The Master of Arts in English welcomes all students who are interested in postgraduate study in English. The program offers a diverse and engaging curriculum in English Studies, including graduate coursework in literature, rhetoric, composition and pedagogy, literacy studies, and creative writing.

Graduate students are given opportunities to attend seminars and conferences, receive professional training in editing and composing for publications, teach classes in their field, and gain valuable experiences through internships related to their interests. Graduates of the master’s program have continued on to find success in further doctoral programs, teaching, writing, editing, managing web content, publishing, and journalism.

Advising Requirement

Advising is mandatory for this program. Consult your department advisor or program coordinator for information.

Requirements for the MA in English

Completion of all requirements as established by the department graduate committee, the graduate advisory (thesis) committee, and Graduate Studies, to include:

1. Completion of an approved program consisting of 30 units of 400/500/600-level courses:
   1. You must take at least 18 units of 600-level courses in the discipline of English.
   2. You may count no more than three 400/500-level courses (up to 12 units) towards the MA in English.
   3. ENGL 689T may be repeated, but only one course (three units) will be counted as an elective.
   4. Normally, not more than a total of six units of ENGL 697 Independent Study and ENGL 696 Synthesis in English Studies, ENGL 699T Master's Thesis or ENGL 699P Master's Project will be allowed. ENGL 697 may be taken for a letter grade.
2. Completion and approval by the Graduate Coordinator of an acceptable culminating activity. The English Department Graduate Committee will recommend granting the master's degree to candidates who have satisfactorily completed one of the following:
   1. A written thesis prepared according to the standards established in A Guide to Graduate Studies: Policies, Procedures, and Format, available from Graduate Studies. The thesis will present a scholarly/critical study or a sustained creative effort.
   2. A terminal project equivalent in scope to the thesis or seminar papers options and appropriate to the candidate's focus of study or special competence.
3. Approval by the departmental Graduate Committee and the Graduate Council on behalf of the faculty of the University.

Course List

Course	Title	Units
ENGL 661	Literary Criticism and Theory	3
ENGL 634	Teaching Composition	3
Select one of the following: 1		3
ENGL 696	Synthesis in English Studies
ENGL 699P	Master's Project
ENGL 699T	Master's Thesis
Select three of the following:		9
ENGL 420	Advanced Poetry Writing
or ENGL 421	Advanced Fiction and Nonfiction Writing
or ENGL 520	Graduate Poetry Workshop
or ENGL 521	Seminar in Fiction and Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 641	British Medieval Literature
ENGL 642	Renaissance British Literature
ENGL 644	Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature
ENGL 646	British Victorian Literature
ENGL 651	American Literature: Beginnings to 1865
ENGL 652	American Literature: 1865-1920
ENGL 653	American Literature: 1920 to Present
ENGL 654	Seminar in American Literature
ENGL 656	Themes, Genres, or Problems in Literature
ENGL 657	Comparative Literature
Select three of the following:		9-10
ENGL 420	Advanced Poetry Writing
or ENGL 421	Advanced Fiction and Nonfiction Writing
or ENGL 520	Graduate Poetry Workshop
or ENGL 521	Seminar in Fiction and Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 431	Theories of Writing Mentorship
ENGL 436W	Cultural Rhetorics (W)
ENGL 632	Theories of Literacy
ENGL 635	Topics in Rhetorical Theory and History
ENGL 636	Composition Program Design and Development
ENGL 637	Rhetoric for Writing Teachers
Select three units from any 400-600 level English (ENGL) course.		3
Total Units		30

¹

ENGL 699P and ENGL 699T must be taken for three units and require faculty permission to enroll.

