SACS Reaffirmation
| Objective | Breadth Of Knowledge | |
| That our English graduate students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of English language and literature within theoretical contexts; will demonstrate a knowledge of the subject and structure of the discipline and the ability to link the subject with other selected disciplines; and will demonstrate the ability to articulate this understanding in a critical idiom befitting graduate-level studies. Associated Goals: Knowledge And Skills |
| Indicator | Classroom Certification In Five Course Blocks All English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have acquired a breadth of knowledge in the subject, have developed critical reading and writing skills appropriate to a graduate-level education in English, and are well-prepared for future professional endeavors by successfully passing classes across a range of five curriculum blocks. Each block comprises classes with shared topics or historical kinship. |
| Criteria | Classroom Certification in Five Course Blocks As demonstration of classroom certification, all students who earn an MA in English at Sam Houston State University during the assessment period will show completion of the five-block course requirement on their official transcripts. |
| Finding | Completion of Course Block Requirements Without exception, all students who took the MA in English during the assessment period showed completion of the five-block course requirement on their official final transcripts. The findings demonstrate that the English MA Program has met the standard established by the criterion. |
| Indicator | MA Exam Certification In Three Comprehensive Areas All English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have acquired a breadth of knowledge in the subject, have developed critical reading and writing skills appropriate to a graduate-level education in English, and are well-prepared for future professional endeavors by passing a rigorous comprehensive examination in three areas. Although students choose the three areas for examination from among thirteen comprehensive topics, one must be in American literature and one must be in British literature; one must be a literature area before 1800, and one must be a literature area after 1800. Students are allowed two attempts in passing the examination. A double-blind grading system is used, in which both the candidates who sit for the exam and the faculty readers are anonymous. |
| Criteria | Standard Pass Rate on Comprehensive Examination As demonstration that the English graduate program is successful in preparing students for the comprehensive examination, at least 90% of examination essays submitted during the assessment period will pass. |
| Finding | Comprehensive Examination Pass Rate In the fall of 2006 and spring and summer of 2007, sixteen students sat for the comprehensive examination in English. Collectively, they submitted fifty-three examination essays (including retakes); seven of the fifty-three essays failed. The pass rate was 87%. While all the students who sat for the examination eventually passed the examination, the pass rate for individual essays failed to meet the 90% established by the criterion. |
| Action | Comprehensive Examination Preparation To help students prepare for the comprehensive examination, the Director of Graduate Studies in English annually conducts two preparation sessions, which provide MA candidates with information about preparing and sitting for the exam; with sample questions; and with sample responses across the range of fail, pass, and high pass essays. The Director has also published information about the exams on the graduate web site and has published a booklet on preparation for the exam. Despite the biannual preparation sessions and published materials, the Program failed to meet its goal for the assessment period. To give students further preparation for the examination, graduate faculty will encourage them to meet for tutorials in subjects of their academic expertise. |
| Action | Program Orientation and Degree Plan Review Although the findings indicate that 100% of students who took the MA in English satisfied the course block requirement, the Graduate Director in English has published on line and in print detailed information about course block certification. All new students are required to attend an orientation session outlining the degree requirements, including those for the course blocks. Because the course blocks are a requirement for taking the English MA ,when a student applies for graduation, the Office of the Registrar sends a copy of the student’s degree plan, which alerts her or him to any missing course block requirements. Given the success in satisfying the course block criterion, the English MA Program will continue with its existing courses of action in 2007-2008. |
| Objective | Critical Thinking And Writing | |
| That our English graduate students will demonstrate their abilities as independent critical thinkers and writers, capable of employing effective sophisticated critical thinking skills in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of knowledge. Associated Goals: Knowledge And Skills |
| Indicator | Classroom Certification In Five Course Blocks All English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have acquired a breadth of knowledge in the subject, have developed critical reading and writing skills appropriate to a graduate-level education in English, and are well-prepared for future professional endeavors by successfully passing classes across a range of five curriculum blocks. Each block comprises classes with shared topics or historical kinship. |
| Criteria | Classroom Certification in Five Course Blocks As demonstration of classroom certification, all students who earn an MA in English at Sam Houston State University during the assessment period will show completion of the five-block course requirement on their official transcripts. |
| Finding | Completion of Course Block Requirements Without exception, all students who took the MA in English during the assessment period showed completion of the five-block course requirement on their official final transcripts. The findings demonstrate that the English MA Program has met the standard established by the criterion. |
