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Department of English

MA graduate Debbie Sayachack holds up a foam fist.

Advising

Faculty in the Department of English serve as the primary advisers for our undergraduate majors and minors, as well as our post-baccalaureate graduate and certificate programs. We believe that strong faculty mentors play a crucial role in student success, from the moment of recruitment through the moment you walk across the stage at commencement.

Undergraduate

B.A. English — Literature

Adviser: Dr. Samina Najmi

B.A. English — Creative Writing

Adviser: Dr. Samina Najmi

B.A. English Studies (English Education)

Adviser: Dr. Alison Mandaville 

English Literature minor

Adviser: Dr. Samina Najmi

Creative Writing minor

Adviser: Prof. Brynn Saito

Literatures of Diversity minor

Adviser: Dr. Melanie Hernandez

Graduate

M.A. English — Literature

Adviser: Dr. William Arce

M.A. English — Rhetoric and Writing Studies

Adviser: Dr. William Arce

MFA Creative Writing

Adviser: Prof. Brynn Saito

Single-Subject English Teaching Credential

Adviser: Dr. Imelda Basurto

Certificate of Advanced Study in Composition

Adviser: Dr. William Arce

Certificate of Special Study in Creative Writing

Adviser: Prof. Brynn Saito

FAQs

Visit your My Fresno State portal to look up the name of your assigned adviser.

After you login, your adviser's name will appear on the right-hand side. You can then visit our faculty page to look up your adviser's contact information and office hours.

As of April 2025, the Change of Major/Minor Request Form is initiated by the new major or minor adviser. Please contact an adviser from the list above to initiate the form and begin the process.

The College of Arts and Humanities Advising and Support Center — located in Speech Arts, room 156 — acts a central location for all general advising information intended for students, faculty, and staff of the college.

The information is categorized depending on who and where you are in your academic journey: prospective students, current students, returning students, or graduate students.

Students can reach out to the advising center any time, for new advising or additional advising. The center's advisers can be particularly helpful in the summertime, when your faculty adviser may not be available.