home / programs / courses / people / announcements / resources / search

Graduate Studies In English

Current Students

Information for Students in M.A. Program:

Stage I: Literature and Writing Studies

Requirements and Financial Aid:

See "Admissions Information: Requirements and Financial Aid" on the department website.

Course Work, Transfer Credits, and Residence Requirements

The candidate for the MA degree must earn 32 hours of graduate credit, at least 24 of the 32 in the Department of English; at least 16 of the 32 must be in 500-level courses and 12 of these in the Department of English. In 400-level courses graduate students are expected to do work beyond that required of undergraduate students, ordinarily in the form of an additional writing assignment. Half of these hours must be earned in courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign or the Chicago campus. After the first semester in the program, a student may, with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, petition to transfer unit and/or distribution credit from graduate credit earned in another graduate program which was not used for work toward a degree.

Foreign Language Requirement

The candidate for the MA degree must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language. French, German, Latin, Italian, or Spanish are commonly recommended. The candidate may, with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, choose a language besides those listed here. The candidate may satisfy the language requirement (1) by having had the equivalent of three full years of undergraduate work in the language; (2) by passing a proficiency exam administered by a UIUC foreign language department; or (3) by passing the non-credit 501 course in the language with a grade of B or better.

Professional Seminars: English 593

The department offers credit-bearing Professional Seminars (English 593) in the teaching of writing, the teaching of literature, and the teaching of film. A candidate for a graduate degree in English who holds a first assignment in the teaching of freshman composition or business and technical writing will simultaneously enroll in a section of English 593 designated as the teaching of freshman composition or business and technical writing. The candidate will receive 4 hours of credit for satisfactorily completing this course. As a rule, no more than 4 hours of English 593 will be counted toward the 32 hours needed for the MA. A PhD student must, however, take an additional English 593 class in the teaching of literature or film, and will receive credit for it as part of PhD coursework. Students who are assigned to one of the lecture courses—English 209, 210, 255, 259, 260, and 117—and who complete two semesters of service as a discussion leader for one or two of these courses may use that service as a substitute for the Professional Seminar in the teaching of literature. Although the service does not carry academic credit, it will automatically qualify the student for course assignments in literature.

Time in the M.A. Program

The minimum time for completing the MA degree is two semesters; the maximum time allowed is five years after first registration in the Graduate College . In the semester in which students complete the 28th and 32 nd hours of MA coursework, they are required to submit a Stage II application if they wish to continue work toward the PhD. For this application to the Graduate Director and Graduate Studies Committee, students must submit a statement of purpose, a writing sample (likely a revised seminar paper) and two letters of recommendation from faculty members. Students in good standing and making good progress are ordinarily accepted into Stage II, the first portion of the PhD program.

 top of page

 

Information for Students in Stage II and III: Literature and Writing Studies

Requirements and Financial Aid:

See "Admissions Information: Requirements and Financial Aid" on department website.

Stage II: Course Work and Residence Requirements

As early as possible in Stage II, the candidate is expected to think about selecting a Special Field: an area of specialization consisting of a period or some other generally recognized segment of the discipline. The student is also expected to select a major adviser within this field and, in consultation with the adviser, plan a program of eight or more courses (normally at the 500 level) that will provide the greatest possible strength in the Special Field. Courses may be selected both from the English Department and from related disciplines. At least 64 hours, which may include hours of thesis credit (English 599), must be earned in courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign campus. After the residence requirement has been fulfilled, a student may petition the Graduate College for permission to register in absentia for thesis credit.

The Special Field Examination (updated 10/00)  

PURPOSE

The Special Field Exam and the preparation for it serve as the bridge between coursework and the dissertation. The exam allows students to master the core knowledge appropriate to a specialist in the field. Such mastery makes possible productive engagement with other scholars in the field (at lectures, conferences, on e-mail discussion groups, in print, at job interviews). It should insure the ability to teach upper level survey courses and increasingly specialized courses in the field. It enlarges knowledge of scholarship and publication opportunities in the field. By enabling students to define with increasing precision the original contributions they wish to make to the field of their choice, it lays the groundwork for and sparks momentum toward the dissertation. Constructing the list and the rationale, studying for the exam, and taking it are part of the process of defining a professional identity within the discipline of literary studies, film studies, or writing studies. The Exam Requirements are designed to achieve this end.

