BA/MFA Accelerated Program, English

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to draft documents that demonstrate clear purpose, responsibility to audience, and adherence to generic and stylistic conventions. (C)
• Students will be able to reflect on their own writing and apply alternative strategies to the continued development of that process.
• Students will be able to identify and evaluate an author’s purpose and choice of audience, genre, and strategies of support. (CT)
• Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the variety of professional situations in which they will be writing when they leave the undergraduate program.
• Students will be able to apply quantitative reasoning relevant to written analysis when required by a particular course or research question, such as comparing the frequency of a particular rhetorical device between two texts or analyzing results of writing assessment. (QR)

I. Contact Information

James Mardock, Director of Graduate Studies
jmardock@unr.edu

Christopher Coake, Residential MFA Program Director
Website: https://www.unr.edu/english

II. Admission Requirements

APPLICANT CRITERIA 

Applicants to the Accelerated BA/MFA Program in English must have:

• Completed at least 75 units toward the BA.
• Completed all general education and additional college requirements.
• Completed at least 18 undergraduate units in English with at least 6 units in upper-division (300 or above).
• Earned at least 12 units of English at UNR at the time of application.
• Maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Completed the Application to Pursue an Accelerated Degree Program before completing the BA degree.

GUIDELINES AND TIMELINE FOR ACCELERATED PROGRAM

• Students typically apply in the second semester of their junior year, but it is also possible to apply in their senior year.
• Prior to submitting their program application, the student must meet with the English Department’s Director of Graduate Studies and/or Director of the Residential MFA Program in Creative Writing to discuss their interest in the program.
• Students should submit the BA/MFA accelerated program application via Docusign and arrange to have two letters of recommendation emailed to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English from faculty familiar with their potential for graduate studies.
• If accepted to the BA/MFA accelerated program, students should apply to the English MFA program in the fall semester of the year in which they are graduating with their BA degree.
• Apply to the English MFA program online via the Graduate School.

III. Program Requirements

To enable students to earn both degrees on an accelerated timeframe, the BA/MFA program allows students to take up to 9 units of 700-level courses that apply towards the requirements of both their BA and MFA degrees. Students typically apply and are admitted to accelerated programs at the end of their junior year and enroll in graduate courses (as stated above) during their senior year.

Should the student be accepted to the MFA program, these 700-level courses may also be applied to the English MFA degree, provided the student passes each of these courses with a “B” or better. The 700-level courses that students select for this purpose must be approved by their undergraduate advisor and by the Director of Graduate Studies.

View Program Requirements for the English BA in this catalog:

• English (Language and Linguistics Specialization), B.A.  
• English (Literature Specialization), B.A.  
• English (Writing Specialization), B.A.  

View Program Requirements for the English (Creative Writing Specialization), M.F.A  in this catalog.

CONTINUATION REQUIREMENTS

The Graduate School requires students to maintain an average GPA of 3.0 in all courses applied to the Master’s degree. The Department of English requires that students maintain a GPA of 3.0 to remain in good standing in the accelerated program.

Students accepted into the BA/MFA program whose overall GPA drops below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation for the accelerated program for one semester. If they raise their GPA to at least 3.0, they will be removed from probation and returned to good standing. If after one semester, students are not able to raise their GPA sufficiently, they will be removed from the accelerated program. Students who are removed from the accelerated program may continue to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees under the normal requirements.

IV. Financial Impact

Students admitted to the accelerated programs may use approved 700-level classes towards their full-time undergraduate status.

However, students must pay graduate credit tuition and the associated differential fees for the graduate-level courses. Not all scholarships can be used for graduate credit, but some financial support may be available through the graduate program. Students should consult with the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships regarding financial aid eligibility.