TonyB

Following up on advice from a poster in my other thread: I've identified Ohio State as having a strong English/folklore program, and Syracuse as having strong faculty interest in film, television, and popular culture. SUNY Albany seems to reference pop culture, creative writing, and film on their (very high-falutin'-ly written) PhD info page as well. Any other info on programs with these concentrations or emphases?

This cockroach talk is going to haunt my dreams tonight.

Good times! I'll be applying to eight or nine MFA programs this winter and one English MA -- University of Maine at Orono -- if I don't get in, or end up going to Maine and decide to do a PhD after, I'm thinking of applying to the programs at Ohio State, SUNY Albany, Syracuse, and WashU. If I absolutely fall in love with Maine I may take a crack at applying to their Interdisciplinary PhD program (English and Communication). What's a good source for info on English PhD's, as far as concentratiions, course breakdowns and whatnot? I'm noticing that many of the schools I look at have very little in the way of specific info about the PhD (as compared to, say, the Master's or MFA, which usually includes a detailed breakdown).

As long as the internship consists of more than doing "scutwork" (filing paperwork, moving boxes, etc.) you should probably do it, provided you feel there are some real connections/real professional development to be made. Too many companies get that free labor out of an intern -- basically doing the crap paid employees don't WANT to do -- but don't give them enough actual real-world professional experience to make it worth the trouble.

Did you end up in their English or American/Cultural Studies program? If my MFA apps don't bear fruit this year (or even if they do, and I decide to go ahead and apply to PhD programs afterward), I'm going to apply for their English/Folklore program. If I get into the MFA program at OSU, I'm going to use my electives to do the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Folklore.

http://www.cmj.umaine.edu/graduate-program/interdisciplinary-ph-d-in-communication-and-mass-communication/ Stumbled across this program recently, and was wondering what everyone thought. I'd actually never heard of an "I.PhD" before... would this convey the same standing, academically and professionally speaking, as a full-fledged PhD in Communication or English? Especially from the perspective of securing a teaching post -- would it qualify me to teach graduate-level courses in both disciplines? Neither? Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Checked out some of the sample exams polis posted, and I have to say I'm feeling much more confident about this. So essentially one option for satisfying the requirement at many schools would be to simply pass two exams (for two different languages) like that? Seems doable -- and much more reasonable than having to tackle a two-year undergrad course, and/or have the fluency to read a whole novel. As it happens, I unearthed some old 'Learn Spanish/German the Lazy Way' CD-ROMs while going through some stuff at my dad's house. May just have to bust them out as I'm preparing to start sending in PhD applications in a couple years. (Plan to get my MA or MFA first).

My research interest is more in modern/contemporary American literature, film, popular culture, and/or modern American folklore, so I doubt I would have much use for an extensive knowledge of foreign language... though, as CoU pointed out, I could see the utility more for someone who was looking to be able to analyze Greek or Latin or Old English texts! In all honesty I'd probably just do the minimum where the language requirement is concerned.

For anyone else who's interested, I've discovered -- by talking to a faculty member, in the case of WashU -- that the language requirements at WashU, Bowling Green, and Ohio University all seem to be not terribly stringent. Rather than the standard reading knowledge of two/fluency in one requirement, WashU and Ohio (like Vanderbilt, according to another poster above) simply require either a translation test with dictionary or a course that can be taken during the summer.

Those buses sure look fun, LoL -- I like the red and black "Bat" design. How appropriate for Stephen King's (sort of) hometown. So if a person lived in Bangor, went to school in Orono, and just wanted to ride the bus to and fro on snowy days, would that be feasible? The Wiki page says the route between downtown Orono and UM runs until 9pm, but I could swear the actual Bangor city page said it only ran until 5 or so.

From what I've heard, an MFA *should* qualify you for more than adjunct positions, provided said spots are available. (As others have mentioned, the market isn't exactly booming right now). Essentially, an MFA should qualify you for the full range of creative writing jobs, while a PhD would do the same for general English and Lit teaching posts. As for getting an MA (or MFA) before applying to PhD programs... there are some schools, like Ohio State, that offer integrated programs. You get the MA after 2 years, the PhD after 5 (with optional funding for a sixth year). Most such programs have a foreign language requirement, whereas most MFA's do not. In general, a non-integrated PhD program will require that you have an MA (or MFA) before admitting you.

This is technically true, of course... if Stephen King or John Grisham walked in and offered to teach a creative writing class, there's not a school in the world that would turn them down, despite the fact that King, at least, only holds a bachelor's degree. That said -- the fact is that most writers (the vast majority) are not destined to be the next Grisham or King. Most writers who consider teaching, I'd wager, don't do so 'cause they think it would be a neat-o thing to do, but because they don't make a sufficient living from their writing to be able to rest on those laurels alone. Such writers are not likely to have the success/esteem to get a job teachingbased purely on reputation. It's the age-old problem: the only folks who can get those jobs are the ones who don't really need them! I've also heard from English profs (NOT MFA's or MFA faculty), college career services folk, and the like that, while an MA in English will enable you to teach undergrad writing courses part-time (or maybe full-time at a small rural school or community college), an MFA or PhD is needed to have a full range of opportunities open to you, teaching-wise. Considering that an MFA is a 2-3 year commitment, as opposed to the 5-6 year job of an MA/PhD program, going with the MFA just seems like the more solid bet, IF you plan on teaching as your primary career and want to have the minimum number of obstacles standing in your path.

