Masters
of Arts Program Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for New and Continuing Students
FAQs
For prospective students:
1. Do you have a program in
English secondary education?
Yes, we offer a MA in English Adolescence Education (TEP), which
is a joint degree between the School of Education and the Department
of English. For information on the requirements for the education
portion of this degree, please consult the School
of Education.
2. What are the English program
requirements for Adolescence Education?
Please see the requirements for Adolescence
Education.
3. What are the MA in British
and American literature requirements?
For the MA in British and American literature, there are no course
requirements at this time. However, we do recommend strongly
that students take literary criticism in their first year. Please
see our general requirements fot the MA
in British and American Literature.
4. May I take courses as a
non-matriculating student?
To take courses as a non-matriculating (or non-degree) student,
you must still fulfill our admissions
requirements, except for the GRE. Before you will be allowed
to take courses in the Department of English (even if you have been
admitted by Hunter College), you must see the Graduate Advisor with
your undergraduate and graduate transcripts for evaluation.
Please be aware that non-matriculating students register last, which
means many courses will already be closed. You should also
consult with the Admissions Office in regard to deadlines for admission
as a non-degree student. Click here for
non-matriculating advising.
5. How do I apply to the MA
program?
Please contact the Admissions
Office for application materials. Once you have filled
out the application, written your statement of purpose, collected
letters of recommendation and taken the GRE (in the case of applications
to the MA in British and American literature), and (whenever possible)
included a sample of your writing, please return all your materials
to the Admissions Office.
6. What are the deadlines
for admission?
For fall admission, complete applications must be received in the
Admissions Office by April 1. For spring admission, complete
applications must be received in the Admissions Office by November
1.
7. Do my undergraduate credits
transfer into the MA program?
No. Your undergraduate credits provide you with the appropriate
background to excel in our MA program, but they do not count as
graduate credits.
8. Do my graduate credits transfer
into the MA program?
Up to six credits from another program in English and American literature
may be transferred to the MA program at Hunter, with the approval
of the Graduate Advisor.
9. I am an independently well-read
person; do I still have to fulfill all admissions requirements?
Your independent enthusiasm for and love of literature will make
you a valuable student in our classrooms but will not count in our
admissions decision over and above our course, GPA and/or GRE requirements.
10. Is credit given to life experience for admission to the
graduate program in lieu of undergraduate course admissions requirements?
Your life experience will make you a valuable student in our classrooms
but will not count in our admissions decision over and above our
course, GPA, and/or GRE requirements.
11. If my major was not English, can I be admitted
to the MA program at Hunter?
Generally, the answer to this question is no. Because we require
a minimum number of advanced level credits in British, American,
and world literature, students who have majored in other disciplines
usually do not have the number of credits required. However,
you may take those credits as a non-degree undergraduate student
at Hunter (please see the
Admissions Office for information on this application process).
Once you have fulfilled these requirements, you may apply to the
program without taking a second BA.
12. I was not admitted to the program. Why?
There are a number of reasons why you may not have been admitted
to the MA program at Hunter College. First, check to see that
you have fulfilled all our minimum
requirements. If not, we recommend that you do so prior
to applying. Second, if you have fulfilled our requirements,
it is possible that your application was not found to be competitive
with others. Our program cannot, unfortunately, admit everyone
who meets the minimum requirements due to resource limitations.
13. The courses I want to take as a non-matriculating
undergraduate are closed. What do I do?
If the courses you want to take as a non-matriculating (or non-degree)
undergraduate student are closed, you may see the instructor of
the course and ask to be overtallied. This request may or
may not be granted. However, if you explain the circumstances
under which you are taking the course (generally to fulfill outstanding
course requirements to be admitted to the MA Program), you may have
more luck. NOTE: You must first see the Graduate Advisor
for permission to take courses in our program.
14. How may I contact an MA advisor?
The MA program advisor is Professor Marlene Hennessy. You may send
her an email gradenglish@hunter.cuny.edu
or telephone her at 212.772.5078.
.
FAQs for new and continuing students:
15. How do I register for
classes?
MA students in British and American literature and Adolescence Education/English
should register by phone or on-line at the
Registrar's website. On the date and at the time assigned to
them by the registrar. Entering students should attend the orientation
prior to their first semester for advising about their course requirements.
Requirements can also be found on the Graduate
Studies page. All students should be aware that they are responsible
for knowing their program requirements. If students take courses
that are not appropriate to their course requirements, they will
inevitably add time to the length of their MA. The graduate advisor
will not be able to sign graduation audit forms if requirements
have not been fulfilled. For advising on course selection, please
feel free to visit the graduate advisor prior to your registration
date.
