The master of arts in English program immerses students in literature dating from the Middle Ages through the present. Through the study and analysis of a variety of literary texts, critical and theoretical approaches (including, among others, new historicism, reader-response theory, deconstruction, feminist criticism, and post-colonial studies), and historical concepts, students are afforded the opportunity to develop individual interpretations of texts and to evaluate controversies surrounding the canon. Small-group tasks, oral presentations, short papers, and longer research papers complement lectures, discussions, and examinations. Travel and research grants are available to our students, several of whom have
presented at graduate colloquia at Brooklyn College and at other universities throughout the country and abroad, or have had papers accepted for publication in journals.
Our graduates have found new employment or enhanced their present careers in diverse fields including education, publishing, writing for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Others have been accepted into doctoral programs.
--- Matriculation requirements
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Applicants must offer at least 12 credits in advanced courses in English literature.
Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00.
Applicants must submit a sample of critical writing of about ten pages, and a two-page statement of academic purpose.
Foreign applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 650 on the paper-based test or 280 on the computer-based test, or 114 on the Internet-based test before being considered for admission.
General matriculation and admission requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies are in the section "Admission."
--- Degree requirements
--- Thirty-three credits are required for the degree.
Courses in English and comparative literature are grouped in the following areas of study:
1. Literature before 1500: English 7101X, 7102X, 7103X, 7120X.
2. Literature from 1500 to 1800: English 7201X, 7202X, 7205X, 7206X, 7203X, 7204X, 7220X.
3. Literature from 1800 to 1900: English 7301X, 7302X, 7303X, 7304X, 7305X, 7320X.
4. Literature from 1900 to the present: English 7401X, 7402X, 7403X, 7404X, 7405X, 7406X, 7420X.
5. Theory and criticism: English 7508X, 7501X, 7502X, 7503X, 7504X, 7505X, 7506X, 7507X, 7520X.
6. Language: English 7601X, 7602X, 7603X, 7604X, 7605X, 7620X.
7. Comparative literature: Comparative literature 7701X, 7702X, 7703X; English 7720X.
The following courses are required: English 7501X; English 7800X; English 7810X; one course from six of the seven areas of study; one elective.
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Students must complete English 7501X in one of their first two semesters in the program In addition, students must consult an adviser and choose three courses in one area.
Early in the first term, students must have a program of study approved by the English Department.
Students must submit a thesis acceptable to the department on a subject related to their area of specialization.
Students must pass the English Department M.A. French or Spanish examination or a test administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures or they must pass a foreign language course acceptable to the deputy chairperson. The foreign language requirement may be waived for a native speaker with permission of the English graduate deputy.
Courses in the English Department offered toward the degree must be 700-level courses.
M.F.A. degree program in creative writing HEGIS code 1507; SED program code 02056
Our small, highly personal two-year program confers a master of fine arts degree in creative writing in fiction, poetry, or playwriting. The program offers single-discipline and inter-genre workshops, literature seminars, small-group reading tutorials, and one-on-one tutorials, which all emphasize relationships between eminent faculty members and students. Additionally, students have the opportunity to work on The Brooklyn Review and give public readings/performances in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The program offers some fellowships as well as prizes and a winter writing residency at the Espy Foundation in Oysterville, Washington. Students may also teach undergraduate courses for the English Department.
Our graduates have had their work published widely and have won competitions sponsored by the Iowa Review, the Colorado Review, the Mississippi Review, and Zoetrope. They have been included in The Best New Young Poets anthology and The Best American Short Stories. Our playwrights have won Obies, started theater companies, and had their plays produced here and abroad.
Students choose a concentration in one of the following: fiction, playwriting, or poetry.
--- Matriculation requirements
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Fiction and Poetry: Applicants must offer at least 12 credits in advanced courses in English. Thirty pages of original fiction or twenty pages of original poetry must be submitted for evaluation.
Playwriting: Applicants must offer at least 12 credits in advanced courses in English or theater. One original full-length play or two or more original one-act plays must be submitted for evaluation.
Applicants who do not meet course requirements but whose manuscripts show unusual talent are considered for admission. Manuscripts should be submitted directly to the deputy chairperson in the English Department at the time of application. Applications are not considered for spring semester admission.
Foreign applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 650 on the paper-based test or 280 on the computer-based test or 114 on the internet-based test before being considered for admission.
General matriculation and admission requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies are in the chapter "Admission."
--- Degree requirements
--- Thirty-six credits are required for the degree.
Students must complete one of the following concentrations. The fiction concentration consists of 27 credits. The poetry and playwriting concentrations consist of 24 credits.
Fiction:
English 7910X to be taken in the first semester. English 7912X to be taken four times, but not more than once in any semester; English 7911X to be taken two times in the first year, but not more than once in any semester; English 7913X to be taken two times in the second year, but not more than once in any semester.
Poetry:
English 7922X to be taken four times, but not more than once in any semester; English 7923X to be taken four times, but not more than once in any semester.
Playwriting:
English 7932X to be taken four times, but not more than once in any semester; English 7933X to be taken four times, but not more than once in any semester.
Students in the fiction concentration must complete 9 credits in three courses, and students in the poetry and playwriting concentrations must
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complete 12 credits in four courses chosen from the 7000-level courses in the English Department (including courses in comparative literature).
