How to Apply

To be considered for Fall admission to graduate study in English at TCU, you will need to send us a complete application by January 31. (For information about deadlines, see the admissions schedule.) We ask that you collect these items, except GRE/TOEFL scores, and send them to us in a single package: this will ensure that your application arrives together and helps us do a better job reading your materials.

In your completed application you will need to send us the following:

Application Form
Financial Aid Form
Application Fee
Official Transcripts (2 copies)
Official GRE General Test Scores (have ETS send directly to TCU)
Statement of Purpose
Writing Sample
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
(International Students need to have Official TOEFL scores sent directly to TCU)

Application Details

1. Application Form

Please print and fill out this Application form: http://www.graduate.tcu.edu/Applications/HSS-Engl.pdf

(If your browser is not enabled to view PDFs, or if you do not have a high-speed connection, please email b.blackwell@tcu.edu for the form.)

2. Financial Aid Form

Please print and fill out this Financial Aid form: http://www.graduate.tcu.edu/Applications/FinancialAid.PDF

(If your browser is not enabled to view PDFs, or if you do not have a high-speed connection, please email b.blackwell@tcu.edu for the form. If you are not interested in being considered for Fellowships, Instructorships, or other forms of financial aid, please enclose the form but simply write “not interested in aid” across the top.)

3. Application Fee

Please enclose a non-refundable check in the amount of $50.00 payable to Texas Christian University. The graduate school will not begin processing your application without this fee.

4. Official Transcripts

We will need two copies of official university/college transcripts that bear the official seal of the institution and the registrar’s signature. Please ask your registrar to provide you with copies of your transcript in a sealed envelope, with a signature across the seal. Students who file applications prior to the completion of a degree program should submit current transcripts with their application, but they will need to submit final transcripts that show all coursework and the degree award as soon as they finish their program. All admission offers are conditional on AddRan College receiving complete transcripts.

5. Official GRE General Test Scores

We require scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. We do not require the GRE Subject Test in English. For information about how to register to take the GRE, go to the GRE web site at www.gre.org. Please have your official scores sent directly by ETS to Texas Christian University, Graduate School. If you are concerned that your official test scores may not reach us by January 31, please send us a photocopy of your student's score report, which will be used until the official report arrives. TCU’s dept. of English employs a minimum standard of 500 Verbal GRE and 5.0 Analytic writing for admission to the MA and PhD programs. Our average applicant’s verbal GRE, calculated over the past 10 years, is 590; average Analytic writing is 5.5. Minimum scores do not guarantee admission. GRE scores are handled in accordance with the ETS’s regulations for fairness and accuracy. Scores must be sent directly from the testing board and must be less than five years old. The GRE will not be used as the sole determining factor in admission or the awarding of funding.

6. Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose is a very important part of your application. This 500-1000 word statement should tell us about your academic background and training for graduate study in English. It should also describe how you see your intellectual interests and professional goals fitting into the TCU English program.

7. Writing Sample

Please send us a 15-25 page critical or scholarly writing sample. You should send a writing sample that best demonstrates your writing skills and critical intelligence. You may substitute two shorter pieces for the single 15-25 page paper, if needed. Please do not send us creative writing pieces or other non-scholarly writing samples.

8. Letters of Recommendation

Please submit three (3) letters of recommendation. Your letters should be directly relevant to graduate study in English. Generally, letters come from people who have most recently taught you in English and related humanities fields. Students entering with previous graduate or teaching experience may also include as one of their three letters a “teaching letter” from a current department chair, writing laboratory supervisor, or writing program administrator. Letters should be on official letterhead. We ask that you have letter writers seal and sign across the seal of their letters and return them to you so that you can submit your entire application package together.

9. Official TOEFL Scores

International students must submit official TOEFL scores. Please have TOEFL send those scores directly to Texas Christian University, Graduate School.

General Requirements for Admission

At least a B.A. degree or equivalent, with credit in English equivalent to the TCU 30-semester-hour major and with sophomore-level credit in a foreign language. Applicants with less preparation may be admitted conditionally, but must take such additional courses as are prescribed by AddRan College and the Departmental Director of Graduate Studies.

Financial awards for new and returning students are made each spring by the Graduate Committee. To be considered for fellowships and aid awards, new applicants must submit a Financial Aid Application by January 31.

