Texts and Technology (PhD)

Program Description

Dedicated to inventing the future of the humanities, Texts and Technology is an interdisciplinary doctoral program that integrates fields such as writing, rhetoric, philosophy, technical communication, and public history with digital methods and practices in coding, game design, and archiving. The program supports engagement with digital practices in dialectical, rhetorical, procedural, and critical-cultural fields. The T&T program considers literacy in a broad sense, from traditional notions of writing and communication to more contemporary notions of computational and procedural literacy (e.g., using programming and new media installations as inventive methods for production, critique, and analysis).

Since 2001, UCF’s Texts and Technology doctoral program has excelled in supporting its students with an internationally recognized faculty and by offering a rigorous curriculum in a friendly environment. Students bring knowledge of a specific discipline and deepen their understanding of the subject through a digital lens. In the T&T program, students adapt, develop, assess, and invent information practices in relation to emergent information technologies in and beyond the humanities.

Curriculum

The Texts and Technology (T&T) PhD requires a minimum of 42 credit hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree, including a minimum of 3 hours of doctoral research and 15 hours of dissertation. Eighteen credit hours are required in seven core courses. These core courses provide an interdisciplinary framework for all students. The remaining credit hours consist of additional courses in an Area of Specialization, interdisciplinary electives, and research hours.

Total Credit Hours Required: 42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master’s Degree

Transfer and Waived Credits

Upon approval by the T&T Program Director, some graduate credits may be waived or transferred. Please refer to the UCF Doctoral Program Policies section for specific guidelines and eligibility.

Required Courses: 18 Credit Hours

Core: 15 Credit Hours

• ENG 6800 - Introduction to Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6801 - Texts and Technology in History 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6810 - Theories of Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6826 - Professionalization in Texts and Technology 0 Credit Hours
• DIG 6836 - Design and Development for Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6005 - Dissertation Research Design in Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours

Research Methods: 3 Credit Hours

Select one course from the list below, or an alternate 6000-level methods course subject to approval by the instructor and the Texts and Technology Program Director.

• ENG 6812 - Research Methods for Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6825 - Research Methods for Interactive Media 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6720 - Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6159 - Historiography 3 Credit Hours

Elective Courses: 21 Credit Hours

Area of Specialization: 12 Credit Hours

Students select an Area of Specialization no later than after having completed 18 credit hours in the program. Students are required to select 12 credit hours from an Area of Specialization as noted below, or other graduate courses in the discipline subject to approval by the instructor and the Texts and Technology Program Director.

Suggested courses in various Areas of Specialization are listed below. These course groupings are only guides, are not exhaustive, and are meant to assist with advising and course selection in order to meet the individual student’s educational goals and objectives. The lists are not intended to restrict elective choices among focus areas as we strongly encourage Texts and Technology students to maintain an interdisciplinary approach to their doctoral education.

If a student identifies another UCF graduate course that may be of value to their Texts and Technology research area, but it is not already identified in a list below, that student may request approval from the T&T Program Director for the course to be used as an elective in the Graduate Plan of Study. All such requests must be made in advance of enrolling in the course.

Digital Humanities

• ENG 6812 - Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.

The Digital Humanities Area of Specialization prepares students for careers in research, teaching, government, and industry and combines the study and application of digital technologies with the study of human society and culture. Students develop an understanding of social and cultural shifts in relation to information technologies and invent new practices for conducting research, teaching, and writing (broadly defined) in digital media.

