About Graduate School
How should I prepare for graduate school?
You can prepare yourself for graduate-level work while still an undergraduate:
Try to take a variety of courses within your discipline. If you're studying literature, pick up as many diverse courses as you can: English and American, Early and Modern, canonical and non-canonical. If you're working within the professional writing or creative writing options, take courses beyond those required for the major.
Take as many 3000- and 4000-level courses as you can for your requirements and electives. Upper-division in-major courses show you've prepared yourself for more rigorous work.
Take as many courses as you can from the tenure and tenure-track faculty.
Get to know your professors: they can offer much good advice, and you will need letters of recommendation.
- Learn as much as you can about the professional elements of your discipline: identify the major journals and professional associations in your field, try to attend or participate in a professional conference or work session.
- Familiarize yourself with the primary scholarly and bibliographic sources within your discipline.
- Get related experience through internships and volunteer work and through related courses.
What's the difference between a Master's degree (MA), a MAED, a Master's in Fine Arts (MFA), and a doctorate (PhD)?
The MA, MFA, and even MAED are degree programs that you would enter first after receiving your undergraduate degree. There is no rule that says you must continue your graduation education beyond such degrees (the MFA and MAED are considered "terminal" degrees), but you can pursue a doctorate after completing one of these degrees. If you would like to teach on the college level, you should plan on pursuing the PhD or MFA, though some community colleges accept the MA and MAED.
What can I do with a graduate degree?
Often graduate degrees lead to teaching at various levels. If you would like to teach on the elementary, middle, or high school level, you might pursue an MA or PhD in education. If you'd like to teach on the college or university level, then you'd be better off seeking an MA or PhD, with the latter giving you more opportunities for advancement.
The MA or PhD in professional writing might lead to corporate writing or research jobs. You might decide to pursue a Master's in Business Administration and go into a business-related field.
Why should I think about pursuing a graduate degree?
A graduate degree gives you opportunities for advancement and possibly of making more money. Requirements for jobs tend to escalate. Getting a graduate degree while you are young could position you for a variety of jobs over time.
What kinds of English programs are available at different schools?
You can get degrees in English specializing in American Lit, Early American Lit, Modern American Lit, English Lit, Medieval Lit, Renaissance Lit, 18th Century or Augustan Lit, Romantic Lit, Victorian Lit, Modern British, African-American Lit, Women's Lit, Ethnic Lit, Modernism, Postmodernism, Professional Writing, Creative Writing, English as a Second Language, Composition and Rhetoric, and related subjects, such as Gender Studies.
Where can I go to get the best degree?
Try to match your interests with the program strengths. Start by talking to someone in your field. For example, if you want to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing, you might ask a creative writing teacher to recommend several schools. You can search online or in the library for schools that specialize in the field you want to pursue.
How long will it take to get a graduate degree?
You can complete many MA/MFA programs in 2-3 years, or even less. PhD programs usually take 4 or more years past the Master's degree. If you can pay your way through graduate school, you can finish your degree more quickly than you could if you have to depend for funding on an assistantship (which involves you teaching a class or two while you take classes; see question below). If you are diligent and dedicated, then you can finish more quickly. Some programs help you along by presenting you with time limits: you must finish your MA/MFA within X years; your PhD, within Y years.
What does a graduate degree cost?
Private universities tend to cost more than public universities. You'll have to research the particular school and program you have in mind. In addition to out-of-pocket costs for tuition, room, and board, you should consider "opportunity costs," the money you would have been making if you were employed, and weigh that cost against expected gains in income following the degree.
What sorts of programs are available to help me pay for graduate school?
Many students fund their graduate study with teaching or research assistantships. Assistantships usually pay your tuition and a stipend in exchange for you teaching a class or two each semester or helping a professor or a team of professors with a research project. Federal and private loans are available. You can work to save money following your undergraduate degree.
I'd like to go to grad school at Tech, and I've heard you can jump start your grad degree by dual enrolling. What exactly is dual enrollment?
Dual enrollment means exactly what it sounds like: you take graduate level courses for graduate level credit while you are still in the process of completing your undergraduate degree. Sounds attractive, huh? But read on....
How exactly can we dual-enroll?
Dual enrollment sounds pretty cool: you work on your graduate degree while you're completing the undergraduate program. Saves time and you can impress friends and family ("I'm dual enrolled!"). HOWEVER (and this is a BIG however), dual enrollment does not work for everyone, even those who want to attend and can be accepted to grad school on a regular basis. Approval of dual enrollment does not happen every day. Your best bet is to speak with the relevant graduate program directors about the requirements for dual enrollment. One of the key requirements, however, is your gpa -- which can be a key determining factor in whether you'd be accepted to grad school at all. Another involves how many hours you have left to complete in your major field of undergraduate study. If you would like to dual enroll in a graduate program offered by the English Department, you'd need to make an appointment to talk with Joe Eska. If you want to consider dual enrollment in the MAED Program, you'd want to contact Sara Kajder, Director.