2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
English
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 Return to: Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences
David Rankin
Chair, English Department
Robert Johnson
Graduate Coordinator
| Graduate Faculty: |
Fields, Garrison, Giddings, Giles, Henschel, Johnson, Lodge, Nivens, Rankin, Schulze |
| Emeriti Faculty: |
Carpenter, Galbraith, Hoffman, J. Hoggard, L. Hoggard, Olson, Rogers, Smith, Taylor, Whitlock |
Mission Statement
MSU’s English program offers study leading to the Master of Arts degree. The curriculum is founded on courses in the periods, genres, and major figures of American, British, and world literatures, composition pedagogy and practice, rhetoric and language, and professional and technical communication. Students completing the program will be academically prepared both to teach and to continue their scholarly pursuits. Recent MSU graduates have used their MA degrees to establish careers in the arts, business, communications, education, government, law, and publishing, as well as writing.
Additional Information for English Majors
- Admission: See “Admission to the Graduate School ” for general requirements. As “competitive score on the standardized graduate test,” the Department of English requires that candidates submit scores from the GRE General Test.
An application for admission to the Midwestern State University Graduate Program is available on the web site at http://www.mwsu.edu.
Normally, applicants accepted into the graduate program in English will have been granted an undergraduate degree with an English major, will have completed at least 12 upper-division semester hours in English, and will have earned a B average in completed English courses. The graduate program in English generally will not admit applicants who do not demonstrate this background, or will assign leveling work as described in the section “Admission to the Graduate School.” Each applicant to the graduate program in English will provide the Graduate Coordinator with a recent academic essay to be used to evaluate writing ability. The essay will be submitted both on paper and as an electronically stored file.
In some cases, an applicant who has earned a master’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education may be accepted into the program on the basis of that degree. Determination of acceptance-and of conditions, if any-will be made by the Graduate Coordinator.
- Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Assistantships
Qualified graduate students are eligible for consideration as Teaching Assistants or Graduate Assistants.
- Teaching Assistantships
A graduate student must have at least 18 hours of graduate English courses to become a Teaching Assistant. Teaching Assistants normally will take 6 hours of English courses each term and will teach 6 hours of English courses each term.
- Graduate Assistantships
- Full-Time. Graduate Assistants are in training to be Teaching Assistants. They will register for 9 hours each term. They will take 6 hours of regular courses, will take ENGL 5013 - Introduction to Composition Studies in fall and ENGL 5023 - Teaching College English in spring (usually while observing in an approved composition course), and will have one assignment of other duties, working as
- Staff in the Writing Center or the Computer Writing Lab,
- Research Assistant, or
- Teacher’s Aide
Graduate Assistants normally will earn 18 hours the first year and be considered for a Teaching Assistantship for the second year.
- Part-Time. Graduate Assistantships can be awarded on a half-time and a quarter-time basis. Course load and duties also are reduced. Part-time Graduate Assistants normally will not be considered for Teaching Assistantships.
- Course Requirements
A maximum of 6 hours of approved 4000-level courses that have been taken for graduate credit will be accepted. Those 4000-level courses that are eligible for graduate credit are listed in the Course Description section of this catalog. No 1000-, 2000-, or 3000-level courses may be taken for graduate credit.
A student registering in undergraduate 4000-level courses for graduate credit must complete additional requirements above those made of undergraduate students in the same courses. Extra reference reading, assignments of an investigative or research type, and research papers are examples of additional requirements.
A student who has chosen Option 1 or Option 2 may apply 6 semester hours of approved independent graduate study courses in English toward the degree. A student who has chosen Option 3 may apply 9 semester hours of approved independent graduate study courses in English toward the degree. In each case, as noted above, no more than 12 hours of cross-listed or 4000-level class work will be counted; of the 12, no more than 6 can be from 4000-level work.
A course taken for undergraduate credit cannot be counted for graduate credit, regardless of the status of the student at the time the course was taken. In addition, a student may not repeat for graduate credit a course for which she or he has received undergraduate credit.
