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Master of Arts Program Requirements

• Complete the following courses within the first two semesters of enrollment (six credits):
  • ENG 801 Introduction to Graduate Studies
  • ENG 802 Literary Criticism and Theory

• Complete an additional 21 credits of graduate coursework in English (or related fields with attention to issues of criticism and theory, literary and cultural history, and multinational or global literary traditions). Master’s students may not enroll in courses in the 820 block until their third semester of graduate study. No more than six credits of coursework outside the department (excluding cross-listed courses) may count towards the degree.

• Among those 21 credits of coursework, students must complete at least one course that covers literature before 1800.

• Demonstrate second-year proficiency at the college level in a language other than English within the first year of enrollment in the program. This may be done by completing coursework through the 200 level, passing an examination of reading comprehension, or completing a 400-level reading course for graduate students in a language other than English.

• Complete either a master’s thesis (a scholarly, publishable article of 30–40 pages in length) or a master’s certifying exam.

Master’s thesis (Plan A): Students enroll in ENG 899 (four credits) and, in consultation with a thesis director, produce either an original thesis or a substantial revision of an earlier paper written for an M.A. course. The goal is to produce a publishable article that, as part of the thesis writing process, will be submitted to a journal.

Master’s certifying exam (Plan B): In their final semester of study, students assemble a portfolio of five papers drawn from coursework in the Master’s program. They then write an integrative, reflective essay that demonstrates their ability to synthesize a broad range of material, identify a coherent issue or set of issues inherent in the coursework, and identify and apply a theoretical argument or perspective. An examination committee of the faculty assesses the portfolio and the reflective essay. The goal is to have students reflect upon and synthesize coursework, as a step toward continuation in a Ph.D. program or as a thoughtful summation in preparation for a career in another professional field of study.

Any substitutions for these requirements must be approved by the chairperson for graduate studies.