Why study this program?

The Department of English and Film Studies (EFS) offers graduate work leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in English language, literature, and culture.

Research in EFS embraces a wide array of scholarly explorations dedicated to the understanding, elucidation, and production of literary and cultural texts, broadly conceived. Scholars in EFS engage in ground-breaking research across four broad zones of inquiry: literary history, print culture, critical and cultural theory, and screen cultures.

The University’s libraries hold the equivalent of nearly 9,000,000 volumes, ranking second in Canada and in the top twenty in North America, and subscribe to over 100,000 electronic journals, and to 1100 databases. Over 100,000 rare books, and significant archival material, are held in the Special Collections.

Entrance Requirements

For the MA program, the Department’s minimum admission requirements are a BA in English (or its equivalent) with a minimum GPA of 3.3 in courses in English, and with an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last 60 units of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework. The graduate committee uses the two GPA benchmarks as part of its decision process.

Applicants to the MA program must meet the following prerequisite course requirements:

• at least 54 units in English courses,
• at least 27 units in a breadth of courses representing the major historical periods [Old and Middle English, Early Modern, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century literature and culture] and in Canadian, American, Indigenous, and postcolonial literature and culture, and
• some grounding in literary and cultural theory.

For the PhD program, the Department’s minimum admission requirements are an MA in English (or its equivalent) with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in courses in English, and with an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last 60 units of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework. The graduate committee uses the two GPA benchmarks as part of its decision process.

Where applicable, applicants must meet the minimum English Language Requirement .

All applicants must submit:

• all academic transcripts
• names and contact information for three referees
• a curriculum vitae
• a Statement of Program – see the Department website