Admission Requirements

NOTE: Deadline for application to the June 2012 residency is April 5, 2012.

Applicants to the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction Program must submit:

• Completed application.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Current resume.
• Writing sample - Must be 10 double-spaced pages which can be part of longer work. Will be reviewed for its author's overall potential as a writer of popular fiction - specifically such criteria as story sense, character development, realistic dialogue, plot development, originality, and basic mechanics.
• Letter of intent outlining the applicant's background and goals as they pertain to the Writing Popular Fiction Program.
• Applicants whose native language is not English are required to provide  TOEFL scores or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. A TOEFL score of at least 650 (paper-based) or 114 (Internet-based) or 280 (computer-based) is required or an IELTS score of 7.0 is required for admission.  Applicants should make arrangements to take the test as soon as graduate study at Seton Hill University is anticipated and should request that the official test score be forwarded directly to the Office of Graduate and Adult Studies. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for all international students except those who are citizens of Australia, Bahamas, Canada (except Quebec province), Jamaica, New Zealand, Scotland, or the United Kingdom. Prospective students who have earned a bachelor or higher degree from the United States or from one of the aforementioned countries are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS test. International students, upon referral by Seton Hill faculty or staff member, may be required to undergo English as a second language testing to determine whether additional coursework for English proficiency will be required.
• Completed scholar's discount form.
• WES - Evaluation of Transcripts - (international students only)