Appropriate work and teaching experience with young people, in and out of school settings. A clear and carefully considered statement of the applicant's academic and career interests, specifying reasons for wanting to enter this particular curriculum. A 10-20 page writing sample that demonstrates the applicant's scholarly capacities. Students are required to take a minimum of four to six graduate courses each in English and in Education. In consultation with the program chair, students develop a program of study designed to address their intellectual interests and to prepare them for examinations and the dissertation.
Students take four major examinations, three prior to and one subsequent to achieving candidacy.
Documents available in the Program Office provide more detailed explanations of each examination along with a timeline for completion. The Special Topic Examination is based on a reading list that the student develops in consultation with two faculty members selected for their expertise in the given area. This long paper, based on a specific area of interest, should provide evidence of the student's capacity to do independent scholarly research. The Theorization of Learning Examination, which is completed after the student has taken several courses in both English and education, requires a critical reading of the student's learning experiences during the first two years of graduate study. In the Prospectus Examination, the student defines the subject and approach planned for the dissertation and explains how the dissertation will make an original contribution to scholarship.