»Program Handbook

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

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 2025-2026 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.

Thesis Proposal – Due April 20 for following Fall or Spring semester

• Example Thesis Proposal
• Thesis Proposal Submission Form

Thesis Committee Form – Due within first 4 weeks of enrollment in thesis

• Thesis Committee Form & Instructions
• Thesis Committee Approval Submission Form

Other Files

• MFA Creative Writing Thesis Cover Page Logo
• MFA Thesis Assessment Criteria 

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

Richard Bausch
Fiction writing

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

Rebecca Goodman
Fiction writing

Jean Ho
Fiction writing, essays, criticism

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

Mildred Lewis
Screenwriting, Caribbean literature, playwriting

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

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

Tom Zoellner
Creative nonfiction writing

Students generally take three courses (9 units) in the fall and spring semesters. Students typically finish in two years, spreading 36 units of coursework over four semesters.

All graduate students must prepare and defend, under the direction of an individual faculty member, a thesis project of distinction in order to complete their degree(s).

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 four semesters.

First Semester Year 1 (Fall)

• Enroll in the introductory course to the program, ENG 587: Aspects of a Writer. This class includes 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.
• MFA students who plan to defend their thesis the following academic year, in either fall or spring, submit their thesis proposal by April 20. Changes to the thesis proposal (genre, project, potential director, etc.) can be made as the student drafts the thesis. The thesis director may provide a reading list to guide the student during the drafting of the thesis.

Third Semester Year 2 (Fall)

• Continue taking coursework to fulfill degree requirements.

Fourth Semester Year 2 (Spring)

• Take remaining coursework to fulfill degree requirements.
• Enroll in the required thesis course with your thesis director.
• In consultation with the thesis director, determine the thesis committee, defense date, and complete the Thesis Committee Approval Form.
• Apply to Graduate.
• Complete the thesis, including the thesis defense.
• Submit the thesis to Leatherby Libraries.

Year 3 & Beyond

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

Current requirements for the 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 Student Center and their program evaluation can be found at the link below.

To log into your Student Center and to review these guides, visit 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 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 Credits and 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.

Students are required to have completed ENG 540 Techniques in Screen Writing (typically offered in the fall) to request consideration for taking coursework in Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

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.

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 of enrollment.

The role of the thesis proposal is to provide a clear, specific idea of your project that will serve as a guide for assigning the thesis director. A proposal is an overview of and foundation for the planned project.

All graduate students must have an approved thesis proposal prior to enrolling in the thesis course.

The proposal must include the following components:

• Project Statement: A 1-page, single-spaced statement that outlines the thesis project. This statement may be a narrative summary or a combination of narrative and outline.
• Sample of Work: A complete short story, first chapter of a novel, complete essay, a first chapter of a nonfiction book, or ten pages of poetry. This sample must be intended to be part of the thesis. For other genres, approval is required; consult with the Program Director before submitting the proposal.
• A list of five possible thesis directors, ordered by preference. This list must not be included in the document that contains the Project Statement and Sample of Work.
• The proposal should be a single file with the naming convention MFAthesis_Genre_LastName.

Proposals must be submitted via the MFA Creative Writing Thesis Proposal Submission Form.

For the MFA Degree, the thesis proposal is due in the spring semester before the academic year that student plans to enroll in the thesis course. For example, a first-year student who wants to defend their thesis in the Fall or Spring term of their second year would submit the proposal in the Spring of their first year.

The deadline for MFA Thesis Proposals in the following fall or spring Term is April 20, regardless of the day of the week the date falls on.

An example proposal can be found in the Program Files & Forms section of the handbook above.

Proposal Approval

By the end of the semester, the student and thesis director will be notified in writing that the thesis proposal is approved or indicate what revisions are needed before resubmitting.

Thesis Reading List

At the discretion of the Thesis Director, a required or suggested reading list may be given to the student. When readings are assigned, those texts can be used as reference during the thesis course and the defense.

Once you’ve identified the genre for your thesis, you should think about who might serve as an appropriate thesis director.

Some students prioritize professors in whose courses they have been or are enrolled. Others look at our core faculty expertise in relation to the thesis. That said, you need not have taken a class with the faculty you list at the top of the list in the thesis proposal, and many faculty work in more than one genre. If you’d like additional guidance, you can talk with the Program Director or Graduate Programs Coordinator to brainstorm about ordering your preference list.

For MFA theses, the thesis director should come from the full-time creative writing faculty: Axelrod-Sokolov, Bausch, Glaser, Ho, Leahy, Lewis, Zoellner. Only full-time faculty can direct thesis projects.

