Graduate Admissions and Application
If you are interested in learning more about the English graduate programs at Oklahoma State University, please email englishgrad@okstate.edu to request information. To apply to the OSU English Department Graduate program, click here.
For fall admissions, January 5 is the Priority Placement deadline for applications. Applications received prior to January 5 will be given first consideration for assistantships and financial incentives. We will continue to accept applications until March 1, but the availability of assistantships and incentive packages diminishes after the Priority Placement deadline on January 5.
For spring admissions, the application deadline is October 15. Students admitted in spring are typically not eligible for departmental funding, including assistantships, until the following fall semester.
**For International Students applying for the Spring Semester, the deadline is July 1st.
The English Department employs a large number of graduate teaching assistants each year. Assistantships are thus available to most students who qualify for them and apply early. For more information about graduate assistantships, visit here. Prospective students who wish to apply for assistantships should check the appropriate box on the online application form and complete the Assistantship Application. Assistantship application materials will be evaluated by the Director of First-Year Composition or the Director of International Composition as appropriate after admission recommendations from an applicant's program.
Items required for assistantship application:
-
CV or resume
-
Scholarly writing sample (this can be something from a prior project or class). Please contact the Director of First-Year Composition if you have questions about what to submit as a scholarly writing sample.
-
Assistantship Experience and Rationale statement. Explain your previous experience teaching composition or consulting in a writing center. (You do not need previous experience to apply.) Explain why you would like to teach/consult at Oklahoma State University. How do you see this experience connecting to your graduate studies in the English Department?
Important Note: All items must be received in order for an application to be considered complete and reviewed for admission. Satisfaction of minimum requirements is NOT a guarantee of admission.
Degree Options
TESOL Certificate
The Department of English at Oklahoma State University is now offering a program leading
to Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages – TESOL. The Certificate
in TESOL is a one-year program designed to provide students with the skills important
for teaching English to non-native speakers in a variety of situations.
-
Applications must submit transcripts. They must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, and they must have maintained an overall undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
-
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.
-
Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words, outlining a proposed area of study, reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant work experience, and future career plans.
-
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must also meet the admissions requirements outlined below.
-
Teacher Certification Disclaimer: the Certificate in TESOL does not carry with it certification for public school employment. Students wishing such certification must meet special state and university requirements.
MA (General)
The MA in English at Oklahoma State University allows students to develop expertise in a variety of areas: Literature, Literary Theory and Criticism, Screen Studies, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, and Linguistics. In consultation with their advisory committees, students devise an individualized curriculum that reflects their own intellectual interests and prepares them to enter a PhD program or to teach at the college level.
-
Applicants must submit transcripts. Applicants must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. They must have an undergraduate degree appropriate to the specialization they will follow. For the specialization in Literature, they must have a minimum of 24 hours in English (excluding first-year composition). Applicants should have maintained an undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, particularly in English courses.
-
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.
-
Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words, outlining a proposed area of study, reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant work experience, and future career plans.
-
Applicants must submit a writing sample: a 7- to 15-page paper recently written in an upper-level seminar in an appropriate area of study.
-
GRE scores are not required, but may be sent as part of the application. (Institution code: 6546).
-
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must also meet the admissions requirements outlined below.
MA in English with TESOL Option
In addition to the qualifications and materials required for the general MA, applicants must have six credit hours of coursework in a language other than English with grades of “B” or better. Applicants who do not meet this requirement must complete two semesters of language work, receiving grades of “B” or better prior to taking the qualifying exams. Non-native speakers of English are exempt from this requirement.
Teacher Certification Disclaimer: the Certificate in TESOL does not carry with it certification for public school employment. Students wishing such certification must meet special state and university requirements.
Click here for information on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language Graduate Certificate.
MA in English with Professional Writing Option
In addition to the qualifications and materials required for the general MA, applicants usually have an undergraduate major in English (at least 24 hours beyond first-year composition) or a related field. In addition, students should demonstrate a background in some technical area through work experience, course work, or a combination of these. The writing sample may be a 7- to 15- page paper written for an upper-level English course or related area of study or a portfolio of work-related documents.Please note that English Department admission requirements are HIGHER than Graduate College admission requirements.