PREPARING TO SUBMIT THE SPECIAL FIELD PROPOSAL

All requirements for the MA must be completed before the Special Field Exam can be taken and most, if not all, of the PhD coursework should be completed. While completing this coursework, students should begin drafting a list and contemplating a proposal by defining their field with increasing precision, identifying areas of strength and weakness within the field, and filling in gaps in their reading. Students should ask a faculty member, as soon as it seems appropriate to do so, to serve as Director of the Field Committee and (likely) Dissertation Committee. In consultation with that Director, they should invite three other faculty members to serve on their committee. It is expected that students will submit a proposal as they begin reading for the Special Field Exam.

At least three and one half months before the expected date of the Exam, the candidate is required to submit to the Graduate Studies Committee a Special Field Proposal which summarizes the candidate's construction of a Special Field. This Proposal should be shaped in consultation with the Director and the committee members. The Proposal identifies the candidate's field, names a four-member committee (including the Dissertation Director), and proposes a tentative exam date and a format (oral, written, or a combination of the two) for the exam. It includes an extensive list of the works in the field on which the candidate proposes to be examined, and a one page rationale for the shape of the list which addresses its relationship to the proposed dissertation topic. The Graduate Studies Committee assesses and approves the proposal, sometimes suggesting revisions and/or resubmission.

DEFINING THE SPECIAL FIELD: TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE FIELDS

Traditional Fields: Literature, Film, Writing Studies 

Certain traditional fields in literature, film, and writing studies have the general consent of the Graduate Studies Committee. In Literature the usual period divisions including all forms of writing are acceptable, but concentration upon only one genre within one of the usual divisions is not. Single genre Fields must have additional breadth of historical coverage. These are not perfect divisions, insofar as certain fields include standard subspecializations (e.g. Romantic and Victorian in the nineteenth century), and other fields overlap centuries (e.g.. Medieval and Renaissance). A candidate's rationale may indicate particular emphases within the field--for example, Anglo-Saxon or Middle English in Medieval, the sixteenth or the seventeenth century in Renaissance, the Civil War through 1930 in Later American, the British or American Novel. The field of Film assumes a basic knowledge of 20th century cinematic development and of three modes of film, and of some international movements. Emphases within this field might include Film Theory or Leading Film Genres. Although Writing Studies is understandably less concerned with historical periods, a field such as Literacy Studies might also include an emphasis on Critical Theory or a field such as Writing Assessment might focus on the evaluation of writing across the curriculum programs. A field in many areas of Writing Studies might well include a section on methodology.

The Graduate Studies Committee has endorsed the following traditional fields in literature/film:

  • Medieval language and literature
  • Renaissance literature
  • Restoration and eighteenth-century literature
  • Nineteenth-century British literature
  • Modern British literature
  • Early American literature
  • Later American literature
  • African American literature
  • Anglophone literature (other than British and American)
  • The novel
  • Poetry
  • Drama
  • Theory and Criticism
  • The English language
  • Film

The Graduate Studies Committee has endorsed the ollowing traditional fields in Writing Studies:

  • Cognition and Composition
  • Computers and Composition Studies
  • Classical Rhetoric
  • Critical Theory
  • Discourse Processes
  • Gender and Writing
  • Literacy Studies
  • Technical Communication
  • Writing Across the Curriculum
  • Writing in the Disciplines
  • Writing Assessment

Alternative Special Fields: Literature, Film, Writing Studies

Candidates are invited to propose special fields outside the standard list of approved fields. Such alternative special fields, like traditional ones, should be (1) intellectually coherent; (2) comparable in scope with the traditional fields; (3) in accord with job opportunities in the field; (4) more comprehensive than the dissertation project. If more than one field is included, the number of items will need to be reduced in each of the two fields.

In literature, such fields might overlap traditional historical divisions (e.g., British literature 1880-1960); deal with a genre spanning two or more traditional periods (e.g., the American novel, 1840-1940); span two or more literatures (e.g., American and British modernism); concentrate upon a developing area in which special subdivisions are appropriate (e.g., modern critical theory); or combine two or more disciplines (e.g., nineteenth century literature and visual culture). In film, an alternative field might combine Film and Literature (e.g. Film and the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation). In Writing Studies, proposed fields may span areas (e.g. Gender, Collaboration, and Technical Communication in the Workplace); may concentrate on an area where subdivisions are appropriate (e.g., The use of portfolios in writing assessment); or may combine two or more disciplines (e.g. African American Literature and literacy studies).

