Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the English graduate program at the University of North Dakota. The Department of English offers a varied program of studies in English and American literature, writing, and the English language.  We offer the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy, with the option of either a research or creative thesis or dissertation. The academic atmosphere is intimate, class size for graduate courses is small, and students are encouraged to work closely with members of the graduate faculty.  The Department also sponsors the annual week-long Writers Conference that gives graduate students a chance to hear contemporary writers read their work and discuss the writing process. 

All application materials are available online. If you decide to apply, please send the following directly to the English department:

• A writing sample of 10-15 pages, written for a course or not, that represents your best work. Your writing sample should demonstrate the best of your intellectual abilities and/or creative work. We advise those students who send in a creative writing sample to also include a short analytical piece that will help us evaluate your ability to handle graduate level academic work.
  
• (For students seeking a Graduate Teaching Assistantship): Please submit a short statement outlining your reasons for wanting a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and tell us about any prior teaching-related experience.

ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE UNIVERSITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH BY MARCH 1 in order to receive full review for admission and possible appointment to a graduate Teaching Assistantship for the following academic year. The English Graduate Committee typically meets in March to review applications and notifies applicants of admission decisions in April.

International Students:
Please be aware that the Graduate School at the University of North Dakota does not recognize master's degrees from institutions outside of the United States or Canada; those applicants will therefore only be considered for admission to our Master of Arts degree program. For international students whose first language is not English, a minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 for the paper-based test or 213 for the computer-based test is required for admission. International students whose first language is not English may not be eligible for an assistantship until after they have satisfactorily completed one year of graduate study at the University of North Dakota, have passed the SPEAK Test, and are otherwise qualified to teach English composition.

Please feel free to contact the department if you need further information. We appreciate your interest in our program.

Sincerely,

Eric Wolfe
Director of Graduate Studies