1.5 Minors and Co-Major

1.5.1 Minoring in graduate degree majors

English department graduate students minoring in programs outside their major

If you wish to earn a graduate minor in a major outside the English department graduate majors, you will need to find a faculty member from that major who will help you identify the necessary minor courses and who will serve on your POS committee. That professor’s name and approval/signature (when applicable) must appear on all Graduate College forms. In addition, the DOGE in the department of the minor program must approve the minor and coursework.

Graduate students from other majors minoring in English department graduate majors

If you are a graduate student from another major, you may obtain a graduate minor in an English department graduate major at the same or lower degree level as your major. To do so, you first need to find an English department graduate faculty member in the appropriate major to help you identify the required minor courses and to serve on your POS committee. That professor’s name and approval/signature as well as that of the DOGE in the English department are required when you submit required forms and the Graduate College POSC form in your AccessPlus account.

Once you and your selected English Department professor have determined the courses you will use for the minor in the MA or PhD programs, you must submit to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant the English Department’s Request for Graduate Minor form.

Graduate minor requirements for the MA and PhD programs

• MA.programs in English (literature or literature and the teaching of reading), RCPC, or TESL/AL require 9 credits in English department courses not counting thesis or creative component credits; 6 of these credits must be at the 5000-6000 level
• PhD programs in Applied Linguistics and Technology (ALT) or Rhetoric and Professional Communication (RPC) require 12 credits in English department courses not counting dissertation credits; 9 of these credits must be at the 5000-6000 level.

Graduate minor requirements for the MFA program

• MFA program in (CWE) requires 12 credits in English department’s creative writing courses at the graduate level not counting thesis credits; 3 of these credits must be ENGL 5500: Craft and Professional Practice

Once approved for the MFA CWE minor, you will be assigned an advisor who must become a POS committee member representing the minor.

Application requirements for the MFA CWE minor

If you wish to be considered for a minor in the MFA Creative Writing and Environment (CWE) program, you need to submit by January 5 for entry the following fall semester the following items via email to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant at englgrad@iastate.edu:

• English Department’s Request for Graduate Minor form
• Portfolio which includes required items in the specified order as one single PDF file. This portfolio is to include a statement of purpose, curriculum vitae/resume, creative writing sample, and an expository writing sample (refer to the How to Apply website program-specific application requirements for the MFA for more details about each of these)

1.5.2 Co-majoring in graduate degree majors

A co-major is a program of study for a single degree in which the requirements for two separate majors are met. POS committees include co-major professors from each major, one additional committee member representing each major to ensure there are at least two representatives from each of the co-majors. You may co-major only in programs at the same degree level. For example, the MA programs in English and TESL/Applied Linguistics, the MA program in RCPC and the MFA in CWE (for co-majoring, the Graduate College considers the MFA program a degree program at the Master’s level), or the PhD program in RPC and the PhD program in HCI could be co-majors.

English department graduate students co-majoring in programs outside their major

If you are currently a student in an English department degree program and you wish to co-major in a graduate degree program outside the English department, you should consult with your major professor. Then you should contact the Director of Graduate Education or a faculty member from the extra-departmental program to determine that program’s co-major requirements.

Graduate students from other majors co-majoring in English department graduate majors

If you are a graduate student from an extra-departmental major, you may co-major in any English department graduate major. You first need to find an English department professor in the appropriate major to help you select courses and to serve as the co-major professor on your POS committee. That professor’s name and approval/signature as well as that of the DOGE in the English department are required when you submit required forms and the Graduate College POSC form in your AccessPlus account.

You will need to acquire admission approval from one of the English department majors by submitting the Co-Major in English Department Graduate Programs Request form as well as other required documents. Co-major students are not eligible for graduate assistantship support from the English department.

Co-majoring in MA programs

Co-majoring in English Department MA majors requires that all requirements in each of the two majors (including areas of specialization), not counting the thesis credits, be met to complete this single MA degree. This means you will need to take extra hours beyond the 30 credit hours of most master’s students. However, it will not mean that you must take an additional 30 credits, as some courses will work for both majors (and areas of specialization). A co-major will require a minimum of 42 credits (12 extra credits beyond the standard 30 credits, not including thesis or creative component credits) and must include at least 15 credits of specialized courses in each of the two majors, not counting the thesis or creative component. The thesis or creative component must apply to both majors (and areas of specialization).

Co-majoring in the MFA program

The minimum requirements for a co-major in the MFA Creative Writing and Environment (CWE) program are the same as those for a major in the program (54 non-overlapping credits, not including thesis credits). Students in other majors wishing to co-major in Creative Writing and Environment must meet all requirements in each of their two majors, including the completion of a thesis appropriate to the major in Creative Writing and Environment, to complete this single degree.

Co-majoring in PhD programs

To receive a co-major in Applied Linguistics and Technology, you must meet pre-/co-requisite requirements and complete a minimum of 54 credits as described in Section 4.2.1 ALT Degree Requirements. Coursework from your co-major can be used to fulfill elective requirements. At least half of the 18 dissertation research credits must be in English. Portfolio assessment (in fourth semester or equivalent) must be passed (see Portfolio Assessment: Qualifying Examination for more information).

To receive a co-major in Rhetoric and Professional Communication, you must complete a minimum of 60 credits as outlined in Section 4.3.1 RPC Degree Requirements, with one change: you should complete 12 credits of English Electives and 9 credits of Outside English Electives. Coursework from your co-major can be used to fulfill Outside English Electives’ requirements. At least half of the 12 dissertation research credits must be in English. Portfolio assessment (in third semester or equivalent) must be passed (see Portfolio Assessment: Qualifying Examination for more information).