To be admitted to our doctor of philosophy (PhD) program in English, you’ll need to satisfy the
requirements of the Graduate School as well as meet the
English department’s criteria.
You will need to
apply to the Graduate School.
In addition, you will need to provide the following to the Department of English (Graduate Office, Robert Bell Building, room 295, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306):
- a letter explaining your interest in doctoral studies and the specific program you’d like to pursue
- a 750- to 1,000-word statement of purpose
- a writing sample of scholarly or critical work
- official transcripts of all college-level work
- three letters of reference
- your standardized test scores (see below)
If you plan to focus on literature, you’ll need to submit your scores on the general Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and Subject Test 64 about literature. If you plan to focus on linguistics, you’ll need to submit your GRE scores or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores if English is not your native language. If you plan to study composition, you’ll need to submit your GRE scores.
If you’re an international student, please apply through the Rinker Center for International Programs.