English, M.A.

Admission Requirements (in addition to those listed for all graduate students)

To be considered for the program, applicants for the Master of Arts in English must have the following:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A minimum of 12 upper-division hours in English, with a 3.0 GPA in all undergraduate English courses.
   
   Additionally, students must have, or must be willing to pursue:
    
3. A reading proficiency in a foreign language approved by the School of Languages and Literature. The proficiency may be met by the prior successful completion of a minimum of 9 hours (generally three consecutive courses) in one approved foreign language, or it may be met within the first year of enrollment through undergraduate leveling courses equal to 9 hours in one approved foreign language. (See current catalog for a general explanation of Leveling Courses for graduate programs.)

Final admission to the program requires the Dean of Languages and Literature’s approval, which is based upon:

1. Prior academic or undergraduate performance:
   
   1. Cumulative GPA
   2. GPA in all coursework in English
2. Writing sample
3. Two academic letters of recommendation

Thesis Track (37 hours total, 6 must be thesis hours)

The thesis hours require a student to demonstrate the ability to do independent research. A committee of three full-time English professors, selected by the student and approved by the Dean of the School, will supervise the thesis. One member of the committee will serve as the student’s chair or advisor throughout the thesis process. Once the student begins work on the thesis, continuous enrollment in thesis hours must be maintained until completion of the Thesis. (However, summer enrollment is required only if the student anticipates working on or completing the thesis in the summer term.) Near the completion of the thesis, the student must successfully present and support it before committee members, and then publicly present it to the University audience.

Non-Thesis Track (37 hours total)

In lieu of writing a thesis, students may choose to complete two additional courses.

Comprehensive Exam (1 hour)

Students in both tracks, thesis and non-thesis, must complete a comprehensive exam one or two semesters prior to the completion of course work. The exam requires students to familiarize themselves with specific texts from the current reading list and write responses to those texts. A committee of three full-time English professors, selected by the Dean of the School and approved by the full-time faculty, read and evaluate all comprehensive exams completed in a semester.

Results of the comprehensive exam fall into three categories:

1. Pass with Distinction - student demonstrates outstanding mastery of material
2. Pass - student demonstrates mastery of material
3. Fail - student does not demonstrate mastery of material

*Students who fail the comprehensive exam on the first attempt may attempt the exam a second time in the next four terms. No student will be allowed to repeat an examination more than once without taking additional course work.

Transfer Credit

Up to 12 hours of approved graduate credit from an accredited college or university may satisfy degree requirements. To attempt transfer credit from other institutions, a student must submit an official transcript of the courses to be considered, and may also be required to submit a catalog description and course syllabus from the institution where the course was taken. The dean of the school and the vice president for external campuses and graduate services must approve transfer credit.

Course Requirements

The Master of Arts in English requires a total of 37 hours; once a student selects a desired track - thesis option or non-thesis option - he or she can fulfill the necessary hours by successfully completing the following: