Admission to the MA in English at Queens College is a privilege, not a guarantee. We wish we could take everyone who is qualified for an MA, but we do not have space. In an average semester we get about 60 applicants, and we only have space for about 25 of them. This means less than half of our applicants get in.

Please keep in mind that fulfilling the basic preconditions for admission will not guarantee you acceptance. It is a competitive pool, and we select the best candidates. You may find that in spite of a solid GPA, a BA in English, a decent essay, and fine recommendations, you still get rejected. In these cases it’s not that anything was wrong with your application, simply that there were dozens of other applicants whose credentials equaled or exceeded your own.

Can you send me information?

Click here to download the application from the Graduate Admissions website. If you have difficulty downloading the application, the Graduate Admissions Office can also mail you a copy of the application and supporting materials.

Can I get financial aid, fellowships, assistantships through the English Department?

Unfortunately, the English Department does not have the resources to offer any aid. You can check with Graduate Admissions or the Financial Aid Office to determine whether they are aware of any university-wide fellowships or other financial aid options that may be available to you.

Can I enroll as a non-matriculated student?

It depends. Were you an English major (or minor) undergraduate, and did you have a minimum GPA of 3.0? If so, you may go to the Graduate Admissions Office in Jefferson Hall and pick up a Graduate Non-matriculated Student form and bring it to John Weir, the Director of Graduate Studies in English to sign (you can reach Professor Weir by email or by phone at (718) 997-4663). If you do not meet the above criteria, then you will need to try your luck at another school.

I’ve missed the deadline; can I still apply?

Probably not, since the admissions committee has already disbanded. However, if there was some truly compelling reason why you missed the deadline, and if you can make a strong enough case for yourself as an exception to the rule, and if it’s not too long after the deadline, there’s a chance we might be able to manage it. Talk to John Weir, the Director of Graduate Studies in English (you can reach Professor Weir by email or by phone at (718)997-4663). Otherwise you should just apply next semester.

I want to apply to the creative writing program; can you tell me about it?

Our creative writing track has been discontinued because we have started an MFA program. For information on the MFA see http://qcpages.qc.edu/Creative_Writing. Students still in the creative writing MA will be able to finish their degrees, but we are not accepting new students.

I wasn’t an English major undergraduate; will that be a problem?

You need to have a minimum of 21 credits of English literature to be admitted (the equivalent of the standard English minor). Moreover, those need to include the following: some kind of theory course, some poetry course, surveys of British literature, surveys of American literature, and global literature. These are the equivalents of QC’s English 150, 140, 251, 252, 253, 254, and 255. (Click here to view these undergraduate courses. Click here to view the schedule of undergraduate courses offered this semester.) If you are missing some of these courses but still have most of the credits, you may apply and if you are accepted you will have to make up the missing coursework once you’re here (see below). If you have only a few stray English credits, however, you need to take the courses before you can apply. You can sign up as an undergraduate non-matriculated student (form is available at Graduate Admissions in Jefferson Hall) and take our undergraduate courses until you have accrued 24 credits.

Please note that the Department of Education has different requirements than the English department. They will count composition courses, theater, journalism, and even some general humanities courses towards the English credits needed for initial certification. But we are teaching an MA in literature and that means we only accept literature courses. If you are uncertain whether your transcript has enough English courses, meet with John Weir, the Director of Graduate Studies in English (contact via email or phone at (718) 997-4663) to determine what can count.

I want to be a high school English teacher. Which program should I apply for?

It depends on several factors: your undergraduate coursework, your long-term goals, and your own interests. You may talk to John Weir in English, but you would be better advised to go first to Professor Arthur Costigan in SEYS, (contact via email or phone at (718) 997-5175).

What does the admissions committee look for?

We are most interested in your GPA (considering where you went to school as part of that record), your recommendations, and your essay. We are looking for interesting students with strong motivations for advanced study and awareness of the kind of reading (primary, critical, and theoretical) performed at this level.

What if I have a low GPA?

