Submatriculation
An undergraduate may apply to"submatriculate": that is, he or she may work for the B.A. and M.A. degree in English at the same time. A student interested in submatriculation should consult with three people: the advisor in the College Office concerned with submatriculation, the undergraduate chair of English, and the graduate chair of English. Each of these officials needs to sign the application for submatriculation, which may be obtained from the advising office or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 322A.
A Submatric is when an Undergraduate receives the Bachelor and Masters degree at the same time. They usually apply for the Masters degree in the fall of their junior year. Here is their website for additional information: Submatriculation <http://www.college.upenn.edu/degree/submatric/index.php>
The requirements for the master's degree in English are listed in the Degree Requirement Handbook: eight courses, including at least one 700-level course, and the language requirement (to be satisfied by passing a translation exam administered by the graduate program in English). Typically, submatriculants arrange their schedule so they spend their senior year taking four graduate courses per semester. On occasion, a qualified undergraduate may be accepted as a submatriculant early, and may take a few graduate courses in his or her junior year. Unfortunately, graduate courses taken before a student has been accepted as a submatriculant may not count toward the M.A. degree. As with other M.A. candidates, graduate courses taken in other departments may count towards the M.A. degree, with the approval of the graduate chair of English.
They need to meet with Dr. Srilata Gangulee in the College Office (120 Logan Hall) where they receive a permit to list their courses. Once they have signed off on the form, they should bring a copy of the grad application to the English Grad Office and set up an appointment with the Graduate Chair, David Kazanjian, to go over what graduate courses will count toward the graduate degree. The permit is then signed by both the Undergraduate Chair, Emily Steiner, and the Graduate Chair, David Kazanjian. If the student adds an Independent Study, ENGL999, to the list of graduate courses counting towards the degree, they will need to make an appointment with Dean Jack Nagel over in the Graduate School to discuss this and have him sign the permit as well. The permit should be submitted to the Grad School Office office with a paper copy of the application which can be found on their website.
On the undergraduate side, the submatriculant should consult with the undergraduate chair to ensure that all undergraduate requirements are satisfied. Up to four graduate courses taken as a submatriculant may be couned toward the undergraduate major. Submatriculants must fulfill all the requirements of the English major. They may count as many advanced seminars (and graduate courses) in the core as they wish.
Applicants must have taken at least three 200-level courses in the English Department at Penn before applying, and it is recommended that applicants audit or take for credit a 500-level graduate seminar prior to applying in order to familiarize themselves with graduate-level work.
The standards for acceptance include strong evidence that the student is capable of withstanding the rigors of taking four graduate courses per semester, based on the transcript and recommendations. Ordinarily, two or three students submatriculate in a given academic year.
Applications should include 1) 3 recommendations letters, preferably from standing faculty in the English Department at Penn; 2) a personal statement (about 600 words) that explains the reasons, both intellectual and professional, why you want to submatriculate; 3) a writing sample or samples of 10-20 pages total; 4) Two (2) Official Copies of all transcripts and the regular application forms for the graduate program found here: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/GAS/home/apply/app_forms.html. The GRE exam is not required.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis from November 1 until February 15. Note: if an applicant would like to begin the program the second semester of their junior year, they must submit their application by December 1st of their junior year.
