What is the
application deadline for the MA and PhD programs?
For fall semester matriculation, your application must be submitted and
supplemental material MUST arrive no later than January 15 for
admission. This deadline remains the same every year. We also
offer a second admissions cycle for the MA program only; applications
for spring semester matriculation are due October 1.
Can the department give me a sense of my chances of acceptance before I apply? No. In addition to looking over all of your application materials, your application will be ranked in relationship to others who apply. Because we do not know what the applicant pool will be, we cannot assess your chances in advance.
Do I need to submit a separate application for funding? No. You may simply indicate that you are interested in a TA position on the application itself. Please note that we typically offer funding (a tuition waiver and stipend) to all students accepted into the PhD program. We are not able to offer such funding to our MA students, but these students have applied for and received campus employment in the past. Some of them have been offered terms similar to those described above.
How should I submit my application? The application MUST be submitted online. Please go to this online application link, app.applyyourself.com/?id=sunysb-gs. Under Additional Required Documents, there is an area to download recommendation forms (if your letters of recommendation are not done online). If you have problems with the online application, please do not call the English Department. We do not have access to the application system. Please click the “Technical Support” link on the login page.
Most of the application materials may be submitted online, but some documents need to be sent to us as hard copies. The fewer envelopes you send us, the better. To that end, we suggest that you put the following items in one large envelope and mail them to the Graduate Program Coordinator. If you cannot send all your items in one envelope on time, please send as much as you can in each envelope:
Why do you require two originals of every document? One set of originals is for the Graduate School and the other is for the English Department. This is part of being in a large university.
Who has to take the iBT (Internet-based TOEFL exam)? Applicants from countries where English is not the primary language must submit scores from the iBT. If you are from such a country but completed all of your previous college-level work in English, please contact the Graduate Director and ask whether you still need the iBT scores.
Who has to take the GRE? Anyone applying to an academic program: MA and PhD applicants.
Does the English Department require a minimum GRE score? No. Although most admitted students have a verbal score of 500 (MA students) or 600 (PhD students) or above, we are interested in the entire admissions package. A low score is not a bar to admission; a high score will not guarantee acceptance.
Do you require the Literature in English subject test? No. We only require the general GRE.
What if I haven’t taken the iBT or GRE exam yet? We need to have the results in our office no later than January 31 for fall admission and October 31 for spring admission. If your score is not received on time, it could jeopardize your admission to the program.
What sort of writing samples do I have to send? Samples of written work such as a research paper submitted for an undergraduate class or a master’s thesis. Submit essays in research, analysis, or criticism that demonstrate your ability to carry out scholarly work in English. The papers, typically generated in prior course work, should be at least 10-20 pages (for applicants to the MA program) and 20-30 pages (for applicants to the PhD program) in length and should contain a bibliography.
Is a campus visit necessary? No. If you will be in the area and would like to visit the department, please get in touch with the Graduate Director. Such visits do not, however, increase the chances of admission. Admitted students are encouraged to visit before deciding whether to accept our offer.
How does the Department decide whom to admit? Admissions decisions are based primarily upon the admissions committee’s estimation of the student’s potential for scholarly achievement and the ability of the Stony Brook faculty to support the student in his or her intended field of scholarly study. Although no one factor will determine an outcome, the committee is particularly interested in applicants’ statements of purpose and writing samples.
When does the Department decide? We send out admissions letters after the file review is complete. Offer letters are generally sent out in March. There is only one person processing all these letters, so please do not call to find out about the status of your letter.
What if it’s April, and I haven’t received my letter yet? If you have not heard anything by April, please send the Graduate Program Coordinator an email message with your full name, and the degree you applied for. We will look into it and get back to you.
Can I call for your decision? Results are only given in writing. Please do not call for your result.
Can the department give me a sense of my chances of acceptance before I apply? No. In addition to looking over all of your application materials, your application will be ranked in relationship to others who apply. Because we do not know what the applicant pool will be, we cannot assess your chances in advance.
