Graduate Studies
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PHD-Literature & Criticism
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Doctor of Philosophy in Literature and Criticism
Admission Requirements
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The Literature and Criticism Program has rolling admissions throughout the year.
Students seeking financial aid for the regular academic year, however, must apply before March 15th for the following Fall semester in order to be considered for an assistantship. The graduate application form, graduate assistantship application, and a graduate catalog are available from the Graduate School and Research's website: www.iup.edu/graduate
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Or by mail:
Graduate School and Research
101 Stright Hall, IUP
Indiana
PA 15705
U.S.A.
Applicants should send completed admissions materials directly to the Graduate School. The Graduate School notifies applicants of the admissions decision, based on the recommendation of the English Department's Graduate Literature Admissions Committee. A graduate student is expected to assume full responsibility for knowing and fulfilling graduate program and university requirements, procedures, and regulations.
English Graduate Students are not required to take the Graduate Record Examination (G.R.E.).
Please Note: we do not encourage applications from students who are not already employed in teaching or who do not have prior teaching experience. Because of the limited opportunity for gaining teaching experience on campus, we cannot guarantee any student classroom teaching experience as part of the degree program.
A formal application to the doctoral program in Literature and Criticism includes:
- 1. An official transcript of undergraduate coursework for which a bachelor's degree has been awarded with a minimum grade point average of 2.6 (on a 4 point scale) or the equivalent from an accredited institution of higher learning.
- 2. An official transcript of graduate level coursework for which a master's degree in English or a related area has been awarded from an accredited institution of higher learning.
- 3. Two letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to assess the student's academic performance and potential for doctoral studies.
- 4. The applicant's statement of goals. This goal statement is one of the most important documents to be considered in an application. Applicants should directly address ways in which the program chosen will help them meet their particular goals.
- 5. International applicants are required to submit scores from the TOEFL, taken no more than one year prior to the expected date of enrollment. The Graduate School will not process applications lacking TOEFL scores. Information about this examination is obtained by writing directly to:
TOEFL
Educational Testing Service
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
U.S.A.
The linguistic proficiency of an international student who received the M.A. outside the U.S. is assessed by examining all application materials: the recommendations, the applicant's statement of goals, the presence of content courses in English on the transcript, as well as the TOEFL scores. Students are advised to take the new written essay section of the TOEFL if available.
- 6. A writing sample, while not required, is strongly recommended as a part of the application.
The Literature Admissions Committee considers each application within the guidelines of the Graduate School. The Committee looks at the student's academic record, writing ability, letters of recommendation, and professional accomplishments. Students who are accepted are admitted to pre-candidacy status. Applicants who indicate that they do not plan to work toward the degree but wish to enroll in one or two graduate courses for which they are qualified may apply to the Graduate School for Special Graduate Standing, but such enrollment does not constitute admission to the Program.
Candidates without the master's degree may consider one of the department's M.A. in English programs. The M.A. in English permits students to concentrate coursework in literature (MA Literature), both Literature & Criticism and Composition & Tesol (MA Generalist), teaching English to speakers of other languages (MA TESOL), or teaching English at the high school level (MA Teaching of English). Students are not normally encouraged to complete both master's and doctoral programs in Literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The program deadline for receipt of all application materials is one month prior to the start of each semester. Applications received after the deadline are considered for the following semester. Prior to each semester or summer session, newly admitted and continuing graduate students with pre-candidacy status plan coursework and the fulfillment of requirements for the degree with their advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies in Literature. Based on their interests, students will later choose a faculty mentor to provide advice on the program and professional involvement and growth.
International Applicants
As part of their Graduate School admissions application, international students must complete a financial responsibility form and present evidence of having financial resources sufficient to meet the cost of living in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the cost of travel, and the cost of graduate education at IUP. The Office of International Affairs handles all issues concerning visas for study at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
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