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Survey of Alumni Suggests Benefits of Villanova’s Graduate English Program
Villanova's Graduate English Program recently conducted a survey of alumni who
completed the program in the past ten years. 85% of those who filled out
the survey indicated that completing the
M.A. in English at Villanova has been beneficial to them in their careers.
28% of respondents went on to receive a doctoral degree, either in English
or Education. Respondents pursued the Ph.D. at Emory, UNC-Chapel Hill,
Temple, Lehigh, Ohio State, Widener, and the University of Rhode Island.
16% of respondents have earned additional, non-doctoral degrees. These
included M.B.A.s from LaSalle University and North Carolina State. One
graduate of the program has gone on for an M.A. in Creative Arts Therapy.
Others have received or are working toward certificates in publishing and
school counseling.
The survey revealed that most alumni have used their M.A. degrees for
academic careers at either the university or secondary level. Many
alumni have elected to teach as adjunct professors at universities and
community colleges, including Catholic, St. Joseph’s, West Chester, Rowan,
Immaculata, DeVry, Cabrini, Penn State, Gwynedd Mercy, Bucks County
Community College and Montgomery County Community College. Others have
taken positions at the college level outside of traditional literature
classes; one works as a writing instructor, another works as an
administrator in an Office of Research and Grants, and a third works in a
university Office of Communications. A number have become high school
teachers at public and private schools including Wallingford-Swarthmore,
Agnes Irwin, and Country Day School. In one case, a graduate has
become the director of a school’s English department.
Several alumni who are now teaching on the college and high school
level commented on the preparation Villanova’s M.A. program provided them.
One graduate who teaches college remarked on the prestige associated with
the degree, commenting “My Villanova B.A. and M.A. in English [have]
assisted me tremendously. I have taught up and down the East coast and
have never run into trouble finding work with my degrees.” Another
noted the value of the Villanova Graduate English Program’s unique Teaching
Internship program. “The education/degree I received from Villanova
has been instrumental,” she wrote. “The addition of the teaching
assistant class during my last semester was vital. It provided the
only teaching experience/instruction I had before starting as an adjunct.
The level of scholarship, critical thinking, and research that I experienced
in Villanova's M.A. program has prepared me well for teaching at the college
level. The breadth of reading the program required me to do has made
me qualified to teach more classes than I originally anticipated.”
A number of alumni teaching at the high school level remarked on the
opportunities that the M.A. program has afforded both them and their
students. One high school teacher remarked, “My education at Villanova
prepared me to teach the honors program at [a] prestigious high school.
Since being hired a year ago, I have instituted a close reading project
involving twelve texts I studied at Villanova, and scholarly articles as
secondary reading. I am currently doing real literary criticism with
sixteen-year-old students. Villanova gave me the tools to be a trendsetter.”
Another commented, “As a classroom practitioner, the rigorous course of
study at Villanova’s Graduate English program has made me a better writer
and more complete and able teacher. I have written numerous district
wide curricula; [and] developed and created new courses/district
initiatives.” A third alumnus remarked, “As a program coordinator [at a high
school], I have to make decisions regarding curriculum development and the
creation of new courses. For example, from my time spent … in a Harlem
Renaissance independent study, I have broadened the range of our American
Literature course by including Nella Larsen's Passing and several of Zora Neale
Hurston's short stories in the list of required texts to be taught. Many
teachers have reported success with these works.”
Alumni of the
program have also pursued a wide range of non-academic careers, including
the following: data analyst/programmer for a pharmaceutical company,
probation officer, title manager, account strategist for Google, journalist,
and wireless systems engineer. Once again, those surveyed noted the
importance of the skills they developed in Villanova’s Graduate English
Program. For instance, one noted, “The M.A. Program gave me the
opportunity to develop my communication skills and critical thinking.
My first two jobs after the M.A. program focused on writing and proposal
development, which was an extension of what I learned in the M.A. program."
Another praised the program for providing her with "Polished thinking and
writing.” These skills, she explained, “gave me confidence to pursue
other things; Villanova's reputation definitely helped to open up
opportunities. Also, having my M.A. bolstered my credibility with my
colleagues.”
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