Master of Arts in English Requirements

The department offers two plans of study leading to the degree

•  Plan A, which requires eight courses together with a comprehensive exam, and a thesis.

•  Plan B, which requires ten courses together with a comprehensive exam and an essay.

Students taking Plan B have the option of including one of two writing tracks in their degree program: Creative Writing, or Composition and Rhetorical Studies.

1. Course requirements

Students are required to take at least three courses that examine pre-Romantic materials, and to take at least three courses that examine materials from the Romantics onwards. Students who have selected one of the writing tracks will substitute writing workshops or related classes for four courses in literary periods.

2. Comprehensive Exam

Students choose four areas for the comprehensive exam from seven historical time periods. Those completing the creative writing track or Composition and Rhetoric Track substitute an exam in one of these areas for one of the four historical time periods. See the MA Reading List for the exam list in each area (Adobe PDF File).

3. Essay or Thesis

Those completing eight courses (plan A) write a thesis of sixty to one hundred pages; those completing ten courses (plan B) write an essay of twenty-five to fifty pages.

For More Details:

Access a current copy of the Master of Arts in English Handbook (Adobe PDF file).