Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
English forms the cornerstone of the humanities. Among various courses in literature, writing, and the English language, students find a source of personal enrichment as they develop verbal, analytic, and cultural skills readily adaptable to a variety of careers. Most professions, while expecting new employees to be familiar with their specific fields, stress the ability of their employees to read, write, and speak efficiently. Similarly, professional schools are interested in the student who reads, writes, and speaks well. Brochures from medical and law schools, for example, reflect an increasing awareness of the importance of an English background for future physicians and attorneys.
English students learn to write with precision, to read and analyze texts with accuracy, to conduct research and organize a welter of materials, to speak and listen well, and to sharpen their critical thinking and critical inquiry skills. These skills are highly valued by prospective employers.
The Master's program in English prepares students for doctoral work, improves the professional competence of public school teachers, readies promising scholars for college teaching, advances the skills of creative and professional writers, and generally trains students whose careers require advanced verbal and analytical abilities.
Admission
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in English must supply the following materials directly to the Office of Graduate Studies:
- An application for admission with the application fee.
- Official transcripts of all college-level work, including one that shows conferral of the undergraduate degree. The student must have completed at least twelve hours of upper-division English courses with a 3.0 GPA or better. (Students with credentials from foreign universities must have their transcripts reviewed by a transcript evaluation service.)
- Official scores for the GRE General Test. (The subject test in English is not required.)
- Three letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s potential for success in an English graduate program.
- A scholarly/critical writing sample of a minimum of ten pages. Students wishing to pursue a creative writing emphasis may submit a creative portfolio as a supplement to the scholarly/critical writing sample.
- International applicants only: Official TOEFL scores.
The English MA Program welcomes qualified international applicants; however, an individual who does not hold American citizenship must be accepted under regular admission status, without qualifications.
A holistic review of each applicant's file will be completed, and admission will be granted on a competitive basis.
Degree Requirements
Beginning the Program
All English MA students must satisfy the following requirements before filing
an official degree plan and being admitted to degree candidacy:
- Complete ENG 697 <ENGL 5330> Graduate Research: Methods and Theories, earning at
least a B.
(A student should complete ENG 697 <ENGL 5330> during the first semester of graduate work, if possible, but in any event must complete the course by the end of the second long-term semester for which he or she is enrolled.) - Complete the Block 1 requirement.
- Complete six additional hours of graduate coursework.
- Maintain a B average or better for the twelve hours completed.
After meeting these requirements, the student submits a Declaration of Major form, thereby officially establishing a degree plan.
Completing the Program
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To earn the MA in English, students must complete a minimum of thirty-six hours of graduate credit in accordance with one of three degree plans.
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Students must take at least one course from each of five blocks; included among the total classes must be at least one course each in British and American literatures.
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All students are required to take ENG 697 <ENGL 5330> Graduate Research: Methods and Theories at the first opportunity.
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Thesis students complete a two-semester thesis sequence (ENG 698 <ENGL 6398> and
ENG 699 <ENGL 6399>). -
All MA students must pass the English program’s written comprehensive examination (offered in October, February, and June of each year) and an oral defense of a designated portion of their graduate work; the oral defense covers either the areas chosen for the written examination or, in the case of thesis students, the thesis. Students must be enrolled in the University for the terms in which the written comprehensive and oral examinations are administered.
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A student may take ENG 539 <ENGL 5339> Directed Study of Selected Topics in Literature and Language twice, with pre-approval by the Department Chair. A student may take one 400-level <4000-level> English course for graduate credit, with pre-approval by the Department Chair and Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. See the Graduate English Handbook for guidelines and restrictions.
A graduate student in English may pursue one of three degree plans. Plan 1 requires a thesis; Plans 2 and 3 do not require a thesis.
Plan 1 – MA in English (Thesis)
This degree plan is designed for prospective junior and senior college teachers; for students who plan to continue their studies at a doctoral level; and for teachers of high school English who wish to increase scope, depth, and expertise in their teaching specialties. There is no secondary field under Plan 1, and the student must write a thesis. Under this plan, students take 30 hours of coursework and 6 hours of thesis. Students may pursue a creative writing emphasis, which requires an internship with the Texas Review Press, two creative writing workshops, and a creative thesis.
Plan 2 – MA in English (Non-thesis)
This degree plan is designed for prospective junior and senior college teachers; for students who plan to continue their studies at a doctoral level; and for teachers of high school English who wish to increase scope, depth, and expertise in their teaching specialties. There is no secondary field under Plan 2, and no thesis is required. Under this plan, students take 36 hours of coursework. Students may pursue a creative writing emphasis, which requires an internship with the Texas Review Press, two creative writing workshops, and a creative thesis.
Plan 3 – MA in English (Non-thesis)
Designed for teachers who need preparation in two teaching fields, this degree plan requires twenty-four semester hours of English and twelve hours in a second, approved field. The secondary field must logically support the major and must be chosen from departments offering graduate-level courses, such as the Departments of History, Political Science, or, in the case of public school teachers, the College of Education.
| Notes: |
| 1 | Courses must be selected from at least three different blocks. |
Courses
The English graduate curriculum is organized into five blocks, each comprising courses with shared topics or historical kinship; the student takes at least one class from each block.