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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

The graduate program in English is designed to train students in preparation for doctoral work in university graduate schools, to improve the professional competence of public school teachers, to prepare promising scholars for college teaching, to advance the skills of creative writers, and generally to train students whose careers require advanced verbal and analytical abilities.

Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission to the graduate program in English must meet the following requirements:

1. Submit a Graduate Studies Application for Admission with the application fee to Graduate Studies.
2. Submit official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred.
3. Submit GRE scores.
4. Submit three letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s suitability for graduate study.
5. Submit a scholarly/critical writing sample with a minimum of ten pages; students wishing to pursue a creative writing emphasis may submit a creative portfolio as a supplement to the scholarly/critical writing sample.
6. An applicant must have completed at least twelve hours of upper-division English courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

A holistic review of each student’s application fi le will be completed on a competitive basis.

The English graduate curriculum is organized into five blocks containing thirteen areas of study:

There are three additional curriculum courses: Methods of Research and Bibliography (ENG 697); Thesis Sequence (ENG 698 and ENG 699); and Directed Study of Selected Topics (ENG 539).

Students are required to take Methods of Research and Bibliography(ENG 697)and at least one course each in British and American Literature.

A student may take one 400-level English course for graduate credit, with pre-approval by the Departmental Chair. The student may take a Directed Study of Selected Topics (ENG 539) up to two times, with pre-approval by the Department Chair. See the Graduate English Handbook for guidelines and restrictions.

Degree Requirements

A student majoring in English may choose from three degree programs: Master of Arts, Plan I; Master of Arts, Plan II; and the Master of Education, Plan II (which is administered by the College of Education). PLEASE NOTE: Plan I may be thesis or non-thesis; Plan II and Master of Education Plan II are non-thesis degrees only.

All MA students must complete four steps before being admitted to candidacy and filing an official degree plan:

1. Must complete Methods of Research and Bibliography (ENG 698). The student should complete ENG 698 during the fi rst semester of graduate work, if possible, but in any event must complete the course by the end of the second long-term semester for which he or she is enrolled.
2. Must complete the language requirement (Block I course).
3. Must complete six additional hours of course work.
4. Must have a B or better average for the twelve hours completed.

After meeting these requirements, the student should file a Declaration of Major form with the Director of Graduate Studies, who will then file a degree plan for the student.

All MA students must also pass the English program’s written comprehensive examination (offered in October, February, and June of each year) and an oral defense of a designated portion of their graduate work (the oral defense covers either the areas chosen for the written examination or, in the case of thesis students, the thesis). Students must be enrolled in the University the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered.

Master of Arts, Plan I (Thesis or non-thesis). This degree plan is designed for prospective junior and senior college teachers, for students who plan to continue their studies at a doctoral level, and for teachers of high school English who wish to increase scope, depth, and expertise in their teaching specialty. There is no minor under Plan I. Non-thesis students will take thirty-six hours of course work; thesis students will take thirty hours of course work and six hours of Thesis (ENG 698 or ENG 699). Students may pursue a creative writing emphasis, which includes a one-semester internship with the Texas Review Press, two creative writing workshops, and the writing of a creative thesis.

Curriculum Requirements for Plan I (with Thesis Option):

NOTE: Some classes fall into various blocks, depending upon a topic studied in a given term. These include ENG 569 (Blocks III, IV, and V), ENG 574 (Blocks IV and V), and ENG 588 (Blocks IV and V). For specifi cs, students should consult the Director of Graduate Studies or the Department Chair.

Master of Arts, Plan II (Non-thesis only). Designed for teachers who wish preparation in two teaching fi elds, this degree plan consists of twenty-four semester hours of English and twelve hours in a second fi eld. The minor field must logically support the major and must be chosen from departments offering graduate-level courses, such as history, art, political science, or, in the case of public school teachers, education.

Curriculum Requirements for Plan II:

Master of Education, Plan II (Non-thesis only). This program is for teachers of English in the secondary schools; interested students should consult the College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

ENGLISH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

All courses are three credit hours.