Do I need to submit a separate application for funding? No. You may simply indicate that you are interested in a TA position on the application itself. Please note that we typically offer funding (a tuition waiver and stipend) to all students accepted into the PhD program. We are not able to offer such funding to our MA students, but these students have applied for and received campus employment in the past. Some of them have been offered terms similar to those described above.
How should I submit my application? The application MUST be submitted online. Please go to this online application link, app.applyyourself.com/?id=sunysb-gs. Under Additional Required Documents, there is an area to download recommendation forms (if your letters of recommendation are not done online). If you have problems with the online application, please do not call the English Department. We do not have access to the application system. Please click the “Technical Support” link on the login page.
Most of the application materials may be submitted online, but some documents need to be sent to us as hard copies. The fewer envelopes you send us, the better. To that end, we suggest that you put the following items in one large envelope and mail them to the Graduate Program Coordinator. If you cannot send all your items in one envelope on time, please send as much as you can in each envelope:
- TRANSCRIPTS- Have your school(s) send your transcripts to you. Do not open the envelopes. We need TWO (2) sealed official copies of each transcript. Photocopies are NOT acceptable. We know that procuring transcripts from overseas schools can be difficult, but this is not a requirement that can be waived. We will need transcripts, in English, with the degree posted for every school you attended. If your school does not offer English transcripts, we will need an official (notarized) translation. Some overseas documents will need to be evaluated by World Educational Services (www.wes.org).
- LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION- If your letter writers do not want to use the online system, have them send their letters to you. Do not open the envelopes. We need TWO (2) sealed originals of each letter.
- WRITING SAMPLE- Sample of written work such as a research paper submitted for an undergraduate class or a master’s thesis.
- GRE/TOEFL- If you know your GRE or iBT scores, please enter them on the application in addition to having the official scores reported to the University. We will verify them electronically at a later date. Please mail copies if you have them.
Why do you require two originals of every document? One set of originals is for the Graduate School and the other is for the English Department. This is part of being in a large university.
Who has to take the iBT (Internet-based TOEFL exam)? Applicants from countries where English is not the primary language must submit scores from the iBT. If you are from such a country but completed all of your previous college-level work in English, please contact the Graduate Director and ask whether you still need the iBT scores.
Who has to take the GRE? Anyone applying to an academic program: MA and PhD applicants.
Does the English Department require a minimum GRE score? No. Although most admitted students have a verbal score of 500 (MA students) or 600 (PhD students) or above, we are interested in the entire admissions package. A low score is not a bar to admission; a high score will not guarantee acceptance.
Do you require the Literature in English subject test? No. We only require the general GRE.
What if I haven’t taken the iBT or GRE exam yet? We need to have the results in our office no later than January 31 for fall admission and October 31 for spring admission. If your score is not received on time, it could jeopardize your admission to the program.
What sort of writing samples do I have to send? Samples of written work such as a research paper submitted for an undergraduate class or a master’s thesis. Submit essays in research, analysis, or criticism that demonstrate your ability to carry out scholarly work in English. The papers, typically generated in prior course work, should be at least 10-20 pages (for applicants to the MA program) and 20-30 pages (for applicants to the PhD program) in length and should contain a bibliography.
Is a campus visit necessary? No. If you will be in the area and would like to visit the department, please get in touch with the Graduate Director. Such visits do not, however, increase the chances of admission. Admitted students are encouraged to visit before deciding whether to accept our offer.
How does the Department decide whom to admit? Admissions decisions are based primarily upon the admissions committee’s estimation of the student’s potential for scholarly achievement and the ability of the Stony Brook faculty to support the student in his or her intended field of scholarly study. Although no one factor will determine an outcome, the committee is particularly interested in applicants’ statements of purpose and writing samples.
When does the Department decide? We send out admissions letters after the file review is complete. Offer letters are generally sent out in March. There is only one person processing all these letters, so please do not call to find out about the status of your letter.
What if it’s April, and I haven’t received my letter yet? If you have not heard anything by April, please send the Graduate Program Coordinator an email message with your full name, and the degree you applied for. We will look into it and get back to you.
Can I call for your decision? Results are only given in writing. Please do not call for your result.