MA & PhD Program Application Process

Application Deadline

All application materials should be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm CT on January 5. We admit students to the RSTC MA and PhD programs only for the fall semester of each year. To help you prepare your application, we invite you to:

Before You Apply

Research Our Programs and the Application Process

Learn more about our MA and PhD programs by exploring the Research Programs section of this website. In addition, we encourage you to review our RSTC Admissions FAQ and and the Graduate School's Prospective Student Toolkit. The Graduate School Diversity Office offers helpful information for prospective students, including admissions and application consultations.

Register for an Information Session

We invite you to attend one of our free, virtual RSTC information sessions! We hold information sessions on Zoom in the fall before the application deadline. Program faculty and staff will answer your questions about coursework, the application process, career development, and more.

Select Your Degree

MA applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree before beginning the RSTC program. PhD applicants must have a completed master’s degree before beginning the RSTC program. The master’s degree should be in a related discipline such as rhetoric, technical and professional communication, English, or communication studies. In the fall of their second year, MA students making satisfactory progress are invited to apply to the RSTC PhD program. MA courses transfer to the PhD upon admission.

Understand the Program Funding Opportunities

Review the program funding opportunities. All RSTC applicants are automatically considered for funding. There is not a separate funding application.

Contact Us with Questions!

We strive for transparency in our program requirements and admissions process. If you have questions about our programs or how to apply, please email Allie Cooperman, Graduate Programs Coordinator, at writgpc@umn.edu.

Application Review and Timeline

As part of our commitment to an equitable and inclusive admissions process, we review your application materials holistically. We consider the following when reviewing your application materials:

  • the alignment between your expressed interests and the focus of the program;
  • strong academic preparation for graduate-level studies and potential for growth;
  • scholarly and professional potential; and
  • diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments.

We do not require GRE scores, nor will we review GRE scores if they are submitted. We also do not have a minimum required GPA.

All application materials must be submitted electronically through the online admissions system by January 5 at 11:59pm CT. Program faculty review applications after the deadline. All applicants can anticipate receiving a decision in February. 

Questions or Access Requests?

Please contact Allie Cooperman, Graduate Programs Coordinator, at writgpc@umn.edu with any questions or access requests.

Application Requirements

The Graduate School must receive all of the following materials before your application will be considered. To ensure a consistent and equitable review process, we only review the materials listed below. Any additional materials will be redacted from the application prior to review. Start your application now!

When you start your online application through the Graduate School, you will first select your intended program. Using the drop-down options, select:

  • Campus: “University of Minnesota - Twin Cities”
  • College/School: “Liberal Arts”
  • Program: “Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication MA” OR “Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication PhD”

Next, complete the required application sections:

  • Term Selection
  • Biographical Information
  • Personal Background
  • Employment
  • Writing Studies

GRE scores are neither required nor considered for the MA and PhD programs. We recommend reviewing the Graduate School’s admissions guide for additional application information.

You must upload an unofficial transcript (or equivalent academic record) from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you previously attended. See important information about uploading transcripts from the Graduate School.

The University of Minnesota will only request official transcripts from students who are accepted and matriculate into a graduate program. Please do not mail paper copies of your transcripts.

Upload your unofficial transcripts in the Academic History section of the online application.

In no more than 500 words, articulate your academic and career goals. The goal of this statement is to give the faculty a clear sense of who you are, what your goals are, and why you think the University of Minnesota is the best place for you to pursue your graduate education. Consider the following questions (note: you do not need to answer all): 

  • Why do you want to study rhetoric, writing studies, and/or technical communication at a graduate level?
  • Why have you chosen to apply to the University of Minnesota? What about our program is exciting to you and why? Which faculty do you see yourself working with most closely and why? (It may be helpful to review RSTC faculty profiles.)
  • What are your core areas of research/teaching interest within the field? What do you anticipate will be the focus of your research/scholarly projects? E.g. What kinds of questions, problems, or topics do you want to pursue?
  • What experiences, training, or education have prepared you to succeed in graduate-level work in rhetoric, writing studies, and/or technical communication?
  • What are your long-term professional goals and how will the RSTC program help you pursue those goals? 

The primary audience of this statement is the RSTC graduate faculty.

Upload your Statement of Purpose in the Materials section of the online application. Read more about the Statement of Purpose in our Admissions FAQ.

The Department of Writing Studies, in alignment with the broader University of Minnesota-Twin Cities community, recognizes that equity, diversity, and inclusion must be addressed at the individual, community, and systemic levels. Encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusion happens in representation, development of personal awareness, praxis, and policy. The department actively seeks to engage in creating socially just learning and workplace environments and opportunities. We encourage applicants to review the Department of Writing Studies’ Equity and Diversity Statement

In no more than 500 words, explain how you are prepared to contribute to our program’s commitment to equity, diversity, access, inclusion, and justice. Consider the following questions (note: you do not need to answer all): 

  • What does enacting diversity, equity, inclusion, and access look like for you? How might those commitments show up in the work that you’ll do as a graduate student, researcher, teacher, and member of the University of Minnesota community? 
  • In what ways are you prepared to advance equity, access, inclusion, justice, and diversity in your research, teaching, and graduate studies? 
  • How might your perspective, experiences, training, and/or skills contribute to the diversity of the university's graduate student body?

The primary audience of this statement is the RSTC graduate faculty.

Upload your Diversity Statement in the Materials section of the online application. Read more about the Diversity Statement in our Admissions FAQ.

The Extenuating Circumstances statement is an optional component of our application process and is not applicable to all applicants. This is a space to share factors that might contextualize your application. For example, an applicant might address challenges that affected their grades. 

If applicable, upload your Extenuating Circumstances Statement in the Materials section of the online application. Read more about the Extenuating Circumstances Statement in our Admissions FAQ.

Please provide a current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume. The document should include any academic awards or honors that you have received. 

Upload your CV or resume in the Materials section of the online application.

We require two writing samples of your academic or professional work. At least one sample must demonstrate your ability to carry out research and construct an argument based on research. Each sample should be 20 pages or fewer in length.

Upload your writing samples in the Materials section of the online application.

Request three letters of recommendation through the online application system.  Recommendations from faculty are highly encouraged, although letters written by employers are also accepted. We strongly recommend one letter come from your advisor, a major professor, or department chair who can speak to your academic experience and potential, specifically for our program. We recommend that recommendation letters are submitted on letterhead as PDF attachments.

We encourage you to communicate the recommendation letter submission deadline (January 5) directly to your recommenders. The online application system does not include the deadline information in their request messages.

See important information about letters of recommendation from the Graduate School and read more about letters of recommendation in our Admissions FAQ

The Graduate School has specific English language proficiency requirements for submitting a graduate program application. Note that employment as a teaching assistant (TA) or graduate instructor (GI) also has requirements for demonstrating English proficiency. Given that many RSTC students work as TAs or GIs, we recommend reviewing both requirements when choosing to take an English proficiency test (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS).

The Graduate School provides information on current application fees.

The RSTC program is dedicated to building an applicant pool that reflects our commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. We know that the application fee can be an obstacle to applying to a graduate program. In such cases, we may be able to help you find a fee waiver. Please email Allie Cooperman, the Graduate Programs Coordinator, at writgpc@umn.edu for more information.