The Department of English will assign students to a thesis director based upon faculty time commitments, expertise, and the consent of the Department Chair, in addition to the student’s preferences. While you are encouraged to talk with faculty about your planned thesis project as you are developing your thesis proposal, individual faculty cannot commit to direct a given thesis.

After the approval of a thesis proposal, the Department of English will contact the student via their Chapman University email with instructions on how to register for in ENG 597A: MFA Thesis. Each thesis student receives their own section of a thesis course for enrollment. Students cannot enroll in thesis credits until their thesis proposal is approved.

ENG 597A is intended for the academic term in which the thesis is to be defended. Students who do not have a substantial draft of the thesis when that academic term begins are encouraged to delay ENG 597A until they can focus on finishing, revising, and defending the project within a timeframe of roughly ten weeks. This timeframe means that drafting the thesis requires independent work prior to the thesis semester.

Questions about the thesis guidelines should be addressed to the Program Director, the Chair of the Department of English, or the Graduate Programs Coordinator. Questions about an individual thesis-in-process should be addressed to the Thesis Director.

MFA Thesis Requirements

Enrollment in ENG 597A: MFA Thesis. During the semester in which the student intends to complete and defend the thesis (usually the last semester of study), the student must enroll in ENG 597A: MFA Thesis with their individual thesis director. During registration, students should consult the instructions emailed to them in order to enroll.

• Students who have completed in ENG 597A: MFA Thesis without defending or submitting their thesis must be enrolled in thesis continuation, ENG 598A: MFA Thesis II. Students are required to be enrolled in order to defend, submit their thesis to the library, and have their degree conferred.

Creative Work & Page Ranges:

• Fiction: A collection of short stories, novella(s), or a novel-in-progress of 150-250 pages.
• Nonfiction: A collection of essays or a nonfiction book-in-progress of 150-250 pages.
• Poetry: A collection of poems no fewer than 48 pages and no more than 80 pages; each poem begins on a new page.

Artist’s Statement: 7-10 pages at the end of the document. This statement should contextualize the creative work, examine the aesthetic approach, and/or discuss thematic or formal aspects of the work. An artist statement is sometimes more like a project statement when it's focused on a particular aspect or piece of the artist’s work or when the audience is connected to a specific opportunity or situation. For instance, an artist statement for a thesis project, which is defended with faculty and held permanently in the university library's collection, would be different than an artist statement for an arts council grant.

Further Reading for context:

• How to Write an Artist Statement by Sarah Hotchkiss
• What Writers Can Learn From Visual Artist Statements by Edie Meade
• Artist Statement Guidelines from GYST Services for Artists

If the thesis is a novel or nonfiction book for which the total pages represent a partial draft, the thesis should include an outline for the remaining portion of the project; such an outline is in addition to the existing page ranges for the genre. Collections of stories, poems, or essays should be complete.

Thesis Format

Short Link: https://libguides.chapman.edu/dissertations

The thesis formatting guidelines are available at Leatherby Libraries as the MFA Thesis Checklist.Adherence to the library’s formatting guidelines is mandatory. However, for an MFA Thesis some guidelines are optional; check with the library’s Dissertations and Theses Librarian with any specific questions about formatting.

After enrollment in ENG 597A: MFA Thesis, the thesis committee form must be submitted to the online submission form within the first three to four weeks of the semester during which the student is enrolled in thesis.

In consultation with the thesis director and/or Program Director, the student should request two additional faculty members to serve on their thesis committee. The committee will consist of the thesis director, the second reader, and the third reader.

An MFA Thesis Director should come from the full-time creative writing faculty. The second reader and third reader may be any member of the full-time English faculty or, with permission of the thesis director and the Program Director, a full-time faculty member of another department. No faculty member should serve as a member on more than six committees in a single semester; exceptions require approval by the Department Chair and Program Director.

Part-time faculty are not eligible to serve on thesis committees. A faculty member at another institution or a specialist in a relevant field may be considered in special circumstances; this requires additional approval. A faculty member at another institution may be considered in special circumstances; this requires approval from the Program Director, who is required to get approval from the Dean’s Office.

Online Submission Form: Wilkinson College Thesis Committee Approval Submission

The full form and instructions can be found in the Program Forms and Files section of this handbook. The thesis committee form must be submitted via the online submission portal within the first four weeks of the semester the student intends to defend the thesis. All three committee members must sign the form agreeing to serve on the thesis committee.