Fellowships and other financial aid award are made annually. Returning students must reapply each year, but we can generally offer continuing support for graduate students who are in good standing and making good progress toward the degree. For students entering the doctoral program with only a B.A., awards normally renew annually, for a total of 5 years of support (stipend and/or tuition waiver); for students entering with an M.A., awards normally renew annually, for a total of 4 years; for students in the M.A. program, awards normally renew annually, for a total of 2 years. For more details, see Program Policies and the Graduate Bulletin.

The TCU English program offers three general kinds of financial support. We offer students three types of appointments:

Graduate Fellowships (Green, Radford, Corder)
Graduate Instructorships and Departmental Assistantships (GI and DA)
Graduate Assistantships (GA)

Financial Aid
Name	Tuition Waiver	Stipend Amount (2009-2010)
University Fellowship	up to 24 hours	$15,000
Ida Green Fellowship	24 hours	$17,500
Radford Fellowship	24 hours	$17,500
Graduate Instructor/Departmental Assistantship	up to 18 hours	$15,000
Graduate Assistantship	up to 18 hours	none
Corder Fellowship	usually 2 hours	$15,000

Awards Available Only to New Ph.D. Applicants

University Fellowship

University Fellows receive a stipend and 18 to 24 hours of tuition waiver. No assigned duties.

Ida M. Green Doctoral Fellowship

The Green Fellowship is awarded annually to an incoming student who shows promise for excellence in graduate studies in English. This fellowship provides a stipend and full tuition waiver to cover 24 hours of graduate coursework. No assigned duties.

Rupert and Lillian Radford Fellowship

Radford Fellowships are awarded annually to outstanding students who will specialize in the study of rhetoric and composition. (Two positions). These fellowships carry a full stipend and a tuition waiver to cover 24 hours of coursework. No assigned duties.

Awards Available to All Ph.D. Students

Graduate Instructor (GI)

Appointments for Graduate Instructors offer a stipend and a tuition waiver to cover up to 18 hours of graduate coursework. Graduate Instructors teach two sections per year of freshman and sophomore writing courses (English 10803 and 20803) and occasionally sections of freshman and sophomore literature courses. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, or if granted to a new student, previous academic work and/or teaching experience; at least 18 hours of graduate work completed; approval of the department chair.

Departmental Assistant (DA)

Appointments for Departmental Assistants offer a stipend and a tuition waiver to cover up to 18 hours of graduate coursework. Departmental Assistants are generally assigned to particular departmental offices in research, editing, or administrative capacities. General criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, or if granted to a new student, previous academic work, interview, and approval from the DGS and department chair.

Departmental Assistantships available change from year to year but may include these positions:

Associate Director of Composition: Assists the Director of Composition, who assigns all duties; the application process includes a personal interview by the DC. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, past performance in the composition classroom, approval of the DC, DGS and department chair.

Assistant Director of the New Media Writing Studio: Assists the Director of New Media Writing Studio, who assigns all duties; the application process includes a personal interview by the DWC. Criteria for appointment: past performance in the department, past performance in the composition classroom, approval of the DWC, DGS, DC, and department chair.

Assistant to the Radford Chair or Sherley Chair: Same as above; interview with the Radford Chair or Sherley Professor.

Awards Available to all Graduate Students

Graduate Assistantship (GA). Students who hold appointments as Graduate Assistants receive tuition-remission grants to cover up to 18 hours of graduate coursework. These appointments do not carry stipends. Graduate Assistants are assigned to assist department offices and graduate faculty in research, teaching, and administrative capacities.

Awards Available to Advanced Ph.D. Students

Corder Fellowship. Students who have been admitted to candidacy and have (1) made satisfactory progress on the dissertation and (2) given satisfactory performance as a GI may apply to become a Jim Corder Fellow, which provides one additional year of support. The Corder Fellowship is a teaching fellowship that provides 2 hours of tuition waiver and a stipend. To become a Corder Fellow, graduate students must declare their intention by 1 February and offer evidence of satisfactory progress and performance, which will be determined by the Graduate Committee, the student's dissertation director, the Director of Composition, and, finally, the chair of the department. Corder Fellows teach a total of four classes, at least one of which will be in the student's academic specialty and at the 20000-level or above. (One position.)