16. I already took a class in this subject as an undergraduate.
Do I have to take it again as a graduate student?
Yes. Your undergraduate courses provided you with the appropriate
background for admission to a graduate program. However, all graduate
courses are designed to extend and deepen the study of literatures
and language, including the study of literary criticism and theory
appropriate to a given subject. Therefore, you will inevitably take
subjects, authors, periods, etc., which you have taken before, but
your course work as an MA student will be more comprehensive.
17. What classes are being offered in the current
semester?
Please see our courses for
the current semester.
18. I took a semester (or more) off. How do I get back
into the program?
If you need to or already have taken a semester off, you may return
to the program by applying to be readmitted. Please contact
the Admissions Office
for information. If you wish to apply for a leave of absence
in advance, see the Graduate Advisor.
19. How do I fulfill my language requirement?
Students in the MA program in British and American Literature have
a language requirement (Adolescence Education/English students do
not). You may fulfill your language requirement in one of two ways:
1). by taking the departmental translation exam, a two-hour exam
during which you will translate a passage from a language other
than English; you may use a dictionary. 2). by taking an intensive
seminar offered at the Graduate Center. The course has a fee, and
you must ask the program to notify the Graduate Advisor when you
pass. You will have three opportunities to fulfill this requirement.
20. What does the comprehensive exam consist of and who takes
it?
The four-hour comprehensive exam is taken by all MA students, both
those in literature and those in adolescence education. It
consists of three parts: an essay on a passage from a literary
text; an essay responding to a question on one major literary period;
and an essay responding to a question on three literary periods.
Passages and questions are based on course offerings in the Department
of English at Hunter College. You will have three opportunities
to fulfill this requirement. The Graduate Advisor holds a
preparatory meeting on the comprehensive exam each semester.
Ideally, students should attend the comprehensive preparatory meeting
the semester prior to taking the exam.
21. When are the comprehensive and language exams
being offered?
The language and comprehensive exams are each offered twice a year.
The language exam is offered in October and March, and the comprehensive
exam is offered in November and April.
23. May I take a class at another college?
You may take up to six graduate credits at another college with
the approval of the Graduate Advisor. Before you take courses
elsewhere, you must file a permit form, which requires the signature
of the Graduate Advisor.
24. What is a "Reading" course?
A "Reading" course is an independent study which you arrange
with a professor on a subject mutually agreed upon. You may
take between 1 and 3 credits of reading, depending on the nature
of the study and the required writing assignments. This course
is not open to non-degree students.
25. How do I arrange for a thesis advisor?
As you come to the end of your course work, you should begin thinking
about a subject for your thesis. The department recommends
that you choose your subject based on a seminar paper you have written
that you would like to revise and extend. You may approach
any professor you like to be your advisor, but generally the professor
for whom you wrote the original paper is the best choice.
You should be aware that writing a thesis is a great deal more work
than writing a seminar paper. Extensive research, analysis
and revision of drafts are required. If you have questions
about the process, please feel free to consult the Graduate Advisor.
26. How do I arrange for a second reader for my thesis?
Your thesis advisor should recommend professors whose areas are
compatible with your thesis and who might be your second reader
and will make that arrangement at the appropriate time. If
you have a professor in mind, you should feel free to make that
suggestion to your thesis advisor.
27. Are there special procedures for writing my thesis?
Yes. Please check back here in a few weeks for the format.
28. When and how do I take care of my graduation audit?
Graduation audits are due before the end of the second week in the
semester in which you are planning to graduate, but may be accepted
by the Graduation Audit office through the end of the semester with
the approval of the Graduate Advisor. If you think you are
ready to graduate, please bring your graduation audit form to the
Graduate Advisor for her signature. Also bring your transcripts.
Please fill out the form before your meeting with the Graduate Advisor.
29. I started the program more than 4-5 years ago. How
do I make sure the courses I took count toward my MA?
If your first courses were taken beyond the time limit for graduation
(that is 4 years for the MA in British and American Literature and
5 years for the MA in Adolescence Education, you may file a form
called "Graduate Time Extension." This form requires
the signature of the Graduate Advisor and the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Helpful Links:
MA Thesis Preparation Guidelines
Admissions http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/admissions
Registrar (Graduate Catalog, ESIMS, forms, calendar)
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/registrar
Library (CUNY +, Databases, Proxy Server Account) http://library.hunter.cuny.edu
Faculty and Staff Telephone Directory
http://cfml.hunter.cuny.edu/phonebook/
Services for Students
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/Services_for_Students/services_for_students.html
Modern Language Association of America http://www.mla.org/
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