Graduate Admissions
Explore our admission requirements below.
General Requirements for Graduate Admission
Admission requires at least a BA degree or equivalent, with credit in English equivalent
to the TCU 33 hour major. Applicants with less preparation may be admitted conditionally,
but must take such additional courses as are prescribed by AddRan College and the
departmental Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).
How to Apply to English Graduate Programs
To be considered for admission for graduate study in the English department at TCU
and graduate financial aid, you will need to complete and submit the online application
by January 17th.
Materials needed to complete your application include the following:
-
Application form with application fee
The $60 application fee will be due through electronic payment at the time the application is submitted. McNair Scholars applying to the graduate program are exempted from paying the application fee.
-
Official transcripts
TCU requires two copies of official university/college sent directly to TCU’s English department from the originating university. The copies must bear the official seal of the institution and the registrar’s signature.
Order two complete official, sealed transcripts mailed from the Registrar’s Office of each institution attended since high school directly to the English department:
Department of English
Attn: Director of Graduate Studies
TCU Box 297270
Fort Worth, TX 76129Students who file applications prior to the completion of a degree program should submit current transcripts with their application, but they will need to submit final transcripts that show all coursework and the degree award as soon as they finish their program.
-
Official GRE General Test scores (have ETS send directly to TCU)
We require scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. We do not require the GRE Subject Test in English. For information about the GRE, go to gre.org.
Please arrange to have your official scores sent directly by ETS to Graduate Studies at TCU (use school code 6820). If you are concerned that your official test scores may not reach us by Jan. 10, send us a photocopy of your student score report, which will be used until the official report arrives.
The Department of English Admissions Committee places the greatest emphasis on Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing scores. GRE scores are handled in accordance with the ETS’s regulations for fairness and accuracy. Scores must be sent directly from the testing board and must be less than five years old.
The GRE will not be used as the sole determining factor in admission or the awarding of funding.
-
Statement of purpose
The statement of purpose is a critical part of your application because it describes your academic and career goals. This 500-1,000 word statement should tell us about your academic background, your training for graduate work in English studies, which areas of study you wish to pursue and why. It should also clearly indicate how you see the TCU English program fitting into your intellectual interests and professional goals.
-
A CV (or resume)
-
Writing sample
Doctoral applicants should send a critical or scholarly writing sample of 15-25 pages. Master’s applicants may substitute two shorter pieces for the single 15-25-page paper, if needed. Select a writing sample that best demonstrates your critical and analytical skills, research methods and preparation for graduate study. Ideally, the scholarly writing sample would demonstrate your familiarity with the field you intend to pursue, although this is not required. Your submission should not include creative writing unless it is presented (e.g., for illustrative purposes) within a larger piece of writing that demonstrates your research agenda and skills.
-
Three letters of recommendation
Your letters should be directly relevant to graduate study in English. Generally, letters come from people who have most recently taught you in English and related humanities fields. Students entering with previous graduate or teaching experience may also include a “teaching letter” from a current department chair, writing laboratory supervisor, headmaster/principal or writing program administrator.
Applicants who have been out of school for some time may include one letter from their work supervisor.
Please keep in mind that recommendations should comment on skills and aptitudes relevant to advanced scholarly work and should not be structured primarily as a character reference.
-
Official TOEFL scores
International students must submit official TOEFL scores. Please have TOEFL send those scores directly to Texas Christian University, Graduate School.
-
Application form with application fee
The $60 application fee will be due through electronic payment at the time the application is submitted. McNair Scholars applying to the graduate program are exempted from paying the application fee.
-
Official transcripts
TCU requires one copy of an official university/college transcript sent directly to the TCU Registrar’s Office from the originating university. The transcript must bear the official seal of the institution and the registrar’s signature.
Order one complete official, sealed transcript mailed from the Registrar’s Office of each institution attended since high school directly to the TCU Registrar’s Office:
TCU Registrar’s Office
All electronic graduate transcripts should be sent to tcugradstudies@tcu.edu.
TCU Box 297005
Fort Worth, TX 76129
Students who file applications prior to the completion of a degree program should submit current transcripts with their application, but they will need to submit final transcripts that show all coursework and the degree award as soon as they finish their program. -
Official GRE General Test scores (have ETS send directly to TCU)
Due to Covid-19, GRE scores are optional for all applications submitted in the 2024-25 academic year. If you do choose to submit scores, you may submit the scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. The English Department does not require the GRE Subject Test in English. For information about the GRE, go to gre.org.
