Turn momentum into a master’s degree! Our accelerated master’s degree programs (formerly called "4+1") enable you to begin earning graduate credit during your senior year. An accelerated master's program offers a streamlined pathway that positions you to complete both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in as little as five years!
By maximizing your time and minimizing extra coursework, you can save up to a full year of study—reducing tuition costs and entering the workforce with a competitive edge. If you're driven to achieve more in less time, an accelerated master’s program (AMP) is your opportunity to "accelerate" your success.
Accelerated Programs
BA English (linguistics) to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, MTESOL
BA English (linguistics) to MA Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
BA English (literature) to MA English (literature track)
BA English (secondary education) to MA English Education
BA English (writing, rhetorics and literacies) to MA English (writing, rhetorics and literacies track)
Admission
To Be Eligible
- Complete 75 credit hours (note: 90 credits must be completed by the start of senior year, which is the first semester of the accelerated program).
- Earn the minimum 3.0 GPA overall
- Earn the minimum GPA in your major:
- 3.5 – BA English (secondary education; linguistics; or writing, rhetorics and literacies)
- 3.4 – BA English (literature)
Meet with your undergraduate advisor to express interest and confirm present or future eligibility.
When you are eligible, your undergraduate advisor will help you complete and properly submit the Accelerated Pre-Application Form (found under the Forms tab).
You will be notified once you are designated a “Candidate.”
- Before senior-year courses begin, submit the signed Accelerated Master’s Program Agreement Form to your new graduate advisor (you will receive the form from your graduate advisor).
May 1 (Fall) & December 1 (Spring):
- Literature → Master of Arts in English with a track in literature
- Linguistics → Master of Arts in linguistics & applied linguistics
- Linguistics → Master in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- Writing, rhetorics and literacies → Master of Arts in English with a track in writing, rhetorics and literacies
May 1 (Fall only):
- Secondary education → Master of Arts English education
To Be Eligible
- Complete Step 1: Apply to be an AMP Candidate during the second semester of your junior year.
- Plan to graduate from your bachelor’s program in the second semester of your senior year.
- Maintain the required overall and major GPA.
- Complete or be working to complete the two required 400-level and two required graduate level courses to be shared between the bachelor’s and master’s programs.
Once you apply for graduation from your undergraduate degree, the graduate advisor of the accelerated master’s program (AMP) that you are pursuing will recommend admission to the graduate program. Please see the necessary steps below!
- To be automatically recommended for admission to the graduate program, you must first meet with your undergraduate advisor to confirm that you are ready to graduate from your bachelor’s program.
- Apply to graduate from your bachelor’s program.
- Email the graduate advisor of the AMP you are pursuing that you have applied to graduate from your bachelor’s program and are ready to be admitted to the master’s.
- Unless otherwise requested by the student, the graduate advisor will process the recommendation for admission to the next available semester for the graduate program.
- Once admitted to the graduate program, you will meet with the graduate advisor of the program you are pursuing to discuss course enrollment.
International Students
English Proficiency Requirement for Graduate Programs
International students applying to graduate programs in the Department of English at ASU must submit evidence of English proficiency. See Department of English’s Proficiency Requirements for International Students for more information.
I-20 Requirement
Students must obtain a new I-20 upon transitioning to graduate status.
Contact the International Students and Scholars Center:
480-727-4776 | [email protected]
Enrollment Requirement for Graduate Programs
In order for international students to maintain good standing for their VISAs, they must take a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester (i.e., 3 classes), 6 of which should be face-to-face classes.
Course Requirements
Students in the MA English education program develop a deep understanding of the language arts by learning how to access, analyze, and apply theoretical frames and best practices for teaching students in grades 7-12.
Students complete both the BA English (secondary education) and the MA in English education in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- Fall semester
- ENG 501 Approaches to Research: English Education (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- ENG 471 Literature for Young Adults (3cr.)
- ENG 482 Methods of Teaching Language (3cr.)
- Spring semester
- ENG 598 Special Topics in English Education (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Fall semester
- Graduate year: MA coursework
- Fall semester
- ENG 506 Methods and Issues in Teaching Language (3cr.)
- ENG 507 Methods and Issues in Teaching Composition (3cr.)
- Spring semester
- ENG 592 Research (3cr.)
- ENG 606 Advanced Studies in English Education (3cr.)
- Summer semester
- ENG 594 Central Arizona Writing Project (3cr.)
- ENG 593 Applied Project (3cr.)
- Fall semester
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
Students in the MA English (literature) program learn how to conduct dynamic new research, sharpen their analytical reading skills, argue persuasively, publicly present their work and become professional writers.
Students complete both the BA English (literature concentration) and the MA English (literature track) in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- ENG 501 Approaches to Research: Literature (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- ENG 502 Contemporary Critical Theories (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Two ENG 400 Level Literature Electives (6cr.)
