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2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
English, M.S.
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The requirements for the Master of Arts and Master of Science with a major in English are identical except that the M.A. requires students to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language and the M.S. does not.
Under each of the options, no more than 12 semester hours of dual-listed and 4000-level classes will apply to the degree. Of the 12 hours, no more than 6 hours will be 4000-level.
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Option 1: Scholarly Thesis Track
30 semester hours of approved graduate English courses including:
Research - Choose 3 hours from
Culminating project - 6 hours
Thesis Guidelines
The thesis will be prepared according to the general guidelines designated by the Graduate School. In addition, students must complete three stages in the thesis process: (1) select Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) and receive their approval on the student’s written project description, (2) enroll in ENGL 6983 and complete the thesis research written proposal and have it approved by the GAC, and (3) enroll in ENGL 6993 and successfully complete the thesis and deliver a final presentation.
1. Select Graduate Advisory Committee
Prior to registering for ENGL 6983 , the student will form a committee of no fewer than three graduate faculty members to guide the project. The student must obtain members’ signatures on the Graduate Advisory Committee form and on the student’s written project description and submit both documents to the Graduate Coordinator. Once this paperwork is received, the student will be considered a candidate for the degree and may register for ENGL 6983 .
2. Enroll in ENGL 6983: Prepare Reading List, Thesis Project Proposal, and Thesis Outline
- During the first semester of thesis work, the student will consult with the GAC, prepare a Reading List approved by the GAC, and submit a written Thesis Project Proposal. This proposal must be presented by week 10 and include the following sections:
- Description of the research question
- Review of literature pertaining to the research question
- Once the GAC has approved the Thesis Project Proposal, the student will prepare a Thesis Outline for the committee’s review. Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements (having prepared the Reading List, Thesis Project Proposal and Thesis Outline), the student will be permitted to begin work on the thesis.
- Failure to complete the requirements for the ENGL 6983 will make the student ineligible to enroll in ENGL 6993 . Under these circumstances, no creits will be granted for ENGL 6983 and the transcript grade will remain “X” which will not influence the student’s graduate GPA. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Department Chair.
- Students may not complete requirement for ENGL 6983 in the same semester in which they present their theses.
3. Enroll in ENGL 6993: Final Presentation of the Thesis
- Documentation and title in these will be formatted according to the requirements of the Graduate School and the current editions of either the MLA Handbook [for Writers of Research Papers] or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, based on GAC approval, and the writing will reflect the conventions of edited American English.
- Depending on when graduation is planned, the student will be expected to deliver a reading copy of a thesis to the GAC by the end of the fifth week within any long semester or six weeks prior to Summer II finals for an August graduation. Individual members of the GAC will hold the copy for consideration no longer than seven school days. Students presenting theses for reading will make sure that the delivery dates are known in advance and that deliveries of thesis copies are acknowledged by GAC members. Students will be expected to make appropriate revisions and submit a final copy of the thesis to the GAC and the thesis will be approved before the presentation is given.
- While preparing the thesis, the students also will schedule the Final Presentation, which must take place at least one week prior to the final day to submit theses to Graduate School. The Final Presentation will be held only if the thesis has been approved by the GAC. The presentation will be open to the university community: faculty members besides the committee and students will be invited to attend. The advisor will notify the university community of the time and place of the presentation. The presentation will be held in a classroom or conference room in the department and should run no longer than 90 minutes: approximately 30 to 45 minutes for the student’s presentation and the remaining time for questions. Students should have a prepared presentation that explains their topic, the research and/or data gathering process, the method of analyses, the theoretical perspectives, findings, and conclusion. The GAC chair will act as the moderator of the presentation. When the questioning has run its course, the chair will excuse everyone except members of the GAC, who will evaluate the student’s presentation.
Option 2: Creative Thesis Track
30 semester hours of approved graduate English courses including:
Research - Choose 3 hours from
Culminating project - 6 hours
Thesis Guidelines
The thesis will be prepared according to the general guidelines designated by the Graduate School. In addition, students must complete three stages in the thesis process: (1) receive approval by the Graduate Creative Writing Faculty to pursue a creative thesis, select Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC), and receive their approval of the student’s written project description; (2) enroll in ENGL 6983 and prepare a reading list; and (3) enroll in ENGL 6993 and successfully complete the thesis and deliver a final presentation.
1. Receive Approval from Graduate Writing Faculty and Select Graduate Advisory Committee
Prior to registering for ENGL 6983 , the student must receive approval from the Graduate Creative Writing Faculty to pursue a creative thesis and form a committee of no fewer than three graduate faculty members to guide the project. The student must obtain members’ signatures on the Graduate Advisory Committee form and on the student’s written project description and submit both documents to the Graduate Coordinator. Once this paperwork is received, the student will be considered a candidate for the degree and may register for ENGL 6983 .
2. Enroll in ENGL 6983: Prepare Reading List, Thesis Project Proposal, and Thesis Outline
- During the first semester of thesis work, the student will consult with the GAC, prepare a Reading List approved by the GAC to support the critical preface, and submit a written Thesis Project Proposal. This proposal must be presented by week 10 and include a ten-page justification of the critical and contextual merit of the project. This description will serve as the basis for the required critical preface to the creative-writing thesis.