Graduate Grading Requirements

All courses in the major (with the exceptions of Comprehensive Examination - 696, Independent Study - 697, Master's Project - 699P, and Master's Thesis - 699T) must be taken for a letter grade, except those courses specified by the department as ABC/No Credit (400/500-level courses), AB/No Credit (600-level courses), or Credit/No Credit grading only. A maximum of 10 units combined of ABC/No Credit, AB/No Credit, and Credit/No Credit grades may be used on the approved program (including 696, 697, 699P, 699T and courses outside the major). While grading standards are determined by individual programs and instructors, it is also the policy of the University that unsatisfactory grades may be given when work fails to reflect achievement of the high standards, including high writing standards, expected of students pursuing graduate study.

Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average in each of the following three categories: all coursework taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to the master's program; all coursework taken at Chico State subsequent to admission to the program; and all courses in the approved master's degree program. Failure to maintain a 3.0 average in any category will result in academic notice in the master's program. Failure to remedy the deficiency within one semester with appropriate courses approved by the program coordinator may result in disqualification from the master's program. See Graduate Education Policies for more information.

Continuous enrollment is required. At the discretion of the academic program, a maximum of six semester units of special session credit earned in non-matriculated status combined with all transfer coursework may be counted toward the degree requirements. This applies to special session credit earned through Open University, or in courses offered for academic credit through Professional & Continuing Education.

Graduate Time Limit

All requirements for the degree are to be completed within five years of the end of the semester of enrollment in the oldest course applied toward the degree. See Master's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements.

The Master's program in English is available to students whose undergraduate record qualifies them according to the standards set forth by Graduate Studies and the Department of English. Students who don't have the equivalent of a major in English must complete the equivalent of a general English minor.

Graduate Requirement in Writing Proficiency

All students must demonstrate competency in writing skills as a requirement for graduation. English degree candidates will demonstrate writing competence through two examples of their writing which have been submitted as assigned work. These must be presented to the Graduate Coordinator by the instructor(s) who assigned them, together with a written statement of their opinion of the papers' authenticity. The papers may not represent work done in connection with the thesis or terminal project, and at least one sample must demonstrate documentation of research according to the latest edition of the MLA Handbook style standards. This requirement must be met before the student is advanced to classified status.

Prerequisites for Students Who Don't Have an English Major or Minor

Elective courses should be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Equivalent coursework on listed transcripts will be considered in all categories. Substitutions shall be made in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.

Course List

Course	Title	Units
ENGL 335W	Rhetoric and Writing (W)	3
ENGL 340	Approaches to Literary Genres	3
Select one of the following:		3
ENGL 276	Survey of Early British Literature
ENGL 277	Survey of Later British Literature
Select one of the following:		3
ENGL 278	Survey of Early American Literature
ENGL 279	Survey of Later American Literature
Nine units from any upper-division English (ENGL) courses.		9
Total Units		21

Prerequisites for Admission to Conditionally Classified Status

1. Satisfactory grade point average as specified in Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Admission Requirements.
2. An acceptable baccalaureate from an accredited institution, or an equivalent approved by Graduate Studies.
3. For all applicants who have not completed a baccalaureate degree (or three years of full-time academic study at the post-secondary level) in Australia, Great Britain, Anglophone Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United States, completion of one of the following:
   1. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum paper-based score of 580 or Internet-based score of 92; or
   2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 7.0; or
   3. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a minimum score of 65.
      Further, a significantly low score on any part of these required exams will require that a student enroll in remedial courses appropriate to the area of weakness as specified by the Graduate Advisor.
4. Submission, with the application, of a writing sample demonstrating critical and analytical skills. Creative Writing students should also submit a sample of creative work.
5. The Graduate Committee will make assessments of the applicant's complete record, balancing GPA, letters of recommendation, writing samples, and any other material in the application package.
6. Approval by the department and Graduate Studies.

