Graduate Prospective Student FAQ

Since we have a direct admission with a BA into the PhD program, students with an MA in English, MFA in English or any other graduate degree are welcome to apply if they are willing to fulfill all course requirements; previous coursework will only be counted at the discretion of the graduate director. All students admitted to the PhD program will receive a five year competitive funding package.

The English Department does admit students who apply to the PhD program with a BA directly to the PhD program. All admitted students will receive a five year competitive funding package.

Please indicate this in your personal statement. We receive hundreds of applications for the 8-10 spots that are available for the PhD program in any given year, so we will not consider you for the MA unless specifically instructed.

The statement, which should be around 1000 words, should address relevant aspects of your educational experience, the focus of your academic interests, and reasons for applying to our program. If you are applying to the PhD program but would like to be considered for the MA if you are not selected for the PhD, please indicate that here. The statement should be in a readable 12 pt font; however, we do not care if the statement is single spaced versus double spaced.

No, do not upload an encrypted transcript to the application. It will upload as a blank document. The program will not be able to use it for its evaluation. Please print the document out, scan it, then upload a scanned version.

No. Although the admissions committee will consider submitted subject test scores as part of a complete application, you are not required to take it and submission of such scores are unlikely to be a deciding factor in your admission.

The admissions committee looks closely at all the materials in an application: GRE scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and writing sample. The critical writing sample, however, is probably the single most important element of a successful application.

In evaluating writing samples for both MA and PhD programs, we look for clarity and detail of argument; familiarity with literary, critical, and theoretical concepts; familiarity with literary research; and engaging ideas. We expect writing samples submitted by applicants who already have the MA to demonstrate an accomplished, focused presentation of these elements appropriate to advanced graduate study. Generally an applicant submits as a writing sample a paper originally completed for an upper-level undergraduate or graduate course and revised for the application process. We prefer that the writing sample be in the intended area of study. Samples of non-academic writing are not acceptable for this purpose.

You can check on the status of your application by logging on to your online application. We typically have spaces for around 15 entering MA students and 8-10 entering PhD students.

The Department of English has distinguished faculty in all areas of its curriculum. For details see Faculty List by Area of Specialization.

We provide funding in the form of fellowships and teaching assistantships. We have a limited number of fellowships that are distributed for recruitment, but a larger portion of financial aid is in the form of teaching assistantships. Both TA-ships and fellowships carry a full tuition waiver (10 credits/semester). All applicants to the PhD program are automatically considered for financial aid, which is awarded solely on the basis of academic merit. MA students will be considered for partial funding through a limited number of teaching assistantships, but unlike the PhD program, we do admit unfunded MA students. Additionally, there are GAships available in various departments in the University to which students may apply. More information about travel and summer funding for admitted students can be found here. 

A full-time student will finish the MA in four to five semesters. The direct admit PhD program is designed to be completed within five years of initial enrollment. Progress to degree will vary depending upon an individual's circumstances. The Graduate Office is committed to facilitating students' progress to degree. The expected progress to degree schedule for the PhD program can be found here, the expected progress for MA students can be more flexible. We do allow MA students to work on the degree part-time; all PhD students are expected to be full-time. 

MA students are permitted to pursue the MA part-time. MA students may alternate between full and part-time status, depending upon circumstances and desire. All those working toward a PhD must be full-time students.

Yes. We realize that occasionally an applicant's GPA, especially for the BA degree, will not accurately reflect an individual's ability to perform successfully in a graduate program. In a case where an applicant has a GPA lower than that specified, we look all the more closely at other elements of the application. Please note that the Graduate School of the University of Maryland does stipulate 3.0 as the minimum GPA required for admission to any to any graduate program.

Applicants to the MA program without an undergraduate major in English should demonstrate that they have successfully completed approximately 24 upper-level credits in English. Prospective applicants who do not meet this criterion should consider taking upper-level undergraduate courses at the University of Maryland or elsewhere.

The University provides the category of Non-Degree Seeking Student for non-degree seeking individuals. Information on how to qualify for and obtain Non-Degree Seeking Student status is available on the Graduate School website. Individuals admitted to the University as Non-Degree Seeking Students can take 600-level courses in the English graduate program, on a space-available basis, with the permission of the Graduate Office. We permits MA students to transfer into their degree up to 6 credits earned as a non-degree seeking student here at UMD. 

We have an excellent record of placing our PhDs in tenure-track jobs. Please see the Placement page on this website for details.

Admission to the English PhD program is exceptionally competitive and is based on the entire application.

International students are evaluated equally with domestic applicants. All students admitted will be granted similar financial packages. We do keep in mind the financial requirements for international students when offering aid packages.

Please consult the website for the Office of International Student and Scholar Services for a comprehensive overview.