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Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Apply to the M.A.T. Program

How to Apply to the M.A.T. Program in Foreign Language

  • Students are invited to go to the Graduate School site and fill out an electronic application. Paper applications are no longer available. All material should be sent to the graduate school in one packet. This material includes the following:
  • 3 letters of recommendation, each sent in a sealed official envelope with the recommender's signature across the seal
  • an undergraduate transcript
  • a 250 word statement of purpose: explain the connection between UofSC's programs and your personal goals
  • a writing sample (in the relevant language) of between 1000 and 2500 words. This could be a paper written for an undergraduate course or an essay prepared specifically for the application.
  • a five-minute sample of your spoken French, German, or Spanish if you are not a native speaker. The file should be saved as an mp3 file on a cd. Please do not simply read a text in the language. The recording should be conversational and could even be between you and a professor or native speaker to help make it sound more conversational if you'd like.
  • Candidates who DO WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP should apply by January 1st. Admission candidates WHO DO NOT WISH TO REQUEST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE should complete the application process by May 1. Applications received after this date will be considered only if space is available.
  • MAT students are required to take an oral proficiency interview (OPI) [Link to LTI] by July 15 to assess their proficiency. Knowing your oral proficiency level will help you to determine if you are at a level that is appropriate for graduate work in your language area. We recommend that students be at the advanced low level. If you are admitted to the MAT program, the emphasis will be on teacher education courses, linguistics and literature and not on improving your language proficiency.

Admission Requirements: In the event that there is a difference in admission requirements, the specific requirements as listed by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures supercede the generic requirements listed by the College of Education.

  • Students seeking admission to the Graduate Programs in the Department of Languages Literatures and Cultures should have completed, or should be close to completing, an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university, with a major or equivalent in the pertinent language. A minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is expected, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses of their major.
  • Applicants should normally obtain the following minimum scores on the GRE examination:
  Verbal Analytical
Native English Speakers 153 4
Non-Native English Speakers 146 3.5

Those applying to MAT programs may take the Miller Analogies test and be admitted with a score of at least 40 or 396, depending on the scale.

Students submitting GRE scores according to the older scoring system should normally have obtained the following minimum scores on the GRE examination:

  Verbal Analytical
Native English Speakers 500 500
Non-Native English Speakers 400 400

Foreign students who are not native speakers of English must also take the TOEFL exam and score a minimum of 570 ( paper based test), 230 (computer based test), or 80 (TOEFL iBT test)


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