Some specify that you can send in an unofficial one, I think. If in doubt you can always contact someone in the program via email... they tend to be pretty responsive about stuff like that, often times.

Was checking out the site for the local bus system, and I didn't actually see a route that runs from Bangor to Orono. (They seem to all service Bangor and surrounding areas except the Black Bear Express, which begins and ends in Orono). Am I missing something?

Wyatt, I'm primarily looking at MFA programs, most of which do NOT have a language requirement. I've been looking at a couple of MA's recently as well, however (primarily U. of Maine's English MA and Bowling Green's Popular Culture program), which would necessitate applying to PhD programs when I finish, if I want to come out with a full-fledged teaching credential. I've been looking mostly at accelerated PhD programs -- 3 to 4 years beyond the MA -- preferably with an emphasis in journalism, film/media studies, or folklore. So that's where my research interests and such lie. So far, I've found that WashU, Indiana University, and U. of Missouri's English/folklore programs all have requirements for the foreign language, whereas Ohio U. and Ohio State's Communication/Journalism PhD programs do not. I'm primarily interested in English programs, as I said, but I'm willing to branch out a little if I can avoid that language requirement.

Yeah... I'd say definitely save at least $1,000 to 1,500 for rent plus deposit, another few hundred for furniture (provided you're not bringing any with you), enough to get the lights turned on, and of course, money for food, gas, etc. til your first paycheck comes in. I would say no less than about $3,000 or so, honestly. Most programs I've been looking at seem to fund in the $13-$17k range for nine months. If you go the MFA route, there are a handful that go higher (up to almost $30k in a few cases), but the middle teens seems to be a pretty reliable guestimate.

Toast, Thanks for the reply! Yes, I've since spoken to someone at OSU, and apparently their stipend is about $15k a year for MA/MFA students. and they try to fund everyone they admit, at least in the humanities. As for Bowling Green, I have an email out to them but haven't heard back yet. Can you tell me, by chance, what the stipend/salary on that fellowship was? Also, I'm guessing you didn't actually end up attending BGSU, based on your word choice. Where did you end up?

Thanks! Yeah, it seems like most want you to demonstrate a "basic" knowledge of at least two languages or "advanced" knowledge of one. A couple say you can take a "course" (I'm assuming this means one class) rather than a one- or two-year sequence in undergrad foreign language. And yep, languages were a weak spot of mine in high school, and I've forgotten all but the VERY basics of what I learned. Seems like a lot to take on, alongside teaching, writing/thesis work, ordinary coursework, and whatnot. I'd like to avoid it if I can. Any other info you have on schools with nonexistent (or easily satisfiable) language requirements would be much appreciated. Thanks! ETA: Any info about funding at Buffalo? How many incoming PhD's they fund, stipend for average TAship, etc.?

To put it simply, I've been researching and it's been a **tch trying to find one. Anyone help me out?

Well-paid novelist or non-fiction writer, teaches on the side. Well-paid film or television screenwriter, teaches on the side. Well-paid college instructor, does some writing on the side. Well-paid journalist or internet writer, teaches on the side. As for being qualified... I'm workin' on it.

Ohio State has an interdisciplinary folklore program where you apply through different departments, depending on your area of interest. (For instance, English or Language Studies). Indiana University offers dual MS/MA programs in folklore/journalism and folklore/library science.

Hey all, Just curious, as I can't find any info about funding at these programs. Anyone heard anything?

I've heard there's a bias against doing everything at the same school, but I've also heard that that's largely a myth. For what it's worth, I know one young lady who is gainfully employed at the local community college (in an administrative role, and has been there for 7 or 8 years) -- she did both her undergrad and grad degrees at Ball State University in Indiana. Most of the people I've spoken to, however, at least did their undergrad and grad work at separate schools, and at least one guy got his bachelor's at Wright State University (Ohio), master's at University of Maine, and his PhD at a school in Salt Lake City. So make of that what you will. Personally, the (perception that there's a ) bias seems to be widespread enough that I'd be reluctant to get my master's at the same school.

So what's the political landscape in the Nashville area like? I grew up in southwest Ohio (Dayton/Cincinnati area), and it's pretty conservative up here, especially in the rural areas. Many of the schools I'm thinking of applying to -- Vandy, U.T. Austin, University of Florida, etc. -- are down South, which frankly, is not where I would have pictured myself living up until a year or two ago. Will a liberal like me have a hard time living in Nashville?

I read somewhere that Gainesville was voted one of the "meanest cities in America" after passing some sort of law restricting soup kitchens or something. What about that? Is it a real conservative/tight-***ed sort of place, or is there another side to the story? Just curious, as I'm considering applying to UF for next fall.