The maximum duration for both full-time and part-time study is 60 months. Those awarded an NUS scholarship are required to reside in Singapore for the duration of the scholarship award.

To qualify for the degree of PhD in English Language and Linguistics, candidates will be required to pass a minimum of 32 Units or eight courses (each course is worth 4 Units) from the English Language and Linguistics curriculum. The following conditions must be fulfilled:

1. Of these eight courses, the following four are compulsory:
   o EL5101 Grammatical Analysis
   o EL5102 Phonetics and Phonology
   o EL5103 Language in Society
   o EL6770 Graduate Research Seminar.  Of the remaining four courses, one must be at level 6000. No more than one course may be at level 4000.
2. obtain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 for all examinable courses. In order to continue in the PhD programme, a candidate must not have:
   • a GPA of less than 3.5 for three consecutive semesters; or
   • a GPA below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.
3. reside in Singapore for a minimum of 18 months of the candidature
4. pass all components of the Qualifying Exam (QE)
5. successfully complete and defend a thesis of not more than 80,000 words.

A student enrolled in the PhD in the area of English Language and Linguistics may take courses offered by another graduate programme in the university, subject to the approval of the student's thesis advisor, the lecturer of the course, the Head of the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies and the host department, and relevance to the student’s studies and availability.

For details on the components of the Qualifying Exam, thesis writing and PhD process, refer to the Graduate Handbook.