After acceptance as a regular admission student into the English MA Program and a minimum of twelve hours of coursework, you must declare a major. By declaring your major, you establish a degree plan with the Office of the Registrar and file for degree candidacy. You must declare your major before you are allowed to take the comprehensive examination, write a thesis, transfer credits from previous graduate work, and substitute courses.

To declare your major and qualify for degree candidacy, you must:

1. be a regular admission student in good standing in the English MA Program;
2. successfully complete English 697 with a grade of A or B;
3. successfully complete a Block I (English language) class;
4. successfully complete six additional hours;
5. maintain an average of B or better for the first twelve hours.

If you have fulfilled all these requirements, submit a Declaration of Major Form to the Director of Graduate Studies in English. You may either download the form and submit it to the Director as hard copy or fill it out on line and send it as an e-mail attachment. Fill out the form as follows:

1. In the first few lines, provide pertinent information, as instructed: Sam ID#, name, and date of declaration.
2. Under “Master’s Degree Sought,” check “MA.” In the parallel column, check your catalogue year.
3. In the slot for “First Major,” put “ENG.”
4. In the slot for “First Minor,” indicate one of the following:
• If you are pursuing Plan I and writing a thesis, put “THE.”
• If you are pursuing Plan I but not writing a thesis, put “NT 1.”
• If you are pursuing Plan II, put “NT 2.”
5. Then in the slot for “Second Minor” immediately below, put the acronym of your graduate minor field (for example, “HIS” for History, “SCM” for Speech Communication, “POL” for Political Science); you will find a list of the acronyms on page 9 of the 2007-2009 Graduate Catalogue.
6. Check “yes” for “Comprehensive Exam Required.”
7. If you are writing a thesis, check “yes for “Defense of Thesis Required”; if you are not writing a thesis, check “no.”
8. In the line below that, check the appropriate box indicating previous Master’s work at the University.
9. Submit the form to the Graduate Director.

After departmental approval, the form is forwarded to the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. After approval by the Dean—and your recognition as a candidate—copies of the form are sent to the Registrar, who then establishes your degree plan, and to the Director of Graduate Studies in English, who places a copy in your departmental file.

N.B.: If you change your major or minor emphasis (for example, if you sign up first as a thesis student and then decide later on the non-thesis track), you must fill out and submit a new declaration of major form immediately.