Master of Arts in English
In the Department of English and Foreign Languages, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
www.class.cpp.edu/efl
Liliane Fucaloro, Chair
Lise-Hélène Smith, Graduate Coordinator
The program leading to the Master of Arts in English features a broad-based curriculum that offers three subplans/options: (1) Literature; (2) Rhetoric/Composition; and (3) Teaching English as a Second Language. Within a 48 to 49 quarter-unit degree requirement, students, working with their advisors, tailor their course of study to their own interests and needs. The primary objective of the Literature option is to deepen the student’s understanding of literary texts through close analysis and through related readings in theory and culture. It also provides useful preparation for the teaching of literature in high school and community college, as well as for entry into a doctoral program. The Rhetoric and Composition option offers training for graduate students in the teaching of writing at all levels of the educational system. The option in Teaching of English as a Second Language provides refined technical expertise in this discipline, enabling the student to perform valuable service in school and community upon completion of the degree program. The English M.A. program prepares students to become English teachers in high schools and community colleges or to proceed directly to doctoral studies; it also offers the opportunity for students to engage in sustained pursuit of advanced study within the discipline of English.
Admission to the Program
In order to be admitted as an unconditional student in the Master of Arts program in English, the applicant must have successfully completed an undergraduate program of study in all major periods of English and American literature, as well as in critical theory and in the English language. Deficiencies in any of these areas will be made up by course work; at the discretion of the chair of the departmental graduate committee, a portion of such work may count toward the 48 to 49 units required for the degree. The student’s grade point average in the upper-division English courses of his/her undergraduate program must be at least 3.0 (B). A student who does not meet these requirements may request special consideration for admission as a conditional student. Removal of conditional status will require the completion of at least 12 quarter units of graduate work in English, in residence, with an average of B (3.0). No grade below C (2.0) will be accepted.
The Master’s in English Program requires a minimum score of 7 on International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and a minimum score of 100 on the International-Based TOEFL.
Requirements and Curriculum
- Advancement to Candidacy
Admission to the program does not admit a student to candidacy for a degree. Advancement to Candidacy is granted, with the recommendation of the graduate faculty, when the student has completed all preparatory course work. Advancement to Candidacy is a prerequisite for the culminating experience of the comprehensive examination or thesis.
The Graduation Writing Test (GWT) must have been passed prior to Advancement to Candidacy. If the GWT is not taken the quarter following the completion of 8 units in the English M.A. program, a hold will be placed on the student’s registration.
- Course Work
A grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better must be maintained in all upper-division undergraduate and all graduate courses.
No more than 13 units of acceptable graduate credit may be transferred from another graduate institution. No more than 13 units taken through Extended University may be used on a contract. No more than 13 units of acceptable graduate credit may be petitioned by an undergraduate student.
A total limit of 13 transfer, Extended University units petitioned for graduate credit may be included on a master’s contract. The stipulated time limit of 7 years applies to all of the above.
The candidate must be enrolled in the university during the quarter of graduation.
The student will complete 48 to 49 units as follows:
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