Is the MA English program at U of T competitive?

[SarahJessica]

Obviously, I recognize that masters programs are hard to get into regardless of any school or the specific program. I was wondering if any current MA English students could help me with some questions regarding the admission requirements: 

"For entry into the M.A. program, we require an appropriate bachelor’s degree with a minimum of seven full (1) year courses (or equivalent) in English literature, an overall average of B+, and evidence of first-class (A) work in English." 

Do I have to have an average of an A in English or an A in every single class? and if 7 english credits are the minimum that means they'll be evaluating my grades from first year as well. Doesn't that seem harsh? Most MA programs just look at your last two years of study. Also, do mostly look at my last year of study or are they throughly scoping through every single english class I've ever taken? Is it really that hard to get in?

[poliscar]

They specify "evidence of first-class (A) work in English," not an A average. So no, you don't need to have an A average, in English courses or otherwise. What they're looking for when they mention the minimum English course requirement is just broad disciplinary coverage. Basically, to translate it into something that makes a bit more sense, they're saying "if you don't have a Bachelors in English you need to have completed this many courses in English for us to consider your application." 

As a Canadian, I'll say that this is typical of our MA programs. Most American PhD programs are far less concerned about the disciplinary backgrounds of applicants, so long as they seem capable of completing the program. That's why you see movement from History to English, or from Anthropology to History—even from the Sciences to the Humanities. In contrast, Canadian MA programs typically have significant course requirements (or even degree requirements) in the field in question. I've seen cases in which they expect about half of your degree (60/120 credit) to have been in the area of the MA program. 

So long as you have the required number of credits in English, I wouldn't worry. They're not going to reject you based on your first year grades. That's not to say that it's not a competitive program—it is—but that they're going to look at your SoP and references to make decisions, once they've confirmed that you are capable of the aforementioned "first-class work." 

One other thing to keep in mind is that Canadian schools have to accept a certain number of Canadian applicants, so Toronto may end up being more competitive for you than it would be for domestic students. That being said, everything I've said still stands.