2026-2027 Cal Poly Humboldt Catalog DRAFT [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
English, Applied English Studies Concentration, M.A.
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The Master’s in English-with a concentration in Applied English Studies-offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares students for a range of professional pursuits. With an emphasis on career advancement and critical consciousness, the program expands opportunities for K12 teachers and higher education professionals, equips students for Ph.D. programs and jobs in college teaching, and helps launch graduates into careers in publishing, editing, professional writing, content curation, digital scholarship, and teaching English abroad. Students earn an advanced degree while gaining practical experience-with opportunities for internships in digital media, publishing and editing, special collections curating & archiving, and teaching. Our program values the deep connection between theory and practice, and emphasizes hands-on learning. Coursework is anchored in intersectional antiracist and decolonial frameworks. Working one-on-one with faculty in a supportive cohort of emerging writers and scholars, students create a Master’s project of their own design or opt to take comprehensive exams. They will explore how one’s identity shapes research and how language acts upon the world. Our faculty have expertise in a range of interdisciplinary fields: Digital Humanities, Creative Writing, Second Language Pedagogy, Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Rhetoric and Composition, Critical Plant Studies, Literature and Literary Theory, Cultural Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Linguistics. Students have considerable latitude in designing master’s projects that match their interests and the expertise of graduate faculty.
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Requirements for the Degree (34 Units)
For a description of degree requirements to be fulfilled in addition to those listed below see, “Master’s Degree Requirements ” Students complete 34 units of graduate-level courses (500 and 600) in writing, literature, cultural theory, rhetoric and composition, pedagogy, and digital humanities approved by the department. Prerequisite/corequisite: reading knowledge of one language other than English or two college semesters of the same language. 24 units of Core Coursework + 8 units of Graduate Electives + 2 units of a Culminating Experience = 34 units Students must earn a GPA of 3.00 in all coursework applied to the degree. No individual grade less than B- will apply to the degree. Core Coursework (24 Units)
All M.A. in English students complete the core coursework below. Substitutions for any of these core courses must be discussed with and approved by the graduate coordinator on a case-by-case basis. Graduate Electives (8 Units)
Graduate students will work closely with the graduate coordinator and their project/exams committee chair to identify 8 units of elective courses that best support their research and professional goals. All 4 of the following stipulations must be met: - At least 4 units of elective courses must be a graduate or upper-division literature course for majors offered by the English department (not a General Education course). When a literature course is co-listed, graduate students must enroll in the 500-level course.
- A single course taken to fulfill the 4-unit literature requirement may not double count for the additional 4 units of electives required. However, a student may take 8 units of elective literature courses if desired, including the same course if repeatable and the topic varies.
- At least 4 units of elective courses must be taken at the graduate level (500-600).
- All elective courses must be taken at either the graduate level or the upper-division level for majors in the discipline (300-400) (not a General Education course).
a. Literature (4 Units)
Students must complete an additional 4 units of a literature course or courses offered by the English department. The course must be either a graduate literature seminar elective or an upper-division literature course designed specifically for majors (not a General Education course). Examples include: b. Internships, College Teaching, Seminars (4 Units)
Students will complete an additional 4 units of any graduate course or any combination of courses offered by the English department or by another graduate program that scaffolds their research and/or professional development. Examples include: Culminating Experience (2 Units)
Students have the option to choose either a master’s project or a comprehensive written exam plus oral defense for their culminating experience. Each option requires research, preparation, and the formation of a faculty committee. Progress Requirements
The department reserves the right to dismiss from the program a student who does not make academically adequate and timely progress in moving through degree requirements. For more information, see the graduate school handbook regarding academic notice and disqualification and English M.A. program policies. Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing this program will demonstrate the ability to: - Produce advanced-level, research-based analytical writing in one or more genres and/or media;
- Demonstrate the use of a variety of interpretive strategies for analyzing multiple types of texts, including digital and new media production;
- Locate texts in their cultural and historical contexts;
- Examine and apply key theories and practices in reading, writing, teaching, and/or knowledge-making, including relationships between discourse, textuality, power, and social justice;
- In the course of producing a master’s project or completing a comprehensive written exam and oral defense, students will define an area of inquiry and its relation to the field, and ground theie work in appropriate theory.
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