Graduate Studies
- Departmental Admission Requirements
- Graduate Assistantship Eligibility Requirements
- General Program Description
- Graduate Faculty
- Core Course Requirements
- Recent Graduates of MA Program
- Literature Concentration
- Come Join Us
- Folklife/Southern Culture Concentration
- Contact Information
- Writing/Linguistics Concentration
- More Information
Why pursue the Master of Arts in English at Northwestern State University?
The Department of Language and Communication has much to offer to its graduate students. Incoming students will enjoy advantages such as a dedicated faculty of teacher-scholars, small classes, open discussion forums, and individual attention and guidance from distinguished scholars.
Graduate classes generally consist of a small number of students, resulting in a collegial and informal classroom style than is possible in larger programs. Many professors conduct graduate classes in a seminar form, thereby maximizing student collaboration and interaction in class discussions and activities.
Many graduate students gain valuable experience as editorial assistants working on research projects, achieve publication of their own research, and make presentations of their scholarship at professional conferences. Many of these experiences are the direct result of students working one-on-one with faculty members.
Graduates of the Masters program in the Department of Language and Communication have gone on to enroll in prestigious doctoral programs, to work as instructors at community colleges and universities throughout the state and the region, and to succeed in positions secured in business and industry. Graduates of this program leave NSU with writing and research skills that equip them to succeed in their chosen careers.
Departmental Admission Requirements
Students who wish to pursue the Master of Arts degree in English in the Department of Language and Communication must meet the following requirements for admission to the program:
- Undergraduate major in English or
- Successful completion of at least 12 hours of upper-level English courses (3000 or higher) or
- Submission of a critical writing sample of not more than 15 pages (for applicants whose major is something other than English or for those applicants who have not completed 12 hours of upper-level English courses). Writing samples should be submitted directly to the Director of Graduate Studies in English after the application for admission to graduate study has been submitted to the Graduate School.
- Completed 6 hours of foreign language at the sophomore level. Applicants who have not yet completed foreign language courses will complete these requirements as a part of the degree plan. Foreign language hours do not count as hours toward the Masters degree.
- In addition to the requirements above, applicants should submit the following:
- Statement of purpose. In approximately 500 words, the applicant should describe his/her career goals and/or rationale for pursuing graduate study in English. This statement should demonstrate a substantial commitment to graduate study.
- Minimum score of 3.0 on the analytical writing section of the GRE.
For further information on admission requirements, please see the current graduate catalog for NSU admission requirements. If you have questions about admission requirements or procedures, please direct your inquiries to Dr. Allen Bauman, Director of Graduate Studies, by phone at 318.357.5615 or by email at baumana@nsula.edu.
General Program Description
The graduate program in English offers three areas of study, and each area is highly flexible, allowing students to choose from a variety of courses in their area(s) of interest. Students may choose to focus their study in one of the following areas:
Students may choose to earn their degree in one of two ways:
- The Thesis Option requires 24 hours of course work, 6 hours of thesis credit, and the successful completion of a thesis paper.
- The Non-thesis Option requires 30 hours of course work, a comprehensive examination, and two papers in lieu of a thesis.
Core Course Requirements
Core requirements for the Master of Arts degree include a limited number of courses designed to prepare students for successful research and writing experiences in their field of study.
- English 5800: Bibliography and Literary Research
- English 5280: General Composition Theory. This course is required of all students who are awarded a teaching assistantship.
Individual program concentrations may have additional core course requirements, as described below.
Literature Concentration
The Department of Language and Communication grants the Master of Arts degree in English with a concentration in literature. The literature concentration provides students with exposure to a full range of courses addressing the British and American literary traditions, with a particular emphasis on genre and period courses.
In addition to the core course requirements, graduate students in the Literature concentration complete a seminar course focusing on a major literary figure. Major author courses presently include:
- English 5100: Chaucer
- English 5150: Shakespeare
- English 5200: Milton
- English 4750: Seminar in Major Authors
Specialized courses in regional literature, film studies, and critical theory are also offered frequently.
