For admission to the ETSU Graduate Program in Storytelling, the Graduate School requires the following:

• a Bachelors degree from an accredited institution
• A brief admissions essay (1-2 pp.) stating the significance of storytelling in student’s life experience as well as the student’s professional and personal goals in storytelling
• All undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation from academic or professional mentors or colleagues

GRE scores are not required.

For further information on Graduate Studies at East Tennessee State University, visit the Graduate School website.

To download ETSU Graduate Application forms, click here.

To take courses for credit in the ETSU Storytelling Program, you can apply as a non-degree student, or as a graduate major. Courses taken as a non-degree student will count as transfer courses in the event that you later decide to work towards the degree. A maximum of 9 graduate credit hours are allowed to be transferred towards the degree, whether these hours are taken before or after admission to the degree program.

*The Masters Thesis or Non-Thesis Capstone Project

The Storytelling Masters Program requires either a Thesis (READ5960) or a Non-Thesis Capstone Project (READ5961) as a culminating experience towards the degree.

*Thesis or Capstone Project Prospectus

A proposal paper must be approved by your advisor and graduate committee before enrolling for your Thesis or Capstone hours. This proposal will often (but not always) be developed in your Research Methods course. It lays the groundwork for your thesis or project topic, and includes a proposed methodology, design, justification, limitations, and initial literature/resource review.

Graduation Requirements

M.A. Degree-Thesis Program (30 hours)
18 hours of required courses (listed below)*
READ-5960 Thesis (3-6 hours)
6-9 hours of approved electives

M.A. Degree-Non-Thesis Program (36 hours)

18 hours of required courses (listed below)*
READ5961 Non-thesis Capstone
15 hours of approved electives
Culminating project

Required Courses

READ 5147 Basic Storytelling
READ 5890 Historical/Psychological
Foundations of Storytelling
READ 5190 Linguistics of Reading/Storytelling
READ 5230 Advanced Storytelling
READ 5241 Storytelling Practicum
EDFN 5950 Research Methods

Note: Course numbers ending in “7” (i.e. READ 4147/5147 or READ 4957/5957) are classes available to undergraduate and graduate students at the same time. These courses may only make up a maximum of 30% of a graduate student's total program of study.

Required Competencies for Degrees

Master’s Thesis or Capstone Project * (see note below)
Production of a research prospectus through EDFN
5950 (Research Methods)
Completion of final oral exam