social Club Link
• Families Matter - A Guide for Graduate Student Parents (PDF)
• Designated Emphases and Joint Degree Programs:

Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory

Designated Emphasis in Film Studies

Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, & Sexuality

Designated Emphasis in Folklore

Medieval Studies Concurrent Degree

Berkeley Center for New Media