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Application Process


Students must apply online by December 1, 2023. Please do not mail hard copies of materials.

Further information may be found on the Graduate School's application page.

  1. Online Application for Admission

  2. Statement of Purpose

    In 2-3 double spaced pages describe why you want to pursue a PhD in English at Emory. Here are some guiding questions, but you don't need to answer them all.

    What sparked your interest in literature? How has it developed over time? What research would you like to conduct as a graduate student in our department? What would you most like to learn here? What training and experiences have you had so far that have been helpful in preparing you for graduate study in English? What are your career plans? Why do you think that Emory's English PhD program would be a good place to conduct the kind of research you want to do?

  3. Three, and no more than three, letters of recommendation

  4. Our program does not require or accept GRE scores.

  5. Electronic copies of official transcript(s)

    Admitted students will be required to send hard copies to the department at a later date.

  6. A single academic writing sample of 15 to 20 pages

    Send us 15-20 pages (double-spaced), and no more than 20 pages, of your best academic writing. The writing sample needs to come from one essay (a paper written for a class, for example) and cannot be a composite of two or more different papers. It may be a section of a longer essay, such as an undergraduate honors thesis.

    Your writing sample should not contain a grade or any other markings from an instructor. It should represent what you consider to be your best-written work, the kind of academic writing you might do for a graduate course in our program.

  7. CV or resume

We thank you for your work in preparing your application, and we look forward to reading it.


Photo: Yellowbacks, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library.