»Program Handbook

This program handbook is intended as a resource guide for graduate students in the Dual MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing program, where you will find helpful information and answers to frequently asked questions. However, the Graduate Catalog is considered the official representation of program requirements for all graduate programs at Chapman University. If a conflict between the information in this handbook and the Graduate Catalog arises, the information in the Graduate Catalog prevails.

The Chapman University Graduate Student Handbook is the location for graduate student academic policies, expectations, and helpful information as well as non-academic information, resources, and support. Important information will not be repeated here, and graduate students should refer to both handbooks.

In addition to their program handbook, the Graduate Catalog, and the Graduate Student Handbook, all Wilkinson College graduate students are expected to adhere to the University’s Student Code of Conduct.

If you have questions or need information that is not addressed in this handbook, you can seek guidance from the Program Director and/or Graduate Programs Coordinator, whose contact information can be found on this page.

Last updated: Fall 2025

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The information within this handbook is accurate as of the time of publication. Students are responsible for informing themselves of and satisfactorily meeting all requirements pertinent to their relationship with the University. Students and others who use this handbook should be aware that the information changes from time to time at the sole discretion of Chapman University and that these changes may alter information contained in this handbook. More current and complete information may be obtained in the appropriate department, school, or administrative offices. The University reserves the right, at any time and without notice, to make any changes to all rules, policies, procedures, and any other information that pertains to students or to the institution including, but not limited to, admission, registration, tuition and fees, attendance, curriculum requirements, conduct, academic standing, candidacy, and graduation. This handbook does not constitute a contract or terms or conditions of a contract between the student and Chapman University.

IN CASES OF CONFLICT BETWEEN THE HANDBOOK AND GRADUATE CATALOG

The Graduate Catalog is considered the official representation of program requirements for all graduate programs at Chapman University. If a conflict between the information in this handbook and the Graduate Catalog arises, the information in the Graduate Catalog prevails.

CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES may be found on the Institutional Policies at Chapman webpage, /campus-services/legal-affairs/policy/index.aspx. They include:

Graduate Catalogs
Discrimination and Title IX
Religious Accommodations Policy
Sexual Misconduct, Sex Based/Gender Discrimination and Title IX
Student Code of Conduct
Student Complaint Policy
Integrity in Research Policy
Inventions and Patents Policy
Accessibility Policy (Web and Electronic Resources)
Administering Online Surveys Involving Students, Faculty and Staff
Computer and Acceptable Use Policy
Copyrighted Works Policy
Records Retention and Destruction Policy
Reporting Misconduct
Smoking Policy
Student Privacy Policies (FERPA)
Electronic Records Accessibility Policy
Privacy Policy

Academic and Enrollment Policies can be found in the Graduate Catalog which also contains the following university policies:

Academic Integrity
Add/Drop/Withdrawal
Degree Conferral and Commencement
Grades/GPA/Incompletes
Grade Reviews
Leave of Absence
Petitions and Appeals
Probation and Dismissal
Repeating Courses/Course Audits
Thesis/Dissertation Committee and Comprehensive Exams
Transfer Credits/Residency Requirements

Helpful Information & Quick Links

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Canvas.chapman.edu

The Canvas Learning Management System helps students to read and see content organized by the instructor, communicate with the instructor, receive notifications of due dates and important announcements, upload assessments, and view grades, among other tools.

Graduate Student Orientation Videos and Tutorials

The Vice Provost for Graduate Education hosts a wealth of quick, informative videos designed especially for graduate students. Topics range from Parking at Chapman, Off-Campus Housing Support, Disability Services, Graduate Student Health Services (including Health Insurance information), Graduate Student Psychological and Counseling Services, Getting Involved as a Graduate Student, as well as How to Use Your Program Evaluation and Student Center (StudentCenter.chapman.edu) Tutorials.

The Graduate Catalog

The Graduate Catalog is considered the official representation of program requirements for all graduate programs at Chapman University. One should enroll for courses by comparing the required courses listed on the Graduate Catalog page of their program with the offerings for the semester.