| Indicator | MA Exam Certification In Three Comprehensive Areas All English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have acquired a breadth of knowledge in the subject, have developed critical reading and writing skills appropriate to a graduate-level education in English, and are well-prepared for future professional endeavors by passing a rigorous comprehensive examination in three areas. Although students choose the three areas for examination from among thirteen comprehensive topics, one must be in American literature and one must be in British literature; one must be a literature area before 1800, and one must be a literature area after 1800. Students are allowed two attempts in passing the examination. A double-blind grading system is used, in which both the candidates who sit for the exam and the faculty readers are anonymous. |
| Criteria | Standard Pass Rate on Comprehensive Examination As demonstration that the English graduate program is successful in preparing students for the comprehensive examination, at least 90% of examination essays submitted during the assessment period will pass. |
| Finding | Comprehensive Examination Pass Rate In the fall of 2006 and spring and summer of 2007, sixteen students sat for the comprehensive examination in English. Collectively, they submitted fifty-three examination essays (including retakes); seven of the fifty-three essays failed. The pass rate was 87%. While all the students who sat for the examination eventually passed the examination, the pass rate for individual essays failed to meet the 90% established by the criterion. |
| Indicator | Professional Accomplishments English MA students will demonstrate that they either have become or are becoming active members of the profession of English language, literature, and writing disciplines by publishing in the field, presenting scholarly and creative works at professional conferences, and/or serving the profession in other ways (as, for example, membership and/or leadership in scholarly organizations, attendance at professional development seminars and workshops, sponsorship of professional activities, and development of teaching curricula). |
| Criteria | Professional Accomplishments As demonstration that English graduate students are becoming active participants in the profession of letters and language, at least four students will present conference papers or other scholarly or creative work at professional venues during the assessment period, and at least two students will submit for publication scholarly or creative work in a peer-reviewed publication over a period of two years. |
| Finding | Professional Accomplishments In the summer of 2007, the Director of Graduate Studies in English conducted a survey of students who had earned an MA in English from Sam Houston State University between 2003 and 2006. Of those who reported back, two graduates had published books of poetry, three had published creative work in journals, and three had presented papers at scholarly conferences. Of students in the program during the 2006-2007 assessment period, six presented papers at scholarly conferences, including the Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Honors Conference; the Great Plains Honors Council Conference; the International Writing Center Association Conference; the Cormac McCarthy Symposium; and the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan. One of these students presented two papers; one presented three. The findings show that the English MA Program exceeded the criteria for the assessment period. |
| Action | Comprehensive Examination Preparation To help students prepare for the comprehensive examination, the Director of Graduate Studies in English annually conducts two preparation sessions, which provide MA candidates with information about preparing and sitting for the exam; with sample questions; and with sample responses across the range of fail, pass, and high pass essays. The Director has also published information about the exams on the graduate web site and has published a booklet on preparation for the exam. Despite the biannual preparation sessions and published materials, the Program failed to meet its goal for the assessment period. To give students further preparation for the examination, graduate faculty will encourage them to meet for tutorials in subjects of their academic expertise. |
| Action | Holistic Assessment of Graduate Writing The comprehensive examination is a fair and reasonable measurement of the knowledge of literature, English language, critical theory, and writing and pedagogical disciplines. However, because it does not delineate critical thinking and writing skills as separate from these bodies of knowledge, the graduate faculty will conduct a holistic assessment of student papers from graduate courses to evaluate critical thinking and writing. A committee of graduate faculty will read a representative sample of graduate papers taken from classes taught during the assessment period 2007-2008 and assign them grades on a scale of 1 (unacceptable as graduate-level work) to 4 (exemplary graduate-level work). |
| Action | Program Orientation and Degree Plan Review Although the findings indicate that 100% of students who took the MA in English satisfied the course block requirement, the Graduate Director in English has published on line and in print detailed information about course block certification. All new students are required to attend an orientation session outlining the degree requirements, including those for the course blocks. Because the course blocks are a requirement for taking the English MA ,when a student applies for graduation, the Office of the Registrar sends a copy of the student’s degree plan, which alerts her or him to any missing course block requirements. Given the success in satisfying the course block criterion, the English MA Program will continue with its existing courses of action in 2007-2008. |
| Action | Scholarship and Professional Activities While the MA Program exceeded its criteria for professional accomplishments, in it will continue in 2007-2008 to encourage students to participate in professional activities such as scholarly and creative conferences and to encourage them to send work out for publication. The Graduate Director has also published information about conference activities and about graduate-level researching and writing on the English graduate web pages. |
| Objective | Preparation For Continued Graduate Education | |
| That the English MA Program will produce graduates who are well-prepared for further graduate education in English (as for example, the PhD in literature, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric; or the MFA in creative writing). Associated Goals: Professional Development |
| Indicator | Preparation For Further Graduate Studies English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and body of knowledge for advanced graduate education in English (as for example, the PhD in literature, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric; or the MFA in creative writing). |
