Applicants to the M.F.A. program in English-Creative Writing must hold the bachelor's degree with a major in English or at least 24 credits in English and American literature. Applicants who were not English majors or who do not have the required number of literature credits can be admitted in consultation with the Graduate Chair and the Director of Creative Writing.

The minimum admission standard for all graduate students is an undergraduate grade point average of "B" or 3.0, or the functional equivalent for students who have attended universities outside of the United States.

The Dean of the Graduate School considers exceptions to the admissions requirement if the student meets one of these criteria:

• Achieved a 3.25 cumulative grade point average in a least 9 credits of graduate work at an accredited university in the United States or equivalent academic performance in a university outside the United States.
• Scored above the 65th percentile on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Exam (or other standardized test, such as the Graduate Management Admission Test).
• Earned a 3.5 grade point average during her/his final two years of undergraduate work.

In general, a minimum GPA of 3.5 as an undergraduate is required for fellowships and teaching assistantships.

Submit the following documents to the English department to be considered for admission. Please note that all materials (including GRE scores) must be postmarked by December 15 or they will not be considered.

*GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION: complete online or send paper application to: Temple University Department of English (022-29) Program to which you are applying Anderson Hall, 10th Floor 1114 W. Berks Street Philadelphia, PA 19122-6090

*TRANSCRIPTS from all institutions of higher education previously attended (including Temple)

*GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION (GRE) scores for the general test. This is a Graduate School requirement and there are no waivers. The Creative Writing Program requires the general test only, not the literature subject exam. Receiving score reports by December 15 is extremely important if you want to be considered for a fellowship.

*TOEFL scores for foreign applicants only (minimum score 575)

*FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION if you are interested in being considered for a fellowship or assistantship.

*Three (3) LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION. Your recommendations should address the specific projects you have undertaken in your previous academic and creative career. They should therefore be written by people who have worked closely with you on literary or related projects. In most cases, these will be faculty members. We review the recommendations for specific information about how you write, how you approach problems, how you work in the classroom.

*A PERSONAL STATEMENT that discusses a plan of study and career goals. Please mention the literary influences and models that feed your creative work and describe what you would like to accomplish by attending Temple's program. Because this program is an M.F.A. with an academic emphasis, you will be registering for graduate courses in the Literature Program; we're interested to know which texts have been important to you, as well as what critical approaches you have found useful.

*A SAMPLE OF WRITTEN WORK: Your writing sample is probably the most crucial single element of your application. Send a packet of writing in one genre only (poetry or fiction). For poetry submissions, there is a minimum of six poems. For fiction, send a total of 20–25 double-spaced pages. If you'd like to include a critical essay in addition, please feel free to do so; it, too, should be double-spaced.

A personal interview may be requested.

APPLICATION DEADLINES: The deadline for completed applications is December 15; applications are accepted only for for fall admission.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    www.temple.edu/grad/admissions/index.htm (application download site)

    www.temple.edu (for general Temple information)

    www.temple.edu/english (Temple English Department)

    www.temple.edu/gradbulletin (for general Graduate School information)

To request a paper application or direct questions to the Graduate English program, please contact Sharon Logan at logansd@temple.edu or 215.204.1796.