How to Register for Classes

Campus Map

Chapman Food Pantry

Chapman University has two food pantries to support students experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by many as: the inability to have two meals a day and have access to healthy food. Chapman food pantries provide an assortment of healthy meal options to facilitate student success at Chapman.

Disability Services

Disability Services approves and coordinates accommodations and services for students with disabilities at Chapman to help students acquire skills essential to achieve academic and personal success.

Frances Smith Center for Individual and Family Counseling

The Frances Smith Center for Individual and Family Therapy is offering free counseling to all Chapman graduate students. These services include those suffering from anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family problems, and other mental health issues. To access care, call the Center's mainline (714–997–6746), press "1" for intake line, and follow the instructions.

Leatherby Libraries

The Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University is a unifying presence on the Chapman campus that provides personalized services and relevant collections in support of the curricular, creative, and scholarly needs of students, faculty, staff, and community. Whether you are seeking sources for a final paper, want to take advantage of article databases, or need to format your thesis, librarians and library staff are available to guide you.

Graduate students can book study rooms in the library for up to six hours.

Software

Chapman students have free access to an array of software through IS&T. Software that may be particularly useful for graduate students include Adobe Creative Cloud, Endnote, Grammarly Premium, and Microsoft Office 365.

Student Psychological Counseling Services

Student Psychological Counseling Services (SPCS) is a department within the division of Student Affairs providing telehealth counseling and psychotherapy to students at Chapman University. The mission of SPCS is to assist students in functioning effectively in the university environment by assessing and supporting their psychological well-being as they pursue personal and academic goals.

Wilkinson College Graduate Career Resources

Chapman University and the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Career Resources offer comprehensive personalized career services for graduate students and alumni. Wilkinson's Graduate Programs Coordinator and Career Advisor are available for one-on-one advising appointments and can provide you with program-specific career support.

Please see the respective program’s handbook for the relevant forms:

Program Core Faculty and Specializations

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Mark Axelrod
Fiction writing, screenwriting, 19th-century French literature, 20th-century Latin American literature

Ian Barnard
Rhetoric and composition, queer theory

Richard Bausch
Fiction writing

Brian Glaser
Environmental literature and writing, lyric poetry, psychoanalytic theory

Rebecca Goodman
Fiction writing

Lynda A. Hall
18th- and 19th-century British literature, 19th-century American literature

Jean Ho
Fiction writing

Renee Hudson
Latinx revolutionary unconscious in contemporary literature, American and Haitian revolutions, legacy of Latin American independence movements of the nineteenth-century

Anna Leahy
Poetry writing, creative nonfiction writing, creative writing pedagogy, gender studies

Joanna Levin
American literature and culture, literary theory and criticism, gender studies

Kent Lehnhof
Early modern literature, Shakespeare, Milton, feminist theory

Mildred Lewis
Screenwriting, Caribbean literature, playwriting

Rei Magosaki
20th-century US literature and culture, US multicultural literatures, Asian-American literature, contemporary women’s writing, theories of modernity and globalization

Martin Nakell
Poetry writing, fiction writing, experimental literature and film, jazz

Morgan Read-Davidson
Rhetorical theory, new media theory, composition pedagogy

Richard Ruppel
Early modernism, especially the work of Joseph Conrad; British colonial literature; queer theory

Justine Van Meter
Comparative literature, modern and contemporary Irish literature, postcolonial theory and literature, cultural theory

Tom Zoellner
Creative nonfiction writing

Program Overview

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Dual Timeline

Students generally take three courses (9 units) in the fall and spring semesters. Students typically finish in three years, spreading 54 units of coursework over six semesters.

All graduate students must prepare and defend, under the direction of an individual faculty member, a thesis project of distinction to complete each of the degrees.

Sample Timeline

This sample timeline is based on a typical student who matriculates in the fall semester and maintains full-time status, usually 9 credits per semester for six semesters. In the sample below, the MA degree is completed first, but the degrees can be completed in any order. Both degrees are conferred in the term where the second degree is completed.

First Semester Year 1 (Fall)

Enroll in the introductory courses to the program: ENG 556 Literary Theory and Critical Practice 1920 – Present and ENG 587: Aspects of a Writer. These classes include an overview of the thesis process and an introduction to graduate faculty who can direct a thesis.