The minimum acceptable GPA for entry into our program is 3.0. However, if your GPA is slightly below that you can still apply. In rare cases we can accept someone whose GPA is a 2.9 or 2.8 if there is a compelling reason for the low record and if the candidate shows other strengths to compensate. If you have a 2.4 or something really low, however, you would have to be a pretty exceptional candidate to get accepted and you might want to consider applying to another school that can afford to admit more students. If you have a 3.0 or above, however, please remember that this does not guarantee you admission, simply consideration; obviously if the committee is considering a number of students with 3.7 and above, a 3.2 GPA may not make the cut.

What should I say in my essay?

The essay should demonstrate a sense of what advanced postgraduate study of literature involves, either in the sophistication of its language and subjects or in its account of the student’s personal/intellectual journey. This is also the place to explain circumstances like family illness that might account for problems in the record. We know you want to come here; you’re applying. Don’t waste too much space explaining that fact. Instead, think from the perspective of an admissions committee and justify why we should choose you over other students. What do you have to offer that’s special? What unusual life experience, or impressive course of study, or passionate fascination with particular texts, or facility in writing, can you bring to our program?

Common Mistakes:

1) Try to avoid clichés and typos, which do not give us a good impression of your writing skill.

2) Essays about how much you love to read are too vague and commonplace; try to write something a bit more original.

3) Explanations that you need an MA to keep your job as a teacher may have the virtue of honesty but do not give us a reason to select you over other equally needy students.

Whom should I ask to write recommendations?

Recommendations should be from academics or people who can speak to the specific skills you need to have in advanced study. Recommendations from your boss at the restaurant, your neighbor, your aunt, or your dentist don’t tell us anything useful, since they are not evaluating the specific credentials we need to know about. Recommendations from the principal or teachers at the school where you teach tend to be less informative than recommendations from professors who taught you in class. If you are no longer in touch with faculty at your undergraduate institution, try to find someone else – someone in a writing group, a book club, or an instructor of a course you took as a non-matriculated student – who can speak to such key issues as your writing skill, your ability to decode text, your attentiveness, your motivation, and your ability to improve. While our application asks for two or three letters, obviously the more you obtain, the better.

How do I request a recommendation?

The best way to do this is to ask the faculty well in advance (about a month is good), and then, if the instructor agrees, to give him/her a packet containing: the recommendation form with the top part filled out, a stamped and addressed envelope, a copy of essays you wrote in that class so s/he remembers specifics about your work, a copy of the application essay to show how you’re presenting yourself, and a sheet with your contact information and a reminder about the deadline.

Should I take the GRE?

No. It’s not required and if you don’t do well on it then the low score will only make you look bad. Only take it if you are pretty certain to do well and/or if you think you’ll need it for other applications.

Can you give me any advice for reapplying?

If you were rejected because of a low GPA, we recommend that you take graduate courses as a non-matriculated student and then reapply. If you can get As in graduate courses, it will offset your undergraduate transcript. Plus you can get recommendations from the instructors of those courses.

My acceptance letter said I need to take specific courses; can you explain?

Students are sometimes accepted into the program without the requisite undergraduate coursework and must then make it up once they get here. These are called “deficiency” courses. If you do not have 24 credits of English, or if you never took basic courses in theory, poetry, British, or American literature, your acceptance letter will probably list the undergraduate courses you are required to take while you are enrolled in the MA. While you can take them occasionally along the way, we strongly recommend that you take them in your first semester before going on to graduate work, both to get them out of the way and to give you the necessary background before doing advanced study.

Can I transfer credits from another institution?

If you have taken graduate-level literature courses elsewhere, you may be able to get transfer credits for them. Bring your transcript to the DGS (currently John Weir) and s/he will evaluate it and file the form. Please remember, however, that you will need to take another course in lieu of the one you’ve been credited with so that you can still get the 30 credits you need to graduate. So this won’t give you fewer courses, it will just give you another elective. If a previous DGS gave you transfer credits, please make sure to inform the current DGS about it so s/he can ensure they are properly recorded before you graduate.

Is it possible to do the English MA while I’m in another master’s program?

You need to consult the Registrar about this, but their general rule is that a person can only be enrolled in one program at a time. Accordingly, you will probably have to finish one MA before beginning the next. However, it is possible to transfer internally from one program to another; you may, for instance, start out doing a MS.Ed and then decide an MA in literature would suit you better, and that generally doesn’t pose a problem. For paperwork and procedures to do an internal transfer, contact Graduate Admissions.