College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Departmental URL: www.iusb.edu/~sbeng
 

Contact Information
Department of English
Wiekamp Hall 3127
Indiana University South Bend
1700 Mishawaka Avenue
South Bend, IN 46634-7111
(574) 520-4304

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Arts in Teaching English (M.A.T.)

Note: Department is not currently admitting students to the M.A.T. program.

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted to the English graduate program by the Graduate Studies  Committee. Applicants for the program must have a bachelor’s degree in English or in a closely related field from an accredited institution and an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0. M.A.T. candidates must have a teacher’s cer­tificate from Indiana or another state in the U.S. A candidate who does not meet the GPA requirement may apply for special student status.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts in English

The M.A. offers a flexible program of study  and provides broad expertise in English studies including literary analysis, composition, and creative writing. Students may choose up to five elective courses, which will allow them more opportunities to shape their course of study. The M.A. degree opens employment opportunities teaching English in schools or community colleges, working in the service and information industries, the news media, advertising, public relations, and in other corporations requiring writing special­ists. It also offers a life-enriching continuation of intellectual study. To complete this degree, students must meet the course requirements listed below.

M.A. Course Requirements (36 credit hours)

• G660 Stylistics (4 cr.)
• L501 Professional Scholarship in Literature (4 cr.)
• L502 Contexts for the Study of Writing (4 cr.)
• L590 Internship in English or one elective course (4 cr.)
• Four elective courses, at least two of which must emphasize textual analysis (16 cr.)*

* Courses that emphasize textual analysis include graduate literature courses and other courses so designated in the se­mester course offerings mailed to students.

+ A student who wishes to complete a creative writing-based Independent Writing Project must take a total of three writing workshops in at least two genres. Any one of those courses may be taken twice for graduate credit.

Master of Arts in Teaching

Note: Department is not currently admitting students into this program.

The M.A.T. provides a specialized option for certified teachers seeking graduate credentials. This degree deepens the range of expertise that a teacher brings to the classroom, better qualifies a certified teacher to find employment in the schools and at the community college level, and enhances a teacher’s performance in a current position. Applicants interested in pur­suing this degree must have their teaching certification prior to applying for the program. If an applicant is in the process of completing certification, he or she may petition to enter the program by identifying the number of hours remaining and pro­ducing a plan showing how the candidate will complete those hours within two academic years. To complete this degree, students must meet the course requirements listed below.

M.A.T. Course Requirements (36 credit hours)

• L501 Professional Scholarship in Literature (4 cr.)
• L502 Contexts for the Study of Writing (4 cr.)
• Two of the following courses (8 cr.): G522 Linguistics and the Teacher of English, W500 Teaching Composition: Issues and Approaches, or L553 Studies in Literature
• Writing Workshop (4 cr.) (W511 Writing Fiction, W513 Writing Poetry, or W615 Writing Creative Nonfiction)
• L590 Internship in English (4 cr.)(Candidates who have successfully petitioned to complete their certification while enrolled in the M.A. program may use student teaching to fulfill the internship requirement.)
• Two elective courses in literature or writing (8 cr.)
• Independent Writing Project (4 cr.)

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must have completed two college semesters of a single foreign language by the time the M.A. or M.A.T. degree is conferred. Candidates who have completed these two courses as part of other graduate or undergraduate programs need not take additional courses as part of the M.A. or M.A.T. program. Candidates who have gained foreign language skills outside of the classroom may take a Foreign Language Placement Exam to demonstrate their achievement of language skills equivalent to those achieved from two semesters of formal study.

Transfer Credits

Applicants may be allowed to transfer up to two graduate courses or 8 credit hours from another graduate institution (or from previous graduate work at IUSB) if those courses demon­strably contribute to the work required for the English M.A. Un­less transfer courses are clearly equivalent to the required core courses for the M.A., those courses will be counted as electives. Candidates should include in the application a request to trans­fer courses, a brief description of each course identifying how it contributes to the English M.A., and supporting documentation such as syllabi, assignments, papers, or other relevant material.

Academic Regulations

Students must confer with their academic advisors on a regular basis to determine an effective course of study.  An average grade of B (3.0) is required for graduation, and no course with a grade lower than B– (2.7) will be counted toward the degree. Students are required to maintain good academic standing, i.e., to maintain a GPA of at least 2.7. Failure to main­tain good standing may result in dismissal from the program.