Master's Degree

Graduate Program faculty:

Dr. Susan N. Wood
Associate Prof. and Program Coordinator
644-1909, 413 D---MCH
wood@coe.fsu.edu
Dr. Pamela Carroll
Professor and Chair of MSE
644-2997, 413 F---MCH
pcarroll@fsu.edu
Dr. Sharilyn C. Steadman
Assistant Professor
644-2959, 413 E---MCH
steadman@coe.fsu.edu
Dr. John Simmons
Professor Emeritus
644-2988, 413 B---MCH
jssimmon@mailer.fsu.edu

The M.A./M.S. Degree in English Education is designed to meet needs of the following:

A teacher, or prospective teacher, of English, grades six through twelve, who wishes to enhance his/her knowledge base (see Traditional Track and alternative track #1);
A teacher who wishes to work toward National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification (see Alternative track #2);
A teacher who wishes to be better qualified to teach English at the community or junior college levels in Florida or elsewhere (see alternative track #3);
A teacher who wishes to add reading, English as a Second Language, or other endorsements to his or her certification in English/language arts (see alternative tracks # 4 and #5).
A teacher who wishes to become involved in curricular and instructional supervisory work at the district or state level (see traditional and alternative tracks);

All candidates either 1) pass a comprehensive examination at the completion of the course work or 2) complete a classroom-based action-research project thesis. The thesis option can serve as a substitute for the written essay examination for select students. Your advisor will discuss this option with you.

Each candidate's work, including the comprehensive examination, or degree research project, is supervised by a three-person committee. In the traditional track, the committee consists of two English Education faculty members, and one member from the English Department. In alternative tracks, committee members include two in English Education and one from English or area in which two or more courses have been taken.

Basic requirements for entrance to the master's degree program are a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the last two years of undergraduate work and a score of at least 1000 on the combined aptitude portions of the Graduate Record Examination (verbal and quantitative) , plus 21 or more undergraduate course hours in English, not including freshman composition., and an acceptable academic writing sample.

Applicants are also required to submit the following: a letter of intent (stating why they wish to be considered for admission), three letters of recommendation, and a sample of original academic writing (a paper written for a class is acceptable). The letters may be sent to the following address: Dr. Susan N. Wood, Coordinator of English Education, 209 MCH, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4490. GRE scores must be sent to Florida State University. Up to 6 semester hours of credit may be transferred from another institution. Applicants must submit an application for graduate study at Florida State University and must have GRE scores sent to FSU.

The Traditional Track in English Education

* Candidates in the traditional track enter the program with teacher certification.

The specialization leading to the traditional master's degree in secondary English Education requires 33 semester hours of course work, including:

English courses (9-21 hours literature, rhetoric, or writing)

English Education (12-18 hours, to include these core requirements):

LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice)
LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research)
LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English)
LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading.

Elective Courses (6-12 semester hours in a collateral field) such as higher education, reading, special education, multilingual/multicultural education, rhetoric and composition, speech, film, theatre, humanities, adolescent psychology (with your English Education advisor's approval).

If you choose this track, you will be able to select the English courses that best meet your needs and interests. Your English Education advisor will be happy to help you make informed decisions as you choose those courses and options. In the traditional track, you may also elect to write a thesis in lieu of 3 to 6 hours of course work.

In the traditional track, your committee will consist of two English Education faculty members and one faculty member from the English Department. The three members will contribute questions to and evaluate your comprehensive examinations.

Alternative Tracks in English Education

1. English Education Master's Degree and Secondary English Certification (grades 6-12). (39 hours)

This track is for those who have an undergraduate degree in English and wish to earn a master’s degree and certification in secondary English concurrently. Because it includes certification, this track takes approximately two semesters longer to complete, for most graduate students, than our other tracks. When you finish it, you will be qualified to take the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE), given by the state (not FSU), and apply for certification in English/language arts, grades 6-12. In this track, you must either complete a minimum of 30 hours in English and English as a Second Language (TSL and FLE) courses which are required for certification while earning your master's degree, OR you must be able to show that you have had the specific courses needed for certification on your undergraduate transcript. (In the latter case, you would be required to take a minimum of 12 hours in English at the graduate level.) Unlike students in the traditional track, who enter the program with certification, you will need to be sure that you select English courses that fill any gaps you may have in certification requirements.

