Application Deadlines
Please Note: The GRE is not required for admission.
March 1 for fall admission
November 1 for spring admission
Overview
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Our application requirements are also detailed in the graduate catalog program entry, midway down the page.
Applicants must apply online.
Application Materials
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to the English MA program must provide:
- An Official Transcript (in a sealed envelope or sent directly by your former institution to UCF via one of the approved electronic delivery methods) from each college/university attended.
- Two Letters of Recommendation, preferably from current or former college professors. The letters should testify to your ability to complete a graduate program, which involves extensive reading, writing, and scholarly research. It is helpful if the recommender has an advanced degree, and we prefer at least one of the letters be from a professor who knows your work as an undergraduate. However, any person able to describe your writing ability, work ethic, and maturity in a professional setting will be helpful. Please do not ask for recommendation letters from your friends, family, or coworkers (other than supervisors).
- A Statement of Background and Goals of 600-1000 words.
The goal statement should provide a narrative of your progress and describe how a MA in Technical Communication could fit into your trajectory. We encourage you to use the following as guiding questions to shape your response:- Why are you interested in Technical Communication? What led you to wanting to pursue a graduate degree in Technical Communication? What does Technical Communication mean to you?
- What background do you have in Technical Communication or in rhetoric, writing, literature, and/or related fields?
- What experiences do you have with conducting scholarly research and writing academic genres (types of writing) that have prepared you for this program?
- What experiences do you have with writing technical and/or workplace documentation that have prepared you for this program?
- Which courses in our program interest you the most? If you were to write an MA thesis, which professor(s) might you want to direct it?
- How might earning this degree help your career or shape your academic journey? Consider the possible industry, nonprofit, government, educational, medical, or scientific organizations that you see yourself working in some day as well as other educational experiences that you might pursue.
- Résumé or CV, if applying for an assistantship by the Priority deadline. We encourage you to emphasize any experiences that you have with teaching, conducting research, writing professional or academic documents, and creating digital publications.
- A Writing Sample of approximately 10 pages total. This needs to accomplish two tasks. First, it functions as a sample of your ability to communicate well in prose. Second, it should demonstrate a capacity to think logically and to translate this thought into well-organized language. In many cases, the writing sample will have originally been created for an undergraduate class, but this is not a requirement. The writing sample can also be a professional document. As such, your writing sample should include:
- 1. Introduction: 1-2 paragraphs introducing your writing sample and explaining why you selected this piece or several pieces as a representation of your work
- 2. About 10 pages of writing that demonstrate your ability to do the following:
- make a clear and compelling argument
- analyze literature, data, online materials, or other sources and puts two or more works in conversation
- cite outside sources correctly in a format appropriate to the work (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago, AP Style)
You might use all or part of a carefully edited undergraduate research paper for your writing sample. Alternatively, you might choose all or part of a proposal, report, review, or another workplace document. Writing samples composed independently are preferred; however, collaboratively produced work is acceptable. Be sure to note any documents that were composed collaboratively and clarify your role in the research, writing, and/or production process. Detail which sections or pages you composed directly or edited.
Please note that we will not accept any AI generated writing samples.
Your application and materials must be submitted through the UCF College of Graduate Studies online admission system.
We have no GRE requirement.
You must meet the minimum UCF admission criteria, but this does not guarantee program admission. Final admission is based on evaluation of your abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to your career/academic goals, and your potential for completing the degree.
We welcome applications from students with undergraduate degrees in areas other than English.
The UCF Graduate School limits the number of admitted students in any graduate program with an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0.
For more information visit our FAQ page or contact EnglishGrad@ucf.edu.