| Criteria | Placement in Advanced Degree Programs As demonstration that the English MA Program has successfully prepared its students for advanced graduate work, at least three students will enter advanced degree programs (PhD or MFA) during the assessment period. |
| Finding | Placement in Advanced Degree Programs In the summer of 2007, the Director of Graduate Studies in English conducted a survey of students who had earned an MA in English from Sam Houston State University between 2003 and 2006. Of students who reported back, four had entered PhD programs during the 2006-2007 assessment period, at the following universities: University of Southern Mississippi (2), University of North Texas (1), and Texas Tech University (1). The findings show that the English MA Program exceeded the standard established by the criterion. |
| Indicator | Professional Accomplishments English MA students will demonstrate that they either have become or are becoming active members of the profession of English language, literature, and writing disciplines by publishing in the field, presenting scholarly and creative works at professional conferences, and/or serving the profession in other ways (as, for example, membership and/or leadership in scholarly organizations, attendance at professional development seminars and workshops, sponsorship of professional activities, and development of teaching curricula). |
| Criteria | Professional Accomplishments As demonstration that English graduate students are becoming active participants in the profession of letters and language, at least four students will present conference papers or other scholarly or creative work at professional venues during the assessment period, and at least two students will submit for publication scholarly or creative work in a peer-reviewed publication over a period of two years. |
| Finding | Professional Accomplishments In the summer of 2007, the Director of Graduate Studies in English conducted a survey of students who had earned an MA in English from Sam Houston State University between 2003 and 2006. Of those who reported back, two graduates had published books of poetry, three had published creative work in journals, and three had presented papers at scholarly conferences. Of students in the program during the 2006-2007 assessment period, six presented papers at scholarly conferences, including the Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Honors Conference; the Great Plains Honors Council Conference; the International Writing Center Association Conference; the Cormac McCarthy Symposium; and the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan. One of these students presented two papers; one presented three. The findings show that the English MA Program exceeded the criteria for the assessment period. |
| Action | Advanced Graduate Study in English While the English MA Program exceeded its criteria for placement in advanced degree programs, in 2007-2008 it will continue to encourage qualified graduates to apply to PhD and MFA programs. The Graduate Director has also published information about further graduate study on the English graduate web pages. |
| Action | Scholarship and Professional Activities While the MA Program exceeded its criteria for professional accomplishments, in it will continue in 2007-2008 to encourage students to participate in professional activities such as scholarly and creative conferences and to encourage them to send work out for publication. The Graduate Director has also published information about conference activities and about graduate-level researching and writing on the English graduate web pages. |
| Objective | Preparation For Other Professions | |
| That the English MA Program will produce graduates who are well-prepared to enter other professions requiring graduate-level training in English language and literature (writing professions, editing, and researching). Associated Goals: Professional Development |
| Indicator | Preparation For Other Professions Students will demonstrate that they have the requisite skills to obtain positions in other professions requiring graduate-level training in English language and literature (writing professions, editing, and researching). |
| Criteria | Placement in Other Professions As demonstration that the English MA Program has successfully prepared its students for the professions, at least one student or graduate during the assessment period will find a position that employs her or his graduate-level training in English (writing professions, editing, and researching). |
| Finding | Placement in Other Professions In the summer of 2007, the Director of Graduate Studies in English conducted a survey of recent MA graduates. Of students who reported back, one was working as a freelance correspondent for The Houston Chronicle and one was working as a corporate communications executive. The placement for professions employing English skills meets the standard established by the criterion. |
| Action | Information about Other Professions The English MA Program met the criterion for preparing students for other professions requiring specific graduate-level skills in English language and literature. While the Program does not provide a placement service for professions that employ graduate training in English, the Graduate Director has posted and will maintain links on the English graduate web pages to professional placement sites. The Program will continue this course of action during the 2007-2008 assessment period. |
| Objective | Preparation For Teaching | |
| That the English MA Program will produce graduates who are well-prepared to enter the profession of English as teachers in public junior colleges and enhance the knowledge and critical skills of those who teach in public and private secondary schools. Associated Goals: Professional Development |
| Indicator | Preparation For English Teaching English MA graduates will demonstrate that they have achieved the educational background, skills, and training necessary for public junior college teaching, enhanced public and private secondary teaching. |
| Criteria | Placement in English Teaching Positions As demonstration that the English MA Program has successfully prepared its students for English teaching, at least four MA graduates will secure positions as public junior college teachers or administrators and/or adjunct instructors at senior colleges during the assessment period. |