Second Semester Year 1 (Spring)

Comparing the course offerings with your program requirements, take any combination of required courses.
Students who wish to write an MA thesis on a topic that is not addressed in the student’s regular coursework must enroll in ENG 599B Individual Study in Literature and Rhetoric with an appropriate faculty member before enrolling in ENG 597B: MA Thesis. Such a preparatory course should be taken before and not concurrently with the thesis course. Summers and Interterms are also good times for engaging in the reading and research that will culminate in the MA thesis.
For the MA degree, students seeking to enroll in their first section of ENG 597B: MA Thesis in their third semester should submit a thesis proposal to their selected faculty advisor and then, once approved, to the online submission portal by November 20.

Third Semester Year 2 (Fall)

Continue taking required coursework.
For the MA degree, enroll in the first section of ENG 597B: MA Thesis
In consultation with the thesis director, complete the thesis proposal and draft the thesis. The thesis director may provide a reading list to guide the student during the drafting of the thesis.

Fourth Semester Year 2 (Spring)

Take remaining coursework to fulfill degree requirements.
Enroll in final required MA thesis course with your thesis director.
Complete the thesis committee form.
Complete the thesis, including the thesis defense.
Submit the thesis to Leatherby Libraries.
For the MFA degree, submit an MFA thesis proposal by April 20. Ideally, meet with your approved thesis director to discuss the first draft.

Fifth Semester Year 3 (Fall)

Use the summer preceding the fall term to draft the MFA thesis.
Take remaining coursework to fulfill degree requirements.

Sixth Semester Year 3 (Spring)

Take remaining coursework to fulfill degree requirements.
Enroll in the required MFA thesis course with your thesis director.
Apply to graduate
Complete the thesis committee form.
Complete the thesis, including the thesis defense.
Submit the thesis to Leatherby Libraries.

Year 4 & Beyond

Sometimes, students take fewer than the average 9-unit course load and spread their remaining classes and/or thesis over additional terms. Students should talk with the Graduate Programs Coordinator and Program Director about these plans. Students have seven years from their admitted term to complete their graduate program.

Program Requirements & Course Policies

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Current requirements for the Dual MA/MFA program as well as all courses offered, are included in the Graduate Catalog; this information is not duplicated here in this handbook. Students use the catalog of their year of admission into the program. The student’s individual Program Evaluation in the Student Center is designed to help the student understand degree requirements and track progress toward the degree.

Tutorials on how to use the Program Evaluation can be found in the Helpful Links and Tutorials section of this handbook.

Log into the Leaning Management System at StudentCenter.chapman.edu.

Aligned with Chapman University's commitment to an individualized education, graduate students in the Department of English may request to work one-on-one with a department faculty member in co-developing a specialized course that can count towards the student's degree requirements. Individual Study should be related to the student’s thesis project or support progress toward professional presentation or publication, and the Individual Study must include a reading or critical component.

Each student may be approved to take one Individual Study course. Students in the dual-degree program may be approved to take up to two IS courses.

Individual Study courses are voluntary agreements between individual faculty members and individual students, in which students complete a course of study and assignment. The course must be approved by the Program Director. The course of study and assignments for a three-unit Individual Study are comparable to that required for a regular three-unit course.

Because Individual Studies are intensive activities, faculty members are not obligated to supervise Individual Studies and their workload must allow for the addition. Faculty typically consider Individual Studies with students who have completed a class or other educational/research activity under their supervision and want to pursue more advanced work in a specific area.

Only full-time members of the Department of English faculty can supervise an Individual Study.

If you wish to do an Individual Study course, you should contact that faculty member directly to discuss the possibility. Once you and a faculty member have agreed on a course, you will need to fill out the Individual Study and Research Form.

