Graduate Certificate Programs

Graduate Certificates provide additional certified training after only 15 hours of study.  Graduate Certificate admission and completion forms can be found on the Graduate Certificate web site. The requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Comparative Literary Studies are outlined below. Use the navigation menu to the right to find information on the Department's Graduate Certificate program in Creative Writing.

Graduate Certificate in Comparative and/or Interdisciplinary Literary Studies

Overview

This certificate offers a comprehensive graduate program of comparative study and research. Linked to the Department of English, the students take core courses in research, bibliography, approaches to critical theory, and develop a comparative study, part of which is grounded in literature or rhetoric. The certificate culminates with an individualized comparative course that allows students to engage in the practice of comparative research and results in a research paper, possibly publishable, on an aspect of the focus area(s) of inquiry.

Through a thematic or conceptual cluster of five graduate-level courses, three of which are anchored in the Department of English, students can explore how different national literatures, whether in the original or in translation, are interconnected, and/or how different literatures relate contextually and culturally to other disciplines, such as art, music, history, psychology, philosophy, politics, among others.

This certificate, owing to the personalized design of each student's program, appeals to students of diverse backgrounds and interests and their desire to connect literary and aesthetic study to history, foreign languages, philosophy, religion, politics, and cultural studies.

By completing this certificate, students will have an excellent formation in comparative or interdisciplinary studies. Graduates may decide to further their studies in comparative studies, literature, or their other disciplines(s) of focus. This certificate enhances teaching and research credentials, as well as possibilities for employment in the arts, publishing, broadcasting, journalism, and government.

For complete information visit the Graduate Certificate web site.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold an earned bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in English, Humanities (with a minor in Literature), or a related discipline. In addition, the applicant must have:

1. Overall GPA of 3.3 and 3.5 in major coursework
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. GRE scores are required with verbal score of at least 600

Application process: Please visit http://www.gradcerts.usf.edu/admissions.asp to download an application. In addition to the completed application form, please submit:

1. Official transcripts
2. Your academic resume: i.e., a one-page description of your interests and achievements as these relate to your proposed plan of study
3. A statement of interest (500 words) outlining your objectives for pursuing this certificate and your proposed plan of comparative literary study.

Currently enrolled graduate students submit a graduate certificate department approval form, available from the English department, from the Graduate Certificate Office by calling (813) 974-2442, or download the form from http://www.gradcerts.usf.edu/admissions.asp.

Application Procedure

See the instructions for (a) students currently not enrolled in a graduate program at USF and (b) current USF graduate students at http://www.gradcerts.usf.edu/admissions.asp.

All applications are first mailed to the following address:

University of South Florida
Office of Graduate Certificates, SVC 1072
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620

Program Description and Requirements

Total program hours: 15 credit hours. Students will develop an individualized curriculum plan in conjunction with the Graduate Certificate Program Coordinator and the Graduate Director. Students will draw courses from the graduate courses of two or more departments, one of which is English. Secondary disciplines include: Foreign Languages, Africana Studies, Art History, Music, History, Humanities, American Studies, Linguistics, Government and International Affairs, Philosophy, Psychology, Theatre, Women's Studies and others.

The following three courses offered by the Department of English are required:

1. ENG 6009 - Bibliography for English Studies
2. ENG 6018 - Studies in Criticism and Theory I, OR ENG 6019 - Studies in Criticism and Theory II, PLUS
3. One graduate-level literature course in English, American, or World Literature (related to the theme or area of the student's selected comparative or interdisciplinary inquiry)

Two elective courses are required to complete the 15 credit hours:

1. One graduate-level course in a discipline other than English, usually in the Humanities, World Languages, Philosophy, History, Religion, Theatre, Communications, etc. The course should contribute to the student's proposed area of comparative research.
2. Directed Study - An individual reading and research course resulting in a graduate-level research paper of 15-25 pages with a comparative and/or interdisciplinary focus (related optimally to the courses in theory, literature, and elective discipline).

This directed study course should be supervised by a professor of graduate studies in the Dept. of English or in the department of the second discipline, all with prior approval of the coordinator.

The directed study course can be taken in conjunction with the literature and elective courses, or after them. The directed studies course may not be taken prior to completion of the research and theory courses.

Department Contact

To learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Comparative and Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, visit the Graduate Certificate web site and contact:

Dr. Susan Mooney
Program Coordinator
Phone: (813) 974-9504
Email: smooney@cas.usf.edu