The Department of Comparative Thought and Literature (CTL) warmly invites applications for admission to the PhD program for the 2025-2026 academic year. The deadline for the submission of the complete application, letters of recommendation, and all required documents will be December 31, 11:59 PM (EST).
About the Department
The research and teaching of the CTL faculty draw upon philosophy, literature, film, and the arts. Graduate students are encouraged to undertake projects that draw from diverse media, genres, and traditions. The courses offered provide students with a broad foundation in the methods, histories, and genres of comparative approaches, with a focus on themes that engage both literature and philosophy, as well as other forms of human expression. Interdisciplinary collaboration is the department’s signature focus, along with commitments to intellectual curiosity and flexibility, attentive reading and criticism, and creative modes of comparison across linguistic, cultural, and temporal boundaries.
CTL’s comparative and cross-disciplinary approach develops habits of inquiry, attention, and imagination to support projects that explore:
- interconnections among literatures, philosophies, and cultures across linguistic and national boundaries;
- interconnections across various disciplinary modes of thought;
- perennial and emerging ethical, moral, and aesthetic questions at the heart of the human (and nonhuman) condition.
How to Apply
Applications are taken once a year for matriculation in the Fall semester of the following academic year (application deadline is December 31, 11:59 PM EST). Students may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program with either a B.A. or M.A. degree in hand or in the final year of progress. All application materials and supporting documents should be uploaded electronically through the online system; these include:
- Application fee
- Statement of purpose
- Sample of written work
- Three letters of recommendation
- Transcripts (applications will be reviewed with unofficial transcripts;
- official transcripts required after an offer of admission)
- GRE scores (optional)
- TOEFL or IELTS score (for applicants who are not native speakers of English)
Applications will be evaluated based on four factors: preparation for research, the writing sample, the statement of purpose, and linguistic competency.
For additional information about the PhD program and the application process, please refer to the graduate student handbook. Any questions not addressed in the handbook can be directed to Marva Philip ([email protected]). Only complete applications will be considered.