Graduate Studies Requirements

Department of English

211 Hartwell

(585) 395-5827

e-mail: Susan Vasquez

(585) 395-5710

For an application: gradadmit@brockport.edu

Admission

Applicants for matriculation in the Master of Arts in English program must submit:

1. a completed Application for Admission and a Graduate Information Form;
2. official transcripts of all undergraduate and prior graduate work; and
3. three letters of recommendation from persons in a position to assess the potential for significant academic achievement.Applicants for the Creative Writing track must submit a sample of their creative writing. Applicants fo the Literature track must submit a sample of their nonfiction expository prose. Normally, an undergraduate major in English with a 3.0 (B) grade point average is required. The Graduate Record Examination is not required but is strongly recommended, especially from applicants with nontraditional preparation. For further information, contact the graduate coordinator.

Advisement:

Upon acceptance as a candidate for the Master of Arts in English, each candidate is appointed an advisor from the faculty of the department. Before this appointment, the graduate coordinator counsels students informally and provides materials relating to the degree.

Financial Aid

For candidates exhibiting superior promise, the department has three assistantships available. They currently provide a stipend of $6,000 and a tuition waiver of up to nine credits per semester. They are awarded on a competitive basis with an April 1 application deadline. Application forms are available online. Further information on financial aid may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.

General Degree Requirements

Candidates choose one of two program tracks for the Master of Arts in English: literature and creative writing.

The following standards govern the awarding of degrees:

1. Minimum graduate credits: The program requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and at least 15 credits must be at the 600 level. A maximum of 12 credits may be earned at other colleges and universities with the approval of the department. Four quarter-hours transfer as three credits. No course may be transferred in which a grade of less than "B" was received. Credits transferred from outside the State University of New York are recorded "CR." For courses transferred from institutions of the State University of New York, letter grades are recorded. Degree requirements must be completed within five years of the end of the semester of matriculation in the degree program. A maximum of nine credits taken at SUNY Brockport as a non-matriculated graduate student may be credited towards a graduate degree.
2. Thesis: All candidates, must submit an individual thesis project demonstrating mastery of an important segment of their preparation. The thesis must be approved by a board of readers appointed by the Graduate Committee of the department. The thesis proposal must be approved in advance by the thesis director and two other members of the department. The thesis must be written under the guidance of a thesis director and be recommended to the Graduate Committee. From one to six credits may be granted for thesis research and writing. After all revisions have been made, a final copy of the thesis should be submitted at least four weeks before commencement to the Graduate Coordinator for departmental approval.

Specific Requirements

Literature Track Credits	Credits
The following course is required:
ENL 601 Bibliography and Methods of Research	3
Also required is one course in grammar, linguistics, sociolinguistics, history of language or English literature before 1500.*	3
British literature before 1800	3
British literature after 1800	3
American literature before 1870	3
American literature after 1870	3

The remaining credits in a candidate's program of study are electives in the Department of English and/or other appropriate departments according to advisement.

Up to six credits may be taken outside the Department of English with approval of the department.

Creative Writing Track	Credits
One of these is required:
ENL 572 Critical Approaches to Literature	3
or
ENL 601 Bibliography and Methods of Research	3
Note: ENL 502 Poetry: Theory and Practice may be substituted for the above with permission of the department.
Also required is one course in grammar, linguistics, sociolinguistics, or English literature before 1500.*	3
Creative writing workshops	9-12
Thesis (creative)	3-6
Literature electives	9
At least one three-credit course in each of the following areas:
British literature before 1800	3
American literature before 1870	3

* An MA candidate may not use a single English literature before 1500 course to satisfy more than one requirement.

A student who has completed 24 credits with a GPA below 2.5, will be dematriculated from the program. Normally, students with a GPA below 3.0 will not be permitted to register for ENL 698 Thesis.

Many course offerings in the Department of English also may be applied to the area of liberal arts and sciences requirement in the MS in Education programs, or may be used as electives in those and other programs as determined through the advisement process.

GREs are not required. However, if you have taken them, we would like to see the results.