Formed by the successful completion of (15) fifteen credits (or five, 3-credit courses) of graduate-level work in courses included on the lists below and distributed as follows: at least one course in each of three categories:

• History
• Theory
• Criticism/Practice

Alternatively, a student may complete twelve credits (or four, 3-credit courses) of graduate-level work in courses included on the lists below with at least one course in each of the three categories as well as a written capstone project approved by the Critical Studies Concentration director and deemed to be professional, scholarly work (an article, a conference paper, etc.).

• Deepen your knowledge in a wide range of fields in an interdisciplinary fashion
• Build and sharpen your research and writing skills equipping you to work at a professional scholarly level.
• Develop publishable or professional-level work (symposia, blogs, etc.) as a means of expanding your creative and scholarly portfolio
• Train in seeing through professional documents (scholarly essay, creative writing, artist's statement, et al.) from planning through completion
• Conduct graduate-level research in humanities subjects
• Master an area or period of critical theory at the graduate level

Alternate Academic Criteria

• Professional internships held at local cultural institutions may, with approval from the MACS director, count toward this concentration, most likely under Category A or C, as determined by the MACS director.
• Any 300- or 400-level liberal arts course must be reviewed and approved by the CSC director to ensure additional graduate-level work is completed.
• Given that the graduate curriculum is constantly changing and evolving, students may also complete a combination of 1- and 2-credit courses or workshops toward the completion of the concentration with the approval of the CSC director.
• In order to determine if a course not listed above can be counted toward the concentration requirements, the student must consult with the current director of the Critical Studies Concentration.

Eligibility and Progress to Completion

• All graduate students admitted to MA and MFA programs are eligible to participate in this concentration.
• Credits already completed toward the degree may be counted toward this concentration, whether central to a specific degree program or as elective credit. The courses counted toward the concentration, however, must all be approved by the designated supervisor of this concentration.
• Students must pass each class counted toward the concentration; if taking an advanced undergraduate course, this means earning a "B" or better grade for each course.
• This concentration does not specify residency, i.e., if distance/online courses are deemed appropriate for the concentration, then those courses completed at a distance/online may count toward it. Right now, there are no current classes included on the three area lists of the concentration, though we expect this to change in time.
• Credits may be transferred in toward the requirements of the concentration only with the approval of the CSC director.
• Final granting of the concentration requires the signed approval of the CSC director, who will review the transcript of the degree candidate.