• ARH 5897 - Advanced Seminar in Art History 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5137 - Information Architecture 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5508 - Programming for Digital Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6812 - Digital Interaction for Informal Learning 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6647 - History and Theory of Dynamic Media 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6425 - Hypertext Theory and Design 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6426 - Visual Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6428 - Digital Literacies 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6074 - Historical Movements in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6078 - Contemporary Movements in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Theory 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6806 - Digital Editing and Databases 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6808 - Narrative Information Visualization 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6811 - Cultural Contexts in Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6813 - Interdisciplinary Teaching 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6814 - Gender in Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6167 - Spatial History 3 Credit Hours
• LIT 6216 - Issues in Literary Study 3 Credit Hours
• LIT 6936 - Studies in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Theory 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 5665 - Knowledge, Responsibility, and Society 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours
• PHM 5035 - Environmental Philosophy 3 Credit Hours
• THE 5307 - Contemporary Theatre Practice 3 Credit Hours
• THE 5545 - Theatre for Social Change 3 Credit Hours
• TPA 6186 - Immersive Experience Studio 3 Credit Hours
• TPA 6188 - Visualizing Themed Environments 3 Credit Hours
• WST 5347 - Research in Women and Gender Studies 3 Credit Hours
• WST 5601 - Theories in Gender Studies 3 Credit Hours

Digital Media

• DIG 6825 - Research Methods for Interactive Media (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.

The Digital Media Area of Specialization emphasizes the conceptual, theoretical, design, and technical skills needed to engage the changing platforms on which we work, teach, and live. This specialization prepares students for careers in user experience design, digital storytelling, and interactive communication. Students develop an understanding of critical making, code and software studies and development, user-centered design, and the critique and design of games and interactive media.

• DIG 5137 - Information Architecture 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5487 - Media Aesthetics 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5508 - Programming for Digital Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5831 - Computational Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6136 - Design for Interactive Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6432 - Transmedia Story Creation 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6546 - Previsualization and Concept Development 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6551 - Theory and Practice of Interactive Storytelling 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6605 - Physical Computing 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6647 - History and Theory of Dynamic Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6812 - Digital Interaction for Informal Learning 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6817 - Contemporary Topics in Interactive Media 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours

Editing, Publishing, and Interdisciplinary Curating (EPIC)

• ENG 6812 Research Methods for Texts and Technology or DIG 6825 Research Methods for Interactive Media, or ENC 6720 Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition, or HIS 6159 Historiography can be taken as the required Methods course.

The Editing, Publishing, and Interdisciplinary Curating Area of Specialization prepares students for careers in editing, publishing, and curating, including consideration of current and developing technologies of print and online publication; digital archiving and collections; digital world-building and publication; curation of film, visual art, gaming, and other media; scholarly projects and publications; and the impact of technologies on the way we read, interact with media, and think.

• ARH 5897 - Advanced Seminar in Art History 3 Credit Hours
• CRW 6025 - Advanced Graduate Writing Workshop 3 Credit Hours
• CRW 6721 - Literary Journal Editing 3 Credit Hours
• CRW 6976 - Scholarship and Publication Models 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6136 - Design for Interactive Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 5487 - Media Aesthetics 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6436 - Ethnographic Storytelling and New Media 3 Credit Hours
• DIG 6812 - Digital Interaction for Informal Learning 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6216 - Editing Professional Writing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6217 - Technical Editing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6257 - Visual Technical Communication 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6297 - Production and Publication Methods 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6426 - Visual Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6428 - Digital Literacies 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6806 - Digital Editing and Databases 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5083 - Cultural Heritage Management 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5088 - Readings in Curation and Public History 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6094 - Seminar in Curation and New Media 3 Credit Hours
• LIN 5675 - English Grammar and Usage 3 Credit Hours
• LIT 6216 - Issues in Literary Study 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours

Public History

• If the student does not hold a master’s degree in History, HIS 6159 - Historiography (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course. If the student holds a master’s degree in history, the recommended Methods course is ENG 6812 - Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3 credit hours).

The Public History Area of Specialization engages students in collaborations with various communities in the gathering of historic materials, preservation, archiving, curating, oral history, and related fields while preparing students for careers in academia, museums, governments, and non-profit agencies. It pays special attention to digital platforms and tools and their uses for involving public audiences in historical analysis and interpretation.

