Our faculty are internationally renowned, producing leading research in their fields. Our graduate students pursue research in fields across the discipline, from medieval to contemporary literature; scholarly editing to book history to interdisciplinary studies in areas like material culture or literature and science. 

Master's

The MA in English helps students develop the advanced professional skills and the intellectual independence required for doctoral studies and for leadership roles in a variety of fields. Seminars are small, providing a stimulating environment for students to develop their skills and build supportive relationships with peers and faculty members. The academic seminars and, optionally, the research paper or thesis research foster rigorous study of British, Canadian, or American literary history from a range of critical perspectives. In addition, the program includes training in transferable professional skills such as grant-writing, presenting at conferences, teaching, publishing articles, and planning for academic and non-academic career paths. We also offer a unique MA with Co-op option, which enables students to gain paid work experience in government, business, arts administration and other professional careers while pursuing advanced studies in English Literature. Our MAs go on to PhD programs at universities across the continent, or pursue careers in government, education, non-profit work, writing and editing, law, and other professional fields.

Ph.D.

Part of an historic institution, the oldest bilingual university in Canada, the Department of English at the University of Ottawa is a fresh and vibrant department at the forefront of literary studies. Our faculty are internationally renowned, producing leading research in their fields. Our doctoral program prepares students to pursue independent research in British, Canadian, or American literature informed by a broad knowledge of literary and cultural history and by recent developments in literary criticism and theory. Our program is recognized as one of the best departments of English in Canada; in the 2014 QS rankings, it was ranked one of the top 150 English departments worldwide.

Students in our doctoral program benefit from small seminars, a collegial environment, and close mentoring relationships with our distinguished faculty. Our comprehensive exam structure helps students develop expertise both in their literary-historical field and in a particular area of critical or methodological inquiry, laying a strong foundation for the thesis proposal and the doctoral thesis. We are committed to helping students become excellent teachers: our professional development workshops include training in pedagogy and course design, and doctoral candidates have the opportunity to design and teach their own courses by the end of their degree. The program also includes workshops in professional skills such as research methods, grant applications, conference presentations, publishing, preparing for the academic job market, and planning for non-academic or alternative-academic careers.