One of the most commonly asked questions when applying to graduate school is what constitutes a complete dossier, and how the process works.

When applying to the M.A. in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages (MCL), you will be submitting all the documentation to the Graduate Office; the Department does not gather any paperwork, so please do not send any documents to MCL, as they will not be processed. Once your dossier is complete, the Graduate Office will send it to MCL, where it will be reviewed and evaluated by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Your dossier will then go back to the Graduate Office, which will send you a letter of notification.

The application may be completed in its entirety online through the Graduate Office:
http://www.cas.gsu.edu/grad_admission.html
A physical address is also provided, should you need to snail-mail in a document or apply by paper.

A complete dossier will include the following documents, required by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of MCL:

College of Arts and Sciences:

• Application form and Residency information.
• A GRE combined score of 1000 points (old scale) or 297 points (new scale). For information on the test, visit: www.ets.org/gre.
• Official proof of a four-year bachelor's degree. Because deadlines sometimes overlap, a candidate may apply and have the application reviewed while the B.A. degree is still pending. However shall the candidate be admitted, a hold would be placed on the record preventing from registering for graduate coursework until official proof of degree is submitted.
• For international students:
  • The TOEFL exam is required. For information on the test, visit: www.ets.org/toefl. Also accepted are IELTS scores in lieu of the TOEFL: http://www.ielts.org/.
  • Foreign titles and certificates must be translated by an independent  service before submission.
  • Fore more detailed information, visit: http://www.cas.gsu.edu/international_admission.html   

Department of Modern and Classical Languages:

• An undergraduate major or its equivalent in the language to be studied.
• A minimum of three literature courses, including the introductory course or its equivalent.
• A letter of intent expressing the objectives and interest of the student in entering the program.
• Two letters of recommendation speaking to the applicant's potential for successful completion of a graduate program (dossiers will not be considered without both letters). Seek writers who can speak of your academic abilities, not just regular employers or people who know you in a non-professional environment.
• A writing sample of an analytical nature in the target language of between 1,250 and 6,000 words (Times New Roman, 12). A good submission would be a final term paper you wrote for a senior B.A. class, where you demonstrate good analytical skills, some bibliography, and original ideas. A well thought-out piece will usually be 10 pages long.

You may submit any other information that you think will help the Graduate Admissions Committee know you better (i.e., a certificate or M.A. in a related field or an additional letter of recommendation).

At the discretion of the MCL Graduate Admissions Committee, an entrance exam may be required. The candidate could also be admitted as "special status", and will have to make a grade of "B" or better in the first three seminars taken so that the status is lifted.

Submission Deadlines

The following submission deadlines apply. The dossier must be complete at the Graduate Office, as follows:

• To begin in the summer semester: April 01.
• To begin in the fall semester: March 15.
• To begin in the spring semester: October 15.

The dossier will not be reviewed by the MCL Graduate Admissions Committee unless all documentation is complete and current by the posted deadlines. No exceptions will be made, so please plan ahead.