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2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
English, M.A. Creative Writing Tracks
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Dr. Stephanie Bernhard, Graduate Program Director
Contact
Advisement for the program is available from the English Department.
The English Department provides a variety of Master of Arts in English opportunities for students wishing to further their study. The program is large enough to offer high-quality instruction from faculty who are actively engaged in scholarship and publication, while, at the same time, small enough to promote collegiality among M.A. candidates and faculty and to ensure personalized attention as students proceed through their chosen areas of study. In addition, each academic year the department offers a limited number of teaching assistantships, which include stipend and tuition waiver in exchange for students’ teaching three sections of the English Department’s freshman composition courses each year.
Students pursuing the M.A. in English include students intending to go on to Ph.D. programs, those expecting to teach at the junior or community college level, and secondary school teachers seeking to enhance their expertise and credentials. While every graduate student’s experience ultimately depends on the energy, dedication and imagination which that student devotes to his or her studies, Salisbury University’s M.A. in English program furnishes an environment in which the graduate experience can be intellectually challenging, highly productive and exceptionally rewarding.
Admission
Admission to the Master of Arts in English requires an application for graduate program admission at SU; the application fee; official transcript from all colleges and universities attended; and, if applying for in-state tuition, a Residency/Domicile Information Form. Creative writing students will also submit a 15-20 page creative writing sample in their primary genre. Applicants must have completed or anticipate completing prior to admission an undergraduate English major or its equivalent (30 semester hours of English beyond freshman English) or a major in a related area, with a 3.0 GPA in those undergraduate courses. A student who fails to meet this requirement should consult the English Department’s graduate director regarding removal of deficiencies.
In addition to the materials required by SU’s Office of Admission, the applicant for the M.A. in English must also submit (or have forwarded) directly to the English Department Graduate Program Director, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801, the following materials:
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A written statement of purpose for applying to the English M.A. program and specific option.
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Two letters of recommendation using the department’s form (available through the English Department’s website).
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GRE General Test scores are optional but not required.
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For Creative Writing Program applicants, include a 15-20-page creative writing sample in your primary genre and a CV/resume.
All application materials should be received by the English Department’s graduate program director 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester for which the student is applying. Application materials for applicants who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships must be received by March 1 for first consideration. When admitted to the English graduate program, graduate students may count no more than nine hours taken as non-degree students toward the M.A. in English. With the approval of the graduate director, up to nine hours of graduate credit may be transferred from another institution.
Program Policies
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Complete 33 semester hours (including a minimum 24 hours completed at SU) with grades of C or better.
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Maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 or higher and receive C or C+ grades in a maximum of 2 courses.
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All course selections must be approved by the graduate director in English.
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Students who as undergraduates have taken any of the required courses will, in consultation with the graduate program director, select alternative courses to meet the 33-hour requirement.
Creative Thesis
To help maintain a measure of commonality, all candidates for the M.A. in English in the Creative Writing Program must create a thesis of publishable quality. Students specializing in fiction or creative nonfiction must create a thesis in that genre of 75-125 pages in length. Students specializing in poetry should create a thesis 48-64 pages in length. This should be ready for review midway through the student’s final semester. Students should include an acknowledgments page, if applicable. Every thesis will be guided by a primary faculty advisor and reviewed by a secondary faculty member. All theses will also require an oral presentation/defense.
Checklist
This checklist is an unofficial tool for planning. Matriculated students and advisors should consult the Academic Requirements Report in GullNet before and after registering for classes each semester to track academic progress.
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Complete 1 Out-of-Genre Workshop Sequence from the Following:
*Course must be taken twice. Complete 1 of the Following Options:
Complete at Least 3 500-Level Literature** or Out-of-Genre Topics Courses from the Following:
*Course may be used to fulfill this requirement. - ENGL 5XX Course (1 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX Course (2 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX Course (3 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 598 - Topics in Prose 3 Hour(s) Credit *
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed Poetry Option for Teaching Assistants
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed Complete at Least 3 500-Level Literature*** or Out-of-Genre Topics Courses from the Following:
*Course may be used to fulfill this requirement. - ENGL 5XX Course (1 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX Course (2 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX Course (3 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 596 - Topics in Poetry 3 Hour(s) Credit *
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed Nonfiction Option for Teaching Assistants
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed Complete at Least 3 500-Level Literature*** or Out-of-Genre Topics Courses from the Following:
*Course may be used to fulfill this requirement. - ENGL 5XX (1 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX (2 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 5XX (3 of 3) 3 Hour(s) Credit
- ENGL 596 - Topics in Poetry 3 Hour(s) Credit *
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed Fiction Option for Teaching Assistants
Electives
Complete at Least 1 Additional Graduate-Level Course to Total 33 Credit Hours Completed 500-Level Literature Course Options
The following courses may be used to fulfill the 500-Level Literature requirement.
Poetry Option**
ENGL 500 , ENGL 501 , ENGL 502 , ENGL 503 , ENGL 504 , ENGL 505 , ENGL 510 , ENGL 511 , ENGL 512 , ENGL 513 , ENGL 522 , ENGL 553 , ENGL 561 , ENGL 569 , ENGL 570 , ENGL 571 , ENGL 572 , ENGL 573 , ENGL 574 , ENGL 575 , ENGL 576 , ENGL 577 , ENGL 579 , ENGL 580 , ENGL 581 , ENGL 582 , ENGL 583 , ENGL 584 , ENGL 585 , ENGL 588 , ENGL 590 , ENGL 598
Nonfiction & Fiction Options***
ENGL 500 , ENGL 501 , ENGL 502 , ENGL 503 , ENGL 504 , ENGL 505 , ENGL 510 , ENGL 511 , ENGL 512 , ENGL 513 , ENGL 522 , ENGL 553 , ENGL 561 , ENGL 569 , ENGL 570 , ENGL 571 , ENGL 572 , ENGL 573 , ENGL 574 , ENGL 575 , ENGL 576 , ENGL 577 , ENGL 579 , ENGL 580 , ENGL 581 , ENGL 582 , ENGL 583 , ENGL 584 , ENGL 585 , ENGL 588 , ENGL 590 , ENGL 596
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