The Subject is ENG.
The Course Number and Title of Individual Study must be ENG 599A Individual Study in Creative Writing or ENG 599B Individual Study in Literature and Rhetoric, whichever aligns best with the course’s content.
The individual study must be for 3 Creditsand Graded as the Grading Option.
A course description, a plan for meetings, and course learning outcomes developed between the student and faculty member are also required.
The form must be approved by the instructor and the Program Director or Department Chair. That request for approval should make clear how the Individual Study is related to thesis work or potential presentation or publication.

The deadline to add Individual Study courses for each term can be found on the Academic Calendar. A fully approved request must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar well ahead of that deadline.

For any additional questions regarding the Individual Study process, please contact the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Graduate students in the Department of English have the option to substitute one course taken in another college/department as an elective in the program. This requires prior approval by the Program Director and is arranged on a case-by-case basis. Before registering for the course, requests for such a substitution should include a statement about the course's relevance to the student's thesis project (or another project related to the degree) and be submitted to the Program Director for approval.

Graduate students are eligible to take courses in the Summer and Interterm terms. This can include individual study courses, travel courses, and courses from other programs with prior approval by the Program Director. For non-standard courses, consult with your Program Director and the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

The Master’s Thesis

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A master’s degree thesis in the MA program is a significant body of work built from the research of others and providing your own analysis and discoveries. It demonstrates your level of critical and analytical thinking and defines the subject that you are pursuing within your field.

A master’s degree thesis in the MFA program is a significant body of work accompanied by the author’s artist statement. Fiction writers can write a novel, novella, or a collection of short stories. Poetry students will write a collection of poetry. Nonfiction writers may write a memoir or collection of personal essays. With the approval of the MFA Program Director and the thesis director, a multi-genre thesis, a thesis that includes a digital component, or a screenwriting thesis is possible.

Working closely with a core faculty member who will act as their thesis director and committee chair, the student will draft and revise their work. By the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled in thesis credits, the student will be expected to orally defend their thesis in front of a faculty committee of at least three qualified members, selected by the student and approved by the program.

Usually the thesis is the capstone project to the program and occurs in the final term(s) of enrollment.

Students in the dual program may complete their degrees in any order. Both degrees are conferred in the term the second degree is completed.

Students should refer to the program handbook of the specific program for guidelines on each program’s thesis process.

Dual students should note that proposals for the MA are due the preceding semester the student plans to enroll in the first thesis course. Proposals for the MFA are due in the spring term preceding the next academic year, and should plan accordingly.

Student Scholarly/Creative Grants and Conference Travel Grants

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In line with Chapman University's commitment to the scholarly and creative activities of its graduate students, Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants and Conference Travel Grants are offered on a competitive basis to all current graduate students. Graduate Student Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants are intended to provide support for a variety of clearly defined scholarly or creative projects. Graduate Student Conference Travel Grants are intended to provide support for graduate students to travel to academic conferences.

Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants require a proposal, a budget, and a letter of support from the faculty who is mentoring the project. The deadline for submitting SCA grant applications is rolling; applications can be submitted at any time prior to beginning the funded work. There is no per-student limit on the number of scholarly/creative projects Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will fund as long as the awards do not exceed the $750 yearly cap per student. However, given multiple strong proposals and limited program budgets, priority will be given to applicants who have received the least prior funding.

Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible and can apply before booking travel.

To apply for a Scholarly/Creative Activity Grant or Conference Travel Grant, or for more information about the Graduate Student Grant program, the expenditure of grant funds, and the submission of reimbursement requests, please contact the Wilkinson College Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Graduate Student Employment Opportunities

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All currently enrolled graduate students in the English Department at Chapman University are eligible for consideration to work as paid Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in order to gain teaching experience. A GTA assists a faculty member in teaching a specific class. GTA responsibilities typically include helping the faculty member prepare materials for the course, assisting with classroom activities, assisting with grading, and conferencing with students. The GTA may also be asked to lead some class discussions. Graduate students who are interested in working as a GTA should contact a faculty member they are interested in working with to find out if the faculty member plans to hire a GTA. The faculty member should then contact the Chair of the Department of English to request approval for the GTA. GTA positions are dependent on budget, and a limited number are available each semester.

