Graduate Studies
Graduate education in the Department of English at SIUC provides a course of study leading to the MA, MFA, and PhD degrees in literature, rhetoric and composition, and creative writing. Students benefit from a wide range of specializations, including Medieval and Renaissance literature, British literature (18th, 19th and 20th centuries), American literature (19th century and modern), literary theory, cultural studies, gender studies, writing studies, popular culture, and creative writing in fiction and poetry. The Department of English also maintains a highly regarded Irish and Irish Immigration Studies program that is complemented by Morris Library's Special Collections of internationally recognized manuscript and archival holdings, and which affords graduate students the opportunity for study abroad at the University College, Galway.
Master of Arts
The Master of Arts degree provides opportunities for creative expression and professional development, preparing graduates for teaching and scholarly research, as well as continued graduate study at the doctoral level. Students customarily choose one of three concentrations: literary studies, rhetoric and composition studies, or English studies. The Master of Arts specializing in literature or rhetoric and composition requires completion of 30 credit hours of course work, reading knowledge of one foreign language, and the successful defense of a master's thesis. Students in literary studies have the option of taking a pass/fail examination as an alternative to the thesis. The Master of Arts specializing in English Studies requires 36 credit hours of course work without the foreign language and thesis requirment. The English Studies concentration is designed for students who want a greater degree of self-selection, such as high school teachers who are already employed in secondary education as well as working professionals interested in a substantial MA program to enhance their credentials and broaden their knowledge in the area(s) in which they teach or work. The added coursework, replacing research-oriented program requirements, along with a flexible oral examination as the terminal event in the degree program fit more comfortably into the work schedules of professional.
Applicants to the MA program in English must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and are strongly advised to take the General and Subject tests of the Graduate Record Examination. International students must also submit TOEFL scores.
- Literature Checklist
- Rhetoric and Composition Checklist
- English Studies Checklist
- M.A. Reading List
- Thesis Request Form
Master of Fine Arts
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a studio-academic
program designed to assist talented students in developing their skills
as poets or fiction writers. While the
MFA is the accepted credential
for teachers of creative 
writing,
our program gives primary emphasis to the development of students as
writers.
The fundamental elements of the program are writing workshops, in which
students read and critique the
writing of their peers under the guidance of a faculty writer;
intensive tutorial work with the thesis director on the student's
writing; and the study of the traditions, forms, and theories
of literature from a writer's stance. The faculty (three poets
and
three fiction writers) work closely with the students and insure that
each
student will have exposure to a variety of styles and personalities,
from traditional to experimental. Our small program size provides an
excellent student-teacher ratio, and encourages both formal and
informal apprenticeship and tutorial relationships. While no academic
program can promise to create writers, our MFA program strives to
provide committed, talented writers the guidance, instruction, support,
and community that will help them produce their best work. The MFA in
Creative Writing requires satisfactory completion of 48 semester hours.
MFA students may elect to focus their studies either in fiction or
poetry, or in a combination of the two genres.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in English prepares graduate students for careers in the field of higher education as scholars and educators, with course work, qualifying examinations, and dissertation directed in the full range of literary areas, critical theory, cultural studies, and rhetoric & composition. The PhD program is designed as a five-year program for full-time students. Its residency requirement is satisfied by completion of twenty-four semester hours of graduate credit before the qualifying examinations, followed by twenty-four semester hours of dissertation credit. The doctoral program maintains a research-tool requirement consisting of two foreign languages or one foreign language and course work in a field of study directly related to the dissertation. The doctoral student's course work is developed in consultation with an advisory committee to suit his or her particular needs. By the fourth semester in the program, each student will complete a Program of Study, signed by the student's committee, that outlines the student's area of focus and research plans. Qualifying examinations cover one major and two minor areas of study as chosen by the student in consultation with his or her committee. Upon successful completion of the examinations, the student is advanced to candidacy, and proceeds directly to the dissertation prospectus and the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed, the student will present an oral defense of the dissertation before the committee, including any designated outside readers. A successful defense means that the student has completed all requirements for the PhD degree.
