The Department of English offers the degrees of Master of Arts (with or without thesis) and Doctor of Philosophy in English. Both programs equip students to pursue advanced studies in British, Canadian, or American literature informed by a broad knowledge of literary history and by recent developments in literary criticism and cultural theory. The department is well known for its annual Canadian Literature Symposium, and its faculty is distinguished and well-published. The Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) has consistently awarded the department the council's highest rating.

The department participates in the collaborative programs in Women's Studies and in Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the master's level, and in the collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level.

Because of its strength in relevant areas, its bilingual character and its location in the national capital, the University of Ottawa is uniquely positioned to offer a collaborative program leading to a specialization in Canadian Studies at the doctoral level. The program is especially designed for doctoral students in selected programs in the humanities and the social sciences who wish to enrich their training in a particular discipline by including an interdisciplinary component.

The programs are governed by the general regulations in effect for graduate studies. Please note, however, that any course fulfilling a graduate degree requirement in English must be completed with a mark of B or higher. A student whose record shows any two grades lower than a mark of B will automatically be withdrawn from the program. Most graduate courses in the Department of English at the University of Ottawa carry three units. Requirements are stated in number of units.

The student must successfully complete:

18 units of course work (or 15 units if the student has completed ENG 6302 and ENG 6303 as an MA student in English at the University of Ottawa, or an equivalent course elsewhere);

One language requirement;

The comprehensive examination (eng 9998);

The PhD thesis proposal (eng 9997); and

The PhD thesis research (THD 9999).