Department of English and Creative Writing

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Elizabeth Tasker Davis, chair
Ericka Hoagland, coordinator of English graduate studies
Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 203
Phone: (936) 468-2101
Fax: (936) 468-2614
P.O. Box 13007, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962
Web: sfasu.edu/english

Objectives of the Department

The SFA graduate program in English engages students in advanced literary and writing studies focused on creative expression, critical thinking, college pedagogy, and composing across a range of genres. In small seminars and workshops, students develop advanced understanding of the contexts, methods, and theories that inform literary and creative production. Areas of coursework include creative writing; British, American and world literature; teaching college English; film studies; and generative artificial intelligence literacies. Working collaboratively with the professors and fellow graduate students, our students’ gain professional, analytic, and creative experience that transfers to many language-focused careers. 

The 36-hour English, MA  offers the choice of two tracks (literature or creative writing), thesis and nonthesis degree plans, and the option to add in a Certificate in Advanced English Pedagogy.  The program also offers a 12-hour Certificate in Professional Writing. All graduate coursework in English has distance options for students who desire to study remotely.  

Our flexible graduate offerings prepare students for careers in teaching, writing and other fields demanding textual expertise and for further study at the doctoral and MFA level.

Graduate Faculty

Professors

• Marc S. Guidry, PhD, Louisiana State University, Medieval British Literature, Arthurian Romance
• Ericka Hoagland, PhD, Purdue University, World Literature (non-Western)
• Steven Marsden, PhD, Texas A&M University, Colonial and 19th-Century American Literature
• Michael Martin, PhD, Illinois State University, Contemporary American Literature
• John McDermott, PhD, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Creative Writing
• Mark Sanders, PhD, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Modern Poetry, Creative Writing, 20th-Century American and British Literature; PhD, University of Idaho, Higher Education
• Elizabeth Tasker-Davis, PhD, Georgia State University, Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature, Rhetoric
• Kenneth L. Untiedt, PhD, Texas Tech University, Literature of the American West, 20th-Century American Literature
• Kevin West, PhD, Indiana University, World Literature (European), Literature and Religion

Assistant Professors

• Bridget Adams, PhD, Florida State University, Creative Writing
• Jason L. McIntosh, PhD, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Rhetoric and Composition
• Sara B. Parks, PhD, Iowa State University, Technical Writing, Rhetoric of Science

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are awarded each year on a competitive basis. These assistantships provide valuable professional development opportunities. During their first year in the program, graduate assistants are assigned to work on departmental research initiatives; publications such as Re:AL, SFA’s Literary magazine; events such as the Piney Dark Horror Writing competition; and as writing coaches in the Laz Corely Writing lab. In their second year, after completing eighteen hours of graduate coursework, including ENGL 5380 - Teaching First-Year Composition , teaching assistants have the opportunity to serve as instructors of record in their own first-year writing courses. 

Applicants should indicate their interest in an assistantship in their cover letter. Contact the coordinator of English graduate studies for additional information. 

Admission Deadlines

Priority Deadline

Application to the program - March 31 for fall; November 15 for spring

Applicants who submit all required documents and transcripts by this date will receive priority consideration for assistantships.

Cutoff Dates

Applications to the program must complete 30 days prior to the star of the semester. 

Background Requirements

For clear admission to the graduate program a student must have a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale during the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate work in advanced-level undergraduate English courses. For further information on provisional status, see the Graduate Admission  section of the Graduate Catalog. Although students may be granted probationary admission with a GPA below 3.0, no students may be granted probationary admission with a GPA below 2.7.

Ordinarily, an English major with an undergraduate degree from an accredited college may pursue graduate study in English; however, any student with fewer than 24 semester hours of undergraduate credit in English may be asked to complete additional work to establish a background for graduate study. Students may be admitted to a graduate minor in English or to complete an elective concentration in English after evaluation of the student’s academic background by the coordinator of graduate studies.

Programs

• English, MA

• English, Minor

• English Pedagogy, Advanced, Certificate

• Advanced Certificate in Professional Writing

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