The Graduate Program

Admissions

To be admitted to the MA program, a candidate should have majored in English as an undergraduate, with at least 18 hours in upper division courses in literature or linguistics. Students with other undergraduate majors may be admitted provided their background in English studies is suitable and provided they complete an appropriate course of preliminary study. The candidate should have an overall undergraduate average of at least a B (3.0), with a higher average in courses in the major.

To apply, the candidate must submit Graduate School and departmental application forms, official transcripts of all undergraduate work, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, a Statement of Purpose and a copy of both the general and subject tests are required. Official scores are required for the English department only. Applicants to the creative writing program should also submit samples of their fiction and/or poetry. See Application Process and Materials for more information.

To be considered for the PhD program, a candidate should hold the MA degree in English or its equivalent. To apply, candidates must submit official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, three letters of recommendation, a supplementary information sheet (including Statement of Purpose), two samples of their critical writing, and scores from the general and subject areas of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Applicants to the creative writing program should also submit samples of their fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction. See Application Process and Materials for more information.

International applicants must send a copy of their TOEFL score, which normally should be at least 600 for both the MA and PhD. See Application Process and Materials for more information.

(Note: the applicant will be evaluated by the admissions committee only if all required materials have been received by the annual January 1st deadline.)