Summer Teachers of English Project (STEP) is an exciting opportunity for rising college seniors who are interested in teaching English or writing at the college level.

If you are selected to attend STEP and complete the project successfully, you will receive automatic admission into our Master of Arts program in English or Technical Communication starting in Fall 2025*. You will also receive a two-year graduate teaching assistantship which comes with a competitive stipend and full tuition and fees waiver. This amounts to an academic award of more than $80,000.

*Successful completion of an undergraduate degree required.

Why STEP

Have you ever considered a career in higher education? Would you like to earn a Master's Degree for free? Are you interested in teaching at a top-tier research university? Do you want to meet other students who want to learn how to:

• • Study language, its origins, its uses, its meanings,
  • Study literature, the history and theory behind it, and its rich connections to social justice, the environment, and science and technology,
  • Examine and compare the literary works of other cultures, and
  • Build web sites, learn to edit writing for style and understanding, and make things easier for people to use?

We are looking for students with a passion for literature, creative writing, technical communication, linguistics, and all things English. Join us and you can conduct research, teach, and engage in other scholarly activities to speak truth to power and shape our intellectual, political, and cultural landscapes.

Apply to STEP and compete for a chance to earn a free master's degree. Learn how to teach people to think and write and start your academic career taking classes with world class faculty, in state-of-the-art facilities, alongside an increasingly diverse group of fellow graduate students. Help us bring new ideas and perspectives to English. Real change has to be on purpose. The opportunity is there for the taking. Apply now!

Hear what 2021 participants in STEP had to say:

Who
Rising college seniors with a passion for English and a desire to have a career in higher education, researching and teaching English and other related fields.

What
STEP (Summer Teachers of English Project) is a summer workshop for rising college seniors interested in a career as faculty or in academia. What you will receive if you attend:

• Free travel, room, and board
• Free graduate tuition for 3 hours
• Opportunity to teach undergraduate students
• Ability to earn a free MA degree (a scholarship completely covers your tuition/fees)
• Competitive stipend for up to two years, including summer funding, as a graduate teaching assistant *

*Dependent on successful completion of undergraduate degree

Why
We need more students with diverse backgrounds to become faculty at colleges and universities. To teach an increasingly diverse population of students how to think, write, and engage, while also carrying out important research of their own that helps to change higher education and the world beyond.

When
The 2024 STEP Workshop runs from July 1 - July 31.

On-site in Lubbock, TX on Texas Tech University campus: July 14-27

Where
Online: July 1-12, July 29-31

On-Site: July 14-27

Start online for the first two weeks of the course, then finish the course face to face by teaching and grading the writing of undergraduate students in a first year writing course.

How
Apply online – Deadline April 15, 2024.

About STEP

STEP is a five-week graduate course where you will learn how to teach college English. Part of the course will be done online, while the other part will take place on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock.

While on campus in Lubbock you will receive free room and board, in addition to paid transportation to and from the workshop. You'll meet fellow STEP attendees, TTU students and faculty, while attending events and other activities introducing you to life in West Texas as a graduate student.

Your classwork will challenge you and require you to put what you have learned into practice: teaching, responding to, and evaluating the writing of TTU students in a first-year composition class.

For the final week of the course, you'll prepare a reflective assignment. Successful completion of STEP earns three hours of free graduate course credit that you can use toward an MA at TTU or elsewhere.

How to Apply to STEP

STEP is a highly competitive program, accepting only 10 students each year. We are looking for well-rounded, accomplished, and diverse candidates.

Minimum eligibility requirements:

• • Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program with a major in English or related field
  • Graduate with an undergraduate degree no later than August 2025

Key Factors Reviewed for Selection
Admission to STEP depends on several factors that include, but are not limited to, the following

• • Academic achievements
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Work experience and career achievements
  • Overcoming personal or professional challenges
  • First-generation college student (neither custodial parent has a bachelor's degree)
  • Low-income background (federal income eligibility guidelines based on household size)
  • Other diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences.

About TTU English

Home to more than 160 faculty, instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and staff, the department of English at TTU boasts an eclectic mix of degree programs, research and teaching opportunities. Our community of scholars, teachers, and colleagues are committed to making the world more livable, just, and interesting.

We have graduate programs, master's and doctoral, in English and Technical Communication and Rhetoric.

We place a strong emphasis on professional development, have a nationally competitive stipend, and support a teaching program that fosters your growth as a successful instructor in higher education. The Department of English at Texas Tech University is a great place to start an academic career.

Courses are available in a wide range of topics related to

• • Creative fiction and non-fiction
  • Linguistics
  • American, British, world, and comparative literatures
  • Technical communication, user experience, composition, rhetoric, global communication, and grant writing

We have many teaching and research labs, including:

• • 3D Film
  • Studio E for podcasting
  • User Experience
  • Media and Digital Humanities
  • LetterPress Studio

These labs allow our undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to carry out innovative research and gain new skills, while working alongside fellow students and faculty.

The department champions arts and film events and they regularly make their way to the local community, enabling students and faculty to engage and influence the public beyond the TTU campus. In addition, faculty often sponsor study abroad trips, teaching students in China, India, Spain, Italy, and the UK.

TTU & West Texas

About Texas Tech University

About Lubbock

10 Reasons to Visit Lubbock That Will Surprise You

About TTU

Tier One Research University (Carnegie Classification)
80+ Study Abroad Locations
38,803 total student enrollment
Unlimited Access to Sporting Events (football, basketball and more)
550+ Student Organizations
645-ft Lazy River in the Student Recreation Center

About Lubbock

Abundant and affordable housing
300,000+ population
75 venues and parks
Cost of living 13% below national average
Cost of housing 28% below national average
5 hours from Albuquerque or Dallas
4 hours from skiing
264 days of sunshine in beautiful West Texas