The M.A. program in English is designed for students interested
in a broad but intensive engagement with literary, cultural, and
composition studies. It offers courses with outstanding faculty in traditional and emerging fields of
literature, cultural studies, critical theory, writing and
composition studies. The program is designed for both
full-time graduate students and professional educators,
administrators, and writers who want to pursue a Master’s degree
part-time. 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.
The English Master's degree curriculum offers students the
opportunity to develop programs of study that meet their
intellectual and professional goals. Because there is only
one required foundational course (Modern Critical Theories), the
program provides flexibility for students seeking either broad
exposure to advanced English studies or more intensive
concentrations in specific fields. Among the areas of study
featured in the program 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 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 program offers a wide
range of courses each semester in the late afternoon and evening on
the Queens campus. It also offers on-line courses during the
summer. The Master’s program consists of 33 credit hours, or 11
courses, including the option to write a 3-credit Master’s thesis in place of one course.
In the final semester of their coursework, all students submit a
portfolio of their graduate work. The portfolio consists
of three course papers, including one extensively revised paper,
and a 10-page critical overview of the student's growth as a
reader, scholar, and writer. M.A. students are also
encouraged to participate in the annual St. John’s English graduate
student conference.
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
Dr. Steven Mentz
Director of Graduate Studies
English Department
718 990-6387
mentzs@stjohns.edu
Graduate Admission Information
Robert Medrano, Director
medranor@stjohns.edu
