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The Faculty of Graduate Studies minimum requirement for admission to any graduate program at ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ is a B average.  The Englsih Department Graduate Committee, however, expects applicants to have an A- average (3.7 GPA on the 4.3 scale) in the last two years (or equivalent) of undergraduate work.

PhD Applicants will have MA grades considered as part of the most recent two years of study.

No.  The Graduate Committee understands that applicants may be unsure of their thesis topic. The Statement of Intent is considered an example of your ability to communicate a research topic in a clear, concise, and compelling way.  It's expected that your interests may change. PhD applicants are, however, expected to have a clear and well-developed thesis topic.

The second language requirement is for graduation, not admission, so feel free to apply even if English is your only language.  The Graduate Coordinator determines what constitutes competency in a second language on a case-by-case basis.  Usually, if you are not already fluent in another language, then an introductory university-level class in a second language with a grade of C or better is required.

If you have no knowledge of a language other than English, you can complete an introductory level language course at ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ at no extra charge.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies   Because our graduate students are expected to have an excellent knowledge of English, the Graduate Committee looks for TOEFL (or other approved test) scores significantly higher than the minimum required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and near-native language competency in the applicant’s written work. 

No.  Our graduate programs are based on the study of English literature and culture, and we do not have the courses or the supervisory expertise to accept students who wish to pursue studies in other fields.

No.  Each year is a new competition, and any of our MA students who wish to stay at ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ for the PhD must apply accordingly. Because our PhD Program is small, we cannot accept all applicants.

If the institution you attend offers an Honours BA, this is the preferable route in preparation for graduate work. In any case, you must complete a four-year undergraduate degree with a minimum 3.7 on the 4.3 GPA scale.   

It depends on how many upper-level English courses you have completed.  The Graduate Committee will consider the number and range of English courses on your transcript(s).

The Graduate Committee reviews the caliber of your transcript(s) and the range of courses completed. If you have not taken courses for some time, however, it may be difficult to find suitable academic referees. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to consider taking an upper-level undergraduate English course or two to brush up on your academic skills as well as secure new referees.

It can take a week or more before the Department of English receives the information you submit online. Once we receive your application file, we will contact you via email to let you know your application was received and if any further supporting documention is required.

Yes, we strongly encourage all applicants to apply prior to January 15 to be considered for entrance scholarships such as the (¹úÃñ²ÊƱ's most prestigious award), the , the , the , and the , along with many other awards and prizes.

Applications received after January 31 can be considered for Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) Fellowships.

For more information see our page with information on admissions and financial aid.

Full-time students who are offered admission are normally offered a Teaching Assistant position (unless they are asked to perform Research Assistant duties).  TA positions are governed by the .  Most of the TA positions in the Department of English are at the TA260 or TA130 level, both of which require an average of 10 hours work per week during the term. If you are not a full-time graduate student and wish to apply for a TA position, job postings are advertised on the and on the employment opportunites bulletin board outside the Department of English main office.

The online application offers the option of listing referees and their academic email addresses. An academic email address is required by the system, and it will not accept personal email addresses such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. Referees will then receive an automatic email with a direct link to ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ’s online reference system, where they can complete the reference form and upload additional documents.

No. To be considered legitimate, all references must be submitted either through ¹úÃñ²ÊƱ’s electronic reference system or signed and mailed directly to the Department of English.

Please note that if you have entered the email address incorrectly, it cannot be changed and a signed paper copy will be required.

Your referees should complete the Confidential Reference Form, and, if they wish, attach a more detailed letter outlining your academic strengths.  The information on the form helps the Graduate Committee understand your strengths in relation to your peers.

At least one and preferably both of the references should be from faculty members who have taught you in upper-level classes.  The Graduate Committee is looking for evidence that you can succeed in a graduate program, and the people best equipped to speak to your academic abilities are those who have taught you and understand the challenges you will face in graduate school. 

You can mail us a copy of your transcript as long as it’s sealed (i.e. you were given a copy in a sealed envelope by your university and did not open it).  Alternatively, you can have your transcript sent directly from your university to the English Department.

Have a copy of your transcript(s) sent to the English Department for the January 15 deadline.  If there are fall grades missing, we’ll be in touch if the Graduate Committee needs them to evaluate your application.

You can email your Statement of Intent to our at gradengl@dal.ca

The recommended deadline for applications is January 15 so the Graduate Committee can consider nominees for external scholarships. Technically, applications can be accepted as late as mid-May, yet all available scholarship funds may have already been allocated by this date. It is in your best interest to apply prior to January 15. If January 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, applications