REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Applicants must meet the university requirements for post-baccalaureate admission.

In addition to the university requirements, the English department requires that students meet one of two conditions before being admitted to the department program:

1. Students with a BA in English must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in upper division English courses; this GPA is determined by the cumulative GPA of all approved upper division English courses.
2. Students with a BA in a subject other than English must have a minimum of 24 semester units of approved upper-division English courses with a minimum 3.00 GPA in these courses; this GPA is determined by the cumulative GPA of all approved upper division English courses.

One of these two conditions must be met before a student may be admitted to the English Department M.A. program in either conditionally classified or classified status. Applicants who, upon departmental evaluation, do not possess enough qualifying units or the required GPA need to take additional undergraduate upper-division English courses to make up any deficits before admission to the program.

B. Once students have met the above requirements, they may be admitted to the program. However, there are further conditions that must be met before the student can be fully admitted. Therefore, there are two types of admission, classified and conditionally classified.

1. In classified status, students are fully admitted to the program, having fulfilled all necessary requirements. In addition to the B.A., upper division English units and GPA requirements listed above, classified students also have achieved both of the following:



• A score in the 80th percentile in the verbal portion of the general test of the GRE *

and

• A passing score on the Writing Proficiency Examination (WPE)
  



2. In conditionally classified status, students may begin graduate study as they work on fulfilling the GRE and WPE conditions required for classified status. However, students cannot go beyond 12 units of coursework until classified status is achieved. Note that the English Department requirements for classification are more stringent than the university requirements listed in the catalog.

*The GRE requirement will be waived if, at the time of entrance into the program, a student has a 3.60 GPA in upper-division English and a 3.00 in the last 60 units. An alternative method of meeting the GRE score is available to students who score below the 80th percentile; a table balancing the GRE score with the GPA in the first 12 units of graduate work is available in the university catalog. All students who use the alternative method of meeting the GRE requirement must take the GRE at least once. The WPE cannot be waived, but if this test or its equivalent was passed as an undergraduate, it need not be taken again.

Click the link to apply online. The Department of English does not require a separate departmental application, nor are letters of recommendation required.

Transcripts:
Please submit sealed official transcripts from all schools (post-high school) attended to:

English Master's Program
CSU,Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8248

For more information please contact: Graduate Secretary marjie.seagoe@csun.edu
For program advisement, contact Graduate Advisor Dr. Anthony Dawahare

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (30 Units)

For the Master of Arts degree, a minimum of 30 units of approved graduate work is required, comprised of 12 units of Core Requirements and 18 units of either Options I, II, or III.

CORE REQUIREMENT (12 Units)

• ENGL 604 Studies in the English Language
• ENGL 638 Seminar in Critical Approaches to Literature
• Two courses in literature at the 595- 600 level

ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS (18 Units)

OPTION I. LITERATURE

• ENGL 601 Seminar in Scholarly Methods and Bibliography (3 Units)
• Three courses in literature (9 Units)
• Two courses selected with the approval of the Graduate Advisor, one of which may be ENGL 698 Thesis in Literature or Criticism (6 Units)
• Those not writing a thesis must select the Comprehensive Examination (ENGL 697). Candidates should consult with the Graduate Advisor. For regulations governing required registration for the examination, see the "Graduate Programs" section of the catalog.
• Current MA Examination Reading List
• Past MA Examination Reading Lists

OPTION II. CREATIVE WRITING

Applicants interested in the creative writing option must first be admitted into the MA Program in English and must submit a qualifying creative writing sample to the Creative Writing Committee during their first semester of residency.
• ENGL 652 Creative Writing Studies (3 Units)
• Three courses in creative writing (9 Units)
• One course selected with the approval of the Graduate Advisor (3 Units)
• Creative Writing Thesis (Candidates should consult with the Graduate Advisor) (3 Units)

For more information, see the Guidelines for the Graduate Creative Writing Option.

OPTION III. RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION THEORY

Applicants interested in the rhetoric and composition theory option must first be admitted into the MA program in English and must submit a qualifying non-fiction writing sample during their first semester of residency.
• ENGL 651 Rhetorical Theory and Composition (3 Units)
• Four courses in rhetoric or composition or study of language, to be distributed among three categories: Historical, Theoretical, and Applied (12 Units)
• Rhetoric and Composition MA Exam (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• Thesis in Rhetoric and Composition Theory (Candidates should consult with the Graduate Advisor) (3 Units)

For more information, see the Guidelines for the Graduate Rhetoric and Composition Option.
For more information on the Rhetoric and Composition option please contact Dr. Irene Clark

Notes:

1. ***Policy on GPA Requirements for Graduate Programs- Approved on June 1, 2006
   Students pursuing a Graduate Degree must maintain a minimum 3.0 (B) average in the formal program. No grade below a "C" can be counted in the formal program. Any grade of "C-" or below in the formal program must be repeated after an approved course repeat form has been filed. If the student does not receive a "C" or better on the 2nd attempt, the student will be disqualifed from the program. A maximum of 6 units in the formal program may be repeated at the graduate level. The repeat grade will appear on the transcript. Departments may have higher standards that take precedence over the university policy.
2. In all options, with consent of the Graduate Advisor, two courses from the 400 level in English or outside the English Department that have been approved for graduate credit may be chosen.
3. Students may receive credit for only two 608s (Seminar in Narrative Writing), two 609s (Seminar in Poetry Writing), two 622s (Aspects of Poetry), two 623s (Studies in Prose Fiction), three 620s (Seminar in Individual Authors), three 630s (Seminar in Literary periods), or two 699s (Independent Study)--as long as the individual class topics are not repeated.
4. For more information please contact: Graduate Secretary marjie.seagoe@csun.edu 818-677-3433 or Graduate Advisor Dr. Anthony Dawahare 818-677-3412

Associated Graduate Students in English

The Associated Graduate Students in English (AGSE) at California State University, Northridge, is the newly-restored organization created to provide peer support for CSUN graduate students in their academic careers as well as their future professions.

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