ADMISSION

A major in English or a 6-course concentration is required before consideration for admission.

If you have a minimum 2.75 overall undergraduate gpa, and a 3.0 in English, apply for Regular status. In addition to the application materials required by the Graduate College submit an eight- to ten-page essay to the Director of Graduate Studies in English.

If you don't have a minimum 2.75:

1. Apply to the Director for Non-degree Status: complete three courses with a 3.0 average. Then conversion to Regular status is made at your request. OR
2. Submit GRE scores at the 50th percentile or above, and then apply for Regular status. See the current Graduate Bulletin for additional information.

Students interested in the concentration in Creative Writing may be considered for admission simultaneously with regular admission--submit a 20- to 30-page portfolio to the Coordinator of Creative Writing, Dr. Neal Chandler. Students wishing to do a creative writing thesis must be admitted to the Creative Writing track before beginning the thesis. Admission to the Creative Writing track also permits the substitution of a twentieth-century literature course for one of the 695 seminars. The Coordinator of Creative Writing grants admission to this track in a separate letter to the student.

The deadline for applying for Financial Assistance for teaching assistantships and tuition waivers (write or call the Director of Graduate Studies) is February 1.

ADVISING WHILE TAKING COURSES

Students should see a graduate advisor for advising each semester. The advisor will review the student's progress and plans, and will sign a registration form for the student if necessary.

Each spring, before registration, a brief description of courses for summer and the following year will be posted on the graduate director's door; copies will also be available from the advisors and secretarial staff.

THESIS AND GRADUATION

1. Before registering for The Master's Thesis, a student must complete a thesis approval form, available from the Director of Graduate Studies or the secretarial staff. The first step is to find a first reader. Once the student is registered for the thesis, the first reader becomes the student's advisor. See the handbook entry on the Andrews Award for possible financial aid while writing the thesis.
2. Students should file for graduation early in the semester before the semester in which they intend to graduate. There is a $25.00 fee. (Application forms are available from the secretarial staff in the department or in Campus 411, Main Classroom 116.)
3. Students ready to defend their thesis should arrange with the three readers a time for the MASTER'S EXAMINATION, and inform the secretary of the chairman of the department (RT 1815) of the time.
4. Check the sections of the handbook dealing with
   a) Style and mechanical specifications for the thesis
   b) Guidelines for preparing Abstracts
   c) Procedure for Advisor approval and deposit

Final deposit copies (at least three) are due at the end of exam week of the semester of the student's graduation. The Cleveland State University Library keeps two of the copies; the department keeps the third copy. Additional personal copies may be requested as well. At the time of deposit, the student must pay a $9.00 bindery fee for each personal copy. There is no bindery charge for the library or the department copies.