English Studies
Admission Requirements
To apply for admission, please submit:
- An application for admission to graduate study.
- Recommendations from three persons who can comment knowingly on your leadership qualities, communication skills, personal motivation, and capacity to succeed in graduate study.
- A statement of purpose (1,000 words) describing your personal and professional goals and how the completion of the graduate degree will enhance them.
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended. (Evaluation of undergraduate course work will focus on the last 60 hours of earned credit.)
- A current résumé documenting your work history. Please provide enough detail to document levels of responsibilities, areas of professional growth, and prior professional training experiences.
- Students may apply to this program for the Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms.
In addition, the program director may request an interview with you.
Students from outside the United States must also submit the following:
- An official evaluation in English by a foreign credentials agency of all university transcripts (along with copies of the transcripts themselves).
- Proof of English proficiency, as evidenced by a minimum range of 520-537 on the paper-based and a range of 190-203 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Program-specific admission requirements:
- A major or minor in English or the equivalent at the undergraduate level, or a teaching endorsement in English, or both.
- A sample of your writing at its best (five to ten pages).
Students not seeking a degree
If you wish to take one or more courses in this program but do not wish to complete a master’s degree, please submit a one-page application and a résumé to the director of graduate admission. If places are available in the course, the program director will interview you. Please note that all degree candidates requesting a course will be enrolled up to the course cap before any non-degree students are admitted. Non-degree students can then register for open seats at the discretion of the program director. (The capstone course sequence is open only to degree-seeking candidates.)
To get an application:
- Apply online
- Download an application (pdf), complete it, and mail it to us
- Request an application by e-mail
- Call (630) 617-3300
- Write the Office of Adult and Graduate Admission, Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296
Additional Forms