English courses: When combined with your undergraduate course work, your transcript must demonstrate that you have successfully completed at least one course in each of the following categories: American literature, minority American literature, British literature, Shakespeare, multicultural literature, linguistics, and advanced composition or creative writing. You will be required to take a minimum of 6 graduate hours in English, even if you have taken courses in the seven categories listed above that are required for our certification program.

English Education courses:

You will be required to take the four core graduate courses in English Education:

In addition to these core courses, you will also add these in English Education:

LAE 5945 (Supervised Teaching in English 3)
LAE 5940 (Field Laboratory Internship 3)
LAE 4860 or equivalent (Technology for English Teachers)
LAE 4430 or equivalent (Assessment)
EDF 4210 or equivalent (Educational psychology)

Your English Education advisor can help you select the appropriate courses from available courses among those offered by the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems.

You will be able to intermingle graduate courses and certification courses during any semester (and the English Education core courses count toward both goals).

If you choose this track, be sure to talk with your advisor about new ESL and reading requirements for English teachers. You may wish to add those requirements to your degree work, so that you will be finished with them when you finish the program. You may also elect to wait until you are employed a teacher, and take ESL and reading course work through in-service workshops, offered by your school district.

2. English Education Master's Degree with Progress toward National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification (33 hours minimum)

Teachers with at least three full years of English/language arts teaching experience in a middle and/or high school may choose this option. The 33 hours of course work in this track are similar to course work required for the traditional track, including the following:

English courses: 9-21 course hours selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and/or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.)

English Education: a minimum of 12 core hours

Electives: 6-12 hours in a collateral area of interest, including, for example, courses chosen from those offered in Theatre, Film, Speech, Adolescent Psychology, Humanities, Information Studies and Library Sciences, Special Education, Higher Education, Reading, Multilingual/Multicultural Education, Educational Psychology, Educational Research, and other areas, with your English Education advisor's approval.

The primary distinction associated with this track lies in the kind of projects you will complete for the four core English Education courses, and any other English Education courses that you choose to add (such as Technology for Teachers of English). Your major course projects and papers in the English Education courses will be aligned with NBPTS requirements; you will engage in conferences with faculty regarding the preparation of your NBPTS binder; the English Education program will, if necessary, match you with a National Board certified teacher from our area to serve as your mentor; your comprehensive "examinations" will consist of selected excerpts of work that you complete toward NBPTS certification, a paper in which you synthesize your course work and your work as a teacher and a National Board applicant, and essay answers to questions about the work you have completed in English classes.

3. English Education with Community College/Junior College English instruction (33 hours minimum, with a semester-long apprenticeship at the community college level)

This track is especially popular among experienced teachers who wish to extend their teaching to the community college level and those who have opportunities to teach "dual enrollment" courses in high schools; it is also popular among those with little secondary school experience who have a strong interest in teaching written composition at the college level and a strong background in English. If you choose this track, you will take courses in the following areas:

English Education (the required core courses)

LAE 5xxx (Directed Independent Study). This apprenticeship in Teaching Composition English at the Community College (to be arranged with your English Education advisor and a cooperating instructor at an area community college).

English: A minimum of 18 hours of graduate level English, including 6 hours of rhetoric and composition, including a Teaching Writing in College course (offered by the English department) or equivalent.

Electives: You might decide that it will be beneficial to add extra course work in Higher Education to your program of studies in this track; please discuss this possibility with your advisor.

