The specific requirements for admission as a classified graduate student in the English Department are:

A grade point average of 3.0 (B) in all undergraduate upper-division courses,
Applicants who do not possess a bachelor's degree from a postsecondary institution in a country where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 575 (computer-based score of 233 or internet-based score of 90) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or receive a minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS),
Three letters of recommendation supporting the student's application. Letters should be from people able to make relevant comments on the student's likely success in English and Writing Studies with a Concentration in Composition and Rhetoric, Literature, Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language, Pedagogy, or Public and Professional Writing, and on the student's competence in speaking and writing English,
A one-page, typed statement of purpose briefly explaining the student's reasons (i.e. career objectives and research interests) for pursuing a graduate degree in English and Writing Studies with a Concentration in Composition and Rhetoric, Literature, Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language, Pedagogy, or Public and Professional Writing,
One writing sample (5-10 pages) that reflects the student's ability to write in edited English a balanced, well-reasoned argument or a clear, coherent presentation of information, such as a college term paper or a work-related report.
The M.A. in English and Writing Studies welcomes all applicants regardless of previous field of study or work. To ensure students are prepared for the rigor of graduate work in English and Writing Studies, students may be admitted conditionally. Students with a B.A. in English, but a major GPA below 3.0, or those who do not have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field-Linguistics, Literature, Rhetoric/Composition, TESOL, Writing Studies-may take prerequisite coursework to prepare them for the program. Have attained a grade point average of at least 2.5 in an acceptable earned baccalaureate degree.
Pedagogy: B.A. in English/Literature, Linguistics/English, Rhetoric/English, or Writing Studies, or coursework relevant to the field, such as coursework in introductory linguistics, grammar, and language acquisition, literary analysis, literary history, literary theory, rhetoric and composition & writing studies (including writing tutoring).