English BA/MA

The combined bachelor’s-master’s program in English is an accelerated program designed specifically for students who have displayed academic excellence as undergraduate English majors.

Qualified students will take 12 credits of graduate-level (5000-6999) courses during the senior year. After completion of the baccalaureate degree, students will apply to the MA in English program and, if admitted, will complete the remaining 21 credits of graduate courses for the master’s degree in one additional year of study. This program will allow students to move more efficiently through two degrees and thereby jump-start professional development. Graduates from this program will be well prepared to pursue a PhD in English or a related field; to seek a teaching position at the post-secondary level; or to pursue any number of careers that require writing, editing, or research skills.

Student Handbook

Eligibility for Application
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- Applicants will apply during their junior year.
- Completion of 75-90 undergraduate credits toward the BA in English.
- Overall GPA (transfer and FGCU credits) of at least 3.2.
- GPA in the major of at least 3.5 (this includes all 3000 and 4000-level courses with the AML, ENL, LIT, ENG, ENC, or CRW prefixes).
- At least 18 credits of 3000- and 4000-level courses in English, including ENG 3014 Methods of Literary and Cultural Studies, completed or in process.
Application materials
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- Unofficial Transcripts of all courses taken at FGCU including all articulated courses transferred in to FGCU
- Writing sample of 8-10 double-spaced pages of literary analysis, preferably including research.
- Personal statement of 2-3 double-spaced pages about career and personal goals connected with pursuing graduate work in English. This statement should explain the motivation for pursuing a Master's degree at FGCU, goals connected with pursuing this degree, and the intended focus of graduate studies.
- Names and email addresses of two recommenders at FGCU to support the application.
- Minimum score of 153 on the Verbal Reasoning portion of the GRE.
- Minimum score of 3.5 on the Analytical Writing portion of the GRE.
How the application process works
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- Candidates for the combined program will apply during the junior year. Qualified students must submit all of the application materials (see above) to the English MA Coordinator—except for GRE scores, which should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions—by November 15 for Spring admission; April 1 for Summer; or July 15 for Fall.
- Students will be informed of their acceptance or denial by December 1 for Spring admission; April 15 for Summer; or August 1 for Fall.
- Students who are accepted to the combined BA/MA program must then meet with the English MA Coordinator within one week of admission to plan their course of study for the following semester. Students will not be able to register for graduate-level courses without the permission of the MA Coordinator.
How the BA/MA program works
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- A minimum grade of B is required for each graduate course to be double counted.
- The 12 credits to be double counted are: ENG 6058 Introduction to Graduate Study in English (offered every Fall semester) plus 9 credits from the MA English program (with prior approval of English MA Coordinator).
- These exclude 6910 (Directed Independent Research) designations.
- Students interested in becoming a teaching assistant should take ENC 6745 Seminar in Composition Pedagogy (offered every Spring).
- Students are encouraged to take ENG 6940 English Master’s Internship.
- Students who begin the combined program as undergraduates but either opt not to enter the master’s program or do not receive a B or higher in each of the graduate courses taken as undergraduates could still earn the BA in English at the end of their senior year, if they have completed the 120 credits required for undergraduate degree and satisfied all other degree requirements.
Honors College
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- You are encouraged to apply for admission to the Honors College at the same time as your application for the BA/MA program (separate admissions processes).
- The 6000-level courses completed for BA/MA will also count as Honors courses for those students enrolled in the Honors College.
- For more details, visit the Honors College website.

Program Contact:

Sugimori, Masami

Program Coordinator English MA/Associate Professor American Literature

REED 0132

239-590-7356

msugimori@fgcu.edu

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Program Requirements
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- All program requirements are the same for the BA/MA as they are for the English BA.
- Catalog copy regarding the BA/MA programs at FGCU may be found here.
- Catalog copy specific to the English BA may be found here.
Degree Map
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Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Evaluate and analyze literary and cultural texts in their appropriate contexts.
2. Conduct scholarly research on topics in literary and cultural studies.
3. Use accepted and appropriate formatting.
4. Apply appropriate critical approaches to analyzing literary and cultural texts.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through essays, exams, and other projects completed in the following courses: ENG 3014 and ENG 4930.
Communication Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Write for specific audiences and purposes with respect for diverse perspectives.
2. Organize ideas and information logically.
3. Articulate ideas and information clearly and coherently using the conventions of standard English grammar
Communication Skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through essays, exams, and other projects completed in the following courses: ENG 3014 and ENG 4930.
Critical Thinking Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Formulate an argument of appropriate scope and depth and articulate it clearly.
2. Engage with complex ideas or aspects of a text within a specific and rich context.
3. Support the development of ideas through analysis of relevant details from primary and secondary sources
4. Participate in a relevant scholarly conversation.
Critical Thinking Skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through essays, exams, and other projects completed in the following courses: ENG 3014 and ENG 4930.
Accreditation
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Admissions Information
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Course Description
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting Started With the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid
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Taking graduate courses as an undergraduate can impact a student’s financial aid package, so all BA/MA candidates are advised to consult with Ms. Holly Bullock at the Student Financial Services (hbullock@fgcu.edu) and the English MA Coordinator before applying for the program.

BA/MA students can apply for paid professional-development positions through the WiSER Eagles program:
- Project Manager for the English program
- Editorial Manager for Mangrove Review
Once students enter the Master’s phase of the program, they can apply for Graduate Assistantship through the English MA program.

Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.