| Finding | Placement in English Teaching Positions In the summer of 2007, the Director of Graduate Studies in English conducted a survey of recent MA graduates. Of students who reported back, eleven graduates were teaching in public junior and community colleges, with two of those also serving in administrative capacities. Six graduates were teaching as adjunct instructors at Sam Houston State University. One graduate was teaching English as a Second Language. The placement rates exceed those established by the criterion. |
| Action | Placement Leads for English Teaching The English MA Program exceeded the criterion for placing MA graduates in teaching positions. While the Program does not provide a placement service for teachers, in 2007-2008 the faculty will continue to communicate with administrators in public junior colleges and to send information about teaching positions to current graduate students and recent MA graduates. |
| Objective | Curriculum Review And Development | |
| That the English MA Program will continue to reviews its existing curriculum and to develop new graduate classes that reflect developments in the profession of English literature, language, and writing disciplines. Associated Goals: Program Development |
| Indicator | Review Of Existing Curriculum And Installation Of New Classes The English MA Program will demonstrate that it is both current in its course offerings and responsive to student curricular needs. |
| Criteria | Curriculum Review and Development As demonstration that the English MA Program is actively reviewing its graduate curriculum, the Graduate Studies Committee (comprising the Director of Graduate Studies in English and four other members of the graduate faculty) will periodically review the existing curriculum and, as appropriate, propose new courses in English language, literature, and writing disciplines. The Graduate Studies Committee will report its findings to the Chair of the Department of English and the collected graduate English faculty and will solicit suggestions for new graduate courses from the faculty. |
| Finding | Curriculum Review and Development During the assessment period, the Graduate Studies Committee undertook a comprehensive review of the existing curriculum and submitted the following recommendation: In order to systematize the MA thesis process and to encourage students to work more steadily on their theses, the graduate faculty established a new thesis sequence: ENG 698 (Thesis I) and ENG 699 (Thesis II). During the first semester of thesis work, students appoint a committee, submit appropriate paperwork, and produce a thesis prospectus; during the second semester, they complete the thesis, defend it orally, and submit it for administrative approval. The review and recommendations satisfy the criterion. |
| Action | Curriculum Assessment and Development Aside from its annual in-house curriculum review, during the 2007-2008 assessment period the Graduate Studies Committee will undertake a comparative review of the English MA Program with graduate programs at peer and aspiration institutions. Each member of the Graduate Studies Committee will compare a range of program features with those from programs at three institutions, one in the state of Texas and two from out of state. |
| Objective | Faculty Development | |
| That English graduate faculty will demonstrate their professional competency and credentials for teaching graduate courses and serving as models for students continuing their graduate education, entering the teaching profession, and entering other professions that require graduate-level training in English language and literature. Associated Goals: Program Development |
| Indicator | Faculty Accomplishments English graduate faculty will demonstrate that they are current in their fields and are qualified to teach graduate courses and to serve as models for students entering the profession. |
| Criteria | Faculty Accomplishments As demonstration that they are current in their fields and are qualified to teach graduate courses, all graduate English faculty will demonstrate that they are actively engaged in the profession by one or more of the following means: One article or significant creative work published in a peer-reviewed publication every three years; one book published by a recognized press every seven years; one conference presentation every two years; one significant editorial project every three years; a leadership role in a professional organization. |
| Finding | Faculty Accomplishments The professional accomplishments of graduate English faculty during the 2006-2007 assessment period are listed in an attachment. While two graduate faculty did not report activities, the criterion does not require annual production. The findings indicate, however, that almost all graduate faculty have satisfied the criteria, even in the narrower assessment year. |
| Action | Faculty Accomplishments To encourage scholarly and creative production among our graduate faculty, in 2007-2008 the Department will initiate a research colloquium series in which graduate faculty present scholarly and creative work in progress. Two or three faculty members will present their work every semester. |
| Objective | Student Recruitment | |
| That the English MA Program will continue to recruit qualified graduate students. Associated Goals: Program Development |
| Indicator | Student Recruitment The English MA Program will demonstrate its commitment to recruiting qualified graduate students by continuing to identify promising graduate prospects, advertising the program, and inviting qualified individuals to apply. |
| Criteria | Recruitment As demonstration that the English MA Program has been successful during the assessment period in its efforts to recruit qualified applicants, the number of graduate students accepted in regular admission status will increase from the previous academic year or at least remain equal to graduation rates. |
| Finding | Recruitment In the fall of 2005 and spring and summer of 2006, there was an average of 57 graduate students in regular admission status at various stages in their degrees. In the fall of 2006 and spring and summer of 2007, there was an average of 62 students in regular admission status at various stages in their degrees. The increase of over 8% demonstrates that the English MA Program has exceeded the expectations for graduate student recruitment established by the criterion. |
| Action | Recruiting Efforts While the English MA Program met its recruitment goals, recruiting qualified graduate students remains a priority, especially as the program is relatively successful in graduating its students. In 2007-2008 the faculty will undertake a more vigorous recruitment campaign, to include recruiting visits to upper-division classes, identification of students through the University’s “Project Graduation,” and mailings to promising prospects. |