List of Schools Offering the Best Graduate Programs in Rhetoric
Higher Education Articles August 24, 2015This article talks about schools that offer the best graduate degree programs in rhetoric and information about those schools.
Leading Schools Offering Graduate Programs in Rhetoric
Those with an interest in rhetoric graduate programs should look into two of the United States’ top schools, the University of California – Berkeley and the University of Texas at Austin. Ph.D. programs are available at both schools, but UC Berkeley offers various concentration areas in the field, such as classical rhetoric, and has a dedicated department for rhetoric studies. UT – Austin offers rhetoric as a concentration area through its English department.
University of California – Berkeley
Princeton Review ranked the University of California – Berkeley (UC Berkeley) among the top 50 best value public colleges on its 2011 list of the Best 373 Colleges. A Ph.D. program is available through the Department of Rhetoric with nine concentration areas, featuring philosophy and critical theory, classical rhetoric, and media and film studies. Recent doctoral candidates have dissertations in topic areas such as the narrative form in the modernist novel and the theater of death. Teaching positions are available to graduates at numerous U.S. universities.
The University of Texas at Austin
Princeton Review ranked the University of Texas at Austin (UT) 16th for best college library and 10th for the best career services on its 2011 list of the Best 373 Colleges. A Ph.D. concentration in rhetoric and writing is available through the graduate program in English. The core curriculum uses pedagogical practice and composition and discourse theory to augment classes commonly taken in classics, anthropology, computer science and philosophy. Twenty-four credits beyond the student’s Master of Arts (M.A.) and an approved dissertation are requirements.
List of Schools Offering Rhetoric Graduate Programs
| Name of School | Distinction | Campus Location |
| Arizona State University | Students in Rhetoric graduate program can study abroad for up to a year in the United Kingdom, Italy, China, Austria, and Germany | Tempe, AZ |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Students at Carnegie Mellon University will be able to work at places such as the Center for Innovation in Learning, the Community Literary Center, the Center for the Arts in Society, and the Elderly Center for Teaching Excellence. | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Indiana University – Bloomington | Students in graduate program can pursue a combination of ethnography, media studies and performance, and rhetoric. | Bloomington, IN |
| Northwestern University | In 2015, the U.S. News and World Report ranked this school thirteenth among other schools throughout the nation. | Evanston, IL |
| Ohio University | The English Department at Ohio University hosts writing events featuring local writers, students, as well as renowned authors. | Athens, OH |
| Syracuse University | The rhetoric program at Syracuse University is the first of its kind in the United States to be offered by an independent writing program. | Syracuse, NY |
| Pennsylvania State University | More than 97% of composition and rhetoric graduates received tenured appointments. | University Park, PA |
| University of Oklahoma | PhD program at the University of Oklahoma require students to be fluent in foreign languages. | Norman, OK |
| University of Pittsburgh | Students in graduate programs will be able to participate in the University of Pittsburgh’s William Pitt Debating Union as coaches. | Pittsburgh, PA |
