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Rhetoric, Composition and Teaching of English (MA)

Graduate students in RCTE are often distinguished for their public engagement and action-oriented research, published scholarship, and innovative teaching. They have been selected as Carson Scholars, Crossroads Collaborative Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and Scholars for the Dream. Our graduate students are often recognized for their teaching and have received a range of teaching and research awards including the 1885 Dissertation Fellowship Award, the Centennial Achievement Award, the Marshall Foundation Fellowship, and the Patrick Dissertation Award. RCTE dissertation projects are broadly engaged and interested in social change and justice.

RCTE MA and PhD students teach in our award-winning Writing Program, which provides varied opportunities to teach a range of first-year and upper-division courses, and gain additional professional experience within the program in areas such as human subjects-based research, textbook and curriculum development, assessment, transfer and placement, and writing center support. Graduate students receive small-group mentoring and support from experienced and committed teachers throughout their first year, with continued support throughout their time teaching in the program. We facilitate opportunities for research assistantships across the university as well.

RCTE retains a remarkable job placement rate with around 97% of our students who do national searches placed in tenure-track positions. Our graduates have been hired at universities around the country such as the University of Utah, Arizona State University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Hawaii, California State University, and the University of California, Irvine. Some of our graduates have accepted leadership positions in community colleges such as Oakland Community College and Bay Mills Tribal Community College, while others select employment in the not-for profit, private, or government sectors, including national research labs and think tanks.

RCTE is connected to over twenty schools, departments, research and outreach centers on our campus, and we are broadly involved in collaborations with diverse community and education groups. RCTE has established a multitude of opportunities for graduate students to work with other outstanding graduate programs on our campus, including American Indian Studies, Mexican American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and the School of Information. Our students also have access to our department’s programs in English Applied Linguistics, Literature, and Creative Writing, as well as to exciting opportunities in the Institute of the Environment and the Institute for LGBT Studies.

The University of Arizona is a premiere public research university that is fully engaged with the cultures and peoples of the Southwest even as it is always at work on issues of global and transnational import. RCTE in particular is proud to serve our land-grant mission to engage in action-oriented scholarship that recognizes the strengths and addresses the needs and potentials of the diverse communities that surround the University. In RCTE, we view rhetoric and composition as arts at work in the world that must be studied and practiced in the context of broader cultural and public interests.

Established in 1988, the program became known for its commitment to Western understandings of rhetorical history and theory, composition pedagogy, writing program administration, and community literacy. Recently, we have shifted our program strengths and commitments to social justice pedagogy and leadership, comparative technologies of writing, labor practices and administration for diverse environments, strategies for sustaining languages and literacies among diverse populations, community partnerships, and learning from the historical legacies of those silenced under Western global expansion.

Campus Information

Main/Tucson

Intakes

Application Processing Time in Days: 20

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description	IELTS (1.0 -9.0)	TOEFL IBT (0-120)	TOEFL CBT (0-300)	PTE (10-90)
Expert	9	120	297-300	86-90
Very Good	8.5	115-119	280-293	83-86
Very Good	8	110-114	270-280	79-83
Good	7.5	102-109	253-267	73-79
Good	7	94-101	240-253	65-73
Competent	6.5	79-93	213-233	58-65
Competent	6	60-78	170-210	50-58
Modest	5.5	46-59	133-210	43-50
Modest	5	35-45	107-133	36-43
Limited	4	32-34	97-103	30-36
Extremely Limited	< 4	< 31	< 93	< 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Our mission at Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD) is to support you in your career journey. Your circumstances might require knowledge on specific programs and processes so make sure you meet with your coordinator in International Student Services as well as the International Student Career Coach.

Searching for employment in the United States can be especially challenging for international students, but developing a plan for your search can lead to success. Here are some tips and resources to help you along the way.

Start your career exploration and development early. LifeLab offers activities and trained staff to help you explore options. There are also opportunities for skill- building, and leadership development through our Design Thinking Challenge, Build the Skill, and Bluechip programs.
Use Handshake to find employment, events, and networking opportunities.
Recognize that networking will be very important to your search. Utilize your University of Arizona network through Handshake, Bear Down Network, and the alumni tool on LinkedIn.
Be prepared with professional looking documents. LifeLab is a great drop-in resource to get your resume started or reviewed. We can also help you with other career-related skills such as interviewing, job searching, online profiles and networking.
Look for internship opportunities early in your academic career. Not only will this help you build skills, but you’ll network in the process. Our Job Shadow Program is another great way to try out a career and network with a one-day job shadow.
The job or internship search is a process and takes time, planning, and the right information. The following resources provide information on potential sponsoring employers, occupational outlooks, and job opportunities. Plan out a strategy for your search and utilize as many resources as possible to create a list of employers to target in your search.

List of H1B Visa Reports – This list shows the top visa sponsors which can help you identify organizations that may be open to sponsorships. There is a job board as well as explanation of different types of work authorization & visas.

GoinGlobal – This site has career guides as well as job and internship postings all over the world. There is also an H1B database providing information on American employers interested in hiring international talent.

Inside Higher Ed – Job Tips for International Students – Article outlining advice for international students in the United States.

International Student – A variety of information from international student financial aid, visas & immigration, working in the U.S., international student blogs with discussion from other universities across the U.S, and more.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – Site has a H-1B employer data hub listing employers who have employed temporary foreign workers.

Dreambridge Partners – Information on adapting to the U.S., job searching, academics and socializing as well as many links to professional and cultural associations, job websites, and networking.

United States Department of Labor – Answers to questions for workers & employers regarding certification and the Visa process.

Foreignborn – Overview of US Visa & Immigration including information on financial aid, how to send money abroad, work authorization and US Visa wait times and USCIS immigration processing times.

PSW Opportunity

3 years PSW

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Proof of English proficiency is required for international applicants who hold citizenship from a country where English is not the official language.

Please check our English Requirement list to verify your need to submit an English proficiency test.

Individual departments may require higher scores than the Graduate College and all tests must be dated within 2 years of the enrollment term to be considered valid. The University of Arizona's institution code for sending official electronic score reports from ETS is 4832.

Acceptable English Proficiency Credentials:
Test of English as a Foreign Language(link is external) (TOEFL) - minimum score of 79 iBT (or 60 on the revised PBT with no section score lower than 15). Individual MyBest scores must also be dated within 2 years of the enrollment term to be considered valid.
Note, for Master's programs, we also accept the TOEFL Essentials test with a minimum band score of 9.5. Individual programs may set higher English proficiency requirements, please contact your Graduate Program Coordinator if you have questions. The TOEFL Essentials Test is not an accepted test of English proficiency for doctoral programs.
International English Language Testing System(link is external) (IELTS) - minimum composite score of 7, with no subject area below a 6
Pearson PTE Academic(link is external) - minimum score of 60
Graduate English Language Endorsement(link is external) from the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL)
CEPT Full Academic test (link is external)- offered by our Center for English as a Second Language (CESL), minimum Total score of 110.

Special Requirements for Graduate Teaching Assistants
In order to be hired as a Graduate Teaching Assistant or Associate, an admitted student must meet a higher level of English proficiency than the minimum required for admission. International GTAs must meet at least the following requirements in order to serve in this capacity:

TOEFL IBT Speaking Section – score of 24
TOEFL PBT - those who took the revised test after 2017 will be asked to take a UA CESL test of speaking skills.
TOEFL Essentials Test Speaking Section - score of 11
IELTS -Speaking Section 7.5
CEPT - Speaking Section 44

The University of Arizona

Tucson , Arizona ,United States