Apr 05, 2025  
2023-2024 Academic Catalog 
    
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2023-2024 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Writing Studies M.A

View information for the Department of English  

Matt Moberly, Associate Professor

The Master of Arts Program in Writing Studies serves the personal and professional needs of various students: those currently teaching or intending to teach high school; those intending to teach at the community college level; those anticipating doctoral studies; and those simply interested in the personal growth that advanced studies in English provide.

Prerequisites 

  1. While students applying to the MA Writing Studies program will have an undergraduate degree in English or related field, students with a BA from any discipline are welcome and encouraged to apply.

  2. An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0.

  3. Two letters of recommendation from former college instructors, or appropriate equivalents, who can comment on the applicant’s ability to succeed in graduate studies.

  4. A 5-10 page critical or analytical paper. It may be one written in an undergraduate class.

  5. Upon acceptance to the program, students with a Bachelor of Arts degree with at least a 3.0 grade point average can be admitted as Fully Classified students.

Requirements

  1. Complete at least 30 graduate units. 

  2. Earn at least a grade of B- in each course. 

  3. Complete comprehensive exams, thesis, or advanced project as indicated by program. 

Course Requirements:

(30 units)

A. Required Courses/Units:

(18 units)

B. Elective Courses/Units:

(12 units)

Students will work with their advisor to select elective courses based on the student’s goals and interests. Elective courses can come from the following:

The MA in Writing Studies with an optional concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The student who elects to pursue an MA in Writing Studies with a concentration in TESOL will develop a specialist’s knowledge of English grammar, second language acquisition theory, methodology, curriculum and materials development, and cross-cultural issues related to the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This concentration is particularly appropriate for those who want to teach in postsecondary settings such as community colleges, universities, adult education programs, and English language institutes in the U.S. and abroad.

Students for whom English is a second language will have to meet the required minimum score on the TOEFL and demonstrate fluency in English before admission to the program.

The TESOL concentration consists of the required and elective courses listed below.

Requirements:

(30 units)

1. Complete the Writing Studies core courses:

(18 units)

2. Complete the following TESOL courses:

(12 units)