The Thesis Committee Form requires a date and time for a thesis defense. That planning should be a part of the committee formation discussions. The student and thesis director should build a timeline based on the term’s deadlines for thesis defenses and library submissions. The scheduled date and time may be tentatively set, and any changes should be communicated to the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

 

Changes to the Thesis Committee

Any changes to an approved thesis committee must be approved by the thesis director, Program Director, and Graduate Programs Coordinator. In the event that the student or a committee member anticipates a temporary absence during the time the work on the thesis, arrangements must be made to either adjust the thesis timeline and possibly progress toward degree completion or designate an appropriate substitute.

In the event a student does not register for the thesis course or fails to maintain an active status in the program within one semester or term after official approval of a thesis committee, the committee is considered dissolved, and a new committee must be secured and approved.

Changes to the Thesis Project

Any substantive changes to an approved thesis proposal should be approved by the thesis director and then submitted in writing to the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator. If you are unsure of whether the changes you are making are substantive, contact the Program Director or Graduate Programs Coordinator.

 

These expectations and responsibilities are offered as general guidance to the role of thesis advisor, student, and reader. Please note individual faculty and programs may have varied approaches in advising students.

Student

Good mentoring practice entails responsibilities not only of the thesis director but also of the student. When a student enters a master’s program, that student commits time and energy necessary for a thesis or thesis project that makes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge. It is the responsibility of the student to conform to University and program requirements and procedures. Although it is the duty of the director to be reasonably available for consultation, the primary responsibility for drafting the thesis and keeping in touch with the thesis director rests with the student. The student’s responsibilities include the following:

• Become familiar with and adhere to the rules, policies, and procedures in place in the graduate program and the University as outlined in available resources such as graduate student handbooks, web resources, catalog, and other University policies.
• Know and follow the rules and policies of the University, including all deadlines regarding registration, leaves of absence, limitations on time, thesis submission, and graduation.
• Select and plan an original scholarly or creative project that can be successfully completed within the expected time frame for the degree program.
• Prepare a work plan and timetable in consultation with the director as a basis for remaining time in the program, including any proposed reading or other preparation.
• Learn and adhere to responsible standards for your field and University standards.
• Meet with the thesis director when requested.
• Report on your progress to the thesis director on a regular basis and request guidance when needed.
• Keep the director informed on any significant changes that may affect your progress.
• Establish a thesis committee, in consultation with the director, early in the semester of the thesis defense.
• Schedule the thesis defense in coordination with all committee members.
• Keep the thesis committee readers informed of the progress of the thesis and no less than two weeks prior to the defense send the thesis committee the complete draft for the defense. In consultation with the thesis director, earlier drafts may also be shared with readers if they request it.
• Submit the Thesis to the library.

Director

Within the context of the role as thesis director, a faculty member’s primary task is to guide and inspire students to reach their scholarly and/or creative potential. At the same time, each director must try to ensure that each student is following the policies of the University. Students registering for graduate thesis credits pursue a project under the direction of a thesis director. The director should promote conditions conducive to a student’s intellectual and creative growth and provide appropriate guidance on the process and the standards expected.

The director (who is instructor of record for thesis credits) should meet with the student a minimum of five times, which may include the thesis defense.

Additionally, the thesis director’s responsibilities include the following:

• Establish a meeting pattern or regular conversations to mentor the student and meet the University’s credit requirement. Meetings might include but need not be confined to discussion of the thesis process and guidelines, assigned readings, planned research or writing, challenges the student faces, feedback on drafted pages, and the student's career plans.
• Guide the student in planning a thesis project that can be successfully completed within the expected timeframe for the program.
• Help the student establish a realistic timetable and work plan for completion of various phases of research, writing, revising, and defending.
• Provide advice and feedback, including a realistic timeframe for receiving feedback. Feedback should be professional and constructive and provide concrete guidance.
• Ensure that students have an understanding of relevant theories and methodological and technical skills necessary for completing the project, including standards and ethical practices for your field.
• Establish with the student a thesis committee early in the semester of the thesis defense.
• Make arrangements to ensure continuity of student supervision during a leave or an extended period of absence, and inform the Program Director or Department Chair of these arrangements.
• Help maintain a learning environment that is safe, equitable, and free from harassment and discrimination.
• Remain attuned to academic needs and concerns that may arise for international students, students from underrepresented groups, students with disabilities, and students with family responsibilities.
• Communicate in a timely manner if the student’s academic performance is not meeting expectations. In that case, provide an outline and timeline for what actions need to be taken in order to meet expectations. While dealing with inadequate academic performance can be difficult, it is in no one’s best interests to prolong a program of study if success is unlikely. It is helpful to inform the Program Director of such circumstances.
• Complete or sign necessary forms, including the library’s formatting checklist, which should be done at the end of the defense.
• Serve as an advocate for the student in navigating University policies and work with the Graduate Programs Coordinator in supporting student success.

