Can’t find what you’re looking for? Please contact the department Graduate Office for assistance.
Application Questions
The application system allows you to check the status of your application at any time. More information can be found on the Graduate School’s Admissions FAQ page.
Please see the College of Social Sciences and Humanities’ Deadlines & Required Materials page for application information.
The GRE is optional for students applying to either our MA in English program, or our PhD in English program.
For those submitting GRE scores, we do not have a minimum score requirement, and we evaluate all parts of the application in the context of the whole. Test scores may be helpful for applicants with little or no experience beyond the undergraduate degree.
The personal statement is a brief description of your background, your interests, and your reasons for wanting to enroll in the graduate program. You may include any other information that you feel might be useful, such as prior teaching/tutoring experience or specific resources/offices/research projects at Northeastern that draw you to the university. For Ph.D. applicants, this statement can also serve as a space to identify faculty you’re interested in working with for your dissertation, though this is not required.
The personal statement should not exceed two pages for the M.A. program or three pages for the Ph.D. program.
If applying initially for the PhD program, you will have the option within the online application to indicate that you are also interested in the MA. You may also include this in your personal statement.
Please see the College of Social Sciences and Humanities’ Deadlines & Required Materials page for application information.
Writing samples should be academically based and 10-20 pages in length. Creative writing or professional samples may accompany your academic sample, but should not serve as a substitute for it.
Other Questions
Each year, around 10-20 new students enter the graduate programs in English. Approximately 4-7 of those students enter the Ph.D. cohort.
Students who attend any English graduate recruitment event are eligible for an application fee waiver for our MA or PhD program. Events include the University-wide Open House, the CSSH Welcome Day, and department-specific program overviews. When you submit your application, please check “yes” in response to the question, “Did you attend an admission event?” Please enter the date of the event and your application fee will automatically be waived.
Information about tuition and fees can be found on the Student Financial Services website.
Non-matriculated students taking courses are referred to as Non-Degree Special Students. Please visit the Registrar’s website for general information, and contact the CSSH Graduate Office for more details.
Graduate faculty areas of speciality are available on the program webpages:
Full faculty profiles can be found on the department’s Full-Time Faculty webpage.
Information about Stipended Graduate Assistantships and CSSH scholarships can be found here. Information about financial aid can be found on the Student Financial Services website.
Courses are taught in-person. We do not offer online graduate courses or offsite courses.
Part-time degree completion may be a possibility, but please note this program is not designed to accommodate students working a full-time 9am-5pm job. We cannot guarantee evening availability for courses, and completing the degree as a part-time student may affect your financial aid status. Please reach out to gradenglish@northeastern.edu to discuss your options in further detail.
At this time, we do not offer summer graduate courses.