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NMSU Department of English MA Programs Portfolio Guidelines
What is a portfolio?A portfolio is a collection of your writing chosen to demonstrate your writing ability in several contexts or genres. A portfolio of written work is a requirement for non-thesis M.A. students in Rhetoric and Professional Communication.
Why is a portfolio required?
Together with written and oral exams, the portfolio is meant to demonstrate that you have strong writing skills and that you can use your studies–both theoretical and applied–in the writing and design of various documents. A portfolio also provides writing samples for use in applying for jobs or for Ph.D. programs.
What should be included in a portfolio?
Generally, a portfolio should contain 5-8 separate writing samples and total 25-50 pages of material. It should include several distinct genres of written communication: a proposal, a seminar paper on rhetoric, computer documentation, a book review, a computer program, a brochure, a newspaper or newsletter article, a book design, or other documents. It might excerpt longer works, just to demonstrate familiarity with a certain kind of writing. It might point to online publications: a web site or hypertext, for example. Be sure to get clearance on sensitive or proprietary workplace documents.
How should a portfolio be presented?
Organize your portfolio using some kind of binder with pockets. Write an introduction (see below) and provide an organizing table of contents. Label the individual documents. Make sure it is easy to see the title pages or covers of the individual documents. Make sure it is easy to pull out documents and replace them.
How should a portfolio be introduced?
People need context to understand and evaluate writing. Provide an introduction to yourself as a writer, the influences on the pieces you have chosen to present, and some indication of the theory and research that shapes your work. Discuss your purposes for writing, how you respond to specific audiences and situations when you craft a piece of writing, and how you know when pieces are successfully finished.
What about on online portfolio?
Increasingly, students are building personal home pages with resumes and writing samples. This is a good idea. To satisfy program requirements, you can submit either a physical portfolio with printed documents or on online portfolio. The online portfolio is likely to have a homepage that leads to a resume and writing samples. Just like a paper portfolio, your writing samples should provide some context so readers know purpose, audience, situation, and use of the documents presented. An online portfolio lets you demonstrate your web design and graphic skills.
What is a teaching portfolio?
A teaching portfolio should be viewed as separate from this portfolio of your writing. A teaching portfolio is useful when applying for academic jobs or for a Ph.D. program. It would typically have a statement of your teaching philosophy, sample syllabi, exercises, course materials, and consolidated evaluations from students, peers, or supervisors. You can choose to create a teaching portfolio to complement your paper or online portfolio.
How do committee members review the portfolio?
Have your portfolio ready as you near your written exams. Circulate the portfolio to your committee members at least two weeks before your orals. Provide a copy of the portfolio to each committee member. Bring your copy to your oral exam and expect questions during the exam on documents in the portfolio.