All graduate students in the English Department at Chapman University are eligible to apply to participate in the Department’s popular and competitive Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) program. Selected graduate students develop valuable experience teaching composition in a theoretically informed and supportive environment, especially useful for those who wish to pursue teaching careers at community colleges or four-year universities and/or who wish to continue on to PhD programs.

GSIs commit to teaching one section of ENG 103: Seminar in Rhetoric and Writing for the fall semester and are paid instructors of record, developing their own curriculum, teaching the class on their own, and providing feedback and final grades to their students. All ENG 103 instructors have latitude to develop a course based on their talents and interests.

To be eligible for the GSI program, a student must have completed or be enrolled in ENG 580: Teaching Composition (offered Spring semester), apply at the end of Spring semester in response to the call for GSI applications, and be students in the English MA, MFA, or Dual programs during the Fall semester in which they teach.

Selected GSIs must enroll in ENG 582: Composition Pedagogy and Research Practicum concurrently with teaching; this seminar provides support for classroom instruction and shows GSIs how to engage in continued professional development as composition teachers.

For more information about the GSI program, contact Dr. Lynda Hall, Chair of the Department of English (lhall@chapman.edu), Professor Morgan Read-Davidson, Director of Undergraduate Writing (readdavi@chapman.edu), or Dr. Ian Barnard, Professor of Rhetoric and Composition (barnard@chapman.edu).

Each semester Chapman’s Writing Center hires graduate students to assist Chapman students with all aspects of the writing process. Writing Center tutors are paid at an hourly rate. Graduate students who have successfully completed ENG 581: The Theory and Practice of Writing Tutoring and Conferencing have priority in the application process.

All graduate students in the Department of English at Chapman University are eligible to apply for the Graduate Writing Assistantship (GWA) program. GWAs commit to supporting graduate students across the university through individual and small-group tutoring sessions, both in person and virtually.

Tutoring focuses on both the rhetorical and technical conventions of scholarly and creative writing in specific disciplines, across campuses; individual tutors will work within one or more disciplines based on their skills and additional training. Particular emphasis is on the conventions of form and genre in thesis- and dissertation-level writing. Tutors are required to participate in training workshops and are supervised by the Director of the Writing Center and the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.

GWAs are scheduled for 9–10 hours/week either for spring/summer/fall trimesters at the Rinker campus or for fall/spring semesters at the Orange campus. These appointments are for one semester, with possibility of reappointment based on available funding and performance. GWAs work in conjunction with the Writing Center and must complete training in writing coaching, which may include coursework.

Each semester, a limited number of Graduate Program or Project Assistantships are available. These positions are assigned to the MFA or MA program or to specific faculty members to support research projects, program administration, event series, or other work. Graduate Program and Project Assistants typically work 8-10 hours per week and are paid an hourly rate.

To be considered for these positions, students must complete an application. These positions are usually available at the start of the semester, but positions sometimes become available at other times. If interested, check for available positions by contacting the Program Director, the Chair of the Department of English, or the online student jobs listing.

Additional hourly student work opportunities are posted online through the student employment office website. Positions are typically posted a couple weeks before the start of each semester but may become available at other times.

Centers, Organizations, and Programs

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The John Fowles Center for Creative Writing is the brainchild of Professor Mark Axelrod-Sokolov, who serves as its director. Well into its second decade, the John Fowles Center for Creative Writing has not only become a Chapman University institution but has also gained regional, national, and international notoriety and has become a draw for students and community alike. The Fowles Center also collaborates with the Institute for Italian Culture, Los Angeles, to bring prominent Italian authors to Chapman on an annual basis.

More information on the John Fowles Center can be found on the John Fowles Center for Creative Writing website.

John Fowles Reading Series

Every spring, the John Fowles Center brings to campus distinguished writers from around the world to read their work and promote student writing. Some of the writers who have been hosted on campus include John Ashbery, Willis Barnstone, Gioconda Belli, Charles Bernstein, Giuseppe Conte, Hiber Conteris, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Elizabeth George, Zulfikar Ghose, Steve Katz, Claudio Magris, Dacia Maraini, Larry McCaffery, Alicia Partnoy, Giorgio Pressburger, Salman Rushdie, Luisa Valenzuela, Karen Yamashita, and Raúl Zurita.

