How to Apply

Complete applications are due by January 15th for fall admission consideration. Ph.D. applications will only be accepted for fall admissions.

The completed application, application fee, transcripts, test scores, academic writing sample, personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and vita/resume should be submitted using the online admissions process at the University Admissions web site.

The Master's in English Enducation program has a separate application process, more information can be found on that program's page.

Requested materials for Admission to the Ph.D. Program:

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires both a strong commitment to teaching and distinguished academic achievement. Applicants provide three letters of recommendation which attest both to their aptitude for teaching and to their academic abilities.

We also ask for a sample of analytic academic writing, a statement of academic goals, and all transcripts. More information appears below about each of these aspects of the student’s admissions portfolio.

A completed Graduate Admission Application (application fee of $50 required).

A two-page statement of purpose describing your career goals in terms of English Studies – In this statement, please indicate how this degree will help you achieve your career goals and how our department can help to meet your intellectual goals. If you choose, you may cast some of this statement as an intellectual autobiography describing your reading, writing, and scholarly interests through your undergraduate studies, explaining how those experiences have led you to apply to our program.

The statement should discuss your scholarly and career interests (what areas of English studies would you like to study and why?), and it should describe your goals following completion of the degree.

Since the Ph.D. in English Studies requires that students be aware of both pedagogical theory and the intersections of the subfields of English Studies (composition/rhetoric, linguistics, literary and cultural studies), successful applicants will demonstrate their awareness of and interest in both pedagogy and English Studies.

Successful applicants will also demonstrate how their credentials fit with this Department’s particular set of faculty expertise. Note: We use the statement of purpose to assess how well students understand our department’s mission as an English Studies department, and we also use this statement to assess students’ commitment to the professionalization of their chosen field.

A sample of your academic writing

Please submit a writing sample that reflects your best analytical writing skills in the subdiscipline for which you are applying. (For example, if you are applying in children’s literature, please include an example of your scholarly ability to analyze children’s literature.) This sample should be at least ten to fifteen pages long, although if it will best illustrate your abilities, longer papers may be included.

The writing sample should demonstrate your analytic abilities and writing skills. (Note: Admission into the Creative Writing Option is granted upon approval of an additional writing sample called the “creative writing portfolio.” Students applying for the creative writing program should send both an analytical paper and a creative writing portfolio. Creative writing portfolios should include 15-20 pages of the student’s best writing in the genre for which the student hopes to be admitted: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or mixed genre writing.)

One official transcript from each school attended. Complete Area of Study section of application. A completed online Application for Assistantship (if you would like a Graduate Assistantship). You must have a University Identification number (UID) to apply for an assistantship. After you have applied for admission, in one or two weeks, the University will send you a UID number. Alternatively, you can check your admission status and find your UID number by logging on to Welcome2ISU and checking "check application status."

Almost all of our assistantships are for teaching, so an aptitude for teaching is crucial to qualify for support. We strongly encourage Ph.D. students to address their aptitude for teaching in their personal statement. Note: Normally, assistantships/stipends are only available in the fall and spring semesters; students should plan accordingly to cover summer financial needs.