THE READING LIST: REQUIREMENTS

The reading list in the Special Field Proposal should:

  1. represent the major texts/films/books and essays in the field along with a generous selection of non-canonical materials and the major strains of scholarship and criticism on those texts. 
  2. reflect the candidate's own particular critical orientation, individual strengths, and potential dissertation topic and contributions to the field. Good proposals will express not just a stock conception of the field but will fit--and shape--the candidate's developing professional identity. The list may include a number of items outside of the field proper--historically, generically, even disciplinarily. Lists in film or writing studies might include some literature. Literature, film, or writing studies lists might include theory, history, anthropology, visual art or art history. All Lists must be prepared in close consultation with the Director of the Special Field Committee.

THE EXAM FORMAT

The Special Field Examination may be oral or written, or a combination of the two. An examination that is solely oral should be a minimum of two hours. No maximum is specified.

TIMELINE AND DEADLINES FOR SCHEDULING THE EXAM

  1. Proposals for Special Field Examinations must be submitted no later than three-and-one-half months before the anticipated exam date so that they can be revised if necessary and get final approval no less than three months before the exam date . Earlier is better. It is reasonable to aim to submit a proposal six months before the expected exam date.
  2. It is the responsibility of the student, about two months before the exam, to choose a date and a time for the exam in consultation with the Director and Committee members.
  3. Notify Chris Clark, the current Assistant to the Director of Graduate Studies, of this date and time at least a month before the exam so that she can submit the required paperwork to the Graduate College and reserve the seminar room in the Graduate Studies Office. The Graduate College and Graduate Studies Office will send reminders to the candidate and the Committee confirming the exam date and time.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE SPECIAL FIELD COMMITTEE

At least three of the four voting members of the Special Field and Dissertation Committee must be members of the University of Illinois Graduate Faculty and all four must be present at the examination in person or by phone. Members may be in other fields in the English Department, in other departments, or, if warranted, one member may be from another university. In consultation with their Director, students may add or subtract Committee members as circumstances warrant. Faculty who take jobs elsewhere may remain as Director or on the Committee if they and the candidate decide that this is appropriate and feasible.

A student may change directors or Committee members at any time in the process. This should be done only after careful deliberation. It must be discussed first with the Director and consultation with other appropriate faculty is advisable. Changes of Director will need to be approved in writing by the Director of Graduate Studies. Any changes in committee members should be reported to the Graduate Studies Office. A student who changes fields after the Special Field Exam will have to take another Special Field Exam to demonstrate mastery of the new field. This may take place concurrently with the Dissertation Defense.

Having passed the Special Field Examination, the candidate will be in Stage III.

For additional information, see Part II of “The Special Field Examination” handout entitled “Procedures and Suggestions," which is available along with Part I in the Graduate Studies Office. Sample Special Field proposals including rationales and reading lists and lists of special field questions are on file there as well.

Stage III: The Dissertation and Dissertation Defense

Selection of a dissertation topic will, inevitably, coincide with the preparation for the Special Field Examination, and discussion of the topic may form some small part of the Examination. Stage III--the researching and writing of the dissertation--is carried out independently, in regular consultation with the Dissertation Director and other members of the Committee. This process generally takes two and a half years and often longer.

Ph.D. Dissertation Prospectus Requirement for Stage III Graduate Students in Literature and Writing Studies (Adopted April 2006)

No more than four months following the successful completion of the Special Field examination, Stage III graduate students must file a prospectus for the doctoral dissertation with the Director of Graduate Studies.  Its text should be developed by each student in consultation with the dissertation director, and must be approved and signed by him or her as well as by all three secondary dissertation committee members before submission.  Unlike in the case of the Special Field proposal, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Committee will not formally evaluate the content of the prospectus.  To submit this document to the Director with all the necessary signatures, then, is to have it accepted.

The dissertation prospectus should take the form of a succinct, double-spaced document of five pages in 12-point font.  It should contain the following standard items in the following standard order:  

  1. A provisional dissertation title;
  2. A direct statement of the overall argument and of the novel contribution this argument makes to relevant research;  
  3. A provisional chapter-by-chapter outline.
It is understood that the completed dissertation will almost certainly evolve away from some features of the prospectus, and a student will not be required to submit a new version to his or her committee and the Director of Graduate Studies unless the dissertation director determines that the topic has dramatically changed.  In any case, the prospectus requirement is meant to encourage an intelligent running start to the dissertation by insuring that all faculty readers have given their advice and consent to a substantial elaboration of the student's initial design.  Failure to file the prospectus within four months of the date of the Special Field exam will not result in expulsion from the program, but may, as with multiple EX grades, lead to a reduction in teaching assistantship or fellowship support.

