Admission Guidelines
All applications to the graduate program should be submitted online. Supplemental materials should be sent directly to the English Department.
MA and PhD applicants should consult the department before submitting an application and paying application fees.
The application includes:
- Application form (completed听)
- Application fee (can be paid online or by cheque; must be paid to complete application)
- Official transcript(s) (ELECTRONIC ONLY - all transcripts听MUST be emailed directly to English Department gradengl@dal.ca听for Fall 2024 admission consideration)听
When a student is admitted into the program, official transcripts are required within a set time limit.
- Two letters of recommendation with form attached.
When you apply online, you have the option of having references submitted electronically using the references section of the application form (sometimes called "e-ref").听Academic referees should use this system, rather than emailing us directly. Signed hard copy reference letters can also be mailed directly to the Department by the referee.
Note that the e-ref system is "semi"-automatic, meaning that referees will receive emails only after the admissions office's review. This happens during regular office hours only.
Non-academic referees can email letters听directly to the English Department at听gradengl@dal.ca听for Fall 2024 consideration.
- Prospective MA students: A 500-word Statement of Intent describing specific interests in the program to be pursued (mail or e-mail directly to the Department gradengl@dal.ca).
Prospective PhD students:听 A 500-word Statement of Intent describing the proposed area of thesis work (mail or e-mail directly to the Department gradengl@dal.ca).
The Harmonized Scholarship Process allows for a current/prospective student to be considered for several FGS-managed scholarships using a single application, including the听Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship,听Killam Predoctoral Scholarships, James Robinson Johnston Graduate Entrance Scholarship for African Canadians,听African Nova Scotian Graduate Scholarship,听Indigenous Graduate Scholarship, and the听Abdul Majid Bader Graduate Scholarship.
MA English Applicants
- SSHRC CGS - M Online Application
- Deadline is November 30 (9PM AST)听(OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
- this is the SSHRC application on the SSHRC
- Harmonized Scholarship Process听(OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY ENCOURAGED)
- INTERNAL DEADLINE JANUARY 16, 2024
- SSHRC Applicants -听Opt in - applicants can choose to use their CGS-M application in the Harmonized Scholarship Process by opting in through our听
- Intended for newly-entering masters students who wish to be considered for other entrance-level awards
PhD English Applicants
- SSHRC CGS - D Online Application
- Deadline is October 2 (9PM AST)听(OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY ENCOURAGED)
- this is the SSHRC application on the SSHRC听
- Complete a smaller SSHRC CGS-D application on the听听by OCTOBER 2. (For听those of you who have applied to the HSP before, it is the exact same 'system', but now the CGS-D application is just a quick application form that will be used to link your tri-agency application to DAL FGS to be reviewed internally.)
- And:
We also encourage you to apply to the听Harmonized Scholarship Process听(HSP), for which the deadline is 听January 16th, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. AST.
听
Writing Samples听
Please note that a formal writing sample (as distinct from the 500-word Statement of Intent) is NOT required of applicants to our MA or PhD programs. However, we reserve the right to ask for a sample of scholarly writing (normally a recent essay) when we receive an application from someone whose first language is not English, or who comes from a university whose grading system is unfamiliar to us.
Note: We often receive applications from people who mistake our program for a linguistics or a languages-teaching program. The English program at AV俱乐部 is a literature program, not a languages program.听We study the full breadth of literatures in English, helping students to develop critical thinking abilities through textual, historical, and theoretical analysis. It is our hope that the study of literature will broaden your mind, kindle your interest in the world, and connect you to a wealth of diverse literature, both past and present. We do not study pedagogy or foundational elements of linguistics, except peripherally. For more on English Language studies at AV俱乐部, please refer to the ELS department page. For examples of the type of courses that our department teaches, please refer to AV俱乐部's most recent .听(Click the entry for 鈥淓nglish鈥� in the table of contents to go directly to our department鈥檚 details and course list.)听
Application Deadline
Application files should be completed by听January 15听to be considered for Fall admission.
Admission Requirements
MA
For entry into a Master鈥檚 program with a thesis requirement, candidates must hold a four-year Bachelor鈥檚 degree with an honours, or the equivalent of honours standing, in the area in which graduate work is to be done or an area that is relevant to the graduate work. A four-year Bachelor鈥檚 degree may be considered equivalent to honours, if there is evidence of independent research capacity (such as a research project as part of a course) or if the degree is officially approved as an honours equivalent. Exceptional students who did not major in English may still be considered, but may have to do extra work beyond the BA, to ensure they are prepared for the discipline-specific rigours of English. Fourth-year seminar classes in English are good preparation for English graduate courses.
In reviewing applications, the Graduate Committee looks for a strong undergraduate record with an average of A- (3.7 GPA on the 4.3 scale) or higher in courses of the last two years, for a strong statement of scholarly interests and aims (the 500-word Statement of Intent), and for detailed letters from two academic referees who know the applicant鈥檚 work well.
To be eligible for admission to graduate work at AV俱乐部, applicants who have English as a second language must show proof of proficiency as per the Faculty of Graduate Studies admission requirements. To make a successful application to the MA in English, fluency is required, and scores on English language proficiency tests should reflect this. Applicants from abroad whose first degrees are from a non-English-language university will need a first MA to apply to our MA program. These applicants may apply to our MA rather than our PhD program.听Applicants whose first language is not English should submit a writing sample in addition to the usual supporting documents. See the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) website for details.
The SSHRC CGS M deadline is NOVEMBER 30 each year for funding for the following year. Please note that all SSHRC appliants MUST also apply using the听听by November 30, 2023.
PhD
Applicants must have an MA in English. Given that we admit a small number of PhD students each year, competition is stiff, and excellent candidates may not be admitted, particularly those for whom we cannot offer appropriate supervision. Applicants for the PhD program are thus advised to be especially careful to describe their areas of planned research.
Applicants for the MA and PhD are urged to apply for a (SSHRC) fellowship (Canadian Graduate Scholarships for the MA, SSHRC Doctoral Awards for the PhD) during the fall preceding admission and must do so to be considered for other external awards.
The SSHRC CGS D deadline is October 1st each year for funding for the following year. Please note that all SSHRC appliants MUST also apply using the by October 2, 2023.
Note: All deadline dates on this page are updated in August each year.