4. English Education with Endorsement for Teaching English as a Second Language

This track, which includes a minimum of 36 hours of course work, is ideal for teachers who need to learn how to address the needs of students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in their mainstream English/language arts classes. (ELLs are also known as non-native speakers of English, Limited English Proficient Students (LEP), and English as a Second Language (ESL) students.) The track is designed for the many teachers of English/language arts who completed certification programs prior to the state's mandate that all teachers of English will have specific course work in teaching ELL students.

This track will include courses in these areas:

English A minimum of 9 hours of English course work selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and /or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.).

English Education (the required 12 hours of core courses):

Multilingual/Multicultural Education (15 hours of course work)

TSL 5005 (Introduction and Methods in TESOL)
FLE 5795 (Applied Linguistics)
FLE 5365 (Culture)
FLE 5195 (Curriculum)
FLE 5595 (Assessment)

*note: the TSL and FLE course titles are abbreviated here

5. English Education with Emphasis in Reading

This track is the best choice for teachers and prospective teachers who wish to add reading as an emphasis (or as an endorsement) to their English/language arts certification. You will complete course work in English Education, English, and Reading, as a minimum.

English: A minimum of 9 hours of English course work selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and /or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.).

English Education (the required 12 hours of core courses):

Reading/Language Arts (a minimum of 12 hours of course work). Possible choices include the following, but final decisions about specific reading courses must be discussed with your advisor, who will be knowledgeable about recent changes in state requirements regarding reading instruction and so on:

RED 5337 (Supervision and Instruction in Secondary Reading)
RED 5109 (The Dev. and Assessment of Emergent Reading and Writing)
RED 5147 (Foundations of Developmental Reading)
RED 5546 (Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities)
RED 5548 (Correction of Reading Disabilities)
RED 5646 (Issues and Trends in Reading)

