在比较文学领域，研究生学习的主要目标是让学生在获得以下知识后，便可以从事原创性研究和教学：广泛地了解跨语言边界的文学形式或一般发展知识，对文学历史发展的理解特定的文化或意识形态背景，以及文学批评的原理和理论，这些知识对于个人作品的分析，解释和评估至关重要。比较文学学科的核心是多种语言的高级能力，可以研究其文学传统。
The primary goal of graduate study in the comparative literature track is to prepare students to engage in original research and teaching after acquiring: a broadly based knowledge of literature's formal or generic development extending across linguistic boundaries, an understanding of literature's historical development within a number of specific cultural or ideological contexts, and a knowledge of the principles of literary criticism and theory essential to the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of individual works. The core of the discipline of comparative literature is advanced competence in several languages allowing research in their literary traditions.