Frequently Asked Questions
The questions and answers here are designed as a starting point as you learn more about the English graduate program at TCU and about whether it is a good fit for your intellectual and professional goals. You will find official university and program policies in the department’s Program Policies and in the university’s Graduate Bulletin. You will also learn much about the department and what it could offer you at the department’s various web sites: in particular, the sections on individual faculty web pages, graduate admissions, graduate course descriptions, and graduate student resources and profiles. Ultimately, though, the strength of the program consists in the people who comprise the department: members of the graduate faculty, department staff, and the graduate office will all be happy to help answer specific questions you have as you go through the admissions and decision process. Feel free to contact faculty directly or to contact me at: b.blackwell@tcu.edu. Bonnie Blackwell,
Assistant Professor and
Director of Graduate Studies
TCU Box 297270
Texas Christian University
1. How can I get application forms and other information about applying to the TCU English graduate program?
All of our applications are now available on-line only:
Application Form: http://www.graduate.tcu.edu/Applications/HSS-Engl.pdf
Financial Aid Form: http://www.graduate.tcu.edu/Applications/FinancialAid.PDF
Go to the Admissions section of the web page for complete information about how to apply.
2. Do I need to have an M.A. to apply for the Ph.D. program?
No. Applicants with a B.A. who have a strong background in English studies and excellent potential for graduate work may be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. For such students, the Ph.D. program is typically a 5-year program.
3. If I am admitted to the Master’s program, will I be automatically eligible to join to the Ph.D. program when I complete my Master’s degree?
No. Because admission decisions to the two degree sequences are made separately, you must reapply for Ph.D. admission. Students who successfully complete Master’s degrees in the TCU English program often do apply and often do go on to the Ph.D. sequence, but admission is not automatic.
4. Do you have specific “cut off” scores for the GREs?
No. The graduate admissions committee reads all applications completely and considers each application in its entirety. Scores are only one component of this decision and are always read in the context of grades, coursework, letters, statement of purpose, and writing samples. Historically, accepted students have typically scored in the 560-660 range on the verbal tests and we look for strong analytic writing sections. All cases are individual and there are many exceptions.
5. Is it possible to visit the TCU campus before I decide?
Yes! We encourage you to visit the campus in order to meet current students, graduate faculty in your research area, sit in on seminars, visit the computer writing labs, and generally see the beautiful TCU campus. Most students have very strongly positive experiences on campus and find that visiting provides a much more concrete sense of what the department and graduate program is like.
6. I already have my Master’s degree? Can I “transfer” credit towards the Ph.D. program at TCU?
Yes. Ph.D. students who have completed a previous Master’s degree in English studies may receive credit for as much as a full year of coursework toward the Ph.D. at TCU. To find out about how we certify previous graduate credits, see the Graduate Program Policies.
7. What is your foreign language requirement? How can I satisfy it?
TCU requires all Ph.D. students to demonstrate some knowledge of a foreign language. You may meet this requirement with a grade of “B” of better through the second-year of college-level language study. (If English is your second language, we generally consider the foreign language requirement to have been met.)
Students who have not completed the foreign language requirement before arriving at TCU can complete the requirement in several ways:
· Enroll in foreign language courses through the sophomore level.
· Score at the 50th percentile or above on the Graduate School Foreign Language Test. The test is offered at TCU’s Counseling and Testing Center.
For more details about these and other options, see the Graduate Program Policies.
8. How long does the program take? How many classes do I take every semester?
We’ve designed the program so that it typically takes five years of full time study for a student who is admitted directly from a B.A. program; it typically takes 4 full years for a student who is admitted with a previous Master’s degree.
During the first 54 hours of coursework, most students take 3 courses per semester. First year students holding the Green and Radford Fellowships take 4 courses per semester. In the semester leading up to qualifying exams, many students take only 2 courses.
Financial aid and fellowship appointments are only for a single year and must be reapplied for annually. After the first year, we have generally been able to offer continued financial aid to students who are making good progress toward the degree (up to a maximum of 5 years of support for students coming in with B.A.’s and 4 years for those coming in with Master’s degrees).
9. How good is your placement rate? What kinds of jobs do students get?
We are very proud of the many achievements that are reflected in the placement rates of our graduates. Nearly 100% of our recent graduates have received offers from teaching and research schools. In the past several years, our students have accepted tenurable positions at such schools as:
· Georgia State University
· The University of North Carolina
· North Dakota State University
· Oklahoma City University
· Northwestern College
· Penn State University
· San Francisco State University
· Texas Wesleyan University
· University of Texas-Pan American
We have designed our program to integrate literary studies with rhetoric and composition. The strength of this model makes our graduates not just highly competitive for jobs but also well prepared for the positions that they take.
10. Can I take graduate classes in the English department even if I am not enrolled in the M.A. or Ph.D. program?
Yes. Students who do not want to purse a degree but meet our general admission requirements may apply for “non-degree” admission. If you are interested in this option, please write “non-degree” candidate on the top of your application. For more details, consult the Graduate Bulletin.
11. Tell me about your class schedules.
Since the English graduate program is primarily designed as a full-time, professional program, most classes and other program activities are scheduled during the daytime. We do not offer summer classes. Prospective students who would like to pursue a broad-based liberal arts program may also be interested in TCU’s Master of Liberal Arts Program.
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