Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2016-2017 
    
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

English, Composition and Rhetoric Concentration, MA


This concentration within the MA in English provides students the opportunity for research and advanced study in the field of composition and rhetoric. Students who seek careers in college or high school teaching or professional writing may find this option particularly beneficial.

Admission Requirements


Once students have completed 12 credits for the MA in English, including ENGL 500 , they may elect a concentration in composition and rhetoric for their electives.

Program of Study


Required courses (18 credits)


Complete the core courses as identified in the English, MA.

Concentration courses (9 credits)


Note: A course taken to fulfill the MA in English core, specifically the course requirement in linguistics/creative writing/composition-rhetoric, can NOT be double-counted for the composition and rhetoric concentration.

Complete three courses, selected from the following:

Exit requirement (6 credits)


Complete one of the following culminating exercises:

Thesis option


Students who choose this option will research and write a thesis, a work of independent scholarship or creative writing. Those who choose to write a thesis should select a thesis director and committee and submit a thesis proposal to the graduate school for approval. The completed thesis must be approved by the thesis director and thesis committee. While a six-credit thesis is the norm, a three-credit thesis may be elected for a project developed out of and expanding prior coursework. If a student chooses a three-credit thesis, then an additional three-credit elective (any 500-level ENGL course) is required to fulfill the exit requirement. Theses in creative writing must also include a 10-15 page essay situating the craft of the creative work in relation to scholarship relevant to the genre, style or thematic concerns.

  • (six-credit thesis; or three-credit thesis, plus one additional three-credit elective in English selected from the list of concentration courses above) The thesis, whether three or six credits, must be in the concentration area.

Non-thesis option


Students who choose not to write a thesis must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Two additional electives (six credits) selected from the list of concentration courses above.
     
  • Electronic submission of portfolio of revised writing produced in course work. Students must submit two research papers of 10-15 pages each and two presentations or projects; concentrators in creative writing should also submit samples of their creative work. The graduate committee will evaluate portfolios to assess if the student has demonstrated proficiency in the skills outlined in the program’s learning outcomes. If the portfolio is deemed inadequate, students will be required to take a three-credit ENGL 503 - Directed Study  to revise the portfolio with faculty mentoring.

Total minimum credits: 33