Applicants to the English program should submit the following information in addition to the online application:

1. Official academic records of all previously attended colleges or universities must be submitted directly from the colleges or universities to the Office of Graduate Admission Processing. Hand-carried transcripts, official copies marked Issued to Student and unofficial copies are not acceptable.
2. Three letters of recommendation from professors or employers.
3. A personal statement. 
4. A writing sample of 8-10 pages (or the combined equivalent thereof if you do not have a paper of this length) that preferably contains a thesis-driven argument.
5. Teaching Concentration Only: a copy of current teaching license or an official letter from current school principal indicating that you are a full-time teacher.

Additional requirements apply for international students.

Academic Requirements:
Students seeking admission must have completed studies in English and American literature, writing or both that will enable them to pursue graduate studies with distinction. Ordinarily, students will have completed 24 semester hours in literature, composition or both beyond the 100 level with a grade-point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Assistantships:
There are two application deadlines each year:

• Dec. 15 (for anyone who wishes to be considered for a teaching assistantship)
• June 15

For more information, please contact the director of the graduate program in English, Tereza Szeghi

Director of Public Affairs at Miami University Regionals

Graduate Concentration: Literature, w/ a Focus on Theory of 20th Century Literature

Favorite Part of English Graduate Program: The community of writers, thinkers, scholars, and people sincerely interested in how ideas and narratives affect our world. Also, the people I came to know over two years through late night classes, long days in our crowded offices with too much to do, too little sleep and too many cups of coffee. I made friendships that I’ll always carry with me.

How did the UD Graduate program prepare me? Aside from helping me become a better writer and communicator, it was the first time I took another role at a university—I was teaching. This caused me to think more critically about pedagogy and purpose, but also about context, especially the context of students, and the real social and economic value of a meaningful education.

Assistant Professor of English and Assistant Writing Center Director, Cedarville University

Graduate Concentration: Literature/Writing

Favorite Part of UD English Graduate Program: The UD English graduate program afforded me a great deal of scholarly independence, yet I was also able to work closely with a number of my professors. I believe firmly that the individual attention I received from professors like Dr. Slade, Dr. McCombe, and Dr. Trollinger accelerated my growth as a scholar and a thinker.

How did the UD Graduate program prepare me? In addition to helping me grow as a scholar, UD also prepared me for the classroom through its excellent TA training program. Dr. Bardine was always available for all of us, and I can still feel his influence on my pedagogy, even five years out from the program.

Doctoral Student in Language Literacy and Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico

Graduate Concentration: TESOL

Year of Graduation: 2018

Favorite Part of English Graduate Program: The professors in the Department of English are very supportive and want the best for their students. They not only want their students to succeed within the program, they also want their students to have successful careers. One of the main reasons why I chose to continue to attend graduate school at UNM after finishing my master’s at UD is because the professors in the English department had encouraged me to do what was best for me. They sat with me and helped me to make a list of the pros and cons of joining a doctoral program. Although it has now been two years since I graduated from UD, I reach out to UD professors for academic and professional advice.

How did the UD Graduate program prepare me? The UD graduate program gives a lot of liberty to its students in terms of creative growth. There are committees that students can join and learn from. As I was a GA, I would say that I learned the most from the TA training program. Both Dr. Bryan Bardine and Dr. Jennifer E. Haan were excellent mentors. I learned a lot of teaching and tutoring skills from them that I now utilize in my doctoral program at UNM.

Graduate Teaching Fellow, Kent State's Literacy, Rhetoric and Social Practice Program; Third-year in ABD of Ph.D. Program at Kent State University

Assistant Professor of Writing Studies and Composition, Hofstra University

Graduate Concentration: Writing

Favorite Part of English Graduate Program: I earned outstanding experience as a teaching assistant working with Dr. Bryan Bardine. The combination of taking his course on teaching and learning from him as a teaching assistant prepared me for teaching better than any other experience I have had since.

How did the UD Graduate program prepare me? The professors in the UD graduate program pushed me to think critically, generate original arguments, and write with precision. All of this prepared me well to attend a strong writing Ph. D. program and to begin publishing scholarship early in my graduate career.

Writer and Research Associate, MBA Research and Curriculum Center

Graduate Concentration: Writing and Rhetoric

Year of Graduation: 2018

Favorite Part of the English Graduate Program: I loved working with the other Teaching Assistants. From the beginning, I felt like we had a great dynamic, and I enjoyed so much having them as colleagues and as dear friends. Graduate school, while an extension of the academic work you do as an undergrad, can still be radically different and new. I think starting this new journey together, not necessarily knowing what to expect, figuring it out was we went, supporting each other throughout the years, etc. helped us form a strong friendship. It helped that everyone was very intelligent and capable, which made the group projects fun. Also, I cannot speak highly enough of the professors in the English program and their help in my life after UD. Several have served as references and continue to support me, even years after I have left the program.

How the English Graduate Program Prepared Me: My time at UD helped strengthen not only my writing skills, but also my research skills, as well. I enjoy exploring how writing can function in different spaces for different audiences and purposes—as someone with an educational background but no current interest in teaching, I love knowing that the curriculum I produce supports teachers across the country. The University of Dayton played a significant role in getting me where I am today.

As a writer with MBA Research and Curriculum Center, I help publish business curriculum for high school students—marketing, entrepreneurship, project management, sales, accounting, etc. The materials are centered around academic standards that we have developed and honed over the years. These standards are informed by primary research and interviews with business professionals to ensure our information and standards are relevant and up-to-date. These standards then inform the written material we (my team) publish, which I supplement and flesh-out with textbook material and other online resources. Our team also publishes different learning activity packages for teachers to use in the classroom and standardized tests that are used both locally and internationally (and everything in-between!). We also develop curriculum for different organizations across America, and those can take different forms depending on what those organizations need, such as learning modules, test items, projects, rubrics, and more.