Master of Arts in English

• Mission Statement

  The Master of Arts in English program provides advanced education in the English discipline, with emphases in creative writing, English education, and literature, and a certificate in rhetoric and writing. We offer small class sizes providing personal contact with faculty and staff, evening and online classes providing access for working adults, and numerous funding opportunities. The MA program affords students professionalizing opportunities in teaching and research, preparation for further study and a variety of career pathways, in an environment that is student-centered, encourages free expression, and values diverse identities and ideas.

• Student Learning Outcomes
  • Graduate Certificates

    Students completing the Rhetoric and Writing Studies Graduate Certificate will demonstrate:
    1. The ability to identify and apply the ways rhetoric and writing studies creates knowledge, solves problems, and/or generates meaningful pedagogies.
    2. Informed research practices related to the major ideas and movements of rhetoric and writing studies.
    3. An understanding of how differences in language and everyday lived realities are intellectually generative and fundamental to contemporary ethical practices.

  • Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

     

  • Graduate Degree

    Students completing the Master of Arts in English Literature Emphasis will demonstrate:

    1. The ability to gather, analyze, and communicate information and insights critically.
    2. The ability to closely read and analyze texts within historical contexts and critical frameworks.
    3. The ability to apply current scholarship, practices, and/or theoretical and critical perspectives in their own writings.
    4. The ability to use discipline-specific terminology and conventions in their written, oral, and/or multimodal presentations.

    Students completing the Master of Arts in English Creative Writing Emphasis will demonstrate:

    1. The ability to gather, analyze, and communicate information and insights critically.
    2. The ability to closely read and analyze texts within historical contexts and critical frameworks.
    3. A developed and honed voice, as evident in polished creative works.
    4. An awareness of their own aesthetic practices in the continuum of literary traditions and genres.
    5. Sophisticated revision and editing tactics.

    Students completing the Master of Arts in English Education Emphasis will demonstrate:

    1. The ability to gather, analyze, and communicate information and insights critically.
    2. The ability to closely read and analyze texts within historical contexts and critical frameworks.
    3. The ability to apply theory and research to pragmatci and practicel pedagogical processes.
    4. A commitment to equitable pedagogical practices articulated through a research-based rationale consistent with Utah State Core Standards, the ELA Endorsement Competencies, and the Utah Effective Teaching Standards.
     

• Curriculum Grid

• Program and Contact Information

  The Master of Arts in English program provides advanced education in the English discipline, with tracks in creative writing, literature, TESOL, and teaching, and a certificate in rhetoric and writing. We offer small class sizes providing personal contact with faculty and staff, evening and online classes providing access for working adults, and numerous funding opportunities. The MA program affords students professionalizing opportunities in teaching and research, preparation for further study, and a variety of career pathways, in an environment that is student-centered, encourages free expression, and values diverse identities and ideas.
  
  Contact Information:

  Dr. David Hartwig, graduate program director
  Miranda McPherson, program administrative specialist
  Weber State University
  1395 Edvalson, dept. 1404
  Ogden, UT 84408-1404
  Elizabeth Hall, rm. 413
  801-626-7179
  masterofenglish@weber.edu

• Assessment Plan

  Each semester, the MA Steering Committee reviews syllabi for the subsequent semester to ensure that courses meet program standards for quality and are attemding to the programmatic learning outcomes.
  Each semester, the MA Steering Committee assesses artifacts from MENG 6010: Intro to Grad Studies. The artifacts are sorted into the student's emphasis area, anonymized, and distributed with the appropriate learning outcomes. These artifacts are then assessed, the program director reviews students' GPAs, publications, and involvement in additional opportunities such as Teaching/Research Assistantships, and issues each student a progress report, encouraging them to continue to focus on any learning outcomes where their work may need some improvement. This is part of a formative assessment process that ensures feedback is provided to students.
  Each semester, any thesis projects (MENG 6940, 6950, or 6960) are assessed based on the specific emphasis learning outcomes by the thesis review committee. These assessments are independent of the grade for the thesis project, and a final report is generated by the program director to each student as a summative assessment of their learning.
  Each semester, graduating students who are not completing a thesis are required to submit a portfolio of specific work via Canvas. These include the following:

  • English Education Emphasis - artifacts to be determined as the emphasis launched in Summer 2023.
  • Literature Emphasis - the final paper from MENG 6030: Literary and Critical Theory, and a paper/project from any other literature course (MENG 6510, 6240, 6250, or 6260) that the student feels represents their mastery of the program learning outcomes.
  • Rhetoric/Writing Certificate - the final paper/projecty from MENG 6130: Theories of Rhetoric and Writing.

  These artifacts are then assessed and a final summative report is generated by the program director and presented to each student as a summative assessment of their learning.
  Students are asked to self-report their publications while in the program, and these data are added to our own information about student conference presentation gathered from student funding requests, course evaluations are reviewed each semester, and exit interviews are conducted with graduating students each semester to gain valuable programmatic feedback.

• Assessment Report Submissions

  2023-24
  2021-22
  2019-20 - Conducted Program Review
  2017
  2016
  2015

• Program Review

  2019-20
  2014-15
   

This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.