Admission

Applicants for admission to the M.A., M.A.T., M.F.A., or Ph.D. degree programs in the Department of English must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours of upper-division undergraduate courses in English or an appropriate related discipline with grades indicating ability for successful graduate work.

Applicants for all degrees must submit

• an online application form required by The Graduate School,
• satisfactory scores on the GRE general test,*
• a sample of academic writing,
• a statement of purpose, and
• at least two letters of recommendation from teachers familiar with your academic achievement.

  *The GRE subject test of literature in English is also required for students seeking an M.A. or Ph.D. in English and American literature or an M.A. or Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric.

An applicant who lacks adequate undergraduate course work may have to take up to 12 credit hours of 400-level literature or communication courses (depending on the degree emphasis sought) before the application will be considered.

Application deadlines are January 30 for those wishing to be considered for fellowships or graduate assistantships and April 15 for all others.

As the number and variety of degree programs suggests, our graduates pursue careers in many fields, including college- and university-level teaching, public and private secondary education, librarianship, publishing, creative and technical writing, journalism, public relations, and business administration.

For specific information about admission to individual degree programs, please choose from the following menu:

Master's Programs

• M.F.A. in Creative Writing
• M. A. in English, with Emphasis in English and American Literature
• M. A. in English, with Emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric
• M. A. In English, with Emphasis in Speech Communication
• M. A. T. in English
• M.A./M.L.I.S., Joint Degree in English and Library and Information Science

Doctoral Programs

• Ph.D. in English, with Emphasis in English and/or American Literature
• Ph.D. in English, with Emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric