Prospective Students - Graduate

English

Areas of Study and Research

The department's graduate students work closely on research and writing projects with the members of our graduate faculty, who specialize in all areas of literary, theoretical, and cultural studies and creative writing. MA students complete a broad-based program in literature; MFA students complete a broad based program in creative writing; PhD students may choose a concentration in any area of English-language literature. The English department encourages interdisciplinary work and maintains close ties with the Department of Comparative Literature and Humanities, the Program for Writing and Rhetoric, the various departments of foreign languages and literatures, other humanities and fine arts departments including history and theatre, and the writing programs at Boulder's Naropa University.

Degrees Offered

MA
The MA in literature requires 30 hours of graduate study and fourth semester undergraduate competence in one foreign language.

MFA
The MFA in creative writing requires 45 hours of graduate study, fourth semester undergraduate competence in one foreign language, and successful completion and defense of a thesis.

PhD
Requires 48 hours of graduate study (18 hours beyond the MA), 30 hours of dissertation work, moderate proficiency in two foreign languages or advanced proficiency in one foreign language, a comprehensive examination (written and oral), and a successful dissertation defense.

Admission

Graduate School Minimum Admissions Standards
Individual graduate departments may have additional or more restrictive standards by which they evaluate graduate applicants. However, the Graduate School at CU-Boulder has established minimum standards for graduate admission. Applicants must:

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or have done work equivalent to that required for such a degree.
   
2. Show promise of ability to pursue advanced study and research, as judged by the student’s scholastic record.
   
3. Have adequate preparation to enter graduate study in the chosen field.
   
4. Have at least a 2.75 (2.00=C) undergraduate grade point average. Note: Applicants who cannot meet this undergraduate standard may still secure regular admission if they have completed 9 semester hours of relevant graduate course work with at least a 3.25 average.

English Admissions Requirements
Applicants must:

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university of recognized standing, with an English major or at least 24 semester hours of English (exclusive of speech, creative writing, or composition), including at least 15 upper-division semester hours of English, for the MA in Literature; and an English major or at least 18 semester hours of English for the MFA in creative writing.
2. Hold an MA degree in English, or have 30 semester hours of graduate English course work (exclusive of speech, creative writing, and composition), for those applying for the PhD.
3. Have an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.00.
4. Have satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE General Test (approximately 600/5.0) and a satisfactory score (approximately 600) on the GRE Subject Test: Literature in English for the PhD. For the MA in literature and MFA in creative writing: have satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE General Test (approximately 600/5.0).
5. Submit a critical writing sample and a statement of purpose for MA-literature and PhD study.
6. Submit a polished manuscript of original creative work and a statement of purpose for the MFA-creative writing.
7. Provide three letters of recommendation (a fourth letter is optional).

Financial Support Available
MA and MFA students are eligible for appointment as teaching assistants, although the department does not have sufficient resources to offer all MA and MFA students assistantships every semester. The department seeks to admit only as many PhD students as may be fully funded for at least six years through fellowships and through appointments as graduate part-time instructors. The department does not have research assistantships. A limited number of one-time fellowships or tuition waiver grants are sometimes available.

Application Information and Deadlines   Fall admission Yes Application deadline January 1 International application deadline December 1 Financial assistance application deadline January 1   Spring admission No   Summer admission No

Contact Information

University of Colorado at Boulder
Department of English
Hellems 101
226 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0226
Phone: 303-492-6434
Fax: 303-492-8904
e-mail: ssengl@colorado.edu
web site: www.Colorado.EDU/English/