How to Apply to the PhD Program
Application Deadline:
February 1, 2008
Applicants who wish to be considered for assistantships will have the best
chances for these positions if their applications are complete by February
1.
To be eligible for a university-paid campus visit in February, applicants
should complete their applications by early January. The department can
nominate a total of three applicants.
You will submit some materials to the Graduate School and some to the English Department. You will send official transcripts to both places, and some information will be used in both applications.
Step One: Apply to the Graduate School
Complete the Graduate School's online application:
Among other things, the online application form will ask you to
- select a campus [select "Blacksburg"]
- select a program [select "Rhetoric and Writing"]
- provide one official transcript from each college or university you have attended
- provide test scores for the GRE General Test
- provide test scores for the TOEFL Exam if you are not a graduate of an anglophone university
- provide the contact information for three references
- secure online recommendations from all three of these recommenders
- provide information in writing. We recommend that you compose the following documents offline using a minimum of formatting and then copy and paste your responses into the appropriate window in the online application form:
Academic and Professional Goals Statement: Why do you want to undertake graduate work? What do you expect to derive from your program of study? If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area. What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession? [Please limit your response to 1000 words or fewer.]
Your resumé or vita
Step Two: Apply to the Department of English
Send hard copy of the following materials to
Terri Whaling
Graduate Support Staff
Department of English (0112)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
- An official transcript from each college or university you have attended. [These transcripts are in addition to the official transcripts required by the Graduate School ].
- Three letters of recommendation: arrange for three people to send letters of recommendation on your behalf. Usually these letters will be from professors or other individuals who can predict your success in graduate study. [These hard copy letters are in addition to the online forms required in the Graduate School application.]
- A resumé or vita. [This resumé or vita is in addition to the one required in the Graduate School application.]
- A personal statement explaining your interests
in a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing, including your
research interests. Please limit your statement
to 1000 words or fewer.
If you are applying for an assistantship, you might note in your personal statement experience with teaching, writing centers, English language learners, research, administration, or technical support.
[This statement is in addition to the information required in the Graduate School application, but you may be able to use some of the information in both places.] - A writing sample: this sample (often a course paper) should demonstrate your ability to do academic writing, including the use of secondary sources. The topic does not have to be rhetoric and writing. The suggested length is 15-20 pages, double-spaced.
How to Apply for an Assistantship
The PhD in Rhetoric and Writing Program will offer teaching and research assistantships to qualified students.
At the bottom of page 6 of the online Graduate School application form, you will be asked "Do you wish to be considered for an assistantship or fellowship?" If you check yes, you will automatically be added to our list of candidates for assistantships in the program.
How We Select Graduate Students
Our goal is to admit students who are likely to succeed in completing the requirements for the PhD degree and whose research interests can be supported by this program. All of the information we collect in the application helps us evaluate your potential for graduate study and the match of your interests with our strengths. These materials include your writing sample, personal statement, resumé or vita, letters of recommendation, transcripts, interview with Rhetoric and Writing faculty, GRE scores, and any additional information you provide, such as leadership or work experience or special skills. No one component (such as a GRE score) ensures admission nor precludes it; we make a judgment based on the entire application.
Teaching experience or other workplace or volunteer experience may add value to an application because of what they tell us about applicants and the richness of life experience that the applicant brings to the university community.