Survey of Alumni Suggests Benefits of Villanova’s Graduate English Program

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.”