Masters in English -- an update

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Michael, Sep 17, 2005.

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  1. Michael

    Michael Member

    First, I appreciate all who replied to my posts about a masters in English/Creative Writing.

    I have narrowed my choices to two foreign schools and two American schools. and since one community college near me says they wouldn't consider a foreign degree, I'll probably go American.

    The two American programs are: National University's MFA in Creative Writing, and Mountain State University's MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentations in English/Creative Writing.

    I'm having a hard time deciding which would be best for what I want to do with it -- teach in a college English departments.

    Anyone have any opinions?
     
  2. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

    I'd go with the MFA from National.
     
  3. Robert_555

    Robert_555 New Member

    I had a CC instructor that got his degree from National. He was a good instructor and seemed to have gotten a good education there! Sharp guy!
     
  4. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

    The only problem might be that a creative writing program may not offer the best curriculum for a community college English instructor. An MFA might not include enough courses designated as ENG or LIT to meet the minimum 18 hour requirement. Also, an MFA, I'm guessing, might not include enough coverage of the major works and periods in literature. A general M.A. in English degree would probably be better preparation for teaching ENG 101 and 102 and the World and American lit courses.
     
  5. Michael

    Michael Member

    anthonym,

    I share your concerns, as they relate to national's MFA in Creative Writing, where most of the courses are designated as "MCW" instead of "ENG" or "LIT".

    I'm not really interested, though, in getting a general MA in English; I love literature, but I'm primarily a writer and interested in a writing degree, although I'd like to use it for teaching --what a dilemma!
     
  6. Michael

    Michael Member

    A question: Would the creative writing courses not be counted as English courses?
     
  7. raristud

    raristud Member

  8. Michael

    Michael Member

    raristud,

    Thanks for that info! It also mentions an online MA there, but I can't find any further info on it on the rest of the site.

    Larry,

    I'll be praying fior you.
     
  9. raristud

    raristud Member

    I know. The website is a bit confusing but informative. Just go to:
    " http://www.nau.edu/english/graduate/gradprograms.html "
    and click on each concentration for more info.


    Regards,
    Renaldo ( raristud )
     
  10. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Michael,

    National Univ. also offers an M.A. in English. Why not go for a MFA in Creative Writing and supplement this with a few additional English courses from the M.A. English program? You can take two elective English courses in the MFA program. I believe you would need to take 4 more English courses (equal to 18 s.h. credits) to qualify for a teaching position. This might be a good solution for you.

    BTW, I am a new student at National Univ. (BA Psych program). I will be starting my first class next week. If you have any questions regarding the school, feel free to send me a PM or just post a question on the forum.

    Good luck!

    - Tom
     
  11. Michael

    Michael Member

    Renaldo,

    Thanks; I found that part of the site and looked it over -- good info.

    But I still couldn't find any more info on whether the MA is offered online or not.

    Tom,

    Thanks for the suggestion. That might be an option, but I need to finish the degree in a year, and I really can't afford to add any additional expense.
     
  12. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

    I think it depends on the school. NU differentiates between English and creative writing courses. The English courses have the ENG prefix, while the writing courses begin with MCW. I remember reading in a previous thread that someone had trouble landing an English job because the school did not recognize their writing credits as English credits.
     
  13. Michael

    Michael Member

    anthonym,

    Yeah, that's a problem.

    But I can't understand why creative writing courses would not be also considered English courses.
     
  14. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

    I also remember reading in a past thread that someone had trouble getting a history job with their Cal. State Humanities degree because the course identifiers are HUX, for humanities, even though the title of the courses were history.
     
  15. Michael

    Michael Member

    What's a person to do?

    I'd hate to spend many thousands of dollars for a degree and then not be able to use it to get a teaching job.
     
  16. qvatlanta

    qvatlanta New Member

    In my mind they are very different. It's like Art History vs. Oil Painting (Studio). Also, when it comes to community college English teaching, you are not really teaching people how to express themselves in creative ways... you are teaching them how to express themselves, period. Most people will need a lot of help, and that help starts out with things like "this is a noun" and "that is an adjective". The foundation you teach them can be used for many different things later on... creative writing, business letters and reports, journalism and so forth. It's just not much use learning how to create a well-structured plot if you can't write a well-structured paragraph.

    Unfortunately, a lot of introductory composition classes have to make up for skills which should have been taught in junior high school! A Comp 101 class is pretty unromantic and can be downright dreary, but it's also one of the most important classes a student will ever take.
     
  17. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Hi Michael. Sorry I can't help with your decision, but qvatlanta (eloquent as always) makes a great point about those Comp 101 classes. You can be, as the Armenians say, a lousadzak--a bearer of light. Good luck to you. Let us know what you decide.
     
  18. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Hi Michael - I think we share some love of literature and perhaps writing as well. It's clear from your posts that you hope that the English Lit credential will help you obtain employment as a teacher. However, aside from training, it's not clear what your hopes might be for the Creative Writing degree. It might help you to be a better writer but there are ways to do this without earning a degree. I'd be willing to bet that most published writers do not have degrees in Creative Writing. It's clear that I don't know anything about your situation but I'm suggesting the opposite of what japhy has suggested (no offence japhy). I'd suggest you go for the English Lit degree and take a few extra Creative Writing courses. I'm getting older and think first about being happy in my job, paying the bills, etc. You can take CW courses one at a time and learn the skills without actually earning a degree. In any case, good luck.
    Jack
     
  19. Michael

    Michael Member

    qvatlanta, Unc, and Jack,

    What you all said makes a lot of sense.

    I just would enjoy getting the creative writing degree more than an English degree. But perhaps I should focus on what is more practical. Anyway, I'm already a published writer.

    I wish there was a distance or online program that combined literature and creative writing. If the Northern Arizona degree is offered online, that would seem to be the perfect degree for me. I'll try to find out more.

    As I mentioned earlier, I could combine literature and creative writing in Mountain State's MA Interdisciplinary Studies, but the courses are designated "GIDS". So, the same problem might arise as to the acceptance of such a degree as being an English degree or not.
     
  20. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    I haven't checked this out myself but I suggest that you take a look at this program at Deakin University:
    MA in Writing and Literature
    http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts/courses/pg.php
    I believe it is offered "externally."
    Best wishes
    Jack
     

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