See UCLA's minimum requirements for all graduate program applicants.

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit one writing sample, of no more than 10 pages, in English or Italian, and a statement of purpose.

Ph.D.: Applicants with an MA degree from an Italian department in an institution in the U.S. which this department deems to be a peer institution can be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. Students with an M.A. degree from an institution in Italy which this department deems to be a peer institution can be admitted to the Ph.D. program but must pass the M.A. comprehensive examination no later than the end of the third quarter of graduate study. Students who enter the graduate program with a B.A. or equivalent degree or with a degree in a discipline other than Italian literature will be required to pursue the entire course of the M.A. program, taking the 12 required courses and in some cases additional courses as deemed necessary by the faculty before the M.A. comprehensive examination. As in the case of all M.A. students, their performance on the examination will determine whether they are allowed to proceed to the Ph.D. program.