ENG 531 Creative Writing: Fiction . A graduate writing workshop, this course emphasizes the writing and revision of fiction and creative nonfiction.

ENG 532 Creative Writing: Poetry. A graduate writing workshop that emphasizes the writing and revision of poetry.

ENG 533 Practicum: Editing and Publishing . In this course, students study and apply current scholarship in editing and publishing. They have the opportunity to work both on and off campus as writers and editors in various professions.

ENG 539 Directed Study of Selected Topics in Literature and Language. This course, which may be taken only with the written consent of the Department Chair, allows a student to engage a specialized topic in literature or language under the direct supervision of a faculty member. A student may take no more than six credit hours of directed study during his or her graduate career.

ENG 567 Practicum in Teaching College Composition. This course studies modern rhetorical principles and methodologies used in teaching college-level writing.

ENG 568 Literary Criticism and Theory. This course studies various theories and theorists of literary interpretation, with application and practice in writing criticism.

ENG 569 Studies in the Novel. This course studies the emergence and development of the novel as a distinct literary genre. It is designed to allow for reading of the novel in various contexts, from various nations and historical ages, and according to various theoretical emphases.

ENG 571 Studies in Modern World Literature. In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the works, writers, movements, and genres of world literature from the 19th and 20th centuries. The course is designed to allow for reading both works in translation and Anglophone literatures.

ENG 572 Early American Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of early America.

ENG 574 Studies in Women's Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of selected women writers from various historical ages, genres, and nationalities. Emphases may vary each semester.

ENG 575 Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth-Century English Literature. In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of Restoration and 18th-century Britain.

ENG 576 The Classical Tradition . This course studies the Greek and Roman literary heritage and its influence upon subsequent literature. Students read ancient and classical works in translation and study the current literature in the field.

ENG 577 Studies in Early and Middle English Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of selected works in Old and Middle English literatures.

ENG 578 Studies in Renaissance and Seventeenth-Century Literature. In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of 16th- and 17th-century Britain. Topics may include studies in Shakespeare, studies in Spenser, and studies in Milton.

ENG 579 Studies in Romantic Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of the British Romantic age.

ENG 580 Studies in Victorian Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of the Victorian age.

ENG 581 Studies in Twentieth-Century English Literature . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the literature, writers, movements, and genres of 20th-century Britain.

ENG 583 Studies in English Linguistics . A thoroughgoing graduate introduction to English linguistics, this course features study in sociolinguistics, dialectology, lexicography, stylistics through linguistic analysis, principles of semantics, and linguistics in relation to the teaching of English.

ENG 584 Studies in Rhetoric and Composition Theory . This course studies selected topics in historical and contemporary rhetoric, rhetorical criticism, and composition theory. Students will apply current theory and research in rhetoric and composition.

ENG 585 Studies in American Literature, 1800-1860. In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the works, writers, movements, and genres of American literature from 1800 to 1860.

ENG 586 Studies in American Literature, 1860-1920. In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the works, writers, movements, and genres of American literature from 1860-1920.

ENG 587 Studies in American Literature, 1920-the Present . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the works, writers, movements, and genres of American literature from 1920 to the present.

ENG 588 The Study of Major Figures in American Poetry . In this course, students apply current theory and research to an analysis of the writers and movements contributing to the development of American poetry.

ENG 589 History and Development of the English Language . This course is a cultural, historical, and philological study of the development of the English language from its Indo-European prototype through Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-French, and Early Modern English to its present form.

ENG 590 Studies in Technical Communication . This course engages students in in-depth study of current issues in technical and professional communication. Students examine the field and conduct primary research.

ENG 697 Methods of Research and Bibliography. Required of all English majors under MA Plan I, MA Plan II, and MEd Plan II, this course introduces students to graduate-level research methods in literature and to the study of the book.

ENG 698 Thesis I. In this first semester of graduate thesis, the student works under close faculty supervision to produce a thesis prospectus approved by all members of the reading committee and submits a draft of the introduction.

ENG 699 Thesis II. In this second semester of graduate thesis, the student works under close faculty supervision to complete the thesis. The student must enroll in this class from term to term until the thesis is completed.

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