Job Placement

The Department of English supports its Ph.Ds. in finding suitable employment after graduation, both in academia and in other professions. Two faculty members serve each year as Job Placement Directors to advise students who enter the academic job market, specifically. They hold meetings every May and throughout the fall semester, in the months leading up to the MLA convention; they review all job materials (sample letters, CVs, teaching statements, etc.); and they set up mock interviews and mock job talks. The Department of English normally provides some travel support to the MLA convention for students who are interviewing. Some funds may also be available to defray the cost of a subscription to Interfolio.com, the dossier service, or other job market expenses. Since the Graduate Program in English at Boston University is relatively small in size, close personal attention can be given to each job applicant.

In the last eighteen years, Boston University has awarded 84 doctorates in English. Of these PHD alumni, 39 currently hold tenure-track jobs (47%), including positions at a range of institutions from Research I universities like Dartmouth, the University of Virginia, and the University of South Florida, to liberal arts colleges like the College of Wooster, Stonehill College, and Calvin College. Many alumni have held post-doctoral fellowships, visiting professorships, lectureships, or other academic positions. Others have gone on to exciting careers beyond academia, including positions in secondary-school teaching, government, and the private sector.