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Nov 24, 2024
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Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.
English, MA
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 Return to: Academic Programs
The Master of Arts degree in English (MA) is designed for students pursuing advanced studies in English. Candidates in this degree program come from varied academic backgrounds. Some simply want to extend their undergraduate background and complete an MA in English, while others are destined for a PhD and a college teaching career. A number of our MA students are already certified teachers in private or public schools and want an advanced degree in English for professional reasons. Finally, a small number simply want to acquire the MA as an end in and of itself.
Admission Requirements
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 based upon four years of course work or a 3.0 undergraduate degree GPA based upon work completed in their junior and senior years
- A composite score of 290 or greater on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken on or after August 1, 2011 or a composite score of 900 or greater on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken before August 1, 2011.
- Three appropriate letters of recommendation
- An undergraduate major in English, with at least 24 credits 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.
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
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Degree Requirements
Thirty-three credits at the 500-level distributed as follows: 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 (six 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 ENGL 502 Research (six 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:
- Students must enroll in two additional three-credit 500-level elective courses in literature and/or writing (total 6 credits).
- 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.
Additional Degree Requirements
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.)
A Comprehensive Examination (taken after course work is completed) Total minimum credits: 33
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