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Graduate school

The M.A.
A master’s degree in English can be a valuable asset to a teacher wanting to demonstrate that he or she is “highly qualified” to teach British and American language and literature. Many public schools will pay for their teachers to pursue a master’s degree. An M.A. in English can enable you to teach courses at a community college or at a private middle or high school. (In some cases, if your academic record is strong enough, you can be hired by a private school with just a B.A. If the school has enough money and wants to retain you, it might pay for your M.A.: there are summer master’s programs in English that cater to private school teachers). There are master’s programs nearby at West Chester, Villanova, Rutgers at Camden, etc.
A master’s degree in teaching prepares the liberal arts graduate for certification and a career in teaching. Rowan has an excellent M.S.T. program which runs for 14 months, starting immediately after graduation and finishing the following summer, in time for the following academic year. Many state schools in New Jersey have a similar program. If you are a liberal arts English major interested in such a degree, you should take all of the general education courses required of students pursuing certification. You will need to take the appropriate Praxis exams, as well.

A master’s degree in writing can also be an asset to a public school teacher. Rowan’s College of Communication offers such a degree, with graduate level courses in writing offered late in the afternoon and in the evening to suit teachers’ schedules. Again, often schools will pay for their teachers to pursue such a degree.

An M.F.A., a master’s in fine arts, prepares you for a career in writing fiction, nonfiction prose, drama, and/or poetry. It can also prepare you for a career in teaching creative writing.

There are also quite good master’s programs available in fields such as journalism, publishing, public relations, advertising, law, business, museum work, student services, and library science. Again, apply to a wide range of schools to increase your chances of being offered a good financial package. If you are interested in any of these fields, plan now to create an appropriate minor or concentration of courses that will support your interests (in languages or art history or computers, etc.) If possible, arrange an internship in your area of interest.

The Ph.D.
A Ph.D. in English prepares you to teach at the college level; however, the academic job market can only be described as abysmal. We have more than 300 applicants for every new position we post. The job market is very hard, even for qualified Ph.D.s from good, competitive schools. If you really love literature and want to pursue your studies at the graduate level, go ahead; just be advised that at the end of your program, you might need to retool for another career. Go for the best program you can afford, but also cast a wide net with your applications: that way you might get some good offers of fellowships or teaching assistantships. Ask several of us for advice: remember we all have friends from graduate school teaching or in other positions all over the country. You might be tempted to stay in South Jersey and go to graduate school somewhere “convenient,” but that is not always a wise career move. A New Jersey native will attract more attention applying to a program in other areas of the country. You might even consider going abroad. (If you choose wisely, there are some great deals to be had abroad.) On the other hand, there are also some very good graduate programs in the area, including the University of Delaware, Penn State, Temple, and Rutgers at New Brunswick. The University of Pennsylvania has an excellent reputation, but admission is extremely competitive (and it is prohibitively expensive).

The Ed.D.
For teachers with classroom experience, a doctorate in education (or in educational leadership) can prepare you for a career in school administration—as a principal, for instance.

Applying to Graduate School
Research potential schools well in advance—in your junior year or before, if possible. Go to the C.A.P. Center, where they have computer programs like “My Road” and “Discover” that can help you research graduate programs nationally and internationally. Think about what kinds of programs you’re interested in—comparative literature? Journalism? African-American Studies? Women’s Studies? Native Studies? Environmental Studies? Then search schools by location, as well. Remember, if you are pursuing certification or licensing of any sort (as in Library Science, or a Master’s in Teaching), make sure that the school is properly accredited.

Remember that you will have to take the G.R.E.s, both the general exam and the subject matter test in literature. Plan this well ahead so you will not miss deadlines for your applications: your test scores must be ready by a certain date. Our core courses do an excellent job of preparing people for the G.R.E.s. Review your notes from the British and U.S. surveys. Review the historical overview essays from your Norton Anthologies. Review your material on literary criticism from Literary Studies and Seminar classes.

You will also need letters of recommendation. Choose several faculty members who know you and your work well. Your Seminar teachers make the most sense. Give them plenty of lead time: you don’t want them rushing through your letters. Avoid big crunch periods like end of semester and midterm. Make sure you have been an active, well-prepared participant in their classes and have gotten your work in on time.

Make up a packet for each faculty member with all the necessary forms from each school. Tell them what program you are applying to (English? Library Science?) Let them know when the letters are due, and how they are to be delivered—should they mail them to the schools directly, or return them all to you in a batch, with their signatures across the flap of the envelope?

Give faculty members a list of facts about yourself: the classes you took with them and when; the grades you received; the topics of seminar papers you wrote for them; relevant extracurricular activities or jobs or interests, etc. If you want the graduate schools to take your letters of recommendation seriously, waive your rights to see your recommendation letters. Admissions boards routinely devalue letters if the student does not waive his or her rights. They assume that professors will protect themselves from possible lawsuits by being falsely positive, or vague, bland, and general. Remember, you are supposed to choose faculty members you like and trust. If we feel we cannot write you a supportive or informative letter (or if we just don’t have the time) we will politely decline. If you are turned down, don’t push the matter: the faculty member is doing you a favor by being honest; you don’t need a completely generic, lukewarm, or negative letter—or, if we’re extremely busy, a letter that arrives too late.

Once all the work of applying is done, you wait for the letters to roll in. And then you have to think about thesis topics . . . publishing . . . and the job market.

Good luck!