Application Procedures for M.A. Programs

The Department of English offers three programs leading to the Master of Arts degree: an M.A. in English (with a General, Rhetoric/Composition, Creative Writing or Literature emphasis), an M.A. in Linguistics, and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (with a double major in Linguistics and TESOL option).

Admission to these M.A. programs is a two-step process.

STEP 1. Applicants must first satisfy the requirements of the Graduate School (or, for international students, the Office of International Programs). The Graduate School application is available online.

• Learn more about applying to the Graduate School.
• Learn more about international student application procedures.

STEP 2. Applicants must also satisfy the requirements of the Department of English by submitting the information listed below to the department, addressed to the Department of English Graduate Office, RB 295.  International students should submit their writing sample, statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation to the Department of English Graduate Office.  All financial documents and transcripts should be submitted to the Office of International Programs. 

A. A statement of purpose (750-1000 words) detailing the applicant’s academic and intellectual biography and his or her purpose in seeking the graduate degree at Ball State University. Creative Writing applicants should submit a statement of purpose (750-1000 words) including (1) a creative autobiography detailing the applicant’s intellectual and academic growth, (2) a statement of aesthetics, and (3) the applicant’s purpose for seeking the graduate degree at Ball State University.

B. Sample of your scholarly or critical writing, preferably a paper written for a class. The writing sample should exemplify the applicant’s best work. The writing sample can be a revised class paper or a section from an undergraduate or MA thesis. It should reflect the applicant’s ability to write well, analyze, and engage with scholarly debates and research. Students who do not have samples of academic work available should write a new paper on a subject related to the previous or proposed field of study.

Suggested page length: 8-10 pp. for MA, 10-15 pp. for PhD.

Note: Instead of scholarly or critical writing, creative writing applicants should submit a creative writing sample in either fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or some combination of genres (20 pages maximum).

C. Three letters of recommendation, to be sent directly by the recommenders to the Director of Graduate Programs in English.

D. Official transcript(s) to be sent directly from all universities and colleges attended to the Graduate School (or, for international students, the Office of International Programs). 

E. Records of your standardized test scores:

Applicants to the Composition, Creative Writing, Literature, General, Linguistics, and TESOL programs must provide scores for the GRE General Test (native speakers of English) or for the TOEFL (non-native speakers of English).  Applicants who are non-native speakers must submit a cumulative TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper-based) or equivalent. Conditional admission is not available for applicants who do not submit a TOEFL or GRE score.  The GRE Subject Test in Literature is not required for any program. 

For information about standardized tests, contact the Educational Testing Service: GRE (609-771-7670) www.gre.org or TOEFL (215-750-8050) www.toefl.org.  For applicants sending GRE scores electronically, the GRE code for Ball State University is 1051 and for the Department of English is 2599.

Apply early; transcripts and test scores take weeks, often months, to arrive.  Applicants to the Composition, Creative Writing, Literature and General programs are reviewed throughout the year.  Applicants to the Linguistics and TESOL programs are encouraged to submit all application materials by January 31.  The Linguistics and TESOL programs begin reviewing applicants in February for fall admission.  Review of applications will continue until the programs are full.  Spring admission for the Linguistics and TESOL programs is not available. 

Assistantships: If you are a new applicant and wish to be considered for an assistantship, be sure to mark the appropriate box on the Graduate School or International Programs application.  All application materials must be submitted by January 31 to be considered for an assistantship.  If you are a continuing student, pick up the assistantship application form from the Department of English Graduate Programs Office and turn it in by January 31.  Decisions about assistantships are generally made in March and announced in April.  More information on assistantships.

For all programs, departmental approval for admission will be based upon evaluation of these criteria. NO INCOMPLETE FILES WILL BE CONSIDERED; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT YOUR ADMISSION FILE IS COMPLETE. While we cannot routinely contact you about missing items, you may visit the English Graduate Office (RB 295), email us (srsewell@bsu.edu), or telephone us (765-285-8415) to check on the status of your file. International applicants should contact the the Rinker Center for International Programs at (765-285-5422) or by email (intadmit@bsu.edu). We will notify applicants about admission decisions as quickly as possible.