The final requirement of the PhD program is the Dissertation Defense, a two-hour examination conducted by the candidate's Dissertation Committee. The candidate must inform the Graduate Studies office of his or her intention to undertake the defense and distribute copies of the dissertation to the committee well in advance of the defense date. The text of the dissertation submitted for the defense must be complete, with full documentation, and carefully proofread. An opportunity will be provided, however, for the incorporation of changes suggested by the Committee before the final copies are submitted to the Graduate College. Members of the Committee who ask for significant revision may withhold their signatures of approval until satisfied that the revisions have been made satisfactorily. In addition, candidates in Writing Studies will arrange to deliver a public lecture on the dissertation to faculty and students in the Center for Writing Studies well in advance of the candidate's dissertation defense. Dissertations must be formatted according to the Graduate College publication “Instructions for Preparation of Theses” and departmental guidelines. All completed English Department dissertations are available for reading in the seminar room in the Graduate Studies Office. 

 top of page

 

Information for All Students in the Program

The Grading System

Graduate courses in all three stages are graded A+, A, A-, etc., and numerical averages are calculated on a 4.0 scale. Thus 16 hours of A = 4.0, 8 hours of A and 8 hours of B = 3.5, 4 hours of A and 12 hours of B = 3.25, etc. Credit for a course in which a student has received an F cannot be counted toward the degree. Points in the computation of grade-point averages are as follows:

 

A+ 4.00
C 2.00
A 4.00
C- 1.67
A- 3.67
D+ 1.33
B+ 3.33
D 1.00
B 3.00
D- .67
B- 2.67
F 0.00
C+ 2.33
(no plus
or minus
for F)

 

Special Grades

W - Officially withdrawn from a course. No grade is given.

EX - Temporarily excused.

DF - Grade temporarily deferred. Used only in 599, the dissertation research course.

S or U - Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Used as final grades only in the Thesis Research course (599); not included in the GPA computation.

CR or NC - Credit or No Credit.

AB - Absent from the final examination without an acceptable excuse; counts as a failure (F) in the GPA.

An accepted dissertation is graded S; grades in English 593 are entered as S or U. A limited number of courses may be taken on a credit/no credit (Pass/Fail) basis but only with the approval of the candidate's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Although the Graduate College requires that a student's GPA meet the minimum of a B or 3.0 for degree purposes, it holds that a C is a legitimate grade and may count toward the degree. It also allows individual departments to require a minimum of B for all courses if they wish to. In the English Department we allow a C to count toward the degree and to satisfy distribution requirements. It should be noted, however, that a C at the graduate level is an indication of a serious deficiency in the quality of work and, though it will count toward the degree and satisfy distribution requirements, it does not augur well for -- in fact, it militates against -- admission to the PhD program or further financial support. We expect that our students will maintain at least a 3.5 grade-point average.

The Grade of I

A student who cannot finish the work of a course during the semester he or she is enrolled may ask the instructor to grant a grade of I (incomplete). The instructor need not grant this request, and some instructors announce at the beginning of a semester a policy of no excused grades. By Graduate College ruling, an I that is not removed by the end of the following term (Summer Session not being counted as a "regular term") is automatically converted to an F. Except in an extreme emergency, a student should not take an I in more than one course in any semester and should remove the I well before the beginning of the following term. I grades may affect the awarding or retaining of financial aid and teaching assistantships. Students with an I from the previous semester must submit all completed work to the instructor and to the Graduate Studies Office no later than two weeks prior to reading day. Individual Instructors may require the work to be turned in sooner than this. Instructors who give permission for work to be turned in later than this date must inform the Graduate Office of the deadline in writing. On reading day a grade must be turned in if the I is not to turn to an F. When the instructor submits the grade, the I will be erased and the course grade inserted in its place.

 

It is the policy of the graduate program that students with two or more I's outstanding at the time that teaching contracts are signed in July or when instructors must be secured in January will have their teaching assistantships reduced. Every effort should be made to take as few EXs as possible and to clear them expeditiously.

