Program

January 15th is the deadline to apply if you wish to begin the program in September and be considered for funding. Late applications may be considered at the discretion of the department but will not normally be considered for funding. The Department of English does not offer January admission intakes.

Refer to the Writing program for information regarding the M.F.A.

Please note that the Department of English is unable to waive application fees.

ProgramExpected LengthProject and/or thesisCourse based
M.A.1-2 years
Ph.D.4 years

The Department of English provides graduate training in literary and textual studies towards M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Our faculty members supervise graduate work in a range of periods, texts, and methods, including:

  • Medieval Studies
  • Early Modern Literature
  • Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature
  • Romantic and Victorian Literatures
  • American Literature
  • Canadian Literature
  • Postcolonial and Decolonizing Literatures
  • Indigenous Literature and Storytelling
  • Digital Humanities and Digital Studies
  • Modernist Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • Media Studies

The M.A. program offers a two-year thesis-based option as well as a one-year project-based option. Both include coursework and an independent research component. The Ph.D. program involves coursework and completion of a language requirement, as well as a Field Examination that supports the proposal, development, and defence of a book-length dissertation. An overview of the project is presented as a Works in Progress talk towards the end of the degree, which typically takes four or five years. A Research Methods course and a series of Professional Development seminars are degree requirements designed to support success within and beyond our M.A. and Ph.D. programs.

For more information on our programs, please consult the Department of English Prospective Graduate Students page.

In addition to a welcoming and supportive community of academic practice, students have access to resources provided by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, including courses, workshops, and the Teacher-Scholar Doctoral Fellowship, as well as supports offered through the University Library, including the Neil Richards Collection of Sexual and Gender Diversity available through University Archives and Special Collections, and the Digital Research Centre.

Research supervisors

It is helpful, but not required, to identify potential supervisors before you begin an application. Please read through list below to learn about the research interests of our faculty.

Name Research areas
Cultural Studies; Literature; United States; culture; film; nuclear; science
Creative Writing; Ecocriticism and Environmental philosophy; Contemporary poetry and poetics;
Aboriginal; Metis; indigenous; literature; storytelling; writing
England; Iceland; Wales; feud; literature; medieval; outlaws
19th Century; Canada; culture; literature; poetry
Victorian Literature and Culture; Disability Studies; Children's Literature; Periodical Studies;
19th century; 20th century; American Studies; American literature and culture; Critical Indigenous Studies; Genre fiction; Indigenous North American literatures; Law and literature
British literature; Early modern; Renaissance; Shakespeare
English; digital humanities; history; language; literature; medieval; technology
Autobiography; Feminist Theory; Queer Theory; Transnational Feminisms; Trauma and Resilience
Creative writing; culture; feminist theory; gender; poetry
Dorothy L. Sayers; England; Modernism/Modernity; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; The Motor-Car; Virginia Woolf
18th century; London; cultural studies; digital humanities; history of science & technology; history of the book; literature; print culture
John Donne; Renaissance; book history; cabinets of curiosities; cultural history; digital; digital humanities; early modern; literature
British literature; United States; fiction; life writing; literature; poetry
Augustine; Chaucer; John Donne; allegory; dream visions; early modern; history of science; medieval philosophy
African Literatures; Caribbean Literatures; Postcolonial Literature; Transnational and Diasporic Literatures; Trauma Theory
Chaucer; Dante; Digital humanities; editing
Adaptations; Apocalyptic and dystopian fiction; Canada; Canadian literature; Feminism; Popular culture; Sequels; Travel writing; gender
British Romanticism; Book History; Digital Humanities; Transatlantic Romanticism; Women's Writing
United States; guitar; hypertext; literature; poetry
Critical theory; linguistics; literature; translation
20th Century; Adrienne Rich; Ana Castillo; Annie Dillard; Catholic; Chimamanda Adichie; Mary Gordon; Simone Weil; Toni Morrison; attention; contemporary; ethics; feminism; gender; life writing; postcolonial; postmodern; redemption; religion; representation; suffering; theory; women; women writers
Canada; Comparative Literature; Cultural Studies; European Studies; Film; Ireland; Minority languages; Quebec

Tuition and funding

Funding

Upon admission each student is automatically considered for all forms of available funding, including scholarships and departmental awards; teaching, research, or Writing Centre assistantships; and bursaries and top-up funding. No separate application is necessary. Master’s students are typically funded for their first year of study. Doctoral students are guaranteed funding for at least the first four years of their degree.

All graduate students in the Department of English who are eligible to apply for the Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship are required to do so. Successful Master’s applicants for this award receive a further $6,000.00 from the University of Saskatchewan; successful Doctoral applicants receive a $7,500.00 top-up. More information on the CGRS and other funding opportunities can be found at the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies funding site and through the Scholarships tab below.

Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.

Tuition

Thesis or project-based master's program

Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.

Term Canadian students International students
September 1 - December 31, 2025 $1,812.00 CAD $4,077.00 CAD
January 1 - April 30, 2026 $1,812.00 CAD $4,077.00 CAD
May 1 - August 31, 2026 $1,812.00 CAD $4,077.00 CAD
Total per academic year $5,436.00 CAD $12,231.00 CAD

Doctoral program

Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic Ph.D. students pay the same rate.

Term
September 1 - December 31, 2025 $1,812.00 CAD
January 1 - April 30, 2026 $1,812.00 CAD
May 1 - August 31, 2026 $1,812.00 CAD
Total per academic year $5,436.00 CAD

Student fees

In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.

