English Masters Program

English Graduate Options

Students interested in finding out more about the English M.A. Program should seek out English Graduate Advising, which will assist in all aspects of applying for admission to the Lehman English M.A. Program.  Current students at all stages of study who need advisement, permission, a head's up on thesis preparation, information about orals or thesis submission, or any other thing should likewise contact English Graduate Advising.

Graduate Studies in English

Current Lehman English Majors or recent English BA graduates may sample the English MA Program by taking one or more graduate courses (up to a maximum of 12 credits).  English graduate courses do not count toward the English BA, but do count as both (a) undergraduate degree credit and (b) courses toward the English MA, should the student later be admitted into the MA Program. 

Students pursue the English MA to acquire a general expertise in English Studies and to develop a particular focus in Literature, Writing and Rhetoric, or Creative Writing.  (A Professional Writing concentration is in the planning stages.)  English MA students take a total of 30 credit, both in a common core of required course and in their areas of specialization. Seminars are enriched by a mix of students from several programs - the English MA, the MS in English Education, the MA in Liberal Studies (MALS), and the Graduate Program in Literacy Studies.

Students with MS-English/Education degrees take graduate English courses to acquire an additional area of expertise for purposes of professional development and/or promotion (30+). 

NB:  The English Department accepts graduate applications  on a rolling basis, no longer requires GREs, and has lifted the foreign language requirement from its requirements 

Admissions

Admission to the English MA program.  The official deadline for applications is November 15 for Spring enrollment and April 15 for Fall enrollment in the MA, though late applications (in paper form) are welcome.  Students should work closely with the English Graduate Director during the application process to ensure timely reviews and decisions.

Griffin Fellowship

The Dr. Alice Griffin Fellowship

Upon completion of 15 credits toward their M.A. in English with a Concentration in Literature, students may apply for the Dr. Alice Griffin Fellowship. This fellowship is the generous gift of Professor of English Emerita Alice Griffin, an expert in Shakespeare and American Theatre who taught at Lehman College from 1949, when it was still the women's college of Hunter, to her retirement in 1991.