English graduate studies at St. John’s features Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Arts (D.A.) degree programs with outstanding faculty in traditional and emerging fields of literature, cultural studies, critical theory, writing and composition studies.  The Master of Arts (M.A.) and Bachelor of Arts / Master of Arts (B.A./M.A.) programs have about 60 students combined, while the Doctor of Arts (D.A.) program has an additional 40 students.  The M.A. and D.A. programs are designed for both full-time graduate students and professional educators, administrators, and writers who want to pursue an advanced degree part-time.  The English department's combined degree program, the B.A./M.A., provides qualified St. John’s students with the opportunity to earn a Master's degree within five years of enrolling for their B.A. degree.

The English graduate curriculum offers students the flexibility to develop individualized programs of study that meet their intellectual and professional goals.  Because the number of required courses for each program is limited, the curriculum appeals to students seeking either broad exposure to advanced English studies or more intensive concentrations in specific fields.  Among the areas of study are British and American literary history, creative writing and composition studies, and interdisciplinary fields such as gender studies and postcolonial studies.  The English department has especially strong numbers of faculty in American studies, modernist studies, and writing and composition studies.  It also features excellent faculty in early modern, eighteenth-century, and nineteenth-century British literary studies.   

All of the English graduate courses at St. John’s are seminars taught by research faculty who are committed to teaching and mentoring graduate students.  The graduate curriculum offers approximately 12 courses in the late afternoon and evening each semester as well as several summer classes.  Most of these courses take place on the Queens campus, but students can also take courses on the Manhattan and Staten Island campuses each semester. 

Recent graduates of the M.A. program have received fellowships for doctoral study at some of the best graduate programs in the U.S.  Other graduates have been accepted at prestigious law schools, established careers in publishing and editing, and obtained tenure-track middle school and high school teaching positions.  Career placement of our doctoral students has also been very successful.  Recent St. John's D.A. graduates have obtained tenure-track jobs at four-year universities, community colleges, and secondary schools. Our D.A. students have also used the degree to secure positions in publishing and editing, public relations, and administration in secondary and higher education.

Complementing the graduate courses in the M.A. program are opportunities for practical experience in tutoring, editing, and research.  A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available on a competitive basis to all qualified full-time graduate applicants, while additional opportunities for tutoring are available for all English graduate students.  With the 2006 opening of the Institute for Writing Studies, the graduate program in English features an exceptional new environment for professional training and development in writing instruction. 

The English graduate program also sponsors an active intellectual life. There are regular lectures and readings by renowned scholars and writers sponsored by the English Department and the Institute for Writing Studies each semester. There are also frequent faculty and student colloquia and film series.  The department graduate students are furthermore actively involved in two publications sponsored by the English Department.  In 2003 English graduate students founded a literary journal, The St. John's Humanities Review, which features book reviews, essays, and interviews by contributors from campus and from around the world.  In addition, the department supports a thriving literary journal of student poetry and fiction, Sequoya.  For descriptions of recent English Department events as well as student and faculty achievements, see the English Department Newsletter.

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Department Contact
Dr. John Lowney
Director of English Graduate Studies
St. John's Hall B40-02
(718) 990-5631
lowneyj@stjohns.edu

Graduate Admission Information
Office of Graduate Admission
(718) 990-1601
gradhelp@stjohns.edu