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. The remaining Quals of the 2008-2009 academic year will be given on these dates:

Saturday, June 20, 2009

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 autumn term are strongly encouraged to take the Quals on January 10 or, at the latest, 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 2008-2009 are based on the following two texts:

1. David Foster Wallace, ed. 2007 Best American Essays. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0618709274. This text can be purchased from amazon.com or a similar online source or from most full-service bookstores.

2. Walker Gibson. Two chapters from Persona: A Style Study for Readers and Writers.
These pages can be downloaded in this file.
(Adobe Reader software required.)

In order to take the Quals, you must fill out and submit a Qualifying Examination Application Form. Download this file into a MS Word document, fill in all requested information, and then e-mail the completed form to Jan Flood at jflood@depaul.edu. You can also mail a hardcopy of the application form to: Ms. Jan Flood, English Department, 802 W. Belden Ave., DePaul University, 60614-3214.

The application date for the March exam will be released shortly. Remember that you must have completed at least two courses by the end of the current quarter to write the exam in March, 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. If you have questions about your eligibility to take the Quals in March, contact me.

Students who register for the March Quals will receive more information about the exam at a later date.

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