Folklife/Southern Culture Concentration
Graduate students pursuing the Master of Arts in English in the Department of Language and Communication may concentrate their studies in the areas of Folklife and Southern Culture. This unique program, which is only available at Northwestern State University, allows students a wide variety of professional options upon graduation.
In addition to the core requirements, students in the Folklife/Southern Culture concentration complete two required courses:
- English 4670: Folklore or English 5580: Folklore of the Southern United States
- English 4650: The Southern Renascence or English 5590: Contemporary Southern Literature
In addition to these required courses, students in this concentration complete at least nine additional hours in the area of Folklife/Southern Culture and may choose from courses such as Southern Women Writers, Southern Literature Before 1920, Use of Folk Materials in Teaching, Folklore of the Southern United States, Louisiana Fiction, or History, Theory, and Practice of Public Folklore. Students may choose to take their remain courses in the areas of literature (especially American literature), folklore, linguistics, or rhetoric and composition.
Though not expressly required by the degree program, students strongly are encouraged to take part in internships in the Louisiana Folklife Center (LFC) in order to gain invaluable experience, which prepares them for future employment. The Louisiana Folklife Center is a research facility within the College of Liberal Arts that houses an extensive collection of audio, video, and written data. The LFC provides students in the Folklife/Southern Culture concentration with an invaluable pool of resources which facilitate a wide range of research projects in folklife, including but not limited to material culture, oral narrative, and foodways. The Center maintains portable tape recorders and transcription machines specifically for student use; high-speed tape duplicating machines and other audio equipment crucial to conducting fieldwork projects are also available for student use.
The Director of the LFC, Dr. Lisa Abney, serves as coordinator of the Folklife/Southern Culture concentration. Under her direction, the LFC staff members plan and oversee the nationally-acclaimed Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival, which is held annually during the third weekend July. The Folk Festival provides a wonderful opportunity for tourists, local residents, and students to interact with traditional craftspeople, enjoy great music, and view the many educational exhibits on display at the Festival each year.
Many of the courses offered in this concentration emphasize public folklore, preparing students for positions both in and out of academia. Many public folklorists become the directors of major festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, or the American Folklife Festival. Public folklorists may also work for both private and public entities such as the Gerry Research Institute, The Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Writing/Linguistics Concentration
Students who are interested in becoming professors at the community college or university level or who wish to develop skills which will lead to corporate positions as technical writers, business writers, or professional editors frequently choose to focus their studies in the area of Writing and Linguistics. The concentration in Writing and Linguistics prepares students to meet the communication needs of the professional world as well as for academic work in an advanced graduate program.
Our many computer labs, electronic classrooms, internship positions, and editorial assistantships on the Department’s journals and newsletters have made this concentration in the Master of Arts program quite popular with students who seek hands-on, professional training in writing. Students pursuing the Writing and Linguistics degree option may choose from courses in the area of Composition, Rhetoric, Technical Writing, and Linguistics. Please click here for a list of courses in Writing and Linguistics concentration.
In addition to the core course requirements given above, requirements of this concentration include:
- English 5280: Contemporary Composition Theory
- 12 additional hours of course work in linguistics, rhetoric, or composition
Graduate Assistantship Eligibility Requirements
Many graduate students apply for teaching assistantships as a means of supporting graduate study. Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis, and students must meet all of the conditions of admission to the Master of Arts in English program to be eligible for consideration. In order to be considered for an assistantship, incoming students must fulfill these requirements:
- complete the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- achieve regular admission status
Contact the Director of Graduate Studies for information about monetary awards.
The Graduate Faculty
The Department of Language and Communication boasts a distinguished faculty of teacher-scholars who pride themselves on teaching excellence, but who simultaneously maintain an active intellectual life.
Lisa J. Abney, Ph.D.,
University of Houston
Head, Department of Language and Communication, Director,
Louisiana Folklife Center, and Associate Professor of English.
