Admission

Applications for admission to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs are accepted for the Fall semester only; exceptional Ph.D. applicants from other UH departments are sometimes considered for spring admission. The deadlines, which are different for the two programs, are listed below.

Application materials, including the required forms and more detailed instructions on how applications should be submitted, are available from the Graduate Program Office in the Department of English. Please e-mail the office at enggrad@hawaii.edu or call (808) 956-8956 for current information.

Applying to the M.A. Program

Applicants to the Master's program must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or its equivalent from a recognized foreign institution of higher learning, and they must have a good academic record. Students who are not native speakers of English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and achieve a minimum score of 600 (250 on the computer-based exam). All applicants must take the GRE General Test. They are also required to submit a statement of objectives and three letters of recommendation, preferably from professors from whom they have recently taken courses in English or a related field.

Students wishing to be accepted in the Creative Writing concentration should submit a writing sample with their application. (The sample should be 15-20 pages of writing in any genre, with the student's name appearing on a cover sheet only.)

Applicants should have acquired between 24 and 30 upper-division credits in English or closely related subjects. Students who lack full undergraduate preparation in English and American literature but who are otherwise qualified may be admitted, but they may be required to take between one and five upper-division English courses to strengthen their preparation for graduate study. These courses should be taken as early as possible in the student's program of study, and they will not count towards the requirements for the M.A. degree.

The deadline for receiving all application materials for the M.A. program is February 1.

Applying to the Ph.D. Program

Applicants to the Ph.D. program should have a Master's degree in English or a closely related field. We expect that they have completed a course in research methods and a graduate seminar in literature, and also an undergraduate or graduate course in the English language. Students may be accepted without these courses, but they will be required to take them as soon as possible after entering the program. The Graduate Program Committee may also impose additional course requirements for students if their principal training has been in another field.

For the purposes of admission, the Department normally considers an M.A. from a non-English language institution as the equivalent of a B.A. from an American university. Exceptionally well-qualified holders of foreign M.A.'s may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program. If they are not accepted, they will automatically be considered for admission to the M.A. program instead.

For admission to the Ph.D. program, the Department requires the GRE General Test. The Subject Test in Literature may be relevant when course work is dated or displays deficiencies. The TOEFL requirement--a minimum score of 600 (250 on the computer based exam)--is the same as for the Master's program. Three letters of recommendation are required, preferably from professors from whom the applicant has recently taken courses in English or a related field. All applicants must submit a statement of objectives and a writing sample, a research or critical paper that demonstrates their ability to do graduate work in English. Students who intend to do a creative dissertation must also submit a second writing sample (15-20 pages) illustrating their creative work in the genre of their choice. Please see the Department's instructions on applying for admission for more details on how the writing samples should be submitted.

Students who are already enrolled in the Master's program may apply to the Ph.D. program by filing a formal petition rather than a completely new application. They must also submit a statement of objectives, their GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, and one or more writing samples like all other applicants. These petitions will be considered and ranked alongside the other applications for admission. An M.A. from the Department of English does not ensure admission to the Ph.D. program, since the Ph.D. program's goals are more specifically defined, and admission is necessarily more selective than for the M.A. program. However, exceptionally well-qualified M.A. candidates may petition for admission to the Ph.D. program after completing 18 hours of course work in the Master's program. For more information on this option consult the Graduate Director.

The deadline for receiving all application materials for the Ph.D. program, including petitions for admission from current M.A. students, is January 1. Students are urged to submit their applications earlier if possible.

Unclassified Students

Students who have received their bachelor's degrees but who have not been admitted to the graduate program may apply to the University's Admissions and Records Office for permission to enroll as unclassified students. Once admitted, such students may take graduate courses in English (normally except for 620 and 625) with the permission of the instructor. Such courses do not automatically count towards a degree if the students are subsequently admitted to the graduate program. Unclassified students who are interested in applying for admission to the program at some future date should meet with the Graduate Director in English for advising and for a discussion of which courses will apply to their degree.

Graduate Students in Other Departments

Classified graduate students in other departments of the University are welcome to enroll in graduate courses in English with the permission of the instructor.