If you choose to submit scores, please arrange to have your official scores sent directly by ETS to Graduate Studies at TCU (use school code 6820). If you are concerned that your official test scores may not reach us, you may send us a photocopy of your student score report, which will be used until the official report arrives.
The Department of English Admissions Committee places the greatest emphasis on Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing scores. GRE scores are handled in accordance with the ETS’s regulations for fairness and accuracy. For scores to be used they must be sent directly from the testing board and must be less than five years old.
The GRE will not be used as the sole determining factor in admission or the awarding of funding.
-
Statement of purpose
The statement of purpose is a critical part of your application because it describes your academic and career goals. This 500-1,000 word statement should tell us about your academic background, your training for graduate work in English studies, which areas of study you wish to pursue and why. It should also clearly indicate how you see the TCU English program fitting into your intellectual interests and professional goals.
-
A CV (or resume)
-
Writing sample
Doctoral applicants should send a critical or scholarly writing sample of 15-25 pages. Master’s applicants may substitute two shorter pieces for the single 15-25-page paper, if needed. Select a writing sample that best demonstrates your critical and analytical skills, research methods and preparation for graduate study. Ideally, the scholarly writing sample would demonstrate your familiarity with the field you intend to pursue, although this is not required. Your submission should not include creative writing unless it is presented (e.g., for illustrative purposes) within a larger piece of writing that demonstrates your research agenda and skills.
-
Three letters of recommendation
Your letters should be directly relevant to graduate study in English. Generally, letters come from people who have most recently taught you in English and related humanities fields. Students entering with previous graduate or teaching experience may also include a “teaching letter” from a current department chair, writing laboratory supervisor, headmaster/principal or writing program administrator.
Applicants who have been out of school for some time may include one letter from their work supervisor.
Please keep in mind that recommendations should comment on skills and aptitudes relevant to advanced scholarly work and should not be structured primarily as a character reference.
-
Official TOEFL scores
International students must submit official TOEFL scores. Please have TOEFL send those scores directly to Texas Christian University, Graduate School.
Materials needed to complete your application include the following:
-
Application form with application fee
The $60 application fee will be due through electronic payment at the time the application is submitted. McNair Scholars applying to the graduate program are exempted from paying the application fee.
-
Official transcripts
TCU requires two copies of official university/college sent directly to TCU’s English department from the originating university. The copies must bear the official seal of the institution and the registrar’s signature.
Order two complete official, sealed transcripts mailed from the Registrar’s Office of each institution attended since high school directly to the English department:
Department of English
Attn: Director of Graduate Studies
TCU Box 297270
Fort Worth, TX 76129Students who file applications prior to the completion of a degree program should submit current transcripts with their application, but they will need to submit final transcripts that show all coursework and the degree award as soon as they finish their program.
-
Official GRE General Test scores (have ETS send directly to TCU)
We require scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. We do not require the GRE Subject Test in English. For information about the GRE, go to gre.org.
Please arrange to have your official scores sent directly by ETS to Graduate Studies at TCU (use school code 6820). If you are concerned that your official test scores may not reach us by Jan. 10, send us a photocopy of your student score report, which will be used until the official report arrives.
The Department of English Admissions Committee places the greatest emphasis on Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing scores. GRE scores are handled in accordance with the ETS’s regulations for fairness and accuracy. Scores must be sent directly from the testing board and must be less than five years old.
The GRE will not be used as the sole determining factor in admission or the awarding of funding.
-
Statement of purpose
The statement of purpose is a critical part of your application because it describes your academic and career goals. This 500-1,000 word statement should tell us about your academic background, your training for graduate work in English studies, which areas of study you wish to pursue and why. It should also clearly indicate how you see the TCU English program fitting into your intellectual interests and professional goals.
-
A CV (or resume)
-
Writing sample
Doctoral applicants should send a critical or scholarly writing sample of 15-25 pages. Master’s applicants may substitute two shorter pieces for the single 15-25-page paper, if needed. Select a writing sample that best demonstrates your critical and analytical skills, research methods and preparation for graduate study. Ideally, the scholarly writing sample would demonstrate your familiarity with the field you intend to pursue, although this is not required. Your submission should not include creative writing unless it is presented (e.g., for illustrative purposes) within a larger piece of writing that demonstrates your research agenda and skills.
