Admission Requirements
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The Department of English accepts applications for admission for the fall semester only. We do not admit non-degree or provisional students to the graduate program. Application deadline for the M.A. program is January 15 and for the Ph.D. program is December 15 yearly.
M.A. Program
To be accepted into an M.A. program in the English Department, a student should have already completed a minimum of about 18 semester hours of upper-division English courses; a major in English (30-36 hours) provides a stronger base for further study, but it is not a requirement for admission. Although the Graduate School requires a 2.7 cumulative average in all previous course work for admission, prospective M.A. candidates should have a better than B average in English courses.
In making its decision, the Admissions Committee considers grades, recommendations, GRE scores, the statement of purpose, and the writing sample. It looks for students who can complete the program successfully and who will add liveliness and intellectual energy to the program. Although grades and GRE results are by no means the only factors in admission decisions, a general statistical profile of students admitted for fall 2005 reveals an A- overall GPA, a verbal GRE score of 600 or better and an analytic score of 5.5 or better.
If an applicant lacks the minimum hours in English, he or she may enroll in undergraduate courses to develop a stronger background; these courses will not count toward the graduate degree. A particularly strong performance on the subject-area GRE may substitute for specific undergraduate course work.
Ph.D. Program
For admission to the Ph.D. program, a student should have an M.A. in English. In unusual circumstances, highly prepared students with some graduate work in other fields may be accepted on condition that they take up to 30 semester hours of additional course work. Previous graduate course work in English will be counted toward the Ph.D. requirements after a transcript evaluation by the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the student. For limits on the number of hours that may be transferred from other universities, see the Graduate Catalog. Although the Graduate School requires a 3.0 minimum for admission to a Ph.D. program, the English Department normally requires a 3.5 or better in graduate course work. Grades and GRE results are by no means the only factors in admission decisions, but a profile of students admitted for fall 2005 reveals an A-range overall GPA, with GRE scores of 600 or better in the verbal and subject exam and analytic scores of 5.5 or better for Ph.D. applicants. The Admissions Committee also looks for evidence of the candidate's ability to do independent research.
Normally the Department's Graduate Admissions Committee considers acceptance into the Ph.D. program and financial support through a teaching associateship as a package and thus considers actual or potential teaching ability as part of the entrance requirement. Some students, of course, may prefer not to teach. Other Ph.D. applicants who have had no teaching experience may be offered a graduate teaching assistantship for one or two semesters before becoming an associate.
Candidates who are denied entrance into graduate degree programs may reapply for admission only if their application has been substantially enhanced. Please see or call the Director of Graduate Studies for suggestions. Any candidate who is denied admission to the graduate program twice will no longer be eligible or considered for admission. The English Department does not admit non-degree or provisional students to its graduate programs.