Doctoral Program

Doctoral Degree Program

Admissions to the Institute’s Ph.D. program are currently on hold.

As detailed in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin, an MA in Editorial Studies is not a prerequisite for the PhD. Relevant advanced study, however, is required. Based on the assessment of a faculty advisor, a student may need to take a course or courses from the MA program in order to be prepared for doctoral study. In addition to taking some of the MA program courses, eight semester courses (32 credits) and a dissertation related to editing are required for the degree. Computer literacy is essential.

Eight semester courses (32 credits) for those with an MA, and sixteen courses (64 credits) for those with a BA, are required for the degree. Of the required courses, it is expected that students will take: EI 503, EI 507, EI 508, EI 509, and EI 501/701. Ordinarily, the remaining coursework consists of two directed studies with the student’s dissertation advisor, and two related courses in another department at the University, all of which must be relevant to the subject of the dissertation and approved by a student’s dissertation advisor. Students are jointly supervised in coursework and the writing of the dissertation, ordinarily by a director of the Institute and one or two adjunct professors drawn from, or approved by, the Advisory Committee.

Learn more about our current PhD candidates here.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) and the Editorial Institute guarantee five full years (twelve months each) of financial support for students who maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. This support will be in the form of Teaching Fellowships, Research Assistantships, and Graduate Fellowships.  The time limit for completion of the PhD is seven years (exceptions require a petition to GRS). A leave of absence of up to two semesters is permitted for appropriate cause, but the leave period counts towards the seven-year timer limit. The following achievements are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress:

  1. Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
  2. Have no more than 2 failing grades (lower than B-or an incomplete grade older than 12 months)
  3. Other milestones on the recommended schedule specified below

End of 1st year:

  • Complete Coursework
  • Pass Language Examination if applicable

End of 2nd year:

  • Pass Qualifying Examination

End of 3rd year:

  • Submit Dissertation Prospectus

End of 4th year:

  • Submit Abstract
  • Final Oral Examination

Learning Objectives for the PhD in Editorial Studies

Students graduating with a PhD in Editorial Studies are expected to:

1. Demonstrate mastery of knowledge of the principles and practice of scholarly editing

2. Make a contribution to knowledge in the form  of a dissertation, completed in a timely fashion, that shows mastery of the primary sources, secondary literature, and research methods and techniques appropriate to the particular field in which editorial work has been conducted

3. Conduct research in an ethical manner

Courses for the PhD

The Theory and Practice of Literary Editing (CAS EI 501)

An introduction to the theory, practice, and principles of editorial decisions, such as questions of modernization, revision, and annotation. The course features several speakers and attends to notable editorial achievements.

Textual Scholarship (CAS EI 503)

Fundamentals of textual scholarship: bibliography, paleography, typography, textual criticism, and annotation.

Topics in Textual Scholarship and the History of Western Society: The History of the Book (CAS EI 506)

Investigates the impact of print technology on society from the fifteenth century to the present, considering the sociology and politics of publishing, writing and reading practices, concepts of authorship and copyright, censorship and control of the press, and the future of the book.

CAS EI 507 Publishing Procedures
Professor Marilyn Gaull

“Publishing Procedures” is a graduate course at the Editorial Institute. It examines the history, principles, theory and practices of book publication focusing on scholarly and serious trade monographs.   The course is designed for scholars and writers, for anyone who reads, writes, buys, collects,  produces or sells books.  Among the many goals of the course: to introduce all the processes involved in publishing,  their origins and purposes,  to cultivate an  appreciation for books and their history,  to complete a single long project,  work collaboratively, and  write at a professional level.    EI 509, History of the Book is a prerequisite, ideally taken concurrently.

Editing Across the Disciplines (CAS EI 508)

Bringing together expertise from different areas of the University, this course will introduce students to the purpose, practices, and effects of editing, broadly defined, in disciplines as diverse as musicology and Biblical studies, philosophy and classics.

The Theory and Practice of Literary Editing (GRS EI 701)

Meets with CAS EI 501. An introduction to the theory, practice, and principles of editorial decisions, such as questions of modernization, revision, and annotation. Featuring several speakers and attending to notable editorial achievements.

Annotation (GRS EI 703)

Studies in allusions, sources, dating, topical contexts, annotation as part of the work itself, and marginal glosses, among other topics.

Editions (GRS EI 704)

A consideration of the major editions of an author or authors. Subject varies.

Advanced Topics in Editing: Word and Image (GRS EI 802)

A historical and critical description of the relation between printed text and forms of illustration in selected works dating from 1500 to the present.

Directed Study (GRS EI 901/902)

Supervised research toward the PhD dissertation.

Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin and the College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin to review courses in other University departments.