Graduate Program in English

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

Thirty-three (33) credits at the 500-level distributed as follows:

  • EN 500 Introduction to Graduate Study in English (3 credits) (To be taken early in the student's program)
  • Three courses in literary periods, figures, or genres (9 credits)
  • One course in ethnic or culturally diverse literature (3 credits)
  • One course in literary theory (3 credits)
  • One course in writing (3 credits)
  • Two elective courses in literature and/or writing (6 credits)

The remaining course requirements (6 credits) can be satisfied by completing one of the following two research options:

Thesis Option

Students who choose this option will research and write a thesis, a work of independent scholarship, which demonstrates their ability to apply the knowledge and scholarly tools acquired during their degree work. Students who want to pursue doctoral work in English are strongly encouraged to choose the thesis option. Those who choose to write a thesis should consult the Graduate Coordinator and adviser to select a thesis director and committee, then write a thesis proposal, and register for EN 502 Research (6 credits).

The thesis must be fully accepted by the thesis director and thesis committee.

Non-Thesis Option

Students who choose not to write a thesis must complete the non-thesis option by fulfilling both of the following requirements:

  1. Students must enroll in two additional three-credit 500-level elective courses in literature and/or writing (Total 6 credits).
  2. Students are also required to submit two long seminar papers for evaluation by the Graduate Committee. For this purpose students should select their two best seminar papers written during their graduate program of study. (These papers should be clean, i.e., without the professors' comments and grades.) Subject to the acceptance by the Graduate Committee, the seminar papers will be placed in the student's folder in the department.

Total Degree Credits: 33

Additional Degree Requirements

  1. A Foreign Language Reading Proficiency Test (An intermediate-level reading/translation test in a foreign language of the student's choice; the student may use a foreign-language dictionary during the test.)
  2. A Comprehensive Examination
    (Taken after course work is completed)

Admissions Requirements

An undergraduate major in English, with at least twenty-four credit hours in the discipline, is generally required for admission to this program. Students with deficient academic backgrounds are sometimes accepted into the program with the stipulation that these deficiencies be made up before work actually credited to the degree program begins. Applicants to the M.A. program are also required to take the GRE General Test. The GRE subject test is not required.

Last Modified: April 17, 2008