Dear International Graduate Students,
Thank you for your interest in the graduate program in English at Millersville University. We are proud to welcome graduate students from outside the United States. With the increasing use of English in international communication, a graduate degree in English is a great asset for one who has earned it. As students in our program, International students can gain highly marketable skills when they earn a graduate degree in English. Furthermore, earning such a degree in the United States involves immersion in one of the major countries of the English-speaking world, adding a benefit of deeper understanding of the culture associated with the language.
International students should be aware that our program offers both Masters of Arts and Masters of Education degrees. The course work for these degrees can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. Each degree is a 36-credit program that can be completed in two years on a full-time basis. We also offer a Graduate Certificate in Writing. International students can teach English internationally with the Masters of Education and do other kinds of international work related to the language with a Masters of Art. Written materials in English can be published for international readership by an international student who earns a Graduate Certificate in Writing. The skills developed in these programs are all in high demand in the current job market internationally.
In the Master’s program, course work allows for studies in several areas within the English Department. Areas include literature, linguistics, education (including ESL), and several types of writing. Our faculty have different areas of expertise. It forms a great environment for international students to concentrate in a particular area of interest for course work, while also gaining experience with many other areas. The Capstone Project, as a requirement for the program, is a major expression of a student’s specialization allowing concentrated research. International students can thus acquire expertise in a particular area and use the expertise in international work of many kinds. Those at the graduate level can show their high level of fluency by getting writings published in one of the campus publications.
Students who speak English as a second language may desire opportunities for concentrated studies in the structure and pragmatics of the language. The English Language Institute, though separate from the English Department, provides support for international students in our department. It provides such opportunities through intensive courses of 10 or 14 weeks for on-campus learning of English at different proficiency levels. These courses are offered through the Office of International Programs & Services (IPS). The office also offers residence facilities on or off campus, as an opportunity for international students to use English in a community setting. For more information, visit the IPS page at this web address- https://www.millersville.edu/internationalprograms/about-us/index.php. For international students coming to Millersville, the most important pages on that site are (besides the English Language Institute) also “International Students & Scholars” and “International Partnerships.” The IPS also offers on-campus employment for full-time students from other countries, allowing income to help with student expenses and work experience to strengthen résumés.
The English Department itself also offers some resources for international students in the program. Such students can interact with native speakers in English Department organizations, such as the English Club. The Writing Center is a service available to help all students in the writing process, and so this can certainly be helpful to students whose native language is not English. The English Department and the IPS thus offer many opportunities in the interest of such students. Millersville University is proud to welcome students from many other countries and to provide services to help those students achieve success. We in the English Department strive for the same goals. Furthermore, graduate studies in our department are completed with a culminating experience, for which we offer several options that will benefit international students.
We invite prospective graduate students from outside the United States to learn about our department. We welcome students particularly from outside the English-speaking countries who are considering advanced studies in English. We are proud of our many areas of study within our department, offering a wide range of learning. This asset of our program offers international students more than advanced proficiency in English; it also offers knowledge in many ways that English is both used and studied, especially in relation to many areas of culture. In fact, international students form an important part of our department because the field of English relates to the importance of the language to people to whom it is not the native language. A department of English should have international students as a representation of the variety of cultures in which it is relevant. If you choose our program, we welcome you as a future professional in the field of English, and one will show its relevance on an international scale. We look forward to preparing you for your future career by giving you both methods and practice so you can start developing your unique body of research and other work. We look forward to guiding you in the process of learning that lasts a lifetime.
Dr. A Nicole Pfannenstiel
Graduate Coordinator, English