New Master's Degrees for Academic Year 2017-2018

Framingham State University is pleased to announce the creation of two brand new Master's Degree Programs:

1. The first is the Master of Education program concentration in Secondary Education with specializations in the following areas:

Art
History
English
Mathematics

Admission to the M.Ed. with a concentration in Secondary Education with specializations in Art, English, History and Math requires a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and a passing score on the Communication and Literacy portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL). A minimum undergraduate overall grade point average of 3.0 is required. Candidates with deficiencies in the liberal arts or sciences (content area) will be required to take appropriate courses before admittance to the more advanced studies in the sequence involving teaching methods and practice.

Additional admission requirements include:

Completed online graduate admission application
Non-refundable application fee of $50.00
Official copies of undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts
Letters of recommendation with cover forms. Please note: one letter of recommendation should come from a current or recent employer.
A typed, 300-word personal statement discussing your motivation for seeking a master's degree in view of prior formal education, current job responsibilities and career plans.

Each of the specializations consist of eight (8) Education courses, three (3) Graduate or Dual-Enrolled Content Courses (to be determined in connection with the student's area of specialization), and two (2) Student Teaching and Seminars for a total of 14 credit hours.

2. The second degree program is the Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts concentration English, which is also available as a stand-alone Master of Arts concentration English.

Graduate level courses are taught by an engaged community of teacher-scholars committed to working closely with students to broaden their knowledge of British, American and world literatures, while affording them the opportunity for specialized, independent research, culminating in a capstone thesis. Studying literary language deepens understanding of knowledge production across the disciplines as well as an aesthetic appreciation for the power of literary forms. Aligned with FSU’s institutional mission to promote diversity and global literacy, the B.A/M.A. Program with a Concentration in English offers a rich engagement with the complexity of human experience informed by gender, sexuality, class, race, religion and ethnicity. Students in the program will have the opportunity to develop and refine their writing and communication skills, think critically and creatively, and use emerging information technologies in the pursuit of advanced research.

This program allows students to complete both a B.A and an M.A. degree with a Concentration in English in five years. Students who are considering applying to the program should consult their advisors early in their academic careers and schedule an appointment with the Program Coordinator.

This program allows teachers with an initial license to complete a Master of Arts (M.A.) with a Concentration in English on a part-time basis for professional licensure. Additionally, students who have earned a B.A. in English seeking careers in fields other than education can complete a Master of Arts with a Concentration in English degree on a full-time of part-time basis.

Admission for current Framingham State University English majors:

Completed online graduate admission application
Non-refundable application fee of $50.00
Official copies of undergraduate transcripts
Junior status with an overall GPA of 2.70
Completion of ENGL 204 Literary Study (or its equivalent) and three literature courses (200-level or above), with a GPA of 3.00 or higher
A 500-800 word statement of purpose
Three letters of recommendation—at least two must be from English department faculty members
An undergraduate literature essay submitted as a writing sample

Admission for candidates who hold a Bachelor’s degree in English:

Completed online graduate admission application
Non-refundable application fee of $50.00
Official copies of undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts
Junior status with an overall GPA of 2.70
Must have an overall GPA of 2.70
Must have a GPA of 3.00 or higher in the major
A 500-800 word statement of purpose
Three letters of recommendation—two of which must be from professors of English
A writing sample in one of the following formats: an undergraduate literature essay; a sample of professional prose; an essay written in response to a writing prompt provided by the English Department admissions committee

Requirements for the Master of Arts with a Concentration in English (part-time):

Nine (9) graduate-level Department courses, including ENGL 9XX Introduction to Graduate Study in English, which must be taken in the summer before their first year as a matriculated student, and ENGL 9XX Master’s Thesis
In addition to ENGL 9XX Introduction to Graduate Study in English and ENGL 9XX Master’s Thesis, two of the above courses must be graduate-only courses
Students may take one young adult or children’s literature course, one film studies course, one creative writing, linguistics, or writing pedagogy course for a total of two electives
The master’s thesis (ENGL 9XX) should focus on an area of advanced literary research. Topics will be approved by the student’s thesis advisor, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and the Chair of the English Department
Graduate Exam—each student will be required to pass an oral defense of the thesis for a panel of faculty members including the thesis advisor, the Chair of the English Department, and one other member of the faculty chosen by the student

For more information on the programs listed above, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 508-626-4501 and ask for Mr. Michael Merriam, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions or Ms. Danielle Donovan, Director of Graduate Admissions.