Normal Progress and Required Course Loads

The MA degree (Stage I) can be completed in one academic year (or in two semesters plus a summer) by a student taking a four-course load. If a student is teaching or is otherwise employed, progress will be slower; for most students, practically speaking, Stage I leading to the MA will be a two-year program. Students entering the program with a bachelor's degree are allowed five calendar years in which to win the MA. (Note: Students who for legitimate reasons must interrupt their studies for a year may petition for a Leave of Absence. If the Leave is granted by the Graduate College , their time limit may be extended.)

Candidates for the PhD who enter with the bachelor's degree must finish their MA and PhD (stage II and III) work in seven years after their first registration in the Graduate College . Candidates who enter with the MA degree already earned elsewhere must finish their PhD in six years after their first registration in the Graduate College.

Students must enroll for the appropriate number of courses to maintain their tuition waiver. Normal progress is reckoned variously according to each student's commitments to the University and the Department as follows:

    1. Students receiving no financial aid (no fellowship, no teaching assistantship, no tuition waiver) may take as many as 20 hours of course work per semester or as few as four hours. They must maintain a grade average of 3.0 or better and complete a degree within the time limits set by the Graduate College .
    2. Students holding a fellowship are required to take a full load of courses at least 12 hours (or the equivalent) per semester. They may take up to 20 hours.
    3. Students holding a one-third time teaching assistantship must take at least 12 hours (or the equivalent) per semester.
    4. Students holding a two-thirds time teaching assistantship must take at least 8 hours (or the equivalent) per semester.
    5. Students holding a one-half time teaching assistantship must take 8 hours (or the equivalent) during the semester in which they are teaching two sections and must take 12 hours (or the equivalent) during the semester in which they are teaching one section.

Anyone hoping for exceptions to these course load requirements—either an over-load or an under-load—must first obtain the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies.

(Note: One of the non-credit 500 or 501 language courses may be counted as equivalent to an hour in reckoning study load or workload.)

If certification for full-time status is required which does not take teaching assistantships into account (for example, for loans, immigration, or fellowships), registration must be for at least 12 hours or an equivalent combination. To register for appropriate course loads in such instances, see the Assistant or Director of Graduate Studies in room 210 English Building.

Procedures for Independent Study

In order to register for an independent study course (English 591), you must find an instructor willing to direct it and the two of you must agree on a course description/rationale and a reading list. To locate the instructor's number in order to register for the course, ask Chris Clark in room 210. Applications are available there and these must be completed, signed by the instructor, and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies before or in the first two weeks of the semester in which the independent study will be undertaken. An independent study cannot be used to satisfy area distribution requirements for the MA. It should not be undertaken in areas in which there are already course offerings. Independent study is probably best used at the end of Stage II as students move toward the more specialized study of the Special Field exam and dissertation.

Completing the Ph.D.

Candidates in Stage III who have accumulated 32 hours of Dissertation Credit, but have not yet completed their dissertation, need not continue to register unless they choose to do so. Candidates who have completed residence requirements may register in absentia. Students who have reached the limit of their time in the program may not register. In the semester in which students not currently registered finish their dissertation, they must petition the Department and the Graduate College for permission to re-register (if they have time left). Such petitions are usually granted. Students with no time left must apply to the Department and the Graduate College to be re-admitted before they can re-register. This can be done at the time when the Dissertation Defense is set or at least six weeks before depositing. It is typical to grant such permission but it is not guaranteed. All students must be registered in the semester in which they deposit their dissertations.

If more than one year elapses after a student passes the Defense before he or she deposits the dissertation with the Graduate College , the dissertation must be accompanied by a statement from the Director of Graduate Studies to the Dean of the Graduate College . The statement should recommend accepting the thesis on the basis that it remains essentially the one previously defended and the late award of the degree is appropriate.

Leave of Absence

Anyone who wishes to interrupt study for a semester or longer must petition to the Director of Graduate Studies for an official Leave of Absence. Such leaves cannot exceed a period of one calendar year plus a summer session or the equivalent. Application for an official Leave of Absence should be made to the Director of Graduate Studies no later than six weeks prior to the semester in which the leave is to begin. Time on leave does not count as time in the program.

Conditions for Dismissal from the Program

Students whose grade-point average falls below 3.0, or who have used up their time in the program, or who are not making adequate progress toward their degree, or who are dismissed from the University for violation of statutes will be dropped from the program.

