How to Apply

1. Fill out the online application form.
   
   The online application allows you to apply online, pay your application fee, upload supporting documents, and 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. Upload transcripts of all your post-secondary education to your online application. 
   
   
2. Upload the following application materials.
   
   Statement of Intent, Writing Sample, and CV
   

   All M.A. and Ph.D. applications must include a statement of intent, a writing sample, and a CV or résumé. Upload these documents on your online application.  

   • A statement of intent is usually between one and two single-spaced pages. It should explain your choice of program, provide a detailed explanation of your proposed research, and explain 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 chapter of a thesis that demonstrates your writing and research skills. Your writing sample should be approximately 10-20 pages in length. 
   • 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. The Graduate Program in English is a linguistically demanding academic course and requires 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
   
   To find out more about the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ language requirements, click here. Note that the Department of English no longer accepts Duolingo scores as proof of English-language proficiency. 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.A. Program

To qualify unconditionally for admission into the M.A., 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 get a minimum of 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%.

If your academic preparation is judged not equivalent to the University of Saskatchewan M.A., you may be recommended for admission to the M.A., or as a conditionally qualified Ph.D. student. In the latter case, you may have to take one or more courses in specified areas.

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.