- Graduate year: MA coursework (see the MA English Handbook for course options under each section)
- One course in early literatures and cultures
- One course in modern and contemporary literatures and cultures
- One course in global, ethnic, and transnational literatures and cultures
- One course in methods and approaches
- One course in language and linguistics
- ENG 593 Applied Project (3)
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
The master's degree program in linguistics and applied linguistics addresses the study of human language and the application of that study to the human condition through training in linguistics and applied linguistics.
Students complete both the BA English (linguistics concentration) and the MA linguistics and applied linguistics program in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- LIN 510 Linguistics (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- LIN 520 Second Language Acquisition Theories (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Choose two of the following: ENG 404 Studies in Second Language Acquisition, ENG 414 Studies in Linguistics, or an approved ENG 400 level Linguistics Upper Division Elective (6cr.)
- Graduate year: MA coursework
- LIN 501 Approaches to Research (3cr.)
- LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology or LIN 514 Syntax (3cr.)
- LIN 515 American English or LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis (3cr.)
- 500 or 600 level LIN or APL elective (3cr.)
- Culminating experience option:
- APL 599 Thesis (6cr.) or
- APL 593 Applied Project (3cr.) and a 500/600 level LIN or APL elective (3cr.)
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
MA students must also demonstrate or provide evidence of competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English to satisfy the Language Requirement. Please note that since accelerated students are on a compressed time schedule, we do not recommend taking ENG 530/531 to satisfy the foreign language requirement.
The master's degree program in linguistics and applied linguistics addresses the study of human language and the application of that study to the human condition through training in linguistics and applied linguistics.
Students complete both the BA English (linguistics concentration) and the MA linguistics and applied linguistics program in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- LIN 510 Linguistics (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- LIN 511 Phonetics and Phonology (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Choose two of the following: ENG 404 Studies in Second Language Acquisition, ENG 414 Studies in Linguistics, or an approved ENG 400 level Linguistics Upper Division Elective (6cr.)
- Graduate year: MA coursework
- LIN 501 Approaches to Research (3cr.)
- LIN 514 Syntax (3cr.)
- LIN 515 American English or LIN 516 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis (3cr.)
- 600 level LIN elective (3cr.)
- Culminating experience option:
- LIN 599 Thesis (6cr.) or
- LIN 593 Applied Project (3cr.) and a 500/600 level LIN elective (3cr.)
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
MA students must also demonstrate or provide evidence of competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English to satisfy the Language Requirement. Please note that since accelerated students are on a compressed time schedule, we do not recommend taking ENG 530/531 to satisfy the foreign language requirement.
The master's degree program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is for individuals who wish to build a career in the international field of English language teaching. Through this program, students will develop scholarly and professional understanding in four main areas that are central to TESOL: language, learning, research methods and teaching methods.
Students complete both the BA English (linguistics concentration) and the MTESOL program in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- LIN 510 Linguistics (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- LIN 520 Second-Language Acquisition Theories (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Choose two of the following: ENG 404 Studies in Second Language Acquisition, ENG 414 Studies in Linguistics, ENG 484 Internship, or an approved ENG 400 level Linguistics Upper Division Elective (6cr.)
- Graduate year: MTESOL coursework
- LIN 501 Approaches to Research (3cr.)
- LIN 521 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language (3cr.)
- LIN 584 Internship (3cr.)*
- Two MTESOL electives (3cr.)
- LIN 597 Graduate Capstone Seminar (3cr.)
*Students must take the LIN 584 Internship even if they took ENG 484 Internship as an undergraduate.
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
MTESOL students must also demonstrate or provide evidence of competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English to satisfy the Language Requirement. Please note that since accelerated students are on a compressed time schedule, we do not recommend taking ENG 530/531 to satisfy the foreign language requirement.
The MA English (writing, rhetorics and literacies) program emphasizes rhetorical strategies of oral, written, material, and digital texts through classical and contemporary theories, methods and contexts.
Students complete both the BA English (writing, rhetorics and literacies concentration) and the MA English (writing, rhetorics and literacies track) in an accelerated format.
- Traditional pathway: 150 credit hours (120 BA + 30 MA)
- Accelerated pathway: 138 credit hours (12 shared credits)
Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Timeline
- Junior year: Become a Candidate of AMP (see Admission above)
- Senior year: Shared coursework begins
- ENG 501 Approaches to Research: Rhetoric & Composition (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- ENG 552 Composition Studies (3cr.) - receive an override form your undergraduate advisor
- Choose two of the following: ENG 409 Analyzing Rhetoric, ENG 419 Writing in Digital Spaces or ENG 472 Rhetorical Studies or an approved equivalent (6cr.)
- Graduate year: MA coursework (see the MA English Handbook for course options under each section)
- One course in rhetoric theory (3cr.)
- Two 600-level rhetoric and composition courses (6cr.)
- Two 500/600 level electives (6cr.)
- ENG 593 Applied Project (3cr.)
Please note that only 6 credit hours of 400-level coursework can be applied to the master’s degree program.
MA students must also demonstrate or provide evidence of competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English to satisfy the Language Requirement.