Applications & Registration

Applicants should submit a complete application by February 1 to be considered for funding. Late applications may be accepted but will not normally be considered for funding.

• Courses
  • 2024-25 Seminars
  • 2023-24 Seminars
  • MA Project Program
  • MA Thesis Program
  • MFA in Writing
  • PhD Program
  • Graduate Supervisors
  • Current Graduate Students
  • Completed Theses and Dissertations
  • English Course Council
  • Application and Registration
  • Funding and Scholarships
  • Travel Awards
  • College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
  • University LibraryGuide:English

  Applications

  How to Apply

  1. Fill out the online application form.

  The online application allows you to apply online, pay your application fee, upload supporting documents, and and provide contact information for three referees (preferably faculty members qualified to evaluate your academic achievement). Your referees will receive an auto-generated email asking them to submit a reference letter. Apply online here. Upload transcripts of all your post-secondary education to your online application.

  • A statement of intent is usually between one and two single-spaced pages. It should explain your choice of program, provide a detailed explanation of your proposed research, and explain why you wish to study in this department and at this university. If you have been in contact with a prospective supervisor, and if you have any teaching experience, please let us know in your statement of intent.
  • Your writing sample should be a recent essay or chapter of a thesis that demonstrates your writing and research skills. Your writing sample should be approximately 10-20 pages in length.
  • Your CV or résumé should focus on your accomplishments and experience (e.g. teaching, mentoring, or tutoring experience, degrees, publications, awards and scholarships, conference presentations, relevant volunteer or work experience, and the like.)

  If your undergraduate instruction was not in English, your admission to the University of Saskatchewan is conditional on demonstrating English language proficiency through official test results. The Graduate Program in English is a linguistically demanding academic course and requires fluency in spoken and written English. The department's minimum requirements for admission are:

  • TOEFL: minimum total score of 104
  • IELTS: minimum 7.5 of overall score

  Qualifications for the M.A. Program

  To qualify unconditionally for admission into the M.A., you should have the equivalent of an Honours B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan. This is a degree with ten full-year courses (or equivalent) in English literature and criticism, covering a wide range of historical periods and critical approaches. The minimum admission requirement for anyone studying under the British system is an Upper Second.

  If your academic preparation is not equivalent to the University of Saskatchewan Honours B.A., you may be recommended for admission as a conditionally qualified or probationary student. If so, the Graduate Committee may require you to take one or more undergraduate courses in specific areas, and get a minimum of 70% in each. You will not be eligible for funding during the qualifying or probationary period.

  To be eligible for the M.A. program, you must show an undergraduate average of at least 70% (or its equivalent), with at least 75% in English. In practice, applicants showing a minimum of 75% overall and 80% in English are given first consideration.

  Qualifications for the Ph.D. Program

  For admission into the Ph.D., you must have successfully completed an M.A. (courses with thesis, or courses only) deemed equivalent to a Saskatchewan M.A., with a minimum average of 80%.

  If your academic preparation is judged not equivalent to the University of Saskatchewan M.A., you may be recommended for admission to the M.A., or as a conditionally qualified Ph.D. student. In the latter case, you may have to take one or more courses in specified areas.

  Ph.D. applicants must indicate a proposed area of research. Acceptance depends on supervisory resources being available in that area. Ph.D. applicants must describe in a Statement of Intent the graduate work they have done so far, and propose a plan of study.

  Registration

  How to Register

  Once you have been accepted into the graduate program you will need a valid nsid (Network Services Identification) and password in order to log into PAWS and register. The nsid consists of three letters (3) followed by three digits. The nsid is not a secret. Your password is.

  If you do not have an nsid or are newly admitted, take your admission letter to ARTS 70 or contact them at help.desk@usask.ca (966-4817) and an nsid will be assigned to you.

  1. Log in to PAWS
  2. Select the Academics tab
  3. Select Studies Services in the Academic Services channel
  4. Select Registration

  Note: The College of Graduate Studies & Research requires that graduate students register for every one of the three terms of the school year until the program is completed or abandoned, i.e.:

  Term 1: Sept-Dec
  Term 2: Jan-April
  Term 3: May-August

  Students who are late registering must complete an override form, and get approval from the department. This form will later be passed off to Student Central for manual registration of the courses added after the deadline for changes. A late fee will be applied.

  When on campus, please drop in to the Department's general office, Arts 320, to confirm your address, phone, e-mail, & nsid.

  ENG 990: Professional Development Seminar

  All graduate students are required to attend the series of workshops entitled "Conversations on Graduate Studies in English" in their first year of graduate work. All Ph.D. students are required to give a seminar presentation (usually fourth year) in anticipation of their dissertation defense. All graduate students must attend the Ph.D. seminar presentations plus department colloquia. Registration in ENG 990 is compulsory for all graduate students.

  GPS 960

  GPS 960 is an online course that you complete through Canvas. All NEW Graduate Students need to complete GPS 960 Introduction to Ethics & Integrity.

  English 992

  Students taking the project-based M.A. must register in English 992.6, which requires appropriate work leading to the completion of the 25-30 page research project.

  English 994

  All M.A. students following the thesis option must register in 994.

  English 996

  All Ph.D. students must register in 996.