Applicants to the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing in High School/Middle School must have middle or secondary school teacher certification. Teachers may apply to the certificate program throughout the year.

Requested materials for Admission to the Certificate Program:

A completed Graduate Admission Application (application fee of $40 required).
A completed A\application for admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing Program.
A letter of recommendation from someone who can address your qualifications for this certificate program. This might be a principal or other administrator, a colleague, a professor from a graduate course you have already taken. There is no specific form or format required for the letter.

The completed graduate application and application fee should be mailed to the University Admissions office. All other materials should be mailed to Dr. Roberta Trites, Director of Graduate Studies, English Department, Campus Box 4240, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4240.

Graduate Certificate in TESOL Admissions

The graduate certificate in TESOL is an option for students in a variety of degree programs who intend to teach English to speakers of other languages. You may apply to the certificate program throughout the year.

Requested materials for Admission to the Certificate Program:

A completed Graduate Admission Application (application fee of $40 required).
A completed application for admission to the Graduate Certificate in TESOL.
A letter of recommendation from someone who can address your qualifications for this certificate program. This might be a principal or other administrator, a colleague, a professor from a graduate course you have already taken. There is no specific form or format required for the letter.

Master’s Program Admissions

Acceptable applicants will have achieved a minimum of a 3.0 GPA as undergraduates, or higher than a 3.0 during their last 45 hours. All applicants must submit the general aptitude scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE ) and transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants must also submit a writing sample, a statement of intent and three letters of recommendation.

Complete applications are due the 15th of January for fall admission consideration. Depending on the availability of openings, we may admit students in the spring. The deadline for spring admissions is October 15.

International applicants are also required to have a score of at least 600 on the TOEFL.

Requested materials for Admission to the Master's Program:

A completed Graduate Admission Application (application fee of $40 required).
One official transcript from each school attended:(with a B average or better expected).
Three letters of recommendation: These letters will be most effective if they come from people who can describe your ability to do graduate course work and independent research and, if you wish an assistantship your potential as a teacher. There is no other specific form or format required for the letter. Letters can be mailed to Dr. Roberta Trites, Director of Graduate Studies, English Department, Campus Box 4240, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4240.
A sample of your academic writing: This sample should be at least six to ten pages long, although if it will best illustrate your abilities, we invite longer papers. The writing sample should demonstrate your analytic abilities and writing skills. Note: Admission into the Creative Writing Option is granted upon approval of a creative writing portfolio.
Program Selection Form.
GRE scores from the verbal, quantitative and analytic sections.
TOFEL scores for International Student.
A curriculum vita or resume.
A two-page statement describing your career goals: If you choose, you may cast some of this statement as an intellectual autobiography describing your reading, writing, and scholarly interest through your undergraduate studies, explaining how those experiences have let you to apply for our program. The statement should discuss your scholarly and career interests (what areas of English studies would you like to study and why?), and it should describe your goals following completion of the degree.
A completed online Application for Assistantship (if you would like one). You must have a University Identification number (UID) to apply for an assistantship. After you have applied for admission, in one-two weeks the University will send you the UID number. Alternatively, you can check your admission status and find your UID number by logging on to www.ilstu.edu/welcome2isu/ and checking "check application status".
Note: Assistantships are only available starting in the fall semester. Almost all or our assistantships are for teaching, so an aptitude for teaching is crucial to qualify for support.
TSE score International Students interested in being considered for an assistantship should take the Test of Spoken English.

The completed application, application fee, transcripts and test scores should be mailed to the University Admissions office. All other materials should be mailed to Dr. Roberta Trites, Director of Graduate Studies, English Department, Campus Box 4240, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4240.

Ph.D. Program Admissions

Admission to the Ph. D. program requires strong teaching and distinguished academic achievement. Applicants provide three letters of recommendation which attest both to their aptitude for teaching and to their academic abilities. We also ask for a sample of analytic academic writing, a statement of academic goals, all transcripts, and the general scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Complete applications are due by the 15th of January for fall admission consideration. Ph.D. applications will only be accepted for fall admissions.

Requested materials for Admission to the Ph.D. Program:

A completed Graduate Admission Application (application fee of $40 required).
One official transcript from each school attended.
Three letters of recommendation: These letters will be most effective if they come from people who can describe your ability to do PhD coursework and independent research and your effectiveness as a teacher.
A sample of your academic writing: This sample should be at least six to ten pages long, although if it will best illustrate your abilities, we invite a longer seminar paper or a chapter from a Master's thesis. The writing sample should demonstrate your analytic skills. Papers that include critical sources are generally more helpful in demonstrating your skills.
GRE scores from the verbal, quantitative and analytic sections.
TOFEL scores for International Students.
A curriculum vita or resume.
A two-page statement describing your career goals: If you choose, you may cast some of this statement as an intellectual autobiography describing your reading, writing, and scholarly interest through your undergraduate and master's programs, explaining how those experiences have let you to apply for our program. The statement should discuss your research and teaching interest (what areas of English studies would you like to study and teach and why?), and it should describe the teaching situations you would ideally pursue after the degree.
A completed online Application for Assistantship (if you would like one). You must have a University Identification number (UID) to apply for an assistantship. After you have applied for admission, in one-two weeks the University will send you the UID number. Alternatively, you can check your admission status and find your UID number by logging on to www.ilstu.edu/welcome2isu/ and checking "check application status".
Note: Almost all or our assistantships are for teaching, so an aptitude for teaching is crucial to qualify for support.
TSE score International Students interested in being considered for an assistantship should take the Test of Spoken English.