Fall 2025 Winter 2026 Spring 2026 Summer 2026
Student fees $578.45 CAD $804.73 CAD $36.75 CAD $36.75 CAD

Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.

Financial planning estimator

Admission requirements

    • Language Proficiency Requirements:* Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
    • A completed on-line application, the application fee, and all supporting application documents; application requirements, instructions and deadlines can be found on the department website.
    • A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70%** (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (e.g. 60 credit units).
    • A four-year honours degree in English, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university.

*Competitive applicants must achieve language proficiency scores from TOEFL or IELTS (Duolingo scores are not accepted by the Department of English) that are higher than the minimum standards set by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

**Applicants with a minimum 75% overall average and 80% or higher in English literature courses are given first consideration for admission.

To qualify unconditionally for admission into the M.A., you should have the equivalent of an Honours B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan. This is a degree with 10 full-year courses (or equivalent) in English literature and criticism, covering a wide range of historical periods and critical approaches. The minimum admission requirement for anyone studying under the British system is an Upper Second.

For information on admissions standards and the application package please consult the Department of English Prospective Graduate Students webpage.

Conditional admission to a Master’s degree program in the Department of English is rare. According to CGPS Policy 2.4.1, an exceptional applicant may be recommended for conditional admission under one or more of the following circumstances:

  1. The undergraduate or graduate degree is not yet complete.
  2. The applicant has not yet met the minimum standards for proof of English language proficiency.
  3. Official required documents, such as transcripts, are not yet available.
  4. Applicants are required to take a specific number of courses and achieve a specific grade in a defined period of time.

  • Language Proficiency Requirements:* Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
  • Master's degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline.
  • A completed on-line application, the application fee, and all supporting application documents.
  • A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70%** (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of full-time study (e.g. 60 credit units).

* Competitive applicants must achieve language proficiency scores from TOEFL or IELTS (Duolingo scores are not accepted by the Department of English) that are higher than the minimum standards set by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

**Applicants with a minimum 80% overall average in their Master’s degree are given first consideration for admission.

For admission into the Ph.D., you must have successfully completed an M.A. degree (courses with thesis, or courses only) in English literary and textual studies or a closely affiliated degree program deemed equivalent to a USask M.A. Ph.D. applicants must identify a proposed area or field of research. Admission is contingent on both the quality of the application and the availability of supervisory resources in that area.

For information on admissions standards and the application package please consult the Department of English Admissions and Applications.

Conditional admission to the Ph.D. degree program in the Department of English is rare. According to CGPS Policy 2.4.1, an exceptional applicant may be recommended for conditional admission under one or more of the following circumstances:

  1. The undergraduate or graduate degree is not yet complete.
  2. The applicant has not yet met the minimum standards for proof of English language proficiency.
  3. Official required documents, such as transcripts, are not yet available.
  4. Applicants are required to take a specific number of courses and achieve a specific grade in a defined period of time.

Application process

Submit an online application

International Students - Starting January 1, 2026, master’s and doctoral students applying for a study permit do not need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma students, as well as Visiting Research students studying over six months, still need a PAL. Review federal international study permit policies before you apply. 

Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.

During the application, you'll be asked for:

  • Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
  • Contact information of your three referees
    • Please note that all three referees should be academic contacts who have a very good sense of your past scholarly work and of your academic potential in the field of English literary and textual studies.
  • Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions

The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.

At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable application fee: $125 for domestic students and $145 for international students. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.

Submit required documents

Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application.

Note that the Department of English does not accept Duolingo scores as proof of English-language proficiency.

Preliminary Statement of Marks

  • Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
  • The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college and must include a grading key/legend.
  • All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
  • Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
  • Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.

For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:

  • Completing a relevant test with the appropriate score is required before the application deadline.
  • Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
  • Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.

In addition to the above official documents, please upload the following documents:

  • Statement of Intent: This 2-3 page (double-spaced) overview of your intentions should provide a sense of your background preparation for advanced work in English literary and textual studies. It should indicate why you wish to pursue graduate work in the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan, and it should include a concise and focused explanation of your proposed research project. That explanation of the topic, text(s), key issues, main research questions, analytical framework, and anticipated contribution of your project should answer questions such as the following:
    • what are you hoping to research (what is your research question or hypothesis)?
    • which specific authors and works (or in the case of a cultural studies approach, which specific issues) do you aim to study?
    • what is the context (period, locale)?
    • what is the theoretical/methodological framework you intend to use?
    • who might be a good supervisor for this research, and why?
  • Writing Sample: The writing sample should be a recent essay or section of a thesis that demonstrates your writing and research skills. Your writing sample should be approximately 20-25 (and no more than 30) double-spaced pages.
  • A CV or resumé: The curriculum vitae or resumé should focus on your accomplishments and experiences (e.g. degrees, diplomas, and/or certificates; publications, conference presentations, awards and scholarships; teaching, mentoring, and/or tutoring experiences; volunteer and/or work experience, and other professional activities).

Contact

Graduate Admissions
Department of English
9 Campus Drive, Arts Room 518
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5

Graduate Chair
Dr. Ann Martin
Email: ann.martin@usask.ca

Application Admin Support
Anna McKenzie
Email: asg.gradapplications@usask.ca

Program Admin Support
Nadine Penner
Email: asg.graduateprograms@usask.ca