Requirements

Application deadline is January 15 to start in August of the same year. The program only admits students for the Fall Semester, August.

Requirements for admission to the University of Arkansas Graduate School are as follows:

  • A conferred baccalaureate degree. Students who have not completed their baccalaureate degree at the time of application must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA on the last 60.0 credit hours of attempted coursework. Students who have a degree at the time of application must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA on the last 60.0 credit hours of attempted coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
  • A conferred post-baccalaureate degree, master's degree or doctoral degree (excluding professional degrees) from a regionally accredited institution.

Please visit the Graduate School Catalog for all of the requirements for the M.A. Degree in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies and the various requirements for the different concentrations (Comparative Literature, Interdisciplinary Hispanic studies, World Languages and Applied Linguistics, Cultural Stud­ies, Literary Translation) offered for the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Admission to the Graduate School is the first step.  Applicants must also be admitted to our academic program:

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies: The normal preparation for graduate study in comparative literature and cultural studies is an undergraduate degree in world languages, English, or a related field in the humanities and the social sciences. Applicants should have advanced proficiency in the intended languages of study. Admission requirements:

  • Application to the Graduate School.
  • Complete official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work. 
  • International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, or other Graduate School-approved English proficiency exams, meeting the minimum score required by the Graduate School https://international-students.uark.edu/
  • Statement of purpose describing academic interests and professional goals.
  • A curriculum vitae.
  • An academic writing sample, demonstrating critical thinking, writing ability and research potential (10 pages approximately).
  • Three letters of recommendation.

 

Requirements for our Doctoral concentrations:

  • Application to the Graduate School.
  • Complete official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
  • International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, or other Graduate School-approved English proficiency exam, meeting the minimum score required by the Graduate School https://international-students.uark.edu/
  • Statement of purpose describing academic interests and professional goals. Doctoral applicants must specify which concentration they wish to pursue (comparative literature, cultural studies, Hispanic Studies, applied linguistics, or translation) and describe how their research interests might be met by working with specific members of our faculty. 
  • An academic writing sample preferably from a research or examination paper from a literature or culture course, showing evidence of critical thinking, writing ability and advanced research skills (20pp. approx.) 
  • Three letters of recommendation from former instructors, employers, or supervisors.
  • Notice: although the GRE is not required for admission into the program, eligibility for doctoral fellowships does require the GRE exam.

In the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies program, each student shall achieve an advanced knowledge of literary and cultural theory, including the ability to apply the theory to specific literary and cultural texts. Students shall gain sufficient knowledge to design, in collaboration with their faculty committees, which are specific to each individual student, a series of different reading lists (the number corresponding to their degree) in their specialty area, theoretical fields, and world literatures and cultures lists supporting the breadth and depth of preparation beyond the student’s main specialty. To this end, each student shall gain the knowledge and expertise necessary to successfully pass the comprehensive exam or complete a thesis project in their particular individualized field.