MAW Qualifying Exam

In order to achieve their degrees, students in the M.A. in Writing must pass the program's Qualifying Examination before the completion of six courses. For the 2006-2007 academic year, the Quals will be given on the following dates:

Saturday, June 16, 2007

All exams will take place in a computer lab (TBA) on the Lincoln Park Campus and will consist of one two-hour morning session and one two-hour afternoon session.

As stated in the graduate Bulletin, this examination must be taken after the completion of at least two courses and before the completion of six courses. All first-year students who expect to have completed at least two courses by the end of the current fall term are strongly encouraged to take the Quals on the March test date. Students who do not take the Quals, or who receive a grade of "No Pass" on it, may not complete a sixth course in the program. The examination may be retaken once; a student who receives a second grade of "No Pass" may not continue in the program.

All Qualifying Examinations offered in 2006-2007 are based on the following two texts:

1. Joan Didion. The White Album. FS&G, 11th edition or later. ISBN: 0-374-52221-9.
   
2. Chris Anderson. Two chapters from Style as Argument. These pages are available in .pdf format by clicking on these three files:
   http://condor.depaul.edu/~csirles/extra/anderson-1.pdf
   http://condor.depaul.edu/~csirles/extra/anderson-2.pdf
   http://condor.depaul.edu/~csirles/extra/anderson-3.pdf
   (Adobe Reader software required.)

In order to take the Quals, you must fill out and submit a Qualifying Examination Application Form, which you can retrieve by clicking on http://condor.depaul.edu/~csirles/extra/qualsapp06-07.doc. Download the file into a MS Word document, fill in all requested information, and then e-mail the completed form to Mrs. Jan Flood, Assistant Director of Graduate Programs, at jflood@depaul.edu. You can also mail a hardcopy of the application form to: Mrs. Jan Flood, English Department, 802 W. Belden Ave., DePaul University, 60614-3214, or you can drop the completed form off in my English Department mailbox in McGaw Hall.

In order to take the Quals on the June 16, 2007 test date, your application form must reach Mrs. Flood by May 25. Remember that you must have completed at least two courses by the end of the current 2007 spring quarter to write the exam in June, and you must be in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher). Remember, too, that you may not complete a sixth course in the program until satisfactory completion of the exam. All students planning to write the Quals in June should register for the fall-term course(s) they wish to take. If you have questions about your eligibility to take the Quals in June, contact Mrs. Flood.

Best wishes in your classes this quarter and, from the entire graduate writing faculty, good luck on the Quals!