Applicants must have completed the equivalent of the University of Iowa undergraduate major in French. Applicants for fall semester whose application materials are received in the department by Jan. 15 have the best chance to be admitted and receive financial aid. All applicants must submit:

• Academic transcripts
• Letters of recommendation from three persons familiar with their past academic work
• A statement of purpose
• Two samples of original writing, one in French and one in English, that show their ability to pursue graduate work. These writing samples could be an honors thesis, term paper, seminar paper, or other course papers.
• International students must also submit TOEFL scores according to the English Proficiency Requirements of the Graduate College.

Graduate student resource guide (PDF)

Students applying to the MA program in linguistics will be considered regardless of the field of their previous training. Applicants for fall semester whose application materials are received in the department by Jan. 15 have the best chance to be admitted and receive financial aid. All applicants must submit:

• Academic transcripts
• Letters of recommendation from three persons familiar with their past academic work
• A statement of purpose
• PhD students must submit written evidence of the ability to do advanced work in linguistics
• International students must also submit TOEFL or IELTS scores according to the English proficiency requirements of the Graduate College.

Applications are reviewed only through the University of Iowa Graduate College website located at Graduate and Professional Admissions. For more information on details on how to apply, see the following appropriate How to Apply section. All applicants must submit:

• The supplemental MFA application form 
  • Complete and upload it to your Admissions Profile
• Portfolio of writing
  • 8-10 pages of literary translations from your source language (along with originals and a brief translator’s note); 8-10 pages of original writing in English, critical or creative
• Statement of purpose indicating that the applicant understands the nature of the graduate program for which they are applying. 
  • Well-organized essay (600 words, written in English)
  • Describe why you are seeking admission to our Literary Translation graduate program
  • How your current and past experiences have prepared you for graduate study in this field
  • Your future academic and career plans, and any additional information that may aid in evaluating your candidacy
  • Include in your statement your address, telephone number, and e-mail address
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
  • To be uploaded by the recommenders, these are signed letters on official letterhead to assist us in judging the applicant's potential for graduate study. 
  • Letters should include the basis for the recommenders' judgment and, particularly, their assessment of the applicant's strengths and weaknesses, ability and motivation to succeed in graduate school
• A curriculum vitae or résumé
• Evidence of advanced competence in the foreign language (normally three years or its equivalent of college level work), and substantial preparation in English literature
• International students must also submit TOEFL scores according to the English Proficiency Requirements of the Graduate College

Successful candidate profile

Applicants often ask us about the profile of a successful candidate. Like most competitive programs, we get more applicants than we can admit, and those we admit usually possess profiles that exceed the minimum criteria. Here are some things to consider as you decide whether our program is the right fit for you. The application requirements are further below.

Our successful candidate is one who has an excellent proficiency in the source language; a deep and sustained passion for literature, literary study, and creative writing; a compelling portfolio that shows promise in the art of literary translation; and an abiding interest in international literature and global literary exchanges. Many of our applicants have spent a semester or a year in a country where their source language is spoken. We welcome bi-lingual and multi-lingual applicants as well as those with a strong and active heritage language. We also admit international students who possess near-native proficiency in English. Alongside valuing creative writing and foreign language skills, we also value analytic and critical skills, as we hope to produce translators who can translate but also reflect and write about translation.

Because there is no formal undergraduate degree program in translation in the US, we make every effort to evaluate applicants holistically: some have attained bachelor’s degrees recently or some time ago, while others hold advanced degrees including the MA or MFA. We welcome graduates of world languages, comparative literature, creative writing, and literary studies, but also of programs in the social sciences, fine arts, and natural sciences so long as they demonstrate commitment to the literary arts.

About language matches: while the majority of our students translate from world languages in which we have faculty mentors, we also admit students translating from other languages, provided that they demonstrate excellent source language proficiency.

Admission to both degree programs is required, but applicants need apply to one program only and clearly note in their Statement of Purpose that they would like to be considered for the joint degree. For more information, review the Graduate Admissions requirements for French and Francophone World Studies and Literary Translation.