Humanities pauses admissions for Ph.D. programs

Rice’s School of Humanities has paused admissions to all five of its Ph.D. programs for one year. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)
Rice’s School of Humanities has paused admissions to all five of its Ph.D. programs for one year. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)
Rice’s School of Humanities has paused admissions to all five of its Ph.D. programs for one year. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)

In response to challenges caused by COVID-19, Rice’s School of Humanities has paused admissions to all five of its Ph.D. programs — art history, English, history, philosophy and religion — for one year.

The ongoing pandemic has interrupted Humanities research in libraries, museums and archives as well as halted all research travel. Moreover, pausing admissions will allow the school to offer additional financial support to current Ph.D. students as they contend with challenges.

In a Sept. 28 interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education, Dean of Humanities Kathleen Canning expressed her confidence that this support will help current Ph.D. students finish their degrees and find a profession in their field.

“If they don’t finish and if they don’t find a way into a profession that is meaningful for them, we haven’t succeeded,” Canning said.

Rice joins over a dozen peer institutions -- including Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University and Yale University -- in temporarily suspending admissions to doctoral programs.

The application cycle for the School of Humanities Ph.D. programs will reopen in September 2021 for the class of 2022.

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