PhD & MA GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
Applications for Fall 2010 are available at this link:
When completing the online application, please include your field of interest on the top of the personal statement from the following rubrics: Medieval Literature, Early Modern/Renaissance Literature, 17th Century Literature, 18th Century Literature, 19th Century Literature, 20th Century Literature, American Literature, British Literature, African-American Literature, Asian-American Literature, Poetry & Poetics, Postcolonial Literature, Transatlantic Literature, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Film, Cultural Studies, Literary Theory. So, for example, a student interested in 18th Century British Literature and Poetic Theory would place the following words on the top of their personal statement: "18th Century Literature, British Literature, Poetry and Poetics". Your personal statement will give the specifics, but this general field of interest helps with the initial filing process. Do not worry if your interest is not among the listed rubrics. Just make sure it is clearly listed on the top of your personal statement.
The application deadline is December 15th. The online application will be due on this date. All other materials (recommendation letters, writing samples, transcripts, GRE scores) may arrive after this date. However, it is recommended that all portions of the other application materials (the writing sample, the GRE scores, the transcript, the recommendation letters) be submitted around December 15th. If not, they can be submitted no later than January 8th.
The application fee is $70. We do not have paper applications--all applications are submitted online.
The Graduate English Department does not conduct interviews for prospective students nor do we send out information regarding our program to prospective students. All information can be found online.
Please submit electronic versions of your transcripts with your application. You can scan an unofficial copy of your transcript to the application. If accepted, you will then need to provide a final, official paper copy of your transcript before you matriculate.
Any technical issues with the ApplyYourself Application should be addressed to Technical Support on the ApplyYourself application system and not with the Graduate English Department.
Applications are accepted only for full-time work in the M.A. or Ph.D. programs beginning in the Fall semester. We do not offer part-time programs and we do not offer Spring admission. Ph.D. applicants with an M.A. will have an opportunity to transfer a limited number of their M.A. credits once they have been accepted to the program. These credit transfers will need to be approved by the Graduate Chair and the Dean.
A critical writing sample on of approximately 20 pages in length is also required of both Ph.D. and M.A. students. The writing sample should be one paper and must match your interest/concentration. Two papers that add up to 20 pages are acceptable, though it is more favorable to have one 20-page paper. Font size, line spacing, and font style do not matter. Please make sure your name is on each page.
Writing Samples should be sent directly to the Graduate English Department: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate English Department, 3340 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
GRE General Test is required of all applicants. The GRE Subject Test in Literature is not required, but recommended. Your application will not be looked at negatively if you do not have the Subject tests, it can only help you. There is no minimum GRE score requirement. The GRE School Code for the University of Pennsylvania is 2926. We do not have a department code. GRE scores will be sent directly to us if you use that code.
All accepted PhD students receive the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship which covers tuition, general fees, and health insurance for 5 years. The MA program is a 1 year degree so students must find their own funding.
There is NO foreign language requirement for admission. Once accepted into the program though, MA students will have to pass a language translation exam before they graduate from the MA program and PhD students will have to pass two language exams before they graduate from the PhD program.
Three letters of recommendation can be uploaded online via the ApplyYourself system. Hard copies of recommendation letters and GRE scores can be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Department: University of Pennsylvania, Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences Admissions, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 322A, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228. Recommendation letters should be from professors who can attest to your academic ability. Personal recommendation letters are discouraged. We recommend no more than three recommendation letters. If you have four, that is fine.
Do not e-mail the department if you send your information to the wrong place: Both the Graduate Admissions and Graduate English Departments copy all information received for each other's files so we will be sharing any documents received.
International Students admitted into the program should apply for their Social Security number as soon as possible so that they don't experience a delay in receiving their stipend.
Admissions questions that are not answered by this web page should be directed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Department at (215) 573-5816.
The Graduate School of Arts and Science Web link is: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/GAS/
The Submatriculation Application webpage for SAS is located here: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/GAS/home/apply/app_forms.html
The SAS Application Wavier is located here: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/GAS/Payment.pdf
The Ph.D. Program
The Graduate Group in English offers a flexible five-year Ph.D. program that combines broad coverage of English and American literature with concentrations shaped by student interests. We have students focusing on historical periods, genres, or authors; devising interdisciplinary programs; or concentrating in feminism, cultural studies, postcolonialism, literary theory, or African American literature. Students typically elect a wide range of courses during the first two years and then begin to specialize in the third year. In the fourth and fifth years they write their dissertations.
The Master of Arts Program
We offer a terminal Masters program which can normally be completed in one year. This is a challenging degree program, well-suited for students who want to undertake graduate-level study in the discipline with a first-rate graduate faculty, but who are not ready to make the five- or six-year commitment required for a Ph.D. M.A. students must complete eight graduate courses, one of which is an upper-level seminar, and pass one language exam.
The Dual Master's Degree Program in English and Education
Information regarding the Program can be found here: Dual Master's Degree Program.
Please contact the Graduate School of Education for more details as they run this program.
The Thouron Fellowship
NOTE TO APPLICANTS FROM THE UK - We encourage UK applicants to apply for a Thouron Fellowship. The Thouron is a 1-2 year fellowship that pays for a Masters degree. Fellows who are admitted to our Ph.D. program may then continue with fellowship support from Penn. Note that the Thouron deadline is in November. Information and application materials are available on the Thouron.org website.
