Admission Requirements
Applicants normally are expected to have at least a 3.0 grade-point
average in English from an accredited institution and a verbal
score of 600 or more on the Graduate Record Examination. The
GRE Subject Test in Literature in English is recommended but
not required. Candidates who did not major in English as undergraduates
are considered for admission, but may be required to complete
up to 39 hours for the degree, depending on the level of the
preparation or GRE Subject Test score. Applicants should submit
a 10-20 page writing sample of literary analysis. Those wishing
to be considered for Teaching Assistantships should also include
a statement about their philosophy of teaching and their teaching
experience, if any. Intermediate proficiency in a second language
is a requirement for admission that may, at the discretion of
the admissions committee, be completed within the first year
of study.
Degree Requirements
The M.A. in English is normally a 30-hour degree. The thesis
option involves 24 hours of literature courses and 6 of thesis;
those pursuing the non-thesis option take 30 credit hours of
literature courses. Graduate Teaching Assistants in the department
are also required to take ENG 693, Teaching College Composition
during their first semester of teaching. A six-hour comprehensive
written examination, graded "Pass" or "Fail" is
required of all M.A. candidates. Based on the Department's M.A.
Reading List, the written examination is offered twice each year,
in spring and fall. Thesis candidates also do a one-hour defense
of their thesis.
For financial aid information, please click here.
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