Revised: 10/05


	MSE Home English Education Home -Programs -Faculty -Undergraduate Program -Master's Program -Doctoral Program -Graduate FAQ FSU Writing Project			Master's Degree Graduate Program faculty: Dr. Susan N. Wood Associate Prof. and Program Coordinator 644-1909, 413 D---MCH wood@coe.fsu.edu Dr. Pamela Carroll Professor and Chair of MSE 644-2997, 413 F---MCH pcarroll@fsu.edu Dr. Sharilyn C. Steadman Assistant Professor 644-2959, 413 E---MCH steadman@coe.fsu.edu Dr. John Simmons Professor Emeritus 644-2988, 413 B---MCH jssimmon@mailer.fsu.edu The M.A./M.S. Degree in English Education is designed to meet needs of the following: A teacher, or prospective teacher, of English, grades six through twelve, who wishes to enhance his/her knowledge base (see Traditional Track and alternative track #1); A teacher who wishes to work toward National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification (see Alternative track #2); A teacher who wishes to be better qualified to teach English at the community or junior college levels in Florida or elsewhere (see alternative track #3); A teacher who wishes to add reading, English as a Second Language, or other endorsements to his or her certification in English/language arts (see alternative tracks # 4 and #5). A teacher who wishes to become involved in curricular and instructional supervisory work at the district or state level (see traditional and alternative tracks); All candidates either 1) pass a comprehensive examination at the completion of the course work or 2) complete a classroom-based action-research project thesis. The thesis option can serve as a substitute for the written essay examination for select students. Your advisor will discuss this option with you. Each candidate's work, including the comprehensive examination, or degree research project, is supervised by a three-person committee. In the traditional track, the committee consists of two English Education faculty members, and one member from the English Department. In alternative tracks, committee members include two in English Education and one from English or area in which two or more courses have been taken. Basic requirements for entrance to the master's degree program are a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the last two years of undergraduate work and a score of at least 1000 on the combined aptitude portions of the Graduate Record Examination (verbal and quantitative) , plus 21 or more undergraduate course hours in English, not including freshman composition., and an acceptable academic writing sample. Applicants are also required to submit the following: a letter of intent (stating why they wish to be considered for admission), three letters of recommendation, and a sample of original academic writing (a paper written for a class is acceptable). The letters may be sent to the following address: Dr. Susan N. Wood, Coordinator of English Education, 209 MCH, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4490. GRE scores must be sent to Florida State University. Up to 6 semester hours of credit may be transferred from another institution. Applicants must submit an application for graduate study at Florida State University and must have GRE scores sent to FSU. The Traditional Track in English Education * Candidates in the traditional track enter the program with teacher certification. The specialization leading to the traditional master's degree in secondary English Education requires 33 semester hours of course work, including: English courses (9-21 hours literature, rhetoric, or writing) English Education (12-18 hours, to include these core requirements): LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. Elective Courses (6-12 semester hours in a collateral field) such as higher education, reading, special education, multilingual/multicultural education, rhetoric and composition, speech, film, theatre, humanities, adolescent psychology (with your English Education advisor's approval). If you choose this track, you will be able to select the English courses that best meet your needs and interests. Your English Education advisor will be happy to help you make informed decisions as you choose those courses and options. In the traditional track, you may also elect to write a thesis in lieu of 3 to 6 hours of course work. In the traditional track, your committee will consist of two English Education faculty members and one faculty member from the English Department. The three members will contribute questions to and evaluate your comprehensive examinations. Alternative Tracks in English Education 1. English Education Master's Degree and Secondary English Certification (grades 6-12). (39 hours) This track is for those who have an undergraduate degree in English and wish to earn a master’s degree and certification in secondary English concurrently. Because it includes certification, this track takes approximately two semesters longer to complete, for most graduate students, than our other tracks. When you finish it, you will be qualified to take the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE), given by the state (not FSU), and apply for certification in English/language arts, grades 6-12. In this track, you must either complete a minimum of 30 hours in English and English as a Second Language (TSL and FLE) courses which are required for certification while earning your master's degree, OR you must be able to show that you have had the specific courses needed for certification on your undergraduate transcript. (In the latter case, you would be required to take a minimum of 12 hours in English at the graduate level.) Unlike students in the traditional track, who enter the program with certification, you will need to be sure that you select English courses that fill any gaps you may have in certification requirements. English courses: When combined with your undergraduate course work, your transcript must demonstrate that you have successfully completed at least one course in each of the following categories: American literature, minority American literature, British literature, Shakespeare, multicultural literature, linguistics, and advanced composition or creative writing. You will be required to take a minimum of 6 graduate hours in English, even if you have taken courses in the seven categories listed above that are required for our certification program. English Education courses: You will be required to take the four core graduate courses in English Education: LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. In addition to these core courses, you will also add these in English Education: LAE 5945 (Supervised Teaching in English 3) LAE 5940 (Field Laboratory Internship 3) LAE 4860 or equivalent (Technology for English Teachers) LAE 4430 or equivalent (Assessment) EDF 4210 or equivalent (Educational psychology) Your English Education advisor can help you select the appropriate courses from available courses among those offered by the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems. You will be able to intermingle graduate courses and certification courses during any semester (and the English Education core courses count toward both goals). If you choose this track, be sure to talk with your advisor about new ESL and reading requirements for English teachers. You may wish to add those requirements to your degree work, so that you will be finished with them when you finish the program. You may also elect to wait until you are employed a teacher, and take ESL and reading course work through in-service workshops, offered by your school district. 