MFA APPLICATION: information and forms
on-line
APPLICATION
INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
2007-2008
1) Please
read carefully the MFA Program Description before
filling out
2) Print
the Application for Admission to Graduate School and,
if desired, the Application for Graduate Assistantship
(Acrobat Reader required for both), then return to these instructions.
3) Please indicate your full address, zip code, and phone
number (including area code) on the application forms. We may have to contact
you. MFA applicants should check the box for Master’s degree on the Application
for Admission to
4) GRE
results are not required by the
5) Letters
of recommendation are not required for application to the Graduate School at
Wichita State University, but letters are required if you are applying for a
Graduate Teaching Assistantship. (See Teaching
Assistantships In English)
6) A
one-time, non-refundable $35 application fee will be charged for degree bound
applicants who are
7) If
your grade point average in English is lower than 3.0, you may be allowed to
enter the program on probationary standing. Probationary students must maintain
a specified grade point average for a prescribed period of time.
8) If
you have fewer than the required number of undergraduate English hours (24),
you may be allowed to enter the program on conditional standing. You may then
complete all or some prescribed portion of those undergraduate hours while
attending WSU.
9) As
an MFA applicant, you should send your sample manuscripts to the Director of
Creative Writing when (or before) you apply to the
Note: Since full standing in the degree program depends upon the evaluation of submitted manuscripts, candidates who wish to have their manuscripts evaluated prior to official application to the Graduate School should submit sample manuscripts well in advance of submitting an application to the Graduate School, thus allowing sufficient time for a program decision regarding degree status.
10) After you have read all of the material, and completed your application forms, please note the Where To Send The Application Materials section at the end of this page, then click on the final Check-List in order to ensure that you’ve done everything properly.
TEACHING
ASSISTANTSHIPS IN ENGLISH
2007-2008
Except for special fellowships usually awarded to students already enrolled in our programs, the teaching assistantship is the only regular form of financial aid that the Department of English is able to offer. A number of assistantships are available each year and are awarded on a competitive basis. With satisfactory performance and progress toward the degree, a teaching assistant may have his or her assistantship renewed each year for the duration of his or her program.
Teaching
assistants normally teach two sections of English Composition while taking six
to nine hours of course work.
Those who lack prior experience are required to take English 780, a
course in the teaching of composition, and
English 667, a non-degree credit course in English Syntax. Because of the amount of
time that teaching takes and courses require, teaching assistants may not
accept outside employment unless they have the written permission of the
English department chairperson.
Teaching assistants are employed for the regular school year. Summer employment is a possibility, but the opportunities to teach in the summer are fairly irregular, and a teaching assistant should not make plans that are built upon the prospect of summer teaching. The stipend for the 2007-2008 year is $8500 (taxable). In addition to the stipend, teaching assistants receive a 100% reduction in basic tuition though not of other student fees.
If
you wish to apply for a teaching assistantship, you should pay special
attention to the February 15th (if application is made for the fall semester)
and October 1st (if application is made for the spring semester) deadlines.*
You should also note that the applicant is responsible for assuring that three
letters of recommendation for the TA application are promptly submitted by the
recommenders.
* Applications for graduate
assistantships will be considered after the deadlines only if the department
has additional assistantships to award after consideration of those
applications that arrive before the deadlines. All applicants are advised to
make every attempt to submit their materials before the deadline dates.
Teaching Assistantship Applications should include a sample of expository prose.
Either of the following is acceptable:
an academic paper of five
or more double-spaced pages (preferably one that has been graded);
an essay of three to five double-spaced pages which might include the following: why you would be an effective teacher; why it is important for a person today, in the era of cell phones and e-mail, to write effectively; and how teaching expository writing might benefit you as a creative or scholarly writer.
TUITION &
FEES
(Information taken from the Spring 2007 catalog
Graduate tuition per credit hour:
Resident $193.80*
Non-resident $548.20*
Tuition and Fees are required to be paid in full before enrollment is complete. Cash and personal checks as well as Visa and MasterCard will be accepted as payment. All fees subject to change by the State Board of Regents.
A non-refundable registration fee of $17.00 will be assessed each student per semester/session.
*Student fees of $23.35 per credit hour are included in these rates. There is no maximum hour flat fee as in past semesters. All fees are assessed on a per credit hour basis.
A non-refundable facilities use fee (parking, etc.) will be assessed at the rate of $3.60 per credit hour, per semester.
WHERE TO SEND
THE APPLICATION MATERIALS
It is important to note that different application materials are sent to different places.
Wichita State
University
Sample Manuscripts (MFA) are sent
to:
Kim Hamilton, Administrative Assistant
Department of English,
Wichita, KS
67260-0014
Teaching Assistant Applications, Expository Writing Samples, and Letters of Recommendation are sent to:
Susan Wilcox
Assistant to the Graduate
Coordinator
Department of English,
Wichita, KS
67260-0014
MFA PROGRAM
APPLICATION CHECK-LIST