The D.A. Program in English is designed for students who desire
more in-depth study in literature, theory, interdisciplinary and
cultural studies, and pedagogy. Our D.A. students have obtained
tenure-track jobs in four-year colleges and universities, two-year
colleges, and secondary schools. Students have also used the degree
to secure positions in publishing, editing, public relations, and
college-level administration.
The D.A. degree emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a companion to
the Ph.D. The intention of the degree was to combine opportunities
for traditional scholarship with an added emphasis on pedagogical
training and research to prepare candidates for teaching in four-
and two-year colleges. Interest in our D.A. program continues to
grow, particularly among full-time middle school, secondary school,
and college faculty living in the tri-state metropolitan area, who
are unable to pursue full-time doctoral study and seek an
alternative to the Ed.D. degree. The program is designed to enhance
the credentials of those who are or wish to become professional
educators at the secondary and college level.
The D.A. program at St. John's is particularly exciting because
it offers a solid emphasis on traditional literary interpetation at
the same time it encourages students to think beyond a "major
author" oriented curriculum. The Doctor of Arts program offers
seminars in the major periods (medieval, early modern, restoration,
Elizabethan, Victorian, 19th-century American, modern, and
contemporary), plus many interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary
courses. Students are encouraged to develop dissertation projects
that unite questions of pedagogy, sociology, and writing with
techniques of literary analysis. For application materials for the
D.A. program, click
here, and scroll down.
Assistantships
A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available
on a competitive basis to all qualified full-time graduate
applicants. Interested students should submit to the Chair two
letters of recommendation from prior English faculty. All
applicants must apply for Graduate Assistantships by obtaining
forms from the Graduate Office, St. John's Hall rm. 135.
D.A. Entrance Requirements
- A B.A. degree with a minimum of 24 credits in English or
American literature
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0, and a 3.5 in literature courses
- General GRE scores
- Three letters of recommendation
- A Writing Sample
- A Statement of Purpose (applicants are encouraged to propose a
focused field of study or a research project for the D.A.
Statements of Purpose should not be simple
autobiographies.)
Program Requirements
Students take 54 credits of coursework, pass a comprehensive exam,
and write a dissertation. Performance of "B" or better in all
courses is expected, and necessary for credit toward the
degree.
Credit Transfer
Students who enroll in the D.A. Program may transfer up to
12 graduate English credits from another program, pending
approval by the English Chair. Combined with 6 credits
of teaching experience (see below), a student who
transfers to the D.A. program from another graduate English program
can generally expect to take 36 credits (12
classes) at St. John's to fulfill the coursework requirements
for the D. A..
Coursework and Teaching Credit (54
credits)
D.A. Students must take 3 foundational courses
- ENG 803 Modern Critical Theories
- ENG 810 Introduction to the Profession
- ENG 845 Composition Theory and the Teaching of Writing
In addition, students must qualify for 6 credits teaching
experience. This credit can be earned with a two semester teaching
internship offered through the program. Students with two or more
years full time teaching experience may have all or part of this
requirement waived by the Chair.
Exams
After completing 54 credits coursework and teaching credits,
students are expected to take a comprehensive written exam. The
exam is typically organized into three separate
fields connected to the student's dissertation project.
Students compose three reading lists and develop their own exam
questions in consultation with their faculty advisors.
Dissertation
Typically speaking, just prior to the comprehesive exams,
students need to choose a primary advisor, and two readers for
their dissertation project. Students write a 10-15 page proposal,
called a prospectus, that sketches the project's general
argument, preliminary organization, and a working bibliography. The
advisor and the readers sign off on the prospectus, and the student
then begins the project. Ideally, the different fields of the
comprehensive exam, drawn up with the prospectus in mind, should
help the student complete the primary research for the project. At
the end of the dissertation, students discuss their project with
their faculty readers in a two-hour oral exam.
Department Contact
Dr. Stephen Sicari, Chair
St. John Hall B16
(718) 990-6390
sicaris@stjohns.edu
Graduate Admission Information
Office of Graduate Admission
(718) 990-1601
gradhelp@stjohns.edu
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