English (MA)
Admission Requirements
MA with Graduate Teaching Assistant application:
- Fall Semester only: Due January 5
MA without Graduate Teaching Assistant application:
- Fall Semester: Due July 15
- Spring Semester: Due December 1
- Summer Semester: Due April 15
All applicants should submit:
- Online Graduate Application (including application fee).
- A current CV or resume. For applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (Fall admission only), the CV should detail your teaching and/or tutoring experience and other relevant background or training. It should also include the contact information for two persons who can comment on your teaching performance and/or potential.
- Complete official transcripts of all college level work. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate School directly from the previous institution or transcript service. International applicants with transcripts that are not in English, in addition to submitting official copies of native language records, must also submit a notarized, verbatim translation in English prepared by an appropriate university or government official. The records must show both the degree granted and all coursework taken during the course of study. Applicants who are submitting transcripts from outside the United States must verify their records by submitting them to one of the following organizations: World Education Services (WES)(www.wes.org), Educational Credential Evaluators (www.ece.org), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), and other NACES approved evaluators found here: www.naces.org/members.
- Two academic letters of recommendation. Letters from employers and personal references are not acceptable. The reference should speak to the prospective student's ability to succeed in their graduate studies. Discursive letters must be attached to the PDF form.
- A personal statement (1000 words max.) describing your areas of interest within English studies, your future academic/career plans, and your reasons for applying to our MA program. Applicants wishing to be considered for a GTA position should add a statement (500-1000 words) describing how they would approach teaching in general and teaching writing in particular.
- A writing sample (ca. 10 pages) that demonstrates your skills in critical and analytical writing. For example, this can be a substantial analysis paper or research paper written for an (under)graduate course, or a chapter from a Bachelor's or Honors thesis.
- For applicants intending to focus on creative writing: A creative writing sample, in addition to the critical/analytical writing sample.
- For international students: Official reports of the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo examination demonstrating English language proficiency. All applicants for whom English is a second language must submit one of the following: official TOEFL scores (213 or higher on the computer based test or 80 or higher on the internet-based test); official IELTS scores with at least a 6.5 overall band score from the academic module exam; or official Duolingo scores of 105 or higher. Only official Duolingo tests with subscores are accepted. Applicants holding a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited U.S. institution may be exempt from the English proficiency requirement.
Special notes:
- GRE test scores are not required.
- To be considered for a GTA position, see deadline information above.
Program Requirements
The Master of Arts in English requires 30 credit hours of academic work at the graduate level. In addition to fulfilling the core requirements, students may take additional work in literary studies, creative writing, or rhetoric and composition. Students may take no more than three 500-level graduate courses. Creative writing courses (including up to six (6) credit hours of thesis guidance) may total no more than 15 credit hours. Students may count one elective outside the Department of English toward their degree upon approval by the director of graduate studies. Detailed requirement information can be found in the English Department Graduate Program Guidelines.
- Thesis Option = 24 credit hours of coursework + six (6) credit hours of thesis guidance
- Non-Thesis Option = 30 credit hours of coursework + culminating project
Graduate-level English courses beyond those listed may count towards requirements depending on the topics covered. Detailed course descriptions, available on the English Department website, will provide this information and can be discussed during advising with the director of graduate studies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| General Requirements | 3 | |
| Introduction to English Studies | ||
| Theory Requirement | 3 | |
| Contemporary Theories of Interpretation | ||
or ENGL 692 | Topics in Interpretive Theory Since 1900 | |
| Literature before 1700 (3 Credit Hours) | 3 | |
| Introduction to Old English | ||
or ENGL 541 | Studies in Old and Middle English Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 542 | Studies in Tudor and Elizabethan Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 543 | Studies in Stuart and Commonwealth Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 561 | Chaucer - CUE | |
or ENGL 562 | Shakespeare - CUE | |
or ENGL 563 | Milton - CUE | |
or ENGL 572 | Studies in American Literature, 1865-1910 - CUE | |
or ENGL 581 | Studies in Renaissance Drama - CUE | |
or ENGL 624 | Old English and Middle English Language and Literature | |
or ENGL 631 | Renaissance Drama | |
or ENGL 632 | Shakespeare | |
or ENGL 633 | Renaissance Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 671 | History of Rhetoric I | |
| Literature from 1700-1900 (3 Credit Hours) | 3 | |
| Studies in British Literature of the Romantic Period - CUE | ||
or ENGL 544 | Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 545 | Studies in British Literature of the Romantic Period - CUE | |
or ENGL 546 | Studies in British Literature of the Victorian Period - CUE | |
or ENGL 642 | Eighteenth-Century Fiction | |
or ENGL 643 | Eighteenth-Century Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 644 | Romantic Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 651 | Nineteenth-Century Fiction | |
or ENGL 652 | Nineteenth-Century British Poetry and Prose | |
or ENGL 661 | Nineteenth-Century American Fiction | |
or ENGL 662 | Nineteenth-Century American Poetry and Prose | |
| Literature After 1900 (3 Credit Hours) | 3 | |
| Studies in Modern British and/or Irish Literature - CUE | ||
or ENGL 548 | Studies in Contemporary British and/or Irish Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 549 | Studies in Post-Colonial and/or Ethnic Literature - CUE | |
or ENGL 573 | Studies in American Literature, 1910-1960 - CUE | |
or ENGL 574 | Studies in American Literature, 1960 - CUE | |
or ENGL 577 | The Harlem Renaissance - CUE | |
or ENGL 606 | Creative Writing I | |
or ENGL 607 | Creative Writing II | |
or ENGL 654 | Twentieth-Century Literature | |
or ENGL 664 | American Authors: 1900-Present | |
or ENGL 665 | Contemporary Poetry | |
or ENGL 685 | Seminar in Modern British Studies | |
or ENGL 686 | Seminar in American Studies | |
| Electives (15 Credit Hours) | 15 | |
| One elective may be taken outside of the department. Students pursuing the thesis option take ENGL 615: Thesis Guidance (6 credit hours), which takes the place of two electives. | ||
| Minimum Total Hours | 30 | |
