English Literature

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Deadline: Feb 1, 2025
301–350 place StudyQA ranking:1734 Duration:2 years

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The MA concentration in Literature offers courses on a variety of national, regional, and world literatures and literary periods, along with courses on theory (postcolonial, feminist, cultural, psychoanalytic, etc.), film, linguistics and rhetoric. The program’s distribution requirements, including a required course on research methods, ensure that students acquire a broad understanding of literary history and the tools they need to do independent scholarly work, while the electives enable them to explore widely and then to develop a specialization. At the end of the 33-hour program, students work with an advisor to complete a capstone research project that allows students to delve deeply into a topic of their own choosing and to showcase the knowledge and skills they have acquired through their coursework. 

 

Research Component (6 credit hours)

  • Required in the First Semester:
    ENG 669: Methods and the Profession (3 credits) 

This course initiates students into ways of thinking and practicing in the profession of English studies. We will explore critical traditions, research methods, and emerging approaches to English studies, including literary criticism, theory, global perspectives, rhetoric and composition, film studies, and digital humanities. The course also prepares students to begin formulating their own academic and professional pathways. Students will become familiar with faculty from the department, develop research plans, and discover resources to professionalize along trajectories that include higher education, writing, media, and teaching (This course will be listed in the enrollment system under its previous title, Bibliography and Methods).

  • Final Semester:
    ENG 676: Master's Capstone Project (3 credits)
        See the Capstone Abstract Archive for past topics.

Distribution Requirements (12 credits)

Literature students take one course in each of the following four areas.  Depending on the course content, special topics courses may also be used to satisfy distribution requirements.  Please see the Course Offerings Page.

  • 1 course in British literature before 1660
  • 1 course in British literature after 1660
  • 1 course in American literature
  • 1 course in rhetoric, linguistics, composition, criticism or theory

Literature Electives (9 credits)

  • 3 additional literature courses. Students may elect to explore broadly or to focus their coursework in an area of special interest. 

Open Electives (6 credits)

  • 2 electives. Electives may be chosen from English or from complementary fields of study. TAs may count ENG 624 as an elective.

Global Perspectives Requirement (Co-Requisite)

The Global Perspectives requirement is intended to provide students with a greater understanding of language structure and a globalizing perspective on texts and culture.  Students may fulfill this requirement in one of two ways:

  1. Demonstrate language proficiency by taking a reading exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, enrolling in and passing with a C- or better a 300-400 level course taught in the language (not translation), having an undergraduate major or minor in a foreign language within the past five years, or speaking a language other than English as your first language. The Foreign Language Department offers optional preparatory courses for students planning to take the reading exam: FLS [Spanish] 401, FLF [French] 401, FLG [German] 40

OR

  1. Take a World Literature course or an approved alternative.  This course will typically count toward the degree as a literature or unrestricted elective, but there may be some instances in which the course can fulfill a core requirement.

Students considering doctoral work in literary study are encouraged to consult with their advisor. In some cases, certifying language proficiency via reading exam may help satisfy a doctoral language requirement later on.

The successful applicant to the MA program is typically an undergraduate English major with at least a 3.0 in all courses -- but especially in English courses -- and competitive GRE scores (see below for more information). However, promising students from other undergraduate disciplines are encouraged to apply. Indeed, some excellent graduate students have entered the program with degrees in areas such as Political Science, Accounting, Psychology, Philosophy, and Art History. Typically, there are around 60 MA students in the program.

If your GPA is below 3.0, you may be admitted provisionally if there are significant compensating factors indicating good potential for academic success. These might include, for example, a higher GPA in the major or a higher GPA in your final two years of undergraduate work. If accepted, applicants with a GPA under 3.0 are usually offered provisional admission and are ineligible for teaching assistantships. Students admitted as Provisional must earn a 3.0 or higher in the first nine graded credit hours in order to attain Full Admission status.

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