The Master of Arts in English provides post-baccalaureate students with study in the theory and practice of English. It is intended to prepare students for professional advancement and for further study in either literature or writing. The program provides opportunity for the study of literary texts as well as related study and practice of writing, theory, and methods. A required internship offers students their choice for experiential learning within the context of an undergraduate literature course, or within the context of an undergraduate writing course; students may also identify an internship with an external employer. All students present a portfolio of written work, and complete a written comprehensive exam over selected work taken in the program. Additionally, students have the opportunity to practice modes of creative writing via intensive poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting workshops.

Because the master’s program is predicated upon the complementary relationship between theory and practice in the study of English, the program requires ENG 500 Theory and Practice of English, a course in theory, two literature classes, and an internship. Students not only will become familiar with the aesthetic, formal, and theoretical underpinnings of the field, but also will learn how to address their audiences by means of professional discourse. In this way, the program enriches students’ professional lives and enhances their uses of the discipline in the classroom and the workplace.

Special Admission Requirements

In addition to the admission requirements of Graduate Education, the applicant shall present the following material with the application:

1. An essay of under 1500 words stating what the applicant expects to achieve from the study of English (literature or writing) at the master’s level.
2. A writing sample (professional, critical, creative) that the applicant deems to be representative of the quality of his or her work. The sample may be an undergraduate paper, professional work, or work prepared for personal use. (The sample will not be returned. Submit a copy.)
3. Two letters of recommendation from references whose discipline is English literature or writing or from employers who have experience in the field of literature or writing. For those applicants who no longer have contact with either, the recommendations should be from those who can comment on the applicant’s ability to benefit from a graduate program in English.

Programs of Study

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
ENG 500	Theory and Practice of English	3.0
Select one of the following:		3.0
ENG 550	Language Theory
ENG 560	Writing Theory
ENG 570	Contemporary Literary Criticism
ENG 580	Theories and Methods of Teaching Composition
ENG 630	American Periods	3.0
ENG 640	English Periods	3.0
ENG 690	Internship in Literature	3.0
or ENG 691	Internship in Writing
Electives
Select 15 hours of the following literature, writing, theory, or independent study electives:		15.0
ENG 503	Intensive Creative Nonfiction Workshop
ENG 506	Writing in the Professions
ENG 507	Intensive Poetry Workshop
ENG 508	Intensive Fiction Workshop
ENG 509	Intensive Screenwriting Workshop
ENG 550	Language Theory
ENG 560	Writing Theory
ENG 570	Contemporary Literary Criticism
ENG 580	Theories and Methods of Teaching Composition
ENG 650	Selected Authors
ENG 660
ENG 680	Advanced Topics in Writing
ENG 695	Independent Study
Total Hours		30