English

Graduate Programs

The graduate program offers the Master of Arts (MA) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in English. For each degree program, candidates specify a literature or creative writing focus at the time of application. The MA stresses breadth; the PhD program encourages students to pursue more specialized interests. MA candidates develop a broad knowledge of English literature and language, American literature and literary theory, other Anglophone literatures and criticism. Such breadth of knowledge is a prerequisite for PhD candidates, who concentrate on specific fields of scholarly interest before writing a dissertation.

Master of Arts Program

Qualified students holding a bachelor’s degree are eligible for admission to the program. An undergraduate major in English is desirable for admission. All applicants should submit a sample of their critical writing (10-20 pages). Those wishing to enter the MA program with a specialization in creative writing should so indicate on the front page of the application and should submit, together with a sample of their critical writing, a portfolio of their creative work (not more than 40 pages of fiction or 25 pages of verse). GRE general test scores are accepted, but not required for the MA program application.

The application deadline for fall admission to the MA is Jan. 27. The application deadline for spring admission to the MA is Nov. 15. All applicants for the MA should go to the website in order to enter an online application.

The Master of Arts in English is granted on satisfactory completion of the following requirements.

Courses

In consultation with the director of graduate programs, the student plans a program of at least nine graded courses, or 36 credits:

One literature course before 1800
One course in literary theory
Seven additional topics courses

Students normally take no more than two appropriate courses in other departments and no more than two courses from the same faculty member. Students who wish to take independent study courses must seek the consent of a faculty member who is willing to direct the independent study as well as the graduate director. Students are limited to two independent study courses as part of their program.

Students who wish to apply for doctoral programs are advised to plan a curriculum that emphasizes the development of a broad knowledge of English, American and more broadly Anglophone literatures, although some specialization in a single field may be appropriate. The student must maintain at least a 3.0 average to remain in the program; more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. A student not in residence must register each semester to remain in good standing.

Thesis

Students may wish to write a master’s thesis. Such students must submit to the graduate director a plan that shows adequate preparation for their proposed thesis, a brief prospectus of the proposed investigation and a signed approval from the faculty member with whom the student wishes to work. The thesis is a substantial (50-75 pages) piece of original research or criticism. Only students whose thesis plan has been approved may register for ENG 599 Master’s Thesis; ENG 599 may be taken twice for credit, and it may be used for as many as two of the five electives required for the degree. When the thesis has been approved by the faculty advisor, the director of graduate programs appoints a qualified second reader to review it. The thesis must conform to the Graduate School requirements, as outlined in the Graduate School Manual. Students may plan a course of study that does not include the writing of a thesis.

MA in English with a Certificate in Creative Writing

In addition to meeting the requirements for admission to the English Department’s Master of Arts program (i.e., transcripts, recommendations and a critical writing sample), students wishing to enroll in this program must also submit a substantial portfolio of their work in fiction or poetry (not more than 50 pages of fiction or 25 pages of verse), along with a critical writing sample of 10-20 pages. GRE general scores are accepted, but not required. On completion of the following requirements, students in this program receive the MA in English with a certificate in creative writing:

One literature course before 1800
Three workshops or tutorials in the writing of fiction or poetry
Four additional topics courses
ENG 599 Thesis, for four credits

Students may take no more than two appropriate courses in other departments and no more than two courses from the same faculty member. Students who wish to take independent study courses must seek the consent of a faculty member who is willing to direct the independent study. Students are limited to two independent study courses as part of their program.

Students must maintain at least a B average to remain in the program; more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. A student not in residence must register each semester to remain in good standing.

Creative Thesis

At the conclusion of their coursework, students must submit to the director of creative writing a collection of poems, a collection of stories or a novel. The director of creative writing constitutes a panel of at least two professors who evaluate this thesis. The thesis is the most important requirement for the MA in English/creative writing; it must be of substantial length and publishable quality, and it must conform to the Graduate School requirements for a thesis, as outlined in the Graduate School Manual.

Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Science in Education

The English Department cooperates with the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership, which offers both the MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) degree, grades 7-12, in English adolescence education, and the MSEd (Master of Science in Education) degree in adolescence education in English.

The MAT degree program is for those with an undergraduate degree in English who are seeking provisional certification to teach English in grades 7-12. The MSEd degree program is for those who already hold provisional certification to teach in New York state and seek permanent certification in New York state to teach English in grades 7-12. Requirements for these degrees are listed in this publication in the section on the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership.

Inquiries about these programs should be directed to the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership in the College of Community and Public Affairs.