2. English Education Master's Degree with Progress toward National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification (33 hours minimum) Teachers with at least three full years of English/language arts teaching experience in a middle and/or high school may choose this option. The 33 hours of course work in this track are similar to course work required for the traditional track, including the following: English courses: 9-21 course hours selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and/or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.) English Education: a minimum of 12 core hours LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. Electives: 6-12 hours in a collateral area of interest, including, for example, courses chosen from those offered in Theatre, Film, Speech, Adolescent Psychology, Humanities, Information Studies and Library Sciences, Special Education, Higher Education, Reading, Multilingual/Multicultural Education, Educational Psychology, Educational Research, and other areas, with your English Education advisor's approval. The primary distinction associated with this track lies in the kind of projects you will complete for the four core English Education courses, and any other English Education courses that you choose to add (such as Technology for Teachers of English). Your major course projects and papers in the English Education courses will be aligned with NBPTS requirements; you will engage in conferences with faculty regarding the preparation of your NBPTS binder; the English Education program will, if necessary, match you with a National Board certified teacher from our area to serve as your mentor; your comprehensive "examinations" will consist of selected excerpts of work that you complete toward NBPTS certification, a paper in which you synthesize your course work and your work as a teacher and a National Board applicant, and essay answers to questions about the work you have completed in English classes. 3. English Education with Community College/Junior College English instruction (33 hours minimum, with a semester-long apprenticeship at the community college level) This track is especially popular among experienced teachers who wish to extend their teaching to the community college level and those who have opportunities to teach "dual enrollment" courses in high schools; it is also popular among those with little secondary school experience who have a strong interest in teaching written composition at the college level and a strong background in English. If you choose this track, you will take courses in the following areas: English Education (the required core courses) LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. LAE 5xxx (Directed Independent Study). This apprenticeship in Teaching Composition English at the Community College (to be arranged with your English Education advisor and a cooperating instructor at an area community college). English: A minimum of 18 hours of graduate level English, including 6 hours of rhetoric and composition, including a Teaching Writing in College course (offered by the English department) or equivalent. Electives: You might decide that it will be beneficial to add extra course work in Higher Education to your program of studies in this track; please discuss this possibility with your advisor. 4. English Education with Endorsement for Teaching English as a Second Language This track, which includes a minimum of 36 hours of course work, is ideal for teachers who need to learn how to address the needs of students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in their mainstream English/language arts classes. (ELLs are also known as non-native speakers of English, Limited English Proficient Students (LEP), and English as a Second Language (ESL) students.) The track is designed for the many teachers of English/language arts who completed certification programs prior to the state's mandate that all teachers of English will have specific course work in teaching ELL students. This track will include courses in these areas: English A minimum of 9 hours of English course work selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and /or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.). English Education (the required 12 hours of core courses): LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. Multilingual/Multicultural Education (15 hours of course work) TSL 5005 (Introduction and Methods in TESOL) FLE 5795 (Applied Linguistics) FLE 5365 (Culture) FLE 5195 (Curriculum) FLE 5595 (Assessment) note: the TSL and FLE course titles are abbreviated here 5. English Education with Emphasis in Reading* This track is the best choice for teachers and prospective teachers who wish to add reading as an emphasis (or as an endorsement) to their English/language arts certification. You will complete course work in English Education, English, and Reading, as a minimum. English: A minimum of 9 hours of English course work selected from the literature, rhetoric/composition, and /or creative writing courses offered by the English department (The number of English courses that you will take will depend, in large part, on the depth of English course work that you completed at the undergraduate level.). English Education (the required 12 hours of core courses): LAE 5064 (Reader Response to Literature: Research and Practice) LAE 5736 (Written Composition in the Secondary School: Theory and Research) LAE 5637 (Issues and Trends in Secondary English) LAE 5932 (Reading Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English) or an approved LAE alternative in teaching reading. Reading/Language Arts (a minimum of 12 hours of course work). Possible choices include the following, but final decisions about specific reading courses must be discussed with your advisor, who will be knowledgeable about recent changes in state requirements regarding reading instruction and so on: RED 5337 (Supervision and Instruction in Secondary Reading) RED 5109 (The Dev. and Assessment of Emergent Reading and Writing) RED 5147 (Foundations of Developmental Reading) RED 5546 (Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities) RED 5548 (Correction of Reading Disabilities) RED 5646 (Issues and Trends in Reading) Revised: 10/05