Comparative Literature at UCI has an exceptional placement record. Between 2004 and 2023, the program graduated 96 Ph.D.s.
Comparative Literature Ph.D.s from the past two decades hold tenure-track positions ranging in rank from Professor and Department Chair to Associate and Assistant Professor at universities including Adelphi University, Arkansas University, Art Center College of Design (Los Angeles), Bilkent University (Turkey), BYU, Bentley University, CSU Chico, Fullerton, Long Beach, & San Marcos, College of the Canyons, Columbia University, Cornell University, Glendale College (Los Angeles), Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Jamestown Community College, University of Lille (France), Minnesota, McGill University, Mt. Saint Antonio College, New York University (NYU), Ohio State University, Rowan University, Stanford University, Syracuse University, Tulane University, University of Colorado, University of Houston, University of Illinois (Chicago), University of Michigan, University of Utah, USC, UC Riverside, University of Bogotá (Columbia), SUNY Albany, SUNY Buffalo, Western Oregon State, Yale University, the Coast Guard Academy, and others.
Three UCI Comparative Literature Ph.D.s have gone on to earn J.D.s and are now practicing law. Academic professional positions held by others include the Associate Directorship of the Sweetland Writing Center at the University of Michigan and the Writing Directorship of UCSD’s Sixth College Writing Program. One Comparative Literature Ph.D. is also currently Associate Director of UCI’s Program in Literary Journalism and Associate Director of the Center for Storytelling at UCI, and four additional graduates hold permanent positions in libraries or instructional resource units. Another Comparative Literature Ph.D. alumni who graduated in just 2022 is currently the Director of the Writing Program at Washington and Lee University.
Students with UCI Comparative Literature Ph.D.s have held and currently hold post-doctoral fellowships at Brown, Cornell, Barnard, Duke, Institute of Contemporary Arts - NYU Shanghai, Stanford, Texas A&M University, Tulane, the University of London, Stockholm University (Sweden), and the Pomona Colleges. Others hold Visiting Assistant Professorships at Clemson University, Pacific Lutheran University, Swathmore College, Washington and Lee University, Williams College, UC Berkeley and the University of Victoria.
These placement levels compare very favorably with those reported in the most recent survey conducted by the Modern Language Association (2011). The study presents data from 628 departments of English, foreign language, Comparative Literature, and interdisciplinary studies in the United States and Canada. The range of placement in tenure-track jobs over the period of two years (2006-2008) was 49.2 – 55.1 % in English; 41.4 – 49.5 % in foreign languages (“MLA Survey of Ph.D. Placement"). Although Comparative Literature placements were not broken out as a separate category, it is clear from these data that UCI Comp Lit graduates are faring very well at a wide range of institutions in the U.S. and abroad, even with the recent pressure put on academic hiring.
This extraordinarily strong record speaks eloquently to the quality of our program and the currency of a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UCI.