- Admission to Candidacy
After the student has completed 9 graduate hours toward the degree with a B average or better and when the members of the Graduate Advisory Committee have been approved by the Graduate Coordinator, the Coordinator will notify the student that he or she has been admitted to candidacy for the master’s degree.
- Foreign Language Requirement
A candidate for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in English must give evidence of having completed 4 semesters, or the equivalent, of 1 foreign language. The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a reading knowledge examination offered by the MSU foreign language department.
Procedure for taking the reading knowledge examination is as follows: The student contacts the foreign language department to make arrangements and then selects a book of 200 or more pages. The text - in French, German, or Spanish - should be relevant to the student’s field of study. At least 2 days prior to the scheduled exam, the candidate should present this book to the examiner, who will select 3-5 pages, depending on the size of the print. The student is allowed up to 2 ½ hours and the use of a dictionary to complete his or her translation. No letter grade will be assigned. If the candidate passes, the Foreign Language Office will send written notification to the student’s advisor and the registrar. The student may request a copy from the college files. The foreign language requirement helps prepare graduates to access literature and criticism in languages other than English. Candidates who lack an established background in a foreign language, thus, are advised to enter traditional language classes rather than to register for the reading knowledge examination, preparation for which demands extensive independent study.
If unsuccessful in passing the reading knowledge examination, the candidate immediately should contact the grader to discuss how best to move forward. Moreover, candidates may not apply for re-examination until the semester following the initial attempt. The second attempt must engage different materials, and, before the second attempt is arranged, the candidate must present the Graduate Coordinator evidence of additional preparation.
After a second unsuccessful attempt at passing the reading knowledge examination, the candidate will make arrangements to take the CLEP test in the chosen language. Results of the test will be used to place the candidate in language courses at an appropriate level. Starting at that suggested level, the candidate will complete the requirement by continuing study until the equivalent of 4 semesters’ credit in one language has been earned. Students should be aware that the registration fee for the CLEP is substantial and that results of the test will not necessarily award credit. Moreover, preparation for the CLEP, as for the reading knowledge examination, will demand serious study.
- Reading List for Master’s Candidates
All candidates for the master’s degree in English will be expected to be familiar with works on the “Reading List for Master’s Candidates” compiled by the English graduate faculty. Students will be responsible for reading these works either in classes or on their own and for being able to incorporate the readings into their own Reading Lists for completion of a Scholarly or Creative Thesis, or for completion of the Professional Track Comprehensive Written Examination.
- Thesis and Final Presentation Requirement
The thesis will be prepared according to the general guidelines offered in the Graduate School but with qualifications outlined in the following:
Option 1: Scholarly Thesis Track
Option 2: Creative Thesis Track
- Comprehensive Written Exam
Students who choose Option 3: Professional Development Track are required to take a comprehensive written exam as outlined in the following:
Option 3: Professional Development Track (Non-Thesis)
- Certificate Programs
Students who have completed a Bachelor’s-level degree and who wish to complement completed university studies with focused additional preparation can apply for one of the certificate programs of study in English (English Graduate Certificates ). Each certificate is offered for the completion of 9 hours of graduate level work. Participants in a certificate program do not have to be accepted into the English graduate program, but (with application and acceptance) can apply to have completed hours transferred into the English graduate program or the Education department’s graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction, where the hours can be used toward the listed “minor” in English.
Distinguished Professorship
Perkins-Prothro Distinguished Professorship of English
The Perkins-Prothro Distinguished Professorship of English was established in 2001 by the Perkins-Prothro Foundation to recognize truly outstanding scholarship in the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Programs and Courses
ProgramsMajorGraduate MinorGraduate CertificateCoursesEnglish
ENGL 4543, 4643, 4893, 4903, and 4923 are undergraduate courses which may be taken for graduate credit with permission (see Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions). For additional information, see Graduate Credit for 3000-4000 Level Courses .
Return to: Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences
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