Appointment and Retention of Teaching Assistants

Decisions concerning the appointment and retention of teaching assistants are made jointly by the Director of Freshman Rhetoric, the Director of Business and Technical Writing, the Director of Academic Writing, and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students in Stage I of graduate work (candidates for the MA) are eligible to hold one-third time assistantships during their first year in the program. If by their second year they have completed four units of course work in residence, and are in good standing as teachers and students, they are eligible to hold two-thirds time assistantships. Students in Stages II and III who are in good standing are eligible to hold two-thirds time assistantships.

Since money for financial aid is limited, the Department will use such resources as it has to support students whose academic performance gives the best promise of future achievement in scholarship and teaching. Financial aid in the form of assistantships may be withheld or reduced or even terminated for such academic reasons as these: grade-point average markedly below the average of the community of students (3.5 on a 4.0 scale is the minimum average for holding a two-thirds time appointment; students with an average below 3.0 are not considered to be "in good standing"); as many as two EX grades outstanding at contract-signing time; failure to complete the allowable minimum number of units per semester; other circumstances that make it impossible to complete academic work.

Research Grants and Fellowships

Dissertation Travel Grants : Doctoral students may apply for these grants to subsidize travel and other costs associated with dissertation research, whether for exploring a potential dissertation topic, conducting dissertation research, or making a return trip to gather additional data. Competitions are held during the fall and spring semesters. Further information is available in the Graduate Studies Office.

Conference Travel : Through a combination of Graduate College and departmental support, partial reimbursement for expenses connected with travel to conferences to present papers is available. Competitions are held during the fall and spring semester. Stipends are dependant upon the student's expenses and the availability of funds. Further information and applications for conference travel reimbursement are available in the Graduate Studies Office.

Fellowships : PhD candidates are eligible to apply for University and Departmental fellowships and Release Time fellowships. The competition is held in the spring for the coming academic year and winners are usually announced in late March or April. More information on how to apply for such internal fellowships is available in the Graduate Studies Office.

Concentrations/Certifications

While obtaining their PhD degree in English, students may concentrate within the department in either Film Studies or in African American Literature. For further information about these concentrations, students should contact faculty members in these areas. Graduate Students in English may also receive certification in the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory or in the Gender and Women's Studies Program. For further information about these Certifications, students should contact the appropriate program office.

Grievance Committee

Each year graduate students and faculty elect a Graduate Student Grievance Committee composed of three members of the faculty and three graduate students. Students who have special concerns they wish to discuss or who believe they have grievances may first consult their advisors, other faculty members whom they trust, or the Director of Graduate Studies. Many concerns and perceived grievances can be addressed satisfactorily in this way. But for other ongoing concerns and serious grievances students should contact the chair of the Grievance Committee.

top of page

 

Placement Services

The English Department Placement Service

The English graduate program offers a Placement Service designed to meet the needs of graduates seeking college teaching jobs. Job Placement Directors help our graduates, both M.A.s and Ph.D.s, to create effective dossiers. They route job notices to candidates (with the help of the Placement Service), coordinate efforts by faculty to help job-seekers, give advice about letters of recommendation and interviewing, arrange mock interview sessions prior to the annual Modern Language Association Convention in December, and in all other ways help our graduates in their job search. The Placement Service receives and keeps available for reference in the Graduate Office the Modern Language Association's job lists. It distributes job announcements, sends out dossiers on request, and serves as a general information center about academic job openings.

The Educational Placement Office

Candidates for the MA and PhD degrees who seek employment in primary or secondary schools or in community colleges may register with the University's Educational Placement Office (140 Education Building), which serves students at all levels.

Graduate Career Services Center

Students seeking non-academic positions may get help from the Graduate Career Services Center (204 Coble Hall). Graduate student services at the Career Services Center consist of (1) assistance in assessment for non-academic job searches; (2) assistance in planning job search strategies (including the writing of resumes and application letters, and preparation and practice for placement interviews); (3) assistance in identifying and researching job and career opportunities; (4) maintenance of a credentials file; and (5) special programs and workshops on alternative careers. In the past few years a significant minority of UIUC humanities and social science graduate degree holders have sought non-teaching careers. The Graduate Career Services Center has helped such students to win jobs in editing and publishing, marketing, sales, banking, corporate communications, public relations and advertising, government service, and other areas, often in M.B.A.-level positions.

top of page