Mantissa: The Journal of the John Fowles Center for Creative Writing

Mantissa: The Journal of the John Fowles Center is a multidisciplinary academic journal devoted to Fowles studies which includes, but is not limited to, fiction, creative nonfiction, and film. The primary goal of the journal is to bridge various branches of Fowles studies in a dynamic and intellectually creative environment. The editorial board hopes to stimulate dialogue among international schools of thought as well as to coordinate initiatives related to the field of Fowles studies.

Started by Prof. Jim Blaylock and Dr. Douglas Dechow in 2010, the annual Literary Pub(lishing) Crawl occurs in April as a complement to the Aspects of a Writer course. This day of events brings together published writers, editors and publishers, and Chapman MFA alums to talk about the practicalities of publishing, jobs and careers, and sustaining a writing life after graduation.

In 2022, as part of its ongoing collaboration with the MFA program and Pub(lishing) Crawl, Leatherby Libraries acquired a Short Story Dispenser for the campus community. The 2022 Pub(lishing) Crawl was combined with The Conference on the American Short Story to bring creative writers and literary scholars into conversation across generations.

Established in 2009, Tabula Poetica: The Center for Poetry at Chapman University is dedicated to celebrating poetry. Tabula Poetica encompasses a reading and lecture series and houses TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics. Other Tabula Poetica projects have included selecting finalists for the California Coastal Commission K- 12 Poetry Contest, participation in Santa Ana’s Boca de Oro, an interactive poetry and musical performance at the Hilbert Museum of California Art, and Chapman Poetry Week in April 2011. Tabula Poetica is a collaborative and evolving endeavor built on the interests and involvement of faculty, students, and the wider poetry community.

For more information, contact Dr. Anna Leahy (leahy@chapman.edu) or visit the Tabula Poetica website.

Tabula Poetica Reading Series

Each fall, Tabula Poetica hosts a series of public poetry talks and readings connected with the Aspects of a Writer class and undergraduate and graduate poetry classes. This series has featured poets such as Rae Armantrout, Victoria Chang, Carolyn Forché, Allison Joseph, Ilya Kaminsky, Ada Limon, Ruben Quesada, Alan Shapiro, Lynne Thompson, and C. K. Williams, among others. The series includes an MFA Poetry Reading every semester.

Tab Journal

Founded collaboratively in 2013 by writer Anna Leahy and designer Claudine Jaenichen, Tab Journal is an international poetry periodical with a print issue in January followed by online issues in March, May, July, September, and November. The tagline “space before text” announces that design of both text and space creates various poetry reading experiences and that inclusive experiences begin with design—of policies, of practices, of pages, of poems.

Tab Journal welcomes submissions of poems from established and emerging poets as well as criticism and essays that focus on poetry.

MFA students and alums who have completed a poetry-writing course are eligible to serve on the journal staff as book reviewers, readers of submissions, and communications roles, including Tab Musings blog. While current MFA students and journal staff cannot submit creative work, alums, former faculty, and former staff are welcome to submit creative work three years after completing their degree or other affiliation with the university. Students interested in working with Tab Journal should contact Dr. Anna Leahy.

For more information about Tab Journal, visit the Tab Journal website.

The student literary magazine of Chapman University welcomes submissions from graduate students and also participation in the editorial selection process. The magazine is published twice each year under the sponsorship of the English Department and is an entirely student-run publication.

Applications for the editorial board are typically processed in April for the upcoming academic year. An open call for submissions is typically held in September and October for the fall issue and in February and March for the spring issue. Calliope publishes poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, and art exclusively from enrolled Chapman undergraduate and graduate students. Students interested in working on Calliope should contact Prof. Brian Glaser at bglaser@chapman.edu.

The Iluminación Writing Program builds collaborative partnerships between Chapman University students and the community, including local area high school students. Through ongoing writing workshops, the program works to address the gap between high school and college writing, demystify the college experience, and connect Chapman University participants to our vibrant local communities through collaboration. Graduate students are given opportunities to design and teach writing workshops at the Recovery Education Institute in Orange. For more information, please contact the Director of Iluminación, Professor Morgan Read-Davidson (readdavi@chapman.edu).

Graduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to become members of Alpha Zeta Iota, Chapman’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society. Recent chapter activities have included creative writing workshops, meet-and-greet gatherings with the faculty, sponsorship of a campus visit by the screenwriter Andrew Davies, and a regional conference. Members are eligible to apply for university funding to attend the society’s annual national convention, and they may submit to the organization’s critical journal (Sigma Tau Delta Review) and literary magazine (The Rectangle).

As noted on the national Sigma Tau Delta webpage, the Society strives to:

Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies.
Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities.
Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing.
Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members.
Exhibit high standards of academic excellence.
Serve society by fostering literacy.

There is an induction dinner for new members each semester. For information about membership in Chapman’s chapter, contact Prof. Mildred Lewis (milewis@chapman.edu).

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Department of English is located in Smith Hall, Suite 204. The office is typically open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Faculty mailboxes are located in the Department of English office, Smith Hall 204.

International Student Services provides support to international students and visiting scholars in matters related to their non-immigrant status by complying with immigration rules and federal regulations.

Use the Program Evaluation in the Student Center to track your progress through the program and plan your courses. Review your Program Evaluation on a regular basis to ensure your courses are counting as they should, and if anything looks out of the ordinary, contact the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Prior to the semester in which you will complete your degree requirements and defend the thesis, submit an Application for Degree Conferral in the Student Center.

The Program Director is the official advisor for all MFA students. All other members of the graduate core faculty can provide additional mentoring on intellectual and professional pursuits. The thesis director also provides individualized guidance.

The set of requirements you need to fulfill is determined by the Graduate Catalog of the year you enrolled. Your My Chapman Self Service Portal Program Evaluation will indicate the appropriate catalog year when you view it as a PDF. The graduate catalogs can be accessed online.

Students may request to move their catalog year forward by emailing aps@chapman.edu with the desired catalog year. Please note that changing catalog years updates all requirements.

The Student Center blocks registration when a class has reached its enrollment limit, when prerequisites have not been met, when a business hold is in place, or when enrollment requires faculty approval (e.g., thesis writing courses). Enrollment limits and prerequisites may be waived in specific situations if the professor feels it is warranted. In these cases, you need to secure the professor’s consent to enroll, and contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator. Business holds need to be resolved with the Student Business Services Office.

Once the semester begins, the student center blocks enrollment in all courses that have reached their enrollment caps, even if seats are subsequently freed up. To add a course that has been closed and in which space has become available, you will need to secure the professor’s consent to enroll and contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Please read the section titled “Individual Study” in Program Requirements & Course Policies above.

Substitutions are allowed only when there is a compelling reason why the required course cannot be taken, why the substituted course would be of greater benefit to the student, or how the course supports preparation for the thesis project. Substituted courses should be comparable in rigor and content to the required course. To request consideration of a substitution of one course for another, please contact the Program Director.

According to university policy, incompletes can be given only if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing a small portion of the assigned coursework. Please see the Academic Policy for Grades/GPA/Incompletes in the Graduate Catalog for more information.

A student can take a one-semester leave without making a formal request. The student should inform the Program Director and the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

If you need to interrupt progress toward your degree for more than one semester, a leave of absence may be granted. Leaves of absence can be granted for one year, with a possible renewal of one additional year. To apply for a leave of absence, the student must fill out and submit a Graduate Petition form, as well as a written statement spelling out the reasons for the leave and bearing the signatures of the Program Director and an Associate Dean of Wilkinson College (which the Graduate Programs Coordinator can assist with). If interrupting enrollment before the end of the academic term, the student must also follow the steps to withdraw from courses. A leave of absence cannot be approved retroactively.

If a student leaves the university in good standing and is gone more than four consecutive semesters, the student will not need to re-apply, may re-enroll for classes at Chapman, and will be assigned the catalog requirements in effect at the time the student returns to Chapman. Students may request to return to their original catalog, and that request will be reviewed and decided upon by the Department or School; decision by the departments or School is final.

