Programs

Graduate Programs

MA in English

The ability to communicate effectively is by far the skill mentioned most frequently by employers. Students learn to write so that they can achieve positive outcomes in any writing environment they may encounter. The Master of Arts in English prepares students for jobs in digital writing, contemporary publishing, government, education, nonprofit leadership, public relations, business law, project management, assessment coordination, and more. The program allows you the flexibility to tailor your work to writing in the fields of your choice, whether for pleasure or professional purposes. The program is a 30-credit curriculum that is 100% online, and you may enter in either fall or spring. SRU's MA in English will positively impact your writing through the study of genre, style, print and digital media, audience, and rhetorical context.

MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Slippery Rock University's Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Master of Arts prepares graduates for the challenges of an increasingly interconnected world, enabling the acquisition of world languages, and aiming to educate world citizens who acquire linguistic skills through intellectual acculturation. Through challenging, quality, and interdisciplinary training, SRU graduates will be prepared to work in dynamic and pivotal roles by providing adult ELL instruction in higher education, community literacy, and multicultural global settings, as well as instructional media and materials development in the TESOL publishing industry, thus facilitating their lifelong skill development in the increasingly vital area of TESOL.

Undergraduate Programs

BA in Language and Literature

This concentration, earning students a B.A. in English, focuses on literature in its myriad complexity. Students in this concentration read, write, and speak extensively about British, American, and World literatures and acquire a working familiarity with authors, historical periods, cultures, and genres. The Language and Literature concentration courses also serve as content for students earning a B.S. in Secondary Education-English.

BA in Literary, Film, & Cultural Studies

Courses in our Literary, Film and Cultural Studies concentration teach students about the rigorous interdisciplinary methods academics use to interpret literary visual and texts within their cultural settings. Students in this concentration come to understand the bridges between traditional literary studies and cultural studies, the latter of which draws its interpretive methods from gender studies, economics, philosophy, history, and sociology. In this rich and flexible concentration students learn critical analysis, the standards of academic expression, and writing genres important to literary and cultural studies in non-academic venues. Students graduating in this concentration receive the B.A. in English.

BA in Modern Languages and Cultures

BS in Creative Writing

Students earning a B.S. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing develop skills in research, knowledge of traditional and contemporary writing techniques, manuscript design and associated technologies, editing, and proficiency in the development of manuscripts in various genres.

BS in Professional Writing

Students earning a B.S. in English with a concentration in Professional Writing learn how to solve problems in document production, adapt documents, understand the sophisticated components of rhetorical analysis document design, and apply technical and professional writing principles. Students will learn how to write business and/or technical documents like memo proposals, grants, online communication and web-based content (wikis, blogs, CMS, and social media), instruction sets, and other organization communications.

BSEd in English Education

Those with a passion for teaching are welcomed into the English Education program. Students will work with the English and Education Departments in order to increase their knowledge of English as a subject and maximize their abilities as teacher. The program focused on secondary education, placing students in both western Pennsylvania and non-US schools for their student teaching experience.

By graduation, students will have gained a vast knowledge of rhetorical theory and linguistics and their relation to the development of literacy, demonstrated critical thinking skills, and helped younger students develop their proficiency with English Language Arts. Upon completion of all requirements, students will be awarded with a certification to teach English and related subjects.

Certificates

Graduate TESOL Certificate

The Graduate TESOL Certificate (13-credits/5 courses ) is a stand-alone, academic, graduate-level certificate that provides basic training in English-as-an-additional language (EAL) teaching for both native-speaking and non-native speaking candidates in instructional contexts at home or abroad. The Grad TESOL Certificate covers both ESL and EFL contexts. It is the entry-level credential teachers need to teach English in EFL contexts overseas, or it may be used to supplement an existing master's degree in an area besides TESOL to help qualify candidates for some EAL positions in North America. All 13 credits may apply to the MA TESOL requirements, leaving only 17 more credits to complete the degree. More information may be found here.

TESOL: Communicative Language Teaching Certificate

The TESOL: Communicative Language Teaching Certificate (9-credits/2 courses ) is a stand-alone, academic, graduate-level certificate that, by advanced arrangement, provides specialized training in communicative language teaching (CLT) for cohorts or groups of individuals. The CLT Certificate is designed specifically for international in-service or pre-service English teachers who desire CLT training. All 9 credits may apply to the MA TESOL requirements, leaving only 21 more credits to complete the degree. International students who complete the CLT Certificate may stack credits for both grad-level TESOL certificates towards the MA TESOL. International English teacher candidates interested doing the CLT certificate should contact Dr. Petray for more information on possible schedules. More information may be found here.

Minors

Minor in Writing

The English Department's Minor in Writing opens the gates to infinite career opportunities and also helps you think about the world differently. Not only will you become a better writer, but you'll also shape your humanistic principles.

Minor in Literature

If you love to read, analyze, discuss, and learn about literature, you'll be an excellent fit for the English Department's Minor in Literature. Through this minor, you'll experience British, American, and World literature and become familiar with a wide variety of authors, historical periods, cultures, and genres. You'll also learn how to research and analyze famous works of literature, and gain a better understanding of the writing process.

Minor in Film and Media Studies

If you're interested in visual storytelling and the increasing convergences of old and new media, the English Department's Minor in Film and Media Studies offers the perfect complement to your major.

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