Prerequisites for Admission to Classified Status

In addition to any requirements listed above:

1. Completion of a departmentally administered essay assignment, by those required to take TOEFL, during registration week of the first semester. Remedial work in composition will be required for those whose writing is judged inadequate by essay readers, and a student may not be advanced to classified status until an acceptable level of proficiency is reached.
2. Two letters of recommendation, preferably from English department faculty who know the student's work, to the departmental Graduate Coordinator.
3. Completion of ENGL 276 and ENGL 277, Survey of British Literature, or its equivalent. Students coming to California State University, Chico from undergraduate institutions that offer an undergraduate comprehensive examination in literature or a course of the same kind as the Survey of British Literature are requested to submit, when possible, as one of their letters of recommendation, a statement from a faculty member directly involved with that examination or course.
4. A post baccalaureate grade point average of at least 3.0 in a minimum of 12 departmentally specified units of letter-graded, graduate-level course work.
5. Completion of departmental literacy requirement.

Advancement to Candidacy

In addition to any requirements listed above:

1. Classified graduate standing and completion at the University of at least nine units of the proposed program.
2. Formation of the graduate advisory (thesis) committee in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.
3. Development of an approved program in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Such a program will include:
   1. A statement of aims.
   2. An outline of course units to be earned in pursuit of these aims.
   3. A description of the nature of the culminating activity.

Definition of Blended Programs

A blended bachelor's and master's degree program combines an existing Chico State bachelor's degree with an existing Chico State master's degree; the blended program allows up to 12 units of the graduate program units to be double-counted at the undergraduate level, for a minimum of 138 units to receive both degrees. Students who complete a blended program will receive both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Upon completion of 120 semester units and with the completion of all requirements for the bachelor's degree, students in blended programs will be awarded the bachelor's degree. Upon completion of the requirements for the master's degree, students will be awarded the master's degree.

Students interested in applying to a blended program must be enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at Chico State and must meet and maintain the minimum GPA of the existing master's degree entrance requirements for all bachelor's coursework completed at the time of the application to the blended program, or show promise to reach this level as determined by the program. Once admitted to the blended program, students shall not be required to apply for admission to the master's program.

Blended English BA + English MA

The blended program allows students to count up to four courses (12 units) toward the bachelor’s degree in English and the master’s degree in English. Once accepted into the blended program as an undergraduate, students take up to 12 units chosen in consultation with their undergraduate BA advisor and the Graduate Coordinator for the MA program.

Eligibility

The blended program is for highly motivated, well-qualified students. The program allows a student to apply after completing 60 units toward their bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Application Procedure

Application deadlines: April 1 for fall start, November 1 for spring start. 

Students who meet the eligibility criteria may submit an application for admission to the blended program. Formal application through Cal State Apply is not necessary and the student is not required to pay an application fee. GRE scores are not required. Students must meet the requirements outlined below to change to blended graduate status and continue toward the master's degree.

Grading Requirement

Once in the blended program, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA during their remaining undergraduate and graduate semesters.

Transition to Graduate Status

Students can transition to the graduate program after completing all undergraduate degree requirements with a minimum 2.5 GPA in all coursework. The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Coordinator will verify graduate program eligibility at the end of the semester in which the bachelor's degree is completed. Qualified students change to graduate status effective the following semester.

Requirements for the Blended English BA + English MA

The blended program allows up to 12 units of 400-600 level English (ENGL) courses to count toward both degrees. Courses should be chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are clear, measurable statements that describe how students demonstrate mastery of the knowledge, skills, and values of the discipline as appropriate to the degree. Graduates of this program are expected to achieve the following PLOs:

1. Identify the characteristics of specific genres and demonstrate an understanding of a range of genre terms using critical reading practices.
2. Situate literary works in their historical and cultural contexts and in a wider timeline of literary movements.
3. Analyze texts in terms of their social, ideological, and/or communicative context using the tools of rhetorical history and theory.
4. Develop qualitative and quantitative research practices focused on literacy, and reflect on their identity as a literacy researcher.
5. Practice writing and revision as a craft with attention to voice, style, form, language, and technique.
6. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the history and methods of publishing, including print, digital, and other media.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of language structures and critical thinking skills through linguistic data analysis.