Application Process

There are two types of admission to the Graduate Studies Program:

Master's Degree Application

All candidates for admission to the Master of Arts degree from Trinity College must hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Recent graduates should have earned a minimum cumulative average of "B-" (80) in all undergraduate courses and should show proficiency in their field of specialization. Less emphasis is placed on the undergraduate standing of applicants whose study was completed some years earlier, although in such cases professional experience and interests will be very carefully considered. All applicants should have a sound background in the liberal arts, and have attained graduate-level competency in English. No application will be considered until all materials have been received, including official copies of all graduate and undergraduate transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the writing sample(s).

All Applicants: A writing sample is required of each applicant to the Master's program. In an essay of no fewer than 3 pages ( 1,000 words ), applicants are asked to explain their personal reasons and anticipated goals for applying to their desired degree program.

English M.A. Applicants: All applicants to the English Master's program must submit a 5-10 page essay of literary analysis together with their 3-page personal statement and other application materials. English applicants wishing to concentrate in Creative Writing are required to submit an additional 25 pages of original fiction, an original full-length play, or 5 pages of original poetry, along with their essay, 3-page personal statement, and other application materials.

Application deadlines for the Master's degree are May 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester. Decisions will be made by June 1 and January 1, respectively. Applications that remain incomplete after these dates will be processed as non-matriculated admissions for the sake of expediency, but converted automatically to matriculated once completed. Application forms are available in the Office of Graduate Studies in Seabury Hall. An offer of admission to the Master's Program at Trinity is valid for one year. If courses have not been taken within that year, the student may reapply for candidacy.

Non-Matriculated Application

Students may register for one or two graduate courses on a special, non-matriculated basis before applying for matriculation.

Students interested in applying for special non-matriculated admission should contact the Office of Graduate Studies for the special application form. All applications for non matriculated admission must be accompanied by official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts and include a record of receipt of the Bachelor's degree. Letters of recommendation and the writing sample(s) are not required for this type of application.

Non-matriculated students who have made the decision to work towards a Master's degree are urged to apply for matriculation as early as possible. There are two advantages to doing so: 1) if the application is not approved, the student will be spared the cost of tuition for courses that will not be credited toward the degree; and 2) if the application is approved, the student will be assigned an advisor in his/her major department. Since all candidates for the Master's degree at Trinity College must complete a minimum of six courses after admission to candidacy, no more than four courses may be earned on a non-matriculated basis. Select an application from the choices listed below:

Martriculate application form | Non-martriculate application form