MA, MFA, and PhD Applicants

Students applying to the MA, MFA, or PhD degree programs must hold a BA or BS degree from an accredited college or university. Successful applicants generally have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher. Applicants holding an MA or MFA in English (or, in some cases, another appropriate discipline) are eligible for admission into the PhD program.

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BA-to-PhD Track

The BA-to-PhD track is available to applicants to any program who do not hold a MA or MFA degree in the field. Applicants to the BA-to-PhD track must submit application materials at the same time as other candidates (December 15th). Applicants accepted into the BA-to-PhD track will receive a teaching assistantship for the first year. Applicants who are denied admission into the BA-to-PhD track might instead be offered admission into the MA or MFA program.

Complete applications are due by December 15 for admission following fall semester. 
Applications submitted after the December 15 deadline will not be considered.

Please include your name on all application materials. All applications will be considered for funding during the admissions process; no separate application for funding is required.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The English Department no longer requires the GRE test to apply.

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All applications, writing samples, and recommendations must be submitted via the University of Utah Graduate online application system Slate. The English Department will not accept applications that are submitted by mail.

Please be sure to indicate in the appropriate places on the application your name, address, and the specific program to which you are applying. If you are applying for admission to our doctoral program but will not have a master's degree in the field of English upon entering our program, please choose “English-PHD,” and in the section labeled “Additional Information” indicate that you are applying to the BA-to-PHD track. Applicants to the BA-to-PhD track will automatically be considered for admission to the appropriate master's program if they are not admitted to the doctoral program.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The online application system permits applicants to apply to only ONE of the department’s MA, MFA, or PhD programs. Please apply to the program you are most interested in pursuing. (You can, however, apply to both the MA and MFA programs.)

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All applications must include:

• A statement of purpose describing your professional interests and goals.
• A substantial critical writing sample of at least six pages. The critical sample should demonstrate your ability to frame a critical argument and to conduct a sustained reading of a text or texts.
• Three (3) academic letters of recommendation from faculty who know your work and can assess your ability to do graduate work in English. Please submit the email addresses of your three recommenders via Slate.

Applications for Creative Writing must include:

• In addition to the critical sample (detailed above), a creative writing sample, either poetry, fiction, or non-fiction (approximately 10 pages). For the poetry sample, a small collection of poems is acceptable. For fiction or non-fiction samples, a short story or a chapter or selection from a novel, a memoir, or an essay is acceptable. If your fiction or non-fiction samples are short, you can submit more than one piece. Please submit creative samples only in the genre to which you are applying.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The application software allows applicants to submit two files. Creative writing applicants must upload one critical and one creative sample. If your creative sample consists of several short pieces, you must incorporate them into one file before uploading.

IMPORTANT NOTE for Modular Book Arts application: MFA in Creative Writing/Book Arts applicants must include a visual portfolio of 10-20 images of personal work samples representing your experience and interest in fine arts. Please include multiple views of book or sculptural work and applicable information regarding title, creation date, dimensions, media, and edition size. The portfolio must be a single pdf no larger than 20 MB total. If you wish to submit videos, include a link in the pdf. Each video and detail image will count toward your twenty-image maximum. You may add this together with your Creative Writing sample as one file.

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International Applicants:

International applicants who are not native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English before they are eligible for  teaching fellowships. Proficiency is partly demonstrated by a TSE or SPEAK score (40 on the TSE, 180 on the SPEAK). International students who will hold teaching fellowships are normally also required to obtain certification through the University’s International Teaching Assistant Program. For more information on the ITA program, see: International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Program. 

International applicants must upload the appropriate fee, one unofficial set of transcripts, and official TOEFL results to Slate.

Applicants will be notified of application decisions by March 15.

The forms for application to the University of Utah Graduate Admissions and the Department of English can now be accessed via the online application system Slate.

Further information is available by contacting
Karli Sam
karli.sam@utah.edu
(801) 581-7131

Click Here To access Graduate Application Forms

Complete applications are due by December 15 for admission following fall semester. In order to be considered for admission, your application must be complete by this date. Please include your name on all application materials. All applications will be considered for funding during the admissions process; no separate application for funding is required.

Applications submitted after the December 15 deadline will not be considered.*

All applications, writing samples, and recommendations must be submitted via the University of Utah Graduate online application system Slate. The English Department will not accept applications that are submitted by mail.

There is no longer an April 15th deadline for admission to the MA or MFA programs.

Applicants who apply for admission by the December 15th deadline will be notified of their admission status by March 15. Applicants cannot be advised of their admission status over the telephone, but they can check the status of their processed application through the online application system: Slate.

*If a deadline falls on a holiday or weekend, applications will be accepted through the following business day.

To be considered complete, all items listed below must be submitted via the online application system by December 15th: Slate.

• Application
  A completed University of Utah Common Online Graduate Admissions Application, including an affidavit of support for International Students.
• Application Fee
  Payment of application fee ($55 for domestic applicants; $65 for international applicants) via the online application system.
• Transcripts
  Transcripts must be uploaded via the online application system. To facilitate this process you may request your unofficial transcripts, print them out, and upload them into the online application system in accordance with the directions here. If you are accepted into the program and choose to attend, you must then supply official transcripts mailed from your schools directly to the University of Utah Admissions Office.

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
ADMISSIONS OFFICE
201 S 1460 E RM 250S
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84112-9057

• Statement of Purpose
  (see "Instructions for Application Submission" above)
• Writing Sample
  Include a writing sample, or, for creative writing applicants, samples.
  (see "Instructions for Application Submission" above)
• Three Academic Letters of Reference
  (see "Instructions for Application Submission" above)

Note: The English Department no longer requires the GRE to apply.