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Students: Graduate Information

Admission to the M.A. Program

All students admitted to the M.A. program for fall 2010 are automatically admitted to the Ph.D. program. All students progressing to the Ph.D. must complete all of the requirements for the M.A. degree and maintain satisfactory academic standing. The Graduate Admissions Committee will consider any qualified candidate with a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university for admission to the M.A. program. Most applicants have a B.A. in English; at a minimum, applicants should have 40 quarter hours (27 semester hours) of coursework in English and 20 quarter hours (15 semester hours) of work in one foreign language. The Graduate School requires that those admitted have an undergraduate Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4 (where 4.0=A) and at least a 3.0 on all previous graduate work. Our departmental criteria are higher. Normally, applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.4 overall and 3.6 in English courses (undergraduate or graduate) and a score of at least 600 on the verbal and at least 4.5 on the analytical writing portions of the General test of the Graduate Record Examination. Exceptions are made in each of these criteria, but the GPA's and scores of those accepted have, in recent years, averaged higher. Note: the GRE Literature in English Subject Test is not required.
Applicants should understand that we decide to admit or reject by looking carefully at each student's record as a whole—at the profile that emerges from the transcripts, the GRE scores, the letters of recommendation, the writing sample, and the personal statement—rather than by rigidly applying a pre-established formula of "admissible" grades and scores.

The application deadline for Autumn 2010 is December 15, 2009. NOTE: If you are an international applicant and wish to be considered for a University Fellowship, the application deadline is earlier: November 30, 2009. The Department expects an entering M.A./Ph.D. class of 12-15 students.

Please ensure that you send the different parts of your M.A. application to the right places:
Send the following items:

• the completed application form (submit online at http://www.gradadmissions.osu.edu)
• the application fee
• one official transcript of each academic record

Send the following items (Please note that the writing sample, personal statement, transcripts, typed page containing GPA, and curriculum vitae/résumé cannot be submitted electronically, they must be mailed directly to the English department):

• three (3) letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty members) (these may be submitted by your recommenders either as hard copies OR electronically using the link that will be provided if you select this option when you submit your application online);
• a personal statement (1-2 single-spaced pages) that describes your background in English studies and your purpose in pursuing graduate work; this statement should address both your scholarly interests and your interest and/or experience in teaching;
• an 8-10 page sample of your written work: for example, a short essay or portion of a longer work would be appropriate. This essay should demonstrate your abilities as a critical reader of a literary or related text, as well as your ability to use current scholarly sources; it is the most important part of the application. Applicants should submit a clean copy of the sample (i.e., not a photocopy that includes a teacher's comments).
• one official transcript of each academic record;
• a typed page giving your undergraduate GPA and GPA for courses in English;
• an official report of your GRE General Test scores (Note: GRE Institution code 1592 and Department code 2501 will ensure that your scores will be sent to both Admissions and to the Department of English; for information about the GRE, please visit the Educational Testing Service website: www.ets.org);
• curriculum vitae/résumé of no more than two pages with a clearly stated sentence at the beginning of the CV that declares your scholarly area of interest(s), for example: American literature and queer theory or 18th-century poetry, postcolonial theory, and women writers.

To this address:

Please Note: Do not include your Social Security Number on any of your application materials. Two official transcripts must be sent with your application materials: one to the Admissions office, and one to the English Department.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all application materials reach the department in time; please consider including a self-addressed, stamped postcard with pertinent identifying information, so that we may confirm receipt of your materials. For example, you might write on your postcard, "This confirms that OSU has received Jane Smith's writing sample." The Graduate Office will not write on your postcards, so you must include pertinent information on the postcards.

Please send your materials to the Graduate Studies Office well before the deadline; incomplete applications will not be considered. The Graduate Studies Office can be reached at 614-292-7919 or via e-mail at graduateenglish@osu.edu.

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