• Bachelor’s degree: A bachelor's degree is required. However, because of the interdisciplinary nature of technical communication, the bachelor's degree may be in almost any field, such as science, engineering, humanities, communication, journalism or information technology.

• Grade Point Average (GPA): No minimum GPA is required for admission, per se. However, the faculty will take GPA into consideration when making the decisions about admission and funding.

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE): The GRE is required, and although there are no minimum scores for admission, per se, the faculty will take the GRE scores into consideration when making decisions about admission and funding.

• Letters of recommendation: Three letters of recommendation are required. They should be written by university professors and/or workplace supervisors who are familiar with the applicant's work. The letters should be confidential.

• TOEFL/IELTS: The department requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper), 213 (computer), and 79 (IBT). The IELTS may be taken instead of the TOEFL. The minimum-score requirement for the IELTS is 6.5. A student who has not taken the TOEFL may be admitted provisionally and required to take the TOEFL before the end of his or her first semester.

• Writing sample: Submission of a writing sample is not required, but it is encouraged. A writing sample will be considered if it is included with the application.

• Letter of application: In a letter addressed to the department chair, the applicant should discuss his or her academic background, knowledge of technical communication as a discipline, and interest in S&T's graduate program in technical communication. Also, if interested, the applicant should request a teaching assistantship.

Missouri S&T and UMSL have joint policies for the cooperative M.A. in English program. Applicants must meet the graduate admission requirements of both universities and those of the English departments at both universities to be considered for admission.

• Applicants must have a bachelor's degree, with at least 24 hours in English above the freshman level and 12 hours in literature courses.

• Normally, only applicants with a GPA of at least 3.0 in undergraduate English courses and an overall average of 2.75 will be considered.

• Applicants must submit scores for the GRE. In general, students scoring below the 65th percentile on the verbal reasoning portion of the exam will not be accepted into the program. Students may retake the examination to improve their scores.

• The program requires two letters of recommendation from English professors with whom the student has worked.

• The department requires either (1) a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 79 (IBT) or (2) a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.

• Students must submit fiction or poetry in application for the creative writing track.

The applicant’s letters of recommendation, undergraduate record and GRE scores will be the basis for the admission decision.