Students may substitute for no more than two such courses any two 7000-level courses from the Departments of Art, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Speech, Television and Radio, or Theater, or the Conservatory of Music. Students may substitute one writing workshop or tutorial outside of their major writing concentration for one literature course.
Permission to register for any of these substitute courses may be required from the graduate deputy chairperson of the appropriate department.
A substantial manuscript must be submitted and filed according to instructions available from the deputy chairperson. Students concentrating in fiction or poetry must submit original creative writing, in publishable form, such as a novel or collection of stories or poems. Students concentrating in playwriting must submit a full-length play or a number of one-act plays, in producible form, that would constitute a theatrical production. In cooperation with the Theater Department, efforts are made to produce the student's major work.
--- Recommendations
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Students are urged to take one workshop, one tutorial, and one literature course each semester in order to complete the program in four semesters. A reading knowledge of a foreign language is strongly recommended.
M.A. degree program in education: English teacher (7-12) HEGIS code 1501.01; SED program code 26811
The profession of teacher education is licensed by the New York State Education Department. Therefore, program requirements are subject to change. All students should consult with the School of Education for the current requirements.
--- Matriculation requirements
--- Applicants must offer at least 12 credits in advanced courses in English.
Applicants must also offer (a) or (b) or (c):
(a) New York State Initial Certification in teaching English for grades 7-12; or courses in education that meet the New York State standards for the pedagogical core. These courses include study of the following: history of education and philosophy of education or principles of education or educational sociology; educational psychology or developmental psychology or psychology of adolescence or adolescent development; classroom management; teaching students with special needs and English language learners; 6 credits in literacy and language acquisition; curriculum
development and methods of assessing student learning; uses of technology in the classroom; methods of teaching English in grades 7-12; 100 hours of fieldwork; 40 days or 300 hours of student teaching of English in grades 7-12, or one year of full-time teaching of English in grades 7-12; and submission of scores on the Liberal Arts and Science Test (L.A.S.T.); or
(b) an undergraduate degree with a major in English, or appropriate coursework in English and submission of L.A.S.T. scores; or
(c) an undergraduate major in English, the L.A.S.T., the CST, an approved 200 hours preparation program and a position at an approved public school through which students can accrue on-the-job training to substitute for student teaching.
Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. A minimum average of 3.00 in graduate courses is required to maintain matriculation.
Applicants who have not completed all the specific course requirements are given individual consideration and may be admitted with conditions, with the approval of the head of adolescence education and special subjects in the School of Education and the chairperson of the English Department.
International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 650 on the paper-based test or 280 on the computer-based test or 114 on the internet-based test, before being considered for admission.
Applicants must consult matriculation requirements for adolescence education and special subjects in the School of Education section of the Bulletin, and should see the head of adolescence education and special subjects for counseling.
General matriculation and admission requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies are in the chapter "Admission."
--- Degree requirements
--- Thirty to forty-three credits are required for the degree.
Students must complete 18 credits in courses in English.
Students enroll in the appropriate course of studies listed below (Option A or B or C) based upon teaching experience, previous course work, and the teaching certificates they hold.
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Option (A): 30 credits
Students who possess Initial Certification in teaching English or equivalent course work and teaching experience must complete the following courses in English: English 7011X and English 7010X. In addition, students must complete a course in four of the seven areas of study listed under the M.A. in English in the Bulletin, as follows: three courses from areas 1-5 and 7; and one course from area 6.
Option (B): 43 credits
Students who do not possess Initial Certification in teaching English or equivalent course work and teaching experience must complete the following courses in English: English 7011X, English 7010X and English 7507X. In addition, and with advisement from the chairman or graduate deputy of the English department, students must complete a course in two of the seven areas of study listed under the M.A. in English in the Bulletin, as follows:
two courses from areas 1-4 and 7; and one course from area 6.
Option (C): 33 credits
Students who are teaching or have secured a position teaching English and who are pursuing an Alt B Certificate (option c above) must complete the following courses in English: English 7011X English 7010X and English 7507X. In addition, and with advisement from the chairman or graduate deputy of the English department, students must complete a course in two of the seven areas of study listed under the M.A. in English in the Bulletin, as follows: two courses from areas 1-4 and 7; and one course from area 6.
Students must take the following courses: ED 7500X, 7501X, 7531T, 7542T, 7514T, 7543T, 7502T, 7508T, and ED 7521T. Students pursuing an Alt B Certificate, (option C above) may substitute their teaching job for student teaching but upon consultation with their advisor must still register for ED 6002T.and must take ED 7500X, 7531T, 7514T, 7502T, and ED 7508T.
Students must pass a written comprehensive examination. Information about the comprehensive examination is in the section of the "Academic Regulations and Procedures."
Courses in the English Department and the School of Education offered toward the degree must be 7000-level courses.
Students pursuing an M.A. English Teacher must have taken or must take courses that meet the New York State and NCTE English standards.
Transcript review will determine what appropriate course work students must take.
CUNY Ph.D.
The City University of New York offers a doctoral program in English. General information about CUNY Ph.D. programs is in the chapter “Support for Academic Success in Graduate School.” English Department courses may be credited toward the CUNY doctoral degree with permission of the executive officer of the doctoral program. For information, students should consult the deputy chairperson of the English Department and the executive officer of the doctoral program.
Courses
Unless a prerequisite is specific, students may apply graduate or undergraduate courses toward fulfillment of that prerequisite.
Candidates for a master's degree in another department may take courses in English on the 7000 level with permission of the deputy chairperson of the English Department.