Master of Arts

The MA program in English welcomes applicants who were English majors as undergraduates, as well as applicants from other majors. Students can apply after they have earned their BA or in their last semester of their BA. If students apply successfully during the last semester of their undergraduate career, they receive contingent admission, i.e., admission contingent on their completing their BA and maintaining their GPA.

Admission for English Majors

There are three routes to admission for students with a baccalaureate degree in English from an accredited four-year institution, depending on their GPA in their upper-division English classes:

• Students with a GPA of 3.3 or better in their upper-division English classes need only fill out the application (see below) and receive full admission.
• Students with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.3 in their upper-division English classes have two options for applying:
  • Applicants with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.3 in their upper-division English classes may be admitted to the MA program if they take the GRE General Test and achieve a minimum score of 158 in Verbal Reasoning and 5.0 in Analytical Writing.
  • Applicants with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.3 in their upper-division English classes may apply to the MA program with a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in an English department at an accredited four-year institution and a writing sample of no more than 10 pages demonstrating the ability to write scholarly discourse in English studies. This application will be reviewed and approved or denied by the Graduate Advisor, who may consult with the Graduate Studies Committee. The letter of recommendation and writing sample should be emailed to the Graduate Advisor, currently Prof. Dennis López: dennis.lopez@csulb.edu

Students with a baccalaureate degree in English from an accredited four-year institution are expected to have completed at least 21 semester units of upper-division English classes. This is usually a matter of course for students whose BA is in English. Students with a GPA under 3.0 in their upper-division English classes are unfortunately not eligible for admission. All applicants must complete a statement of purpose with their application (see below).

Admission for Other Majors

Students with a baccalaureate degree in a major other than English from an accredited four-year institution may also apply to the MA program in English. These students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. These students may receive conditional admission to the MA program in English, which means that they will need to complete prerequisite courses to bring their upper-division English courses to 21 units. These courses must be completed in one academic year and with a GPA of 3.3 or better. The list of eligible courses will be determined by the Graduate Advisor in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee. Courses used to complete these prerequisites (aka make-up courses) are not counted as part of the MA program. All applicants must complete a statement of purpose with their application (see below).

Applicants must submit a graduate application (available online at Cal State Apply) to the University’s Office of Enrollment Services to pursue post-baccalaureate study. After the Office of Enrollment Services approves the application, the English Department evaluates it and determines whether or not applicants are admitted to the MA program.

Usually, it takes about 4-6 weeks between the submission of the application and the department’s decision. The decision is communicated to applicants through CSULB’s computer management system and in a hard copy letter. That letter is sent to the address the student gives in the application. Admission decisions are made on an ongoing basis (aka ‘rolling admissions’), so the earlier a student submits their application, the sooner they will know the department’s decision.

See the MA Student Handbook for more information.

International students are admitted to California State University, Long Beach through the CSULB Center for International Education. This Center evaluates foreign transcripts, determines eligibility for post-baccalaureate study, and ultimately admits international students. The international student for whom English is a second language must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 600 (PBT), 250 (CBT), or 100 (iBT) before being admitted to the MA program in English.

If international students break residency any semester they are not enrolled, they must reapply for admission through the Center for International Education. For an explanation of residency requirements and additional information that may apply to international students, the Center for International Education should be contacted directly.

Students must complete a minimum of 30 units of approved upper-division and graduate courses, with at least 24 units in English, to obtain their MA degree. Students must pass each course with a grade of C or better, and they must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better for the program as a whole. Of the required 30 units, at least 20 must be at the 600 level (this includes ENGL 696 but not ENGL 697 or 698). Students must be fully admitted to the MA program in English before they can enroll in 600-level courses. Students must take at least one seminar at the 600 level in British literature before 1800. 

See the MA Student Handbook for more information.

Foreign language proficiency is required as an adjunct to graduate study in English for several reasons. Knowledge of a second language offers a second window of perception on the world. It puts into perspective the logic and illogic of one’s first language. It offers acquaintance with another literature not distorted by translation. It also makes possible research into scholarly and critical writing about the English language and its literatures not available in translation.

For more detail on the foreign language requirement see the MA Student Handbook.

The culminating activity that constitutes the final requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in English is either

• the final comprehensive examination (aka ‘exam’ or ‘comps’) or
• the thesis.

See the MA Student Handbook for additional degree requirements.

All students accepted into the MA program are required to meet with an advisor during their first semester to plan a preliminary course of study. Letter of acceptance will include the name of, and contact information for, the initial advisor. 

After the first semester, students are free to choose an advisor other than the one initially assigned; students must choose their particular advisor before advancement to candidacy. You can discuss your options with the Graduate Advisor.

Throughout their programs, students are encouraged to seek guidance from advisors on choosing courses and meeting degree requirements. By meeting with their advisor at least once a year, preferably once a semester, students will stay informed about any changes in regulations applying to the MA degree, whether these originate inside or outside the English Department. Students are also welcome to consult with faculty on the intellectual, social, professional, and personal aspects of working on their MA in English.