MFA
The MFA in Creative Writing at Oklahoma State University allows students to focus
on developing their abilities as poets, fiction writers, and/or creative nonfiction
writers through a course of study emphasizing creative writing workshops, literature
seminars, and electives in either of those areas or other areas in language and culture.
In consultation with their advisory committees, students devise an individualized
curriculum that reflects their own artistic and intellectual interests and prepares
them to publish their artistic writing, enter a PhD program, or to teach at the college
level.
-
Applicants must submit transcripts. Applicants must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. Applicants for the MFA in creative writing usually have an undergraduate major in English, perhaps with an option or specialization in creative writing. Other undergraduate majors may be eligible for admission depending on the quality of the writing sample, but normally all applicants will have taken at least twelve hours of upper-division courses in English. Applicants should have maintained an overall undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, particularly in English and/or creative writing courses.
-
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.
-
Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words identifying the specific program to which he or she is applying, the proposed area of emphasis (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction), reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant experience, and future publication and/or work plans.
-
Applicants must submit a writing sample: either approximately 25 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction, or 10 poems (not to exceed 20 pages in combined length).
-
GRE general area scores are optional (Institution code: 6546).
-
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must also meet the admissions requirements outlined below.
PhD
The English Department grants one doctoral degree, the PhD in English. Students may,
however, emphasize in their courses, their exams, and their dissertations a variety
of areas: Literature, Literary Theory and Criticism, Screen Studies, Rhetoric and
Writing Studies, Linguistics, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). They may also choose an interdisciplinary emphasis. In consultation with
their advisory committees, students devise an individualized curriculum that reflects
their own intellectual interests and professional goals.
-
Applicants must submit transcripts. Applicants must have a Master's degree from an accredited institution. They should have a Master's degree in a field related to their intended area of emphasis. They should have maintained a GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in all graduate work.
-
Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation.
-
Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words identifying the specific program to which he or she is applying, the proposed area of emphasis (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction), reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant experience, and future publication and/or work plans.
-
Applicants must submit a writing sample: For students in Creative Writing, a short fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript (about 25 pages), ten poems, or an appropriate excerpt of a longer genre. For students in all other areas, a 10- to 20-page document recently written in a graduate seminar in English or a related area of study.
-
GRE scores are not required, but may be sent as part of the application. (Institution code: 6546)
-
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must also meet the admissions requirements outlined below.
PhD Applicants with an MA in English from OSU
Students who have either a general MA in English or an MA in English with an option in TESOL from OSU and who wish to pursue a PhD in English at OSU must request that the English Graduate Office submit an admissions dossier to the Admissions Committee. The dossier will include copies of the MA Qualifying Examination or the MA/TESOL exam (the questions, student responses, and readers’ reports), and all end-of-semester evaluations by faculty who have taught the applicants in graduate courses. If the Admissions Committee decides to admit such students to the PhD program, they are admitted fully and do not have to take the First-Year PhD Exam. However, OSU students who complete the MA degree with an option in Technical Writing and who wish to pursue the PhD in English at OSU must, for admission purposes, follow the procedures for students with MA degrees from other institutions. Admission to the MA program at OSU does not guarantee subsequent admission to the PhD program.
English Department TOEFL/IELTS Reading and Writing Requirements
Please note that the English Department’s requirements for demonstration of English language proficiency are more stringent than those of the Graduate College.
The English department requires standardized Academic English proficiency test scores for ALL graduate program applicants who are non-native speakers of English, regardless of whether or not they have received previous degrees from U.S. institutions or any other English-speaking country’s institutions.
The TOEFL Institution Code for Oklahoma State University is 6546.
Minimum sub-scores and total scores required for admission
TOEFL ibT Reading: 26 Writing: 26 Total score: 100
IELTS Reading: 7.0 Writing: 7.0 Total band score: 7.0
Minimum sub-scores required for students who wish to apply for Teaching Assistantships
TOEFL ibT Reading: 26 Writing: 26 Speaking: 26
IELTS Reading: 7.0 Writing: 7.0 Speaking: 7.0
For more information, please contact the English Graduate Office at: englishgrad@okstate.edu or 405-744-9469.
Revised 2019