English and Creative Writing, Dual Degree

How to apply

1. Application: Complete the required SHSU Graduate Application.
2. Application fee: A university application fee is required for all applications to graduate programs at SHSU.
3. Submit transcripts for all prior degrees.
   
   1. We expect students to have completed at least twelve hours of upper-division English courses with a 3.0 GPA or better; students with credentials from foreign universities must have their transcripts reviewed by a transcript evaluation service.
   2. Applicants are welcome to submit transcripts for coursework from additional institutions, though this is not necessary.
   3. Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for review by the admissions committee. However, under university policy, admission decisions are contingent upon receipt of official transcripts.
4. A statement of purpose, of 500 to 1000 words, articulating the applicant's intentions for pursuing our dual MA/MFA program.
5. Four letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s potential for success in a dual creative and academic English graduate program. Ideally, applicants will have two letters that address academic preparation for the MA and two letters that address creative writing preparation for the MFA.
6. A creative writing sample of either 20 pages of prose or a collection of 8 - 10 poems.
7. A critical writing sample of at least ten pages, preferably one that demonstrates research and critical writing skills particular to the study of literature and language and your ability to defend a cogent critical argument in a scholarly idiom appropriate to upper-division English classes. While the writing sample should be a single, sustained piece of work, typical of graduate-level writing, we will accept combinations of shorter pieces in exceptional cases. 
8. International applicants ONLY: Official TOEFL scores

Please note that the MFA program only admits students in the fall semester, and this affects the timeline for how students can apply to or switch into the MA/MFA Dual Degree:

• A prospective student who wishes to be admitted simultaneously to both programs of the MA/MFA Dual Degree must apply to begin the Dual Degree in the fall.
• A prospective student may apply to begin the MA program in the spring, and during that first semester, may then apply to the MFA program to begin in the fall. If admitted to the MFA program, the student can then switch to the Dual Degree starting in the fall. 
• A prospective student may apply to begin the MA program in the fall, and during their first or second semester, may then apply to the MFA program to begin in the fall of their second year. If admitted to the MFA program, the student can then switch to the Dual Degree starting in the fall of their second year.
• A prospective student may apply to begin the MFA program in the fall, and during their first or second semester, may then apply to the MA program to begin in the spring or the next fall. If admitted to the MA program, the student can then switch to the Dual Degree program starting in the semester they would start the MA program.
• No student may switch from a single degree program to the dual degree program after completing more than 18 credit hours in the first program. 

Note: Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.