English Department

Masters Program

Graduate Student Application Checklist

Submit application for the CSU graduate program online at: http://www.csumentor.edu/

An acceptable baccalaureate from an accredited institution, or an equivalent approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Satisfactory grade point average; must have a 3.0 in the last 30 semester units attempted and a 2.75 in the last 60 (90 quarter) units attempted.

Two letters of recommendation, preferably from English department faculty who know the student’s work, to the departmental Graduate Coordinator.

Completion of the Graduate Record Examination, General Test and Subject Test covering Literature in English, with a minimum score of 500 on the verbal portion of the General Test (native English speakers only).  Typically the scores on the GRE Literature in English Subject Test of students admitted to the program are 500 or above, but the GRE Subject Test score is only one of the factors considered on the assessment of the applicant.

Completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 580 (237 on the computer-based TOEFL) by all applicants who have not attended postsecondary educational institutions for at least three years where English is the principal language of instruction.  Further, a score below 50 (18 on the computer-based TOEFL) on any of the three parts of the TOEFL will require that a student enroll in remedial courses appropriate to the area of weakness; the Graduate Advisor will specify the number of semesters of remedial work.

Submission, with application, of a writing sample demonstrating critical and analytical skills.

Once all materials have been received, the Graduate Committee will make assessments of the applicant’s complete record, balancing GPA, letters of recommendation, GRE scores (both the verbal portion of the General test and the Literature English subject test), writing samples, and any other material in the application package.

For more information, please contact

Rob Davidson
Taylor Hall 216
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA  95929-0830
530-898-6372

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