• AMH 5636 - Colloquium in US Environmental History 3 Credit Hours
• AMH 5378 - History of Technology 3 Credit Hours
• AMH 6346 - Seminar in the History of American Automobility 3 Credit Hours
• AMH 6429 - Seminar in Community and Local History 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6808 - Narrative Information Visualization 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5067 - Introduction to Public History 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5083 - Cultural Heritage Management 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5088 - Readings in Curation and Public History 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 5925 - History in the Digital Age 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6094 - Seminar in Curation and New Media 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6096 - Seminar in Historic Preservation 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6165 - Digital Tools for Historians 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6167 - Spatial History 3 Credit Hours
• HIS 6942 - Internship 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours

Rhetoric and Composition

• ENC 6720 - Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.

The Rhetoric and Composition Area of Specialization trains students to communicate effectively, persuasively, and ethically across a range of civic, professional, and educational contexts and pays special attention to digital platforms and tools and their uses for involving public audiences.

• ENC 5337 - Rhetorical Theory 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 5705 - Approaches to Teaching College Composition 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 5920 - Colloquium in Rhetoric and Composition 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6245 - Teaching Professional Writing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6332 - Gendered Rhetoric 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6333 - Contemporary Rhetoric and Composition Theory 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6335 - Rhetorical Traditions 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6338 - The Rhetorics of Public Debate 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6339 - Rhetorical Movements 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6428 - Digital Literacies 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6712 - Studies in Literacy and Writing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6740 - Topics in Rhetoric and Composition 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6945 - Community Literacy Practicum 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6808 - Narrative Information Visualization 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6811 - Cultural Contexts in Texts and Technology 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours

Scientific and Technical Communication

• ENG 6812 - Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.

The Scientific and Technical Communication Area of Specialization provides a foundation in rhetorical theory, communication theory, design theory, and other theories informing the discipline. Students develop practical projects in a variety of professional contexts such as scientific and medical communication and communicating for international audiences.

• ENC 6217 - Technical Editing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6261 - Technical Writing, Theory and Practice 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6292 - Project Management for Technical Writers. 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6296 - Interactive Design in Technical Communication 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6297 - Production and Publication Methods 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6425 - Hypertext Theory and Design 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6421 - Digital Rhetorics 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6247 - Proposal Writing 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6257 - Visual Technical Communication 3 Credit Hours
• ENC 6338 - The Rhetorics of Public Debate 3 Credit Hours
• ENG 6808 - Narrative Information Visualization 3 Credit Hours
• LIN 5675 - English Grammar and Usage 3 Credit Hours
• LIT 6435 - Rhetoric of Science 3 Credit Hours
• PHI 6679 - Digital Ethics 3 Credit Hours

Interdisciplinary Electives: 9 Credit Hours

Students select 9 credit hours of interdisciplinary electives from any Area of Specialization, or from other departments within the university, subject to approval by the instructor and the Texts and Technology Program Director. This requirement encourages students to find graduate-level coursework best suited to develop their research agendas and to prepare for their dissertations.

Dissertation: 18 Credit Hours

Candidacy Examination: 3 Credit Hours

• ENC 7919 Doctoral Research 3 credit hours

Students are admitted to doctoral candidacy status upon completion of a written examination with three parts—one part based on a reading list reviewed biennially by the Texts and Technology faculty and the other two parts based on reading lists prepared by each student and approved by the examination committee. The candidacy examination for each student is written and evaluated by a committee of three UCF Texts and Technology graduate faculty members chosen by the student. Students must be registered for ENC 7919 during the semester in which they take their candidacy examination and they must find a Texts and Technology core faculty member to serve as the chair of their examination during the semester before enrolling in ENC 7919. Students cannot register for dissertation credit (ENC 7980) until the semester after they have successfully passed the candidacy examination. Students who fail the candidacy examination a second time cannot continue in the program.

Admission to Candidacy

The following are required in order to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours:

• Successful completion of all coursework, except for dissertation hours.
• Successful completion of the candidacy examination.
• An approved dissertation advisory committee is on file, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars.
• A current, approved program of study is on file.