- Once the GAC has approved the Thesis Project Proposal, the student will prepare a Thesis Outline for the committee’s review. Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements (having prepared the Thesis Project Proposal and Thesis Outline), the student will be permitted to begin work on the thesis.
- Failure to complete the requirements for ENGL 6983 will make the student ineligible to enroll in ENGL 6993. Under these circumstances, no credits will be granted for ENGL 6983 and the transcript grade will remain “X” which will not influence the student’s graduate GPA. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Department Chair.
- Students may not complete requirements for ENGL 6983 in the same semester in which they present their theses.
3. Enroll in ENGL 6993: Final Presentation of the Thesis
- Documentation and titles in theses will be formatted according to the requirements of the Graduate School and the current edition of the MLA Handbook [for Writers of Research Papers], and the writing will reflect the conventions of edited American English.
- Depending on when graduation is planned, the student will be expected to deliver a reading copy of a thesis to the GAC by the end of the fifth week within any long semester or six weeks prior to Summer II finals for an August graduation. Individual members of the GAC will hold the copy for consideration no longer than seven school days. Students presenting theses for reading will make sure that the delivery dates are known in advance and that deliveries of thesis copies are acknowledged by GAC members. Students will be expected to make appropriate revisions and submit a final copy of the thesis to the GAC-and the thesis will be approved-before the presentation is given.
- While preparing the thesis, students also will schedule the Final Presentation, which must take place at least one week prior to the final day to submit theses to the Graduate School. The Final Presentation will be held only if the thesis has been approved by the GAC. The presentation will be open to the university community: faculty members besides the committee and students will be invited to attend. The advisor will notify the university community of the time and place of the presentation. The presentation will be held in a classroom or conference room in the department and should run no longer than 90 minutes: approximately 30 to 45 minutes for the student’s presentation and the remaining time for questions. Students will have prepared a presentation that describes the creative thesis and the critical and contextual merit of the project and includes a reading from the creative work. The GAC chair will act as the moderator of the presentation. When the questioning has run its course, the chair will excuse everyone except members of the GAC, who will evaluate the student’s presentation.
Option 3: Professional Development Track (Non-Thesis)
For the Professional Development track culminating project, students must select to complete either the Non-Thesis Applied Project or the Comprehensive Written Exam. This option is recommended for those who do not intend to pursue graduate studies beyond the master’s level and/or desire to establish credentials in an additional field.
Required: 30 semester hours of approved graduate English courses or 24 hours of graduate English courses and 6 hours of approved graduate courses outside of the English Department.
Required courses include:
Research - Choose 3 hours from:
Culminating project - 3 hours
* ENGL 6963: Non-Thesis Applied Project
- Select Graduate Advisory Committee
Prior to registering for ENGL 6963 , the student will select a graduate faculty member to serve as the applied project director. The student must obtain faculty member’s signatures on the Faculty Applied Project form and submit the form to the Graduate Coordinator. Once this paperwork is received, the student will be considered a candidate for the degree and may register for ENGL 6963 .
- Enroll in ENGL 6963 and successfully complete the applied project.
** ENGL 6973: Comprehensive Written Examination
- Select Graduate Advisory Committee
Prior to registering for ENGL 6973 , the student will form a committee of no fewer than three graduate faculty members to guide the design of the final comprehensive written examination. The student must obtain members’ signatures on the Graduate Advisory Committee form and submit the form to the Graduate Coordinator. Once this paperwork is received, the student will be considered a candidate for the degree and may register for ENGL 6973 .
- Enroll in ENGL 6973 - Comprehensive Written Examination
In the final semester before graduation, a student pursuing the PDT will enroll in ENGL 6973 . Under the direction of the student’s GAC chair, the student will conduct a concentrated study of selected literary periods, critical or theoretical approaches, and writing disciplines in preparation for completing a three-question, take-home, comprehensive written exam. In the first week of the semester, the student will work with the GAC to identify and select the three reading concentration areas on which the three questions will be based. The readings will be selected from the following areas:
- World Literature
- British Literature
- American Literature
- Composition Pedagogy and Practice
- Rhetoric and Language
- Professional and Technical Writing
- Successfully Complete the Comprehensive Written Examination
- In the second week of class, the GAC will provide the student a three-question examination. The student must complete and submit the examination to the GAC by the tenth week of class. Each question response must contain a minimum of 1,250 words. Documentation will be formatted according to the current edition of the MLA Handbook [for Writers of Research Papers] or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, pending GAC approval, and the writing will reflect the conventions of edited American English. Students may consult references and notes, but they may not have their exams edited or proofread by a third party.
- One week after the completed exam has been submitted for grading, the student will meet with the GAC to discuss the exam results. Each question response will be graded separately. To satisfy the Comprehensive Written Examination requirement, a student must receive a grade of C or better for each of the three question responses.
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