Department of English

Graduate Application

Graduate applications are available online through the Arts and Sciences web site's ApplyYourself® service. There are no paper copies of this application available.

Questions? Please contact the graduate administrator at 412-624-6549.

Additional materials that must be submitted with the Application

  1. $50.00 Application Fee
    A check or money order for $50, for both US citizens and International students, payable to the University of Pittsburgh. You can also include the fee through the online application using a credit card.

  2. Detailed Statement of Purpose
    Two to three pages in length.

  3. Three Letters of Recommendation
    a) Letters of Recommendation can be submitted in hard copy or electronic format. Each letter MUST have a Recommendation Form attached to it when submitting to the Graduate office.

    Note: You can download a copy of the Recommendation Form from this site. (This form is only needed if recomenders are submitting by mail)

    As outlined above, if your recommendation letters are being submitted electronically through ApplyYourself®, The recomendation form is on the ApplyYourself site.

    b) The letters should be sent to the Graduate Administrator at the address as noted in the right margin of this page.

    It is your responsibility to make sure that your recommendation letters arrive in our office on or before December 11, 2009.

    If your recommenders are posting their letters online, you must follow-up with them to make sure they have been posted, and if not, you need to remind them that all materials are due in our office on or before December 11, 2009.

    c) Letters must reach our office on or before December 11, 2009.

  4. Official Transcripts.
    Transcripts of all post-high school academic work (transferred credit noted on a transcript cannot substitute for an official transcript from the original institution).

  5. GRE Scores (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic)*.
    Note:     Please make sure that you ask that your scores be submitted electronically.

    The appropriate GRE codes are:
    • Institution Code - 2927
    • Department Code - 2501 (MA / PhD / MFA)

      NOTE: The GRE Literature subject test is not required.
  6. Writing Samples
    Please send all writing samples to the graduate Program Administrator (as noted in the right column). The writing samples must reach us by December 11, 2009.

    Note: We are also requesting that you include a photocopy of your GRE scores along with your writing samples.

a) MA and PHD applicants. For MA and PhD applicants, the writing sample should be a critical or interpretive essay of approximately 20 pages.

b) MFA Applicants - Writing SamplesFor MFA applicants, a writing sample of published or unpublished work.

MFA Genre. Please indicate which genre you are applying for:

  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Poetry
Note: For fiction and nonfiction applicants, 50 pages, and for poetry applicants, 20 pages.

Do Not Send Writing Samples
through the Online Application.

  1. List of the Institutions you have attended

    When listing the institutions that you have attended, please make sure that all of the information is visible on the application. You must list the institution (if the code is not available you need to type after the institution name NOT FOUND.

    Note: You must list your GPA, the degree you earned (BA, BS, MA) if any, and the month/year that the degree was obtained.
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