The M.A. Program in English is designed for students who seek a
broad yet intensive engagement with the study of literature,
theory, and cultural studies. Our M.A. students have received
fellowships for doctoral study at top-ranked universities such
as Columbia and Brown, gone on to law school, established careers
in publishing and editing, and obtained tenure-track middle school
and high school teaching positions.
The Master's degree consists of 33 credit hours, or 11
courses. All of our graduate courses are small, seminar style
gatherings featuring close one-on-one contact between faculty and
students. The 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. The only required
course is ENG 803: Modern Critical Theories, a course in literary
theory. Students who wish to write an optional
thesis enroll in ENG 900, for 3 credits toward their course
requirements.
Instead of comprehensive exams, all students submit a
portfolio in their final semester. The portfolio consists of 3
revised course papers, and a 10-page critical overview of the
student's growth as a reader, scholar, and writer.
The M.A. program typically offers 9-10 graduate courses a
semester, one or two or which are offered on the Staten Island
campus. As of 2005, there were about 45 M.A. or B.A./M.A. students
enrolled in the graduate program. All graduate courses are open to
both doctoral and master's students.
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, with the exception of students already enrolled in the
BA./M.A program, must apply for Graduate Assistantships with
forms obtained from the Graduate Office, rm. 135 St.
John's Hall.
Department Contact
Stephen Sicari, Chair
St. John's 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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