Doctor of Philosophy Program

Admission

Students entering the PhD program in English are expected to have an MA in English literature. This does not preclude the admission of students whose education has been in other fields, but the department does expect that a student will have had substantial coursework in literature at the graduate level in order to be considered for the PhD program. Often, students with an MFA degree do not have this amount of literature coursework and will be expected to get the MA in English before applying to the PhD program. After admission and while completing their eight PhD courses, candidates develop specializations in three distinct fields of scholarly interest in preparation for field examinations in specific areas of expertise leading to the dissertation.

The English graduate admissions committee admits qualified students to the PhD program on the basis of their total records, including the personal statement, transcripts, recommendations and a sample of their critical writing (10 to 20 pages). Scores from the GRE general test are accepted, but not required. Applicants to the creative writing option for the dissertation should so indicate on the front page of the application and should submit a portfolio of their creative work (not more than 40 pages of fiction or 25 pages of verse) in addition to the critical writing sample.

The application deadline for fall admission to the PhD program, whether or not the student wishes to be considered for financial aid, is Jan. 27. The application deadline for spring admission to the PhD program, whether or not the student wishes to be considered for financial aid, is Nov. 15. All applicants for the PhD should go to the Graduate Admissions webpage in order to enter an online application.

Program of Study

The graduate director serves as the new PhD student’s initial advisor. All entering students take a one-credit proseminar course in their initial two semesters with the director of graduate studies. After taking several courses, the student chooses an advisor in the main area of interest. In consultation with the advisor, the student plans a program of study comprising at least eight courses and begins to determine three areas of special interest (see below under Field Exams). All courses must be graduate level courses (500-level or above). Students may take up to two courses in departments other than English. Students may also take up two independent studies. Up to three graded courses, including independent study courses, may be from the same faculty member. Creative writing students also take one course in literature before 1900. Funded PhD students are also required to take pedagogy courses in the spring semester of their first year (ENG 589 Teaching College English). Beyond the eight-course minimum, these limits do not apply.

Students must maintain at least a B+ average to remain in the program; more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. Students not in residence must register each semester to remain in good standing.

PhD Field Examinations

Students normally start taking their field exams in their fields of study after completing two semesters of coursework; they are expected to complete their examinations by the end of the fifth semester. While areas acceptable as fields of study are not predefined, they must be approved by the graduate director.

Field exams in PhD with a creative dissertation: Students take three field exams, which will be the foundation for their creative dissertations. A field of study may be defined in various ways: e.g., by nationality and chronology, genre, topic or critical theory. Each student works with a chosen professor to define each field examination, draw up a reading list and pursue the topic chosen.

Field exams in PhD with a research dissertation: Students are expected to complete two written examinations and an oral examination, which will demarcate their fields of study. The oral exam reading list is an aggregate of the two earlier exam lists. Each student works with a faculty member to define each of the two written field exams and draw up a reading list. For the oral exam, the student should choose a third faculty member to join the other two principal written exam faculty members and circulate to the committee a five-page dissertation proposal in advance of the exam. The oral exam is scheduled in the same semester as the second written field exam.

Students are expected to coordinate their field exams so that the time spent preparing for their examinations will provide a foundation for their dissertations, as well as preparation for their professional identities.

Detailed guidelines for PhD students working on field exams are available in the English Department Graduate Office and on the department website.

Foreign Language

All PhD candidates must demonstrate, during the time of their program, a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language at a level of competence sufficient for the understanding of scholarly and critical materials. Such competence may be demonstrated in any one of four ways:

Evidence of the student having passed a certified translation exam in a graduate program at an accredited institution similar to ��ý.
Presenting transcript evidence of at least three years (six semesters) of college-level study of a single foreign language (fourth- and fifth-year high school study in the same language count as two semesters each) with a grade average of B or better, completed no more than five years before admission to the PhD program at ��ý.
Successful completion of a graduate course in a foreign language or of a graduate course in comparative literature in which a significant portion of the work is done in a foreign language.
Successful completion of a graduate proficiency workshop and examination.
Successful completion of a translation examination.

Dissertation

In the course of doctoral study, the student establishes a dissertation committee consisting of a director and two readers. The dissertation is a substantial study of some significant topic in the area of the student’s professional interest or a creative writing dissertation for those students who are admitted to the creative writing dissertation option.

The student’s dissertation director must formally approve, and submit to the graduate director, a written prospectus of the dissertation, or for those submitting a creative dissertation, a sample of work in progress at least one semester prior to completing the dissertation. Students pursuing a research dissertation must submit the prospectus to their committee within five weeks of completing the oral examination. The prospectus or the sample of creative work in progress will be shared with all members of the dissertation committee, including an outside examiner approved by the Graduate School. On completion of all other requirements, the student submits a finished dissertation for approval and defends the dissertation in an oral examination. The submitted dissertation must conform to the Graduate School requirements for a dissertation, as outlined in the Graduate School Manual.

After successful completion, defense and submission of the dissertation, the student is awarded the PhD in English.

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