-
Three letters of recommendation
Your letters should be directly relevant to graduate study in English. Generally, letters come from people who have most recently taught you in English and related humanities fields. Students entering with previous graduate or teaching experience may also include a “teaching letter” from a current department chair, writing laboratory supervisor, headmaster/principal or writing program administrator.
Applicants who have been out of school for some time may include one letter from their work supervisor.
Please keep in mind that recommendations should comment on skills and aptitudes relevant to advanced scholarly work and should not be structured primarily as a character reference.
-
Official TOEFL scores
International students must submit official TOEFL scores. Please have TOEFL send those scores directly to Texas Christian University, Graduate School.
To pursue an MA in English, students must earn a BA or equivalent, with credit in English equivalent to the TCU 30-semester-hour major and with sophomore-level credit in a foreign language. Applicants with less preparation may be admitted conditionally, but must take such additional courses as are prescribed by AddRan College and the departmental director of graduate studies.
What to Submit
- Recent GRE scores (less than five years old) with the admission application.
- A writing sample (15-25 pages, exclusive of notes and works cited) that demonstrates appropriate academic and writing skills needed for success in an English graduate program.
- A personal statement outlining career goals, explaining how they match the English program at TCU.
- Three to five references directly relevant to postgraduate work in English studies.
Admission to Ph.D. from Master’s Program
Students admitted only to the MA program at TCU must reapply for admission to the Ph.D. program. Their records are subject to review by the department’s graduate admissions committee: admission is not automatic.
Completion of Prior Master’s degree
In special cases, students may be given provisional admittance to the Ph.D. program if they have not yet completed their master’s program. They will, however, lose any fellowship, departmental assistantship, graduate instructorship or graduate assistantship appointment if they have not completed their master’s degree before the beginning of their second year in the TCU doctoral program.
“Transferable” Credit
Doctoral program students who have completed a master’s degree in English studies at another appropriately accredited university may receive credit for as much as six courses (18 credit hours). The director of graduate studies will assess a student’s official transcripts and make an appropriate judgment concerning such courses.
When a student’s earlier coursework is incomplete, or in a disciplinary field other than English studies, or completed more than six years previously, such credits are not transferable. Transfer credit is not available for students in the MA program.
Technically, the department does not “transfer” credit, but instead certifies to the university that appropriate graduate coursework has been completed elsewhere; TCU requires that all doctoral students complete at least 30 hours of course work at TCU, not including dissertation guidance.
What to Submit
- Recent GRE scores (less than five years old) with the admission application.
- A writing sample (15-25 pages, exclusive of notes and works cited) that demonstrates appropriate academic and writing skills needed for success in an English graduate program.
- A personal statement outlining career goals, explaining how they match the English program at TCU.
- Three to five references directly relevant to postgraduate work in English studies.
Admission to Ph.D. from Master’s Program
Students admitted only to the MA program at TCU must reapply for admission to the Ph.D. program. Their record is subject to review by the department’s graduate admissions committee; admission is not automatic.
Completion of Prior Master’s Degree
In special cases, students may be given provisional admittance to the Ph.D. program if they have not yet completed their master’s program. They will, however, lose any fellowship, departmental assistantship, graduate instructorship or graduate assistantship appointment if they have not completed their master’s degree before the beginning of their second year in the TCU doctoral program.
“Transferable” Credit
Doctoral program students who have completed a master’s degree in English studies at another appropriately accredited university may receive credit for as much as six courses (18 credit hours). The director of graduate studies will assess a student’s official transcripts, and make an appropriate judgment concerning such courses.
When a student’s earlier coursework is incomplete, or in a disciplinary field other than English studies, or completed more than six years previously, such credits are not transferable. Transfer credit is not available for students in the MA program.
Technically, the department does not “transfer” credit, but instead certifies to the university that appropriate graduate coursework has been completed elsewhere; TCU requires that all doctoral students complete at least 30 hours of course work at TCU, not including dissertation guidance.
What to Submit
- Recent GRE scores (less than five years old) with the admission application.
- A writing sample (15-25 pages, exclusive of notes and works cited) that demonstrates appropriate academic and writing skills needed for success in an English graduate program.
- A personal statement outlining career goals, explaining how they match the English program at TCU.
- Three to five references directly relevant to postgraduate work in English studies.