Admissions | English

Admissions to the Graduate Program

Application Deadline for the 2009-2010 School Year: January 15, 2009
For Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and Teaching Assistantships

Application Materials

To apply for a graduate degree at Oregon State University simply use the online portal. You will be able to save your application and continue at your convenience.

To apply for a teaching assistantship, check "Yes" next to "Graduate Teaching Assistant" in the Additional Graduate Questions module of the application.

GRE is not required

Send the following items to: Office of Admissions, Oregon State University, 104 Kerr Administration Building, Corvallis, OR 97331-2106

Official transcript(s) (two sets), from each educational reference listed, addressed to Admissions (MAIS applicants must include six copies).
Letter or personal statement of objectives (two copies) (MAIS applicants must include five copies); or you may attach a copy of the same statement to the online application, as directed. It should discuss academic interests and aims; teaching assistant applicants should include discussion of teaching aims. Maximum length: 500 words.

Send the following items to: English Department, Oregon State University, Moreland Hall 238, Corvallis, OR 97331

Three letters of recommendation written on official letterhead that attest to your academic abilities and, if you're applying for a teaching assistantship, to your promise or potential for college teaching. Recommendations from nonacademic employers may be submitted but they generally carry less weight (MAIS applicants must include four copies of each recommendation letter).
Writing sample.

Writing Sample Directions
The writing sample should be relevant to academic interests you expect to pursue in your graduate program. You may use a paper originally written for a course. There are two different writing sample application tracks:

Creative Writing (major or minor)

(Non)Fiction Writing 15-20 pages maximum
Poetry Writing 10-12 poems maximum

To be guaranteed a place in graduate level Creative Writing courses, you must be accepted as a Creative Writing major or minor at the point of application. Otherwise, you will be allowed into such courses only if space happens to be available.

English and American Literature, Literature and Culture, Rhetoric and Writing (major or minor)

8 pages maximum
You can reapply for major or minor status after enrolling at OSU.

These page lengths are maximums. We receive many applications and cannot read beyond the maximum number of pages allowed. You can apply on both tracks by submitting writing samples for each.

FAQs

The OSU Graduate School