Students sometimes experience personal difficulties. These can include family difficulties, problems in personal relationships, cultural adjustments, financial pressures, medical issues, and problems associated with employment. The importance of these various problems should not be under-emphasized. Thesis directors should not act in a counseling capacity with their students, nor should they intrude into the personal lives of their students with unwanted advice. However, directors should try to ensure that their relationships with students are such that students will be comfortable telling their director when they are having significant personal difficulties with the thesis work so that timetables can be rearranged, and referrals made to appropriate campus resources.

Reader

The thesis director sometimes recommends a specific colleague to serve as the second and/or third reader based on the topic or prior working relationship with that colleague; however, it remains the student’s ultimate responsibility to make the request of the second and third readers. Readers should consult with the thesis director to ensure common understanding of project length, criteria for assessment, and other conditions and assumptions informing the project.

The responsibilities of the second and third readers include:

• Read and comment on the completed draft of the thesis submitted for the defense.
• Participate actively in the students’ thesis defense.
• Advise the thesis director concerning assignment the assessment rubric and/or assignment of final grade for project, if input is requested by the director.

The MFA Student Learning Objectives will be used to assess the MFA program based on thesis projects. Students may find it helpful to keep these outcomes in mind while writing and revising the thesis, but they are not grading criteria. A learning outcomes rubric is completed by the thesis director at the conclusion of the defense.

The thesis director (with input from the committee and the defense conversation) is asked to consider the thesis via specific learning outcomes in relation to the following practical questions: Is this manuscript ready to send to an editor or agent? Who cares about the work? Is this thesis eminently readable? How does this thesis matter? What’s the effect this thesis has? Finally, the director is asked to gauge the Degree of Difficulty of the project itself.

1. Theme One: Is this manuscript formatted according to thesis guidelines just as a manuscript would need to be formatted properly to send to an editor or agent?

Does the student demonstrate the ability to understand and adhere to professional guidelines for book-length manuscripts?

2. Theme Two: Who cares about the Work?

Does the thesis proficiently cultivate subject matter in relation to an audience?

3. Theme Three: Is this thesis eminently readable?

Does the thesis employ proficient sentence-level skills, including appropriate grammar, syntax, vocabulary?

4. Theme Four: How does this thesis matter?

Does the thesis have something important to contribute to the larger literary culture?

5. Theme Five: What’s the effect this thesis has?

Does the thesis make internal sense through techniques appropriate for the genre and project?

Throughout the thesis process, it is imperative to keep in mind important University deadlines.

Deadlines related to thesis defense and degree conferral can be found each term on the Associate Vice President for Graduate Education’s website: /academics/graduate-education/current-students/index.asp

Deadline 1: Thesis Defense
Deadline 2: Library Submission

It is recommended that you submit well ahead of this deadline to allow for library processing times (approximately 2-5 business days) and in case any corrections need to be made to your manuscript. Please note that this deadline is for completing all requirements in the correct format and not just for the initial submission to the library.

As per Graduate Catalog policy, students must successfully submit their thesis projects to the library in order to complete the degree requirements.

When university deadlines for the defense or library submission are not met, degree conferral can be delayed.

After a successful thesis defense, the student is responsible for working with the thesis director to complete the thesis submission checklist as well as collecting committee approval signatures on the signature page that is included in the thesis for final submission to Leatherby Libraries.

Students are required for degree conferral to successfully submit the thesis to Chapman University Digital Commons.

MFA theses are completely restricted to where only the student author (you) and a few staff and faculty in the library and the Creative Writing program can access them.

You may find the instructions for submission, the required checklist, and the Deadlines for Completion of Library Requirements on the Library’s web page for thesis submission guidelines

https://libguides.chapman.edu/dissertations

The Dissertations and Theses Librarian supports all graduate students in the submission of their theses to Leatherby Libraries. You may contact the librarian in-person at Leatherby Libraries or via email with questions or for help.

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.

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 officewebsite. Positions are typically posted a couple weeks before the start of each semester but may become available at other times.

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).

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.

In light of federal guidelines, international graduate students should contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator for information about options for connecting publication and professional experience to the degree program.

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 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.

2025: General copy edits for clarity. Removal of Professor Kozameh from core faculty.

2024: General copy edits for clarity. Addition of Rebecca Goodman and Jean Ho to core faculty. Removal of Orange High School Literacies Program.