Folklore Studies

About This Degree

The Folklore Studies program at Utah State University offers students the opportunity to explore American life and cultures from interdisciplinary perspectives.

What You Will Learn

The program's interdisciplinary structure provides students an opportunity to integrate studies in various fields into a broad understanding of American culture and its antecedents. With special strengths in the American West, Canadian and Mexican borderlands, American history, literature, and folklore, as well as creative nonfiction and studies in visual culture and the environment, the Folklore and American studies program allows students to forge an individualized plan of coursework that crosses both geographical and intellectual boundaries.

By equipping students to analyze and synthesize a broad range of cultural expressions, an American studies degree will lay the groundwork for careers in academic or professional fields.

The MA degree requires students to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages. The MS degree is identical except that it does not require foreign language study.

Specialization:

Folklore:

Folklore students study all forms of vernacular folk culture. Folklore classes cover traditions from all over the world and include such topics as folktales, urban legends, personal experience narratives, children’s folklore, folk art, graffiti, the supernatural, etc. The program allows students to choose between two concentrations within the folklore specialization: academic and public folklore. The academic folklore concentration prepares students for teaching and researching. The public folklore concentration prepares them for jobs in government, arts administration, and museum management.

REQUEST INFORMATION
ADVISING

At a Glance

College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: English Department

USU Locations:

Logan campus

Program Requirements

Update this page

Career And Outcomes

Career Opportunities

Graduates in American studies can work in a wide variety of areas, including:

Art and history museums
State humanities commissions
Teaching at junior colleges
Journalism
Nonprofit organizations
State and national park services

Graduates also commonly continue on to law school to obtain careers in government and law, or doctoral programs to pursue careers in research, teaching, and academia.

Job Outlook

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION AND ADVISING

Advising

Lynne McNeill

Associate Professor
Email: lynne.mcneill@usu.edu
Office: RWST 301B

I am not a current USU student

I have not applied or been admitted, even if I've taken a USU Concurrent Enrollment course

I am a current USU student

I have been admitted and plan to attend, or continue attending USU

USU Locations

LOGAN CAMPUS

Admission

Admission Requirements

Folklore and American Studies is an interdisciplinary program, therefore applicants are welcome from various undergraduate backgrounds.

Application Requirements:

Fill out the online application
Pay the $55 application fee
Standardized tests are NOT required for this application
Provide a copy of your transcript
Provide three contacts for letters of recommendation
Submit a portfolio of writing materials with the following components:

1) Statement of intent: Applicants must submit a statement of intent that explains their reasons for seeking a master's degree in "Folklore and American Studies" at Utah State University. This statement should briefly describe their previous academic work, identifying central themes, areas of interest, and skills acquired, and applicants should explain how these prior academic experiences have prepared and/or motivated them to enter a graduate program in "Folklore and American Studies." The statement of intent may also address any relevant professional experiences and explain how such experiences have prepared and/or motivated them to enter this graduate program. Within this statement of intent, applicants should identify some of the specific topics or disciplinary areas they would like to focus on for their graduate work. Applicants should also make an effort to show that they are familiar with the specific requirements and features of the "Folklore and American Studies " program at USU.

Note: For the statement of intent, applicants may focus their attention primarily on how their prior experiences have prepared them specifically for one field within this program (Folklore or American Studies), although they must also make some effort to address how their interests will be informed by exposure to the other field in the course of their graduate study.

2) Preface to Writing Sample: Applicants should write a one-paragraph preface for their writing sample that explains the following:

a) Context: Applicants must explain when they wrote this writing sample and for what purpose. Who was the original audience? And what were the original goals for this piece of writing?

b) Relationship to Folklore and/or American Studies: Applicants must explain how this writing sample demonstrates knowledge and skills that are applicable to the fields of Folklore and/or American Studies.

3) Writing Sample: Applicants must submit a 10-25 page sample of academic writing which demonstrates that they are ready to write at the level expected for graduate seminar assignments. Ideally, this writing sample should focus on a topic related to Folklore or American Studies and demonstrate the applicants' critical thinking skills, research skills, and strengths as a writer.

International students have additional admissions requirements.

Deadlines

The department has the following deadline:

January 15
The department will continue to review applications submitted after that date, but chances of acceptance and financial assistance are better for students who apply earlier.

Program Requirements

Students may have an opportunity to complete an internship for credit, but an internship is not required.

Plan Options

Students can receive the MS or MA by pursuing one of two options:

In the Plan A option, students complete 24 credits of graduate coursework and write a six-credit thesis, with an oral defense meeting.
In the Plan B option, students complete 27 credits of graduate coursework and write a three-credit paper or creative project, with an oral defense meeting.

Financial Aid

Students can apply to become graduate instructors. Graduate instructors teach English 1010 and English 2010, general education courses that all USU undergraduates are required to take. Students who are graduate instructors might also receive tuition awards through the School of Graduate Studies, as well as subsidized health insurance, in addition to the following salaries:

First-year GIs in the English Department are currently paid $2,251 per class. Since most teach two classes in fall and another two in spring, this works out as a typical annual salary of $9,004.
Second-year GIs are currently paid $2,545 per class, which works out as a typical annual salary of $10,180.

Additionally, the cost of living in Logan, Utah, is about 12% lower than the national average.

To be considered, students must submit their graduate school applications early and submit a specific application to be a graduate instructor, as well as a letter of interest and a resume, by January 15 to Dr. Keith Grant-Davie, director of graduate studies for the English Department.

A variety of funding opportunities are available on the graduate school website.