Department of English
Hagg Sauer
Phone: 218-755-2880
Fax: 218-755-2822
Mailing Address:
1500 Birchmont Drive NE #23
Bemidji, MN 56601
he Department of English at BSU offers two graduate degrees: Master of Science and Master of Arts.
You could become a Professional Educator or choose to continue your education by applying for submission to a PhD program. For more information, please see: What can I do with and English degree?
First, talk to your advisor. You'll want to start your inquiries and paperwork a year in advance. For more information and to get started on your paperwork, contact the Graduate Studies Office.
Yes! There are a limited number of graduate assistantships awarded each year. You need three letters of recommendation from instructors who know your work and can speak to your teaching experience. To apply, send a letter of application to the English Graduate Director, addressing your academic preparation and professional experience with an eye to teaching.
Graduate Study in English | Department of English
Dr. Mark Christensen, Director
English Department Graduate Study
218-755-3356
For more information, check out Graduate Assistantships.
As a Graduate Assistant you'll need to take at least 6 credits per semester, while teaching one section of College Writing.
A GA in teaching is a little like an apprenticeship. Under the guidance of the Director of Composition, you learn to teach by doing. To help you prepare, there is a teaching workshop in late summer (ENGL 6950) and two required courses for your first semester as a GA:
You're given the responsibility for the course you teach: Running workshops, responding to student writing, evaluating writing, and assigning grades.
You're also working with other teaching graduate assistants who help each other out. And you share an office!
Yes, you need to have or aquire a reading knowledge of a foreign language. This can take two years of courses, one each semester, so talk to your advisor early.
Masters of Science candidates can use a course in Statistics or Instructional Technology to meet this requirement. Another option is Teaching Writing with Technology (ENGL 5530).
You need to start thinking about this toward the end of your first year. As a Master of Science candidate you may choose to do a graduate research paper (ENGL 6980) or to write a thesis (ENGL 6990).
Master of Arts candidates write theses, and have two options. Both options require you to work closely with your thesis advisor to plan, draft, and revise your thesis.
Option 1: The traditional route is the scholarly thesis, and is appropriate to the study of literature, or if you're going on to teach at a university or for a PhD. You can choose between: defining and pursuing a close study of a topic in literature, lit crit, composition, rhetoric, or writing.
Option 2: The creative thesis is for students who have focused on creative writing in their graduate study, and who plan on teaching at a two-year college or continuing with an MFA. The creative thesis requires a collected body of creative work and must follow the current MLA Style Sheet.
Who evaluates my thesis or research paper?
At
least three months before you plan to graduate you should submit a
prospectus of your proposed thesis to the Chairperson of the English
Department Graduate Committee. Include a short bibliography, and the
name of a proposed advisor, who must be a member of the graduate
faculty.
Each member of your committee must see your paper/thesis as it progresses. Committee members need to be given enough time to read it in order to suggest changes and revisions that need to be made. The primary work and discussion of the thesis should be done with the thesis advisor.
The thesis is both the capstone of your work as a grad student and the start of your continued professional work. It can take from one semester to a full year or even longer, depending on how you plan and how diligent you are. You set your own pace.
Tuition varies from year to year, for current information on Tuition and Fees, please see the BSU Business Office.
How does a Graduate Assistantship help pay for grad school?
As a Graduate Assistant you receive:
You do need to pay student fees, but Financial Aid is available if you qualify.
No. Sorry, but graduate courses require more work than undergraduate courses. Graduate students in dual-numbered courses do additional work.
The BSU School of Graduate Studies has a page where you can download all Graduate Forms.