The MAT provides a specialized option for certified teachers seeking graduate credentials. This degree deepens the range of expertise that a teacher brings to the classroom and better qualifies a certified teacher to find employment in the schools and at the community college level or to enhance a teacher’s performance in a current position. Applicants interested in pursuing this degree must have their teaching certification prior to applying for the program. If an applicant is in the process of completing certification, he or she may petition to enter the program by identifying the number of hours remaining and a plan showing how the candidate will complete those hours within two academic years. To complete this degree, students should meet the course requirements listed below.

MAT Course Requirements (36 credit hours):

• L501 Professional Scholarship in Literature (4 cr.)
• L502 Contexts for the Study of Writing (4 cr.)
• Two of the following courses (8 cr.)
  G552 Linguistics and the Teacher of English, W500 Teaching Composition: Issues and Approaches, or L553 Studies in Literature (4 cr.)
• Writing Workshop (4 cr.)
  (W511 Writing Fiction, W513 Writing Poetry, or W615 Writing Creative Nonfiction).
• L590 Internship in English (4 cr.)
  (Candidates who have successfully petitioned to complete their certification while enrolled in the MA program may use student teaching to fulfill the internship requirement).
• Two elective courses in literature or writing (8 cr.)
• W609 Independent Writing Project (4 cr.)

Transfer Policy

Applicants may be allowed to transfer up to two graduate courses or 8 credit hours from another graduate institution (or from previous graduate work at IUSB) if those courses demonstrably contribute to the work required for the English MA. Unless transfer courses are clearly equivalent to the required core courses for the MA, those courses will be counted as electives. Candidates should include in the application a request to transfer courses, a brief description of each course identifying how it contributes to the English MA, and supporting documentation such as syllabi, assignments, papers, or other relevant material.

Foreign Language Requirement

Applicants must have completed two college semesters of a single foreign language by the time the MA or MAT degree is conferred. Candidates who have completed these two courses as part of other graduate or undergraduate programs need not take additional courses as part of the MA or MAT program. Candidates who have gained foreign language skills outside of the classroom may take a Foreign Language Placement Exam to demonstrate their achievement of language skills equivalent to those achieved from two semesters of formal study.

Academic Regulations

Students must confer with their academic advisors on a regular basis to determine an effective course of study.

An average grade of B (3.0) is required for graduation, and no course with a grade lower than B- (2.7) will be counted towards the degree. Students are required to maintain good academic standing, i.e., to maintain a 3.0 GPA. Failure to maintain good standing will result in dismissal from the program.