Admissions

The Department of English welcomes applications from qualified students who wish to pursue literary and textual studies in the field of English literature.

Admission into the M.F.A. in Writing typically requires a four-year Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), with a minimum of 70% in the last two years, and a strong portfolio of writing.

Admission into the M.A. in English typically requires the equivalent of an Honours B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan. This is a degree with ten full-year courses (or equivalent) in English literature and criticism, covering a wide range of historical periods and critical approaches. Applicants with a minimum 75% overall average and 80% or higher in English courses are typically given first consideration.

Admission into the Ph.D. typically requires the equivalent of a University of Saskatchewan Master’s degree (coursework with thesis or courses only). Applicants typically must have achieved a minimum average of 80% having taken a range of courses in English literature and criticism to be considered for admission.

See below for specific admission requirements and requirements regarding language proficiency. 

Admissions are decided by a Committee, which will meet to assess applications starting in February. Acceptance is a collective decision by the committee and many factors come into play: the quality of the application, the feasibility of the project, the number and quality of other applications, and the department’s supervisory capacity.

Not until the committee has decided on admissions can funding packages be determined. Regular M.A. funding (with the exception of those holding an external award) is limited to one year. Major funding from the college and department is normally restricted to the first four years of the Ph.D., with the exception of students applying for the Teacher Scholar Doctoral Fellowship in their fifth year.

Applications

For application forms and instructions, please see the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies page on the Application Process.

How to Apply

1. Fill out the online application form.
The online application allows you to apply online: i.e. to pay your application fee, upload supporting documents, and provide contact information for three referees (preferably faculty members qualified to evaluate your academic achievement). Your referees will receive an auto-generated email asking them to submit a reference letter. Apply online here. Transcripts of all your post-secondary education would also be uploaded online. 
2. Upload the following application materials.
To apply to the M.F.A. in Writing program, please see How to Apply. For any questions, please contact Dr. Jeanette Lynes, the Director of the M.F.A. in Writing program, or asg.gradapplications@usask.ca

All applications to M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Department of English must include a statement of intent, a writing sample, and a CV or résumé. All would be uploaded using the online application link.

  • The statement of intent should be two or three double-spaced pages. It should provide a brief sense of your background preparation for advanced studies in English literature. It should include a detailed explanation of your proposed research: the texts, topic, key issue, research questions, analytical or methodological framework, and anticipated contribution to the existing scholarly conversation. It should also provide an explanation for why you wish to study in this department and at this university. If you have been in contact with a prospective supervisor, and if you have any teaching experience, please let us know in your statement of intent.  
  • Your writing sample should be a recent essay or section of a thesis that demonstrates your writing and research skills. Your writing sample should be approximately 20-25 (and no more than 30) double-spaced pages. 
  • Your CV or résumé should focus on your accomplishments and experience (e.g. teaching, mentoring, or tutoring experience, degrees, publications, awards and scholarships, conference presentations, relevant volunteer or work experience, and the like).
3. Students from a university outside Canada, the USA, or UK: 
If your undergraduate instruction was not in English, your admission to the University of Saskatchewan is conditional on demonstrating English language proficiency through official test results. Graduate Programs in the Department of English are linguistically demanding. Our courses and the independent projects they entail require fluency in spoken and written English. The department's minimum requirements for admission are:
  • TOEFL: minimum total score of 104
  • IELTS: minimum 7.5 of overall score

Note that the Department of English no longer accepts Duolingo scores as proof of English-language proficiency

To find out more about the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ language requirements, click here. To determine if your institution will qualify as providing instruction solely in English click here. Please note, the department’s minimum requirements are higher than CGPS’s minimum requirements.

Qualifications for the M.F.A in Writing Program

Entry into the M.F.A. in Writing requires a four-year Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), with a minimum of 70% in the last two years, and a strong portfolio of writing. In exceptional cases, applicants without the degree may enter the program on a probationary basis: equivalency will be judged on previous participation in reputable workshops such as those offered by the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Sage Hill Writing Experience, and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild; on relevant work experience; and on substantial publication.

For more information on qualifications as well as expectations regarding the portfolio of writing, see the “How to Apply” section on the M.F.A. in Writing program page.

Qualifications for the M.A. in English Programs

To qualify unconditionally for admission into the M.A., be it thesis- or project-based, you should have the equivalent of an Honours B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan. This is a degree with ten full-year courses (or equivalent) in English literature and criticism, covering a wide range of historical periods and critical approaches. The minimum admission requirement for anyone studying under the British system is an Upper Second.

If your academic preparation is not equivalent to the University of Saskatchewan Honours B.A., you may be recommended for admission as a conditionally qualified or probationary student. If so, the Graduate Committee may require you to take one or more undergraduate courses in specific areas, and to achieve a minimum of at least 70% in each. You will not be eligible for funding during the qualifying or probationary period.

To be eligible for the M.A. program, you must show an undergraduate average of at least 70% (or its equivalent), with at least 75% in English. In practice, applicants showing a minimum of 75% overall and 80% in English are given first consideration.

Qualifications for the Ph.D. Program

For admission into the Ph.D., you must have successfully completed an M.A. (courses with thesis, or courses only) deemed equivalent to a Saskatchewan M.A., with a minimum average of 80%. Ph.D. applicants must indicate a proposed area of research. Acceptance depends on supervisory resources being available in that area. Ph.D. applicants must describe in a Statement of Intent the graduate work they have done so far and propose a plan of study.

If your academic preparation is judged not equivalent to the University of Saskatchewan M.A. in the study of English literature, you may be recommended for admission to the M.A., or as a conditionally qualified Ph.D. student. In the latter case, you may be required to successfully complete (achieving at least 70%) one or more courses in specified areas. You may also be required to take a Qualifying Examination, to be completed within the first two months of admittance.