All applicants to the Program in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies must be admitted to the University of Arkansas Graduate School via a separate application. The Graduate School sets the minimum admission requirements for all graduate students at the University of Arkansas, such as having a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education with a grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 4) or above in the last 60 hours of coursework. See the Graduate School Page for more information and visit this page for further instructions: http://www.uark.edu/depts/gradinfo/forms/student/appl-instruct.pdf

International Students

Applicants whose native language is not English must present satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, our institution code is 6866) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The University defines a minimum satisfactory score on TOEFL as 550 (paper-based)/213 (computer-based), 80 on the new ITB (Internet Based TOEFL), or 6.5 on the IELTS for admission and the test must have been taken within two years immediately preceding the requested semester of admission and be valid at the time of enrollment. No other measures of English proficiency are accepted by the University of Arkansas for the purpose of gaining admission.

Application Materials Required for the Program

The following application materials must be submitted in support of any application to the Program in Com­parative Literature and Cultural Studies, at either the MA or PhD level:

1. Application for Admission to Graduate Study in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies. The form is available from the Program Director or may be downloaded here.
2. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores on the Aptitude Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing).
3. International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Lan­guage Testing System (IELTS) exams, meeting the minimum score required by the Graduate School.
4. Complete official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
5. Three letters of recommendation from former teachers, employers, or supervisors.
6. A writing sample, preferably from an essay or examination paper from a literature course, showing evidence of critical thinking and writing ability.
7. Statement of purpose describing academic interests and profes­sional goals. Doctoral applicants must specify which track they wish to pursue: comparative literature, modern languages, cultural studies, Hispanic studies, or translation.

All application materials should be submitted directly to:

Professor M. Keith Booker

Director of the Program in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Department of English

333 Kimpel Hall

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR 72701

Submittal of electronic versions of all documents, in either pdf or Word formats, is encouraged. All electronic materials should be submitted as e-mail attachments to kbooker@uark.edu.