Degree Requirements
Master of Arts
A total of thirty semester hours of coursework is required. The department does not admit literature and rhetoric students for a terminal Master of Arts degree. Students are required to complete a master’s report. Details are available from the graduate adviser.
As preparation for the English graduate program, a strong undergraduate background in British and American literature and language is desirable, as well as advanced coursework in related fields.
Master of Fine Arts (in Creative Writing)
The Master of Fine Arts degree is offered in creative writing. Students choose to write either fiction or poetry. A total of thirty-six semester hours of coursework is required during the two-year program of study. As a part of the program of study, students work as teaching assistants for undergraduate literature and creative writing courses. Students complete the MFA degree program with a successful master’s project displaying their talent and craft as fiction writers or poets.
Doctor of Philosophy
To enter the doctoral degree program, all master’s-level students must pass a qualifying review which focuses on their graduate coursework, their master’s report, and their performance as teachers. With the consent of the graduate adviser, students who enter the program with a Master of Arts degree from another university may be eligible for exemption from the review. Students who began their graduate work at the University must pass the review at the end of the spring semester of the second year of graduate study.
After passing the qualifying review, the student completes a minimum of twenty-four hours of additional coursework; specific requirements are available from the graduate adviser. Students who began graduate study at another institution may petition the graduate adviser to transfer applicable credit to the Program of Work. Students advance to candidacy for the doctoral degree after completing their coursework, certifying their foreign language competency, and passing both the field examination and the prospectus examination.