[Bio]
Allen
Bauman, Ph.D., University of Tulsa
Assistant Professor; Director of Graduate Studies in English. [Bio]
James Cruise, Ph.D,
University of Pennsylvania
[Bio]
Joseph RockyColavito,
Ph.D, University of Arizona
Professor of English. [Bio]
Julie
Kane, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
Associate Professor of English and Faculty Sponsor of
Argus. [Bio]
Paralee Norman, Ph.D., University of
Iowa
Professor of English. [Bio]
Helaine Razovsky. Ph. D.,
Boston University.
[Bio]
Recent Graduates of MA Program
Recent graduates for Northwestern State University's Master of English program are involved in various pursuits. Many alumni are candidates in selective doctoral programs, while others initiated their careers, attaining highly respected positions across the nation. Recent graduates and their accomplishments include:
| Former Student | Current Status |
| Matthew Barton | Ph.D. Candidate, University of South Florida |
| Kim Butler | National Writing Project Teacher-Consultant |
| Amy Callahan | Instructor at NSU |
| Autumn Campbell | Distinguished Doctoral Fellow, University of Arkansas |
| Martin Fashbaugh | Ph.D. Candidate, Purdue University |
| Pamela Francis | Ph.D. Candidate, Rice University |
| Jeff Guin | National Center for Preservation Technology and Training |
| Gail Henderson | Instructor, Delgado Community College |
| Anne Jones | Ph.D. Candidate, University of South Florida |
| Susie Scifres Kuilan | Ph.D. Candidate, Louisiana State University |
| Kris LeJeune | English teacher, Tioga High School |
| Shelly M. Lewis | English teacher, Natchitoches Central High School |
| Stephanie Masson | Reporter, Natchitoches Times |
| Kate Nance | University of Houston Law School |
| Heidi Norwood | Instructor at NSU |
| Michelle Pichon | Researcher, Creole Heritage Center |
| Ramey Prince | Instructor at NSU |
| Lisa Rougeou | Co-Director, NSU Writing Project Writing Consultant, Natchitoches Parish Schools NBCT, Pleasant Hill High School |
| Heather Salter | Instructor at NSU |
| Lesa Thompson | English teacher, Natchitoches Central High School |
| Mariann Wilson | Instructor at NSU |
Come Join Us!
Incoming students must meet all the requirements for admissions as listed in the Departmental Admissions Requirements section. To gain admission to the graduate program in the Department of Language and Communication, please complete the tasks below:
- Submit an application for admission to Graduate School. The application form is available by following the link in the box below.
- Submit a proof of immunization form, which is available by following the link in the box below.
- Include the processing fee indicated on the application form.
Each form should be submitted to the Registrar's Office, along with the application fee. Forms may be submitted online or may be mailed to the address below:
Office of Graduate Studies and Research
Northwestern State University
Teacher Education Building, Room 119
Natchitoches, LA 71497
318.357.5851 (local)
800.426.3754 (in-state)
800.327.1903 (out-of-state)
For additional assistance with the admissions process, please contact Carolyn
R. Gatti
Graduate assistantships are available for highly qualified graduate students. To be eligible for a graduate assistantships, students must be accepted into a graduate degree program and must have achieved regular graduate admission status at Northwestern State University.
Out-of-state tuition, if applicable, will be waived for graduate assistants. The minimum credit course load for graduate assistants is 9 semester hours during long semesters; students who receive assistantship support will complete 6 semester hours during summer terms.
To retain assistantship support, students must maintain a B average in all graduate courses, receive a satisfactory performance evaluations, and meet all other requirements outlined by the Graduate School, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and the Head of the Department of Language and Communication.
Click below for application forms. Applications should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies in English or to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
- Application for Graduate Admission
- Proof of Immunization Form
- Application for Graduate Assistantship
Do you need more information about the MA in English program?
Email the Director of Graduate Studies or call 318.357.5615.