English

Supported Degree Objectives


  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    • Rhetoric and Composition
    • Literature, Theory, Cultural Studies
  • Master of Arts (MA)
    • Literature, Theory, Cultural Studies
  • Graduate Certificate
    • History of the English Language
    • Medical and Healthcare Writing
    • Natural Language Processing
  • Non Degree

Required Supporting Documents


  • Transcripts
  • Recommendation Letters
    • Graduate Certificate: 2
    • Graduate Certificate in Medical and Healthcare Writing: 1
    • Master's and PhD: 3
  • Statement of Purpose
    • Explain your intellectual history and development, and your specific goals in research and teaching
  • Writing Sample
    • 10-15 page critical essay written for a course in English or one of the other humanities
  • Samples of Recent Work (Creative Writing only)
    • Poetry: 8-10 poems
    • Fiction: 2 to 3 short stories (or a novel excerpt)
    • Poetry and Fiction: Please include a brief response to these questions:
      • Whose work do you admire?
      • What collections of poetry and/or works of fiction read in the last year have been important to you and why?
  • Personal Statement (Graduate Certificate only)
  • Resume

English Proficiency Requirements


Graduate Certificate Program Requirements


  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree:
    • 3.0 or equivalent (A=4.0)

Master's Degree Program Requirements


  • Cumulative Grade Point Average from most recently conferred undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree:
    • 3.0 or equivalent (A=4.0)

Doctoral Degree Program Requirements


  • Master's Degree

Application Deadlines


  • Fall Spring Summer
    February 15 No Entry No Entry US Citizen
    February 15 No Entry No Entry International
  • Medical and Healthcare Writing Certificate
  • Fall Spring Summer
    July 15 December 1 March 15

Program Contact Information


  • Name Graduate Studies Office
    Phone 765-494-3748
    Email griff@purdue.edu
    Web Program Website
    Address Graduate Studies Office
    Department of English
    Purdue University
    500 Oval Drive
    West Lafayette, IN 47907-1356
    USA

Additional Information


  • Current master’s students wishing to move to a doctoral degree program in this same graduate program will be required to submit a new application.
Purdue West Lafayette campus