Any graduate student who has broken enrollment for a period of more than one semester (interterm and summer sessions do not constitute a semester) without receiving an approved Leave of Absence is required to request re-enrollment through the Department. The student is held to the degree requirements in effect at the time of return unless approved for the original catalog year requirements by the Program Director or Associate Dean.

Note that graduate students must complete their degree requirements within seven years of first matriculating. Leaves of absence do not suspend or extend this seven-year clock.
For more information about interrupting enrollment, see the Interrupted Enrollment guidelines.

In some cases, transfer credit may be awarded. To request transfer credit, you must provide transcripts to the Registrar’s Office prior to re-enrollment. Please note unsatisfactory performance may nullify re- enrollment.

Students who need extra time to finish their theses may continue working on their thesis by enrolling in ENG 597A - MFA Thesis II or ENG 598A - MFA Thesis II for 1 credit for each additional semester of thesis work. The continuous enrollment course allows students to remain in active status and retain access to university resources. Students must be enrolled in order to defend the thesis and have their degree conferred. Whether active or inactive, however, no student may take longer than seven years from the time of first enrollment to complete all the requirements for their degree.

Prior to the semester in which you will complete your degree requirements and defend the thesis, submit an Application for Degree Conferral in the Student Center.

As per university policy, students must successfully submit their thesis projects to the library in order to complete the degree requirements and participate in commencement ceremonies.

If you have applied for your degree and will not be able to complete some aspect of your program (e.g., coursework, thesis), you need to send an email to conferral@chapman.edu and request that your graduation date be moved to a later academic term.

The schedule of commencement ceremonies and events schedule is available online on the graduation home page.

Once you submit your Application for Degree Conferral (via Student Center Self Service Portal), you will be added to an email notification list that will advise you of the deadlines for walking in the graduation ceremony and the process for buying robes and hoods. If you have any questions, please contact the commencement team at (714) 997-6740 or commencement@chapman.edu.

Handbook Revision History

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2025: General copy edits for clarity. Removal of Professors Fuery, Kozameh, Osborn, Rivera from core faculty. Addition of two-semester thesis process for MA degree.

»Program Handbook

Conditions of Accuracy

Current Policies: Institutional, Academic, and Enrollment

Helpful Information & Quick Links

General Information

Course Information

Student Resources

Program Forms and Files

Program Core Faculty and Specializations

Faculty List

Program Overview

Program Overview & Sample Timeline

Program Requirements & Course Policies

Required Coursework

Individual Study

Courses from Other Programs

Courses during Summer and Interterm (January)

The Master’s Thesis

Overview

Student Scholarly/Creative Grants and Conference Travel Grants

Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants and Conference Travel Grants

Graduate Student Employment Opportunities

Graduate Student Teaching Assistantships

Graduate Student Instructors

Graduate Writing Assistantships & The Writing Center

Graduate Program & Project Assistantships

Additional Employment Opportunities

Centers, Organizations, and Programs

John Fowles Center for Creative Writing

Literary Pub(lishing) Crawl

Tabula Poetica: The Center for Poetry

Calliope

Iluminación Writing Program

Sigma Tau Delta

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Department of English located, and when is it open?

If I need to drop something off for a faculty member, where are the faculty mail boxes?

I’m an international student. Are there academic policies specific to international students?

What should I do to make sure I’m on track to graduate?

Who is my advisor?

The course requirements have changed since I arrived. Which requirements do I need to fulfill?

May I switch to the requirements of a newer catalog?

Why won’t The Student Center Service Portal allow me to enroll in a course?

How do I add a course that has been closed in the Student Center?

How do I develop and register for an Individual Study course?

Is it possible to substitute another course for a required course?

What is the policy for receiving an Incomplete?

What if I need to take a leave of absence?

Can I receive transfer credit for coursework taken during a leave of absence?

What if I need more time to complete my thesis after finishing my coursework?

When am I ready to graduate?

What if I apply to graduate but become unable to finish in time?

When are graduation exercises?

How do I buy academic regalia for graduation?

Handbook Revision History

Annual Updates

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