PhD Placement
Tenure Track Positions = SIUC 52 of 82, 63%; National average according to the MLA, 41.9%
Full-time non-tenure track positions and post-doctoral fellowships = SIUC 17 of 82, 14%
Three work in publishing or academic consulting
Three teach high school
Several work as part-time university faculty, and several live and work abroad.
Resources for Job Seekers
Beyond taking courses, writing a thesis or dissertation, and teaching classes, every graduate student interested in a career must consider various forms of professional development. The English Department regularly offers students the opportunity to learn about the profession directly from experienced faculty. There are reliable online sources as well:
- For information on CVs, application letters, and writing samples, see The Association of Departments of English's Website
- For various career resources, see The Modern Language Association's Website
- SIU graduate students have access to the MLA Job List
Libraries and Research Sources
SIUC's Morris Library contains more than 2.5 million volumes, 3 million microfilms, and over 12,000 current serial subscriptions. Library users have electronic access to a statewide automated catalog system and to nearly 600 electronic data files and CD-ROM products via workstations located throughout the building. The library's special collections are extensive in areas pertinent to graduate students and research and include papers, manuscripts, letters, and research materials in American and British expatriate literature; twentieth-century philosophy, especially John Dewey and the Open Court press; the Irish literary renaissance; and proletariat theater. The Humanities Library is particularly rich in both traditional and contemporary monographs and periodicals that support the graduate program in English.
Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships
SIUC offers a number of competitive graduate fellowships and minority fellowships to full-time graduate students. Awards are made by the Graduate School on the recommendation of the Department's Graduate Studies Committee. For further information, contact the Graduate School. Please note that the deadline for applicants for fellowships is usually one month earlier than the deadline for graduate assistantships.
Almost all MA, MFA, and PhD students hold graduate assistantships,
which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of
tuition. The application deadline for admission with assistantship
support is early February, with notification before April 1.
Approximately 55 MA/MFA and 35 PhD students hold teaching
assistantships in any given year. The annual stipend, which comes with
tuition remission, ranges from $10,000 to $11,200, depending on the
degree. Assistantships are renewable to students in good standing: up
to 24 months for MA students, up to 32
months for MFA, and 48 for PhD.
Graduate students in good standing who have been trained in and taught
Freshman English (ENGL 101 and 102) are also eligible to teach a
variety of courses to broaden their teaching expertise:
- ENGL 120, Advanced Freshman Composition
- ENGL 121, The Western Literary Tradition
- ENGL 204, Literary Perspectives of the Modern World
- ENGL 205, The American Mosiac in Literature
- ENGL 290, Intermediate Analytical Writing
- ENGL 291, Intermediate Technical Writing
Most graduate assistants are assigned to the University's first year writing program, in which they have full responsibility for two sections of composition each semester. An extensive series of pre-semester workshops, a semester-long seminar in the teaching of college composition, and a mentor system complement graduate work and assure professional development. In addition, some graduate assistants serve as tutors in the Department's Writing Center, while others are eligible to teach Core Curriculum literature courses. Summer teaching is also available to a limited number of graduate students.
Application Procedures
Applicants to the MA, PhD, and MFA programs in English must complete the following steps:
- Complete all forms in the Department's Application Packet:
- Complete the Graduate School application form. Domestic students can find the form here. International students can find the proper form here.
- Submit a nonrefundable processing fee of $50.
- Submit three letters of recommendation: download form.
- Submit a statement of purpose and writing sample.
Rules and regulations for graduate study in English at SIUC
Some of these forms require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free from the Adobe website.
In addition, applicants to the MA program are strongly advised to submit scores for the general test of the Graduate Record Examination. These scores are mandatory for students wishing to compete for fellowships. Applicants to the PhD program must present scores for both the general and the subject tests of the GRE. International students must submit TOEFL scores and a letter of sufficient financial support at the time of application. The minimum GPA for admission to SIUC's Graduate School is 2.7 (of 4.0).
Printed versions of these application materials for admission, including graduate assistantship support, are also available from the Department of English. For further information or an application packet, please contact:
Professor Scott J. McEathron
Graduate Studies in English
Department of English
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois 62901-4503
(618) 453-6894
e-mail: gradengl@siu.edu
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not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, religion,
national origin or sex in violation of Title VII. 