Dissertation and Oral Defense: 15 Credit Hours

• ENC 7980 Doctoral Dissertation (15 credit hours)

Students choose their dissertation adviser and committee from among the faculty in the Texts and Technology PhD program and must have one member from outside the College of Arts and Humanities. Students choose the adviser after they have completed approximately 27 credit hours toward the degree or after the first year-and-a-half of coursework. All dissertation committee members, including outside readers, must hold a PhD or another relevant degree or, if serving as a UCF Graduate Scholar, the external member must have documented evidence of exceptional relevant experience and/or scholarly or creative productivity.

Students must write a dissertation on their research that will explain and defend a significant original contribution to the field of Texts and Technology. It may be of a theoretical, historical or pragmatic nature, but must meet conventional academic standards. Students are required to submit and defend a written dissertation proposal (the prospectus) during the first year in dissertation. The dissertation committee administers the candidate’s oral defense of the dissertation, with passing determined by acceptance by a majority of the committee. The dissertation adviser, the dissertation committee and the dean of the college or designee must approve the final dissertation. Format approval is required from the Thesis and Dissertation Office and final approval of degree requirement completion by the College of Graduate Studies (Millican Hall 230)

Students will submit at least one substantial scholarly article to a national and/or international peer-reviewed journal with the approval and assistance of the dissertation chair and the director of the doctoral program.

Application Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One transcript from each college/university attended, demonstrating a competitive GPA in the student’s major field of study.
• Applicants must hold an earned master’s degree from a regionally accredited or recognized foreign institution prior to entering the Texts and Technology program. Fields with a technological and/or textual theory component, such as digital humanities, public history, technical communication, digital media, cultural studies, philosophy, rhetoric, or linguistics, are especially applicable. The total Texts and Technology doctoral program is a combination of an earned master’s degree and the Ph.D. core, Area of Specialization, and interdisciplinary elective coursework, and dissertation hours. Earned Master’s Degree (minimum 30 credit hours) + 42 UCF Graduate Credit hours = 72 graduate credit hours.
• Official, competitive GRE score (the test must have been taken within the last five years).
  • NOTE: The GRE has been removed as an admission requirement for this graduate program for applicants applying Spring 2021 through the Fall 2021 term. This is a temporary measure in response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Three letters of recommendation. These should be from faculty members, university administrators, or employers. The letters should be current to the application and should address the relevant skills of the applicant, the aspirations of the candidate, and an assessment of the applicant’s ability to perform graduate-level research. Letters that provide specific examples are more helpful than those that speak about the applicant’s abilities in vague generalities.
• Statement of Purpose:
  • The statement should explain the motivation behind the pursuit of an interdisciplinary doctoral degree in Texts and Technology and discuss future career goals.
  • The statement should discuss all relevant professional background and any previous research experience.
  • The statement should address why the interdisciplinary composition of Texts and Technology is appropriately aligned with the applicant’s future research goals.
  • The applicant must clearly describe the particular area(s) of research interest and identify any UCF faculty members who share a similar research focus and with whom the applicant would like to work. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Texts and Technology website for additional information regarding the program and faculty (http://www.tandt.cah.ucf.edu).
  • The statement should be between 500 and 1,200 words.
• A substantial academic writing sample (between 10 and 25 double-spaced pages) and an optional digital portfolio illustrating the applicant’s ability to engage in advanced academic work should be submitted as part of the application materials. Acceptable writing samples may include a chapter from a master’s thesis, a conference paper, a term paper for a seminar, or other research projects that demonstrate the applicant’s ability to pursue the type of research that could possibly lead to a completed dissertation. The optional digital portfolio may include examples of digital humanities or interactive media projects that are annotated appropriately to explain the applicant’s contribution to the design and development process.
• Résumé or CV.
• Applicants to this program, except those that have earned or will earn a Masters or Doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF, who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee program admission. Final admission is competitive and is based on a comparative evaluation of each applicant’s proficiencies, past performance, recommendations, as well as the match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant’s career/academic goals, and the applicant’s potential for completing the degree.

Application Deadlines

Fellowships

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Financials

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.