Master of Arts in English

The master's degree program in English offers students the opportunity to achieve a multifaceted understanding of literature and language. The degree is useful to those already teaching in high schools or interested in community college teaching, to those seeking careers in writing and publishing, and to those intending to pursue further graduate work. The Master's degree program in English offers students the opportunity to pursue advanced work in the field of English by achieving a multifaceted understanding of literature and language. The curriculum is designed to prepare students to produce sophisticated analyses and interpretations of texts, master the techniques and conventions of writing, contribute to current scholarship through research and develop the professional skills and practices necessary to pursue careers in a variety of fields. The degree is useful to those already teaching in high schools or interested in community college teaching, seeking careers in writing and publishing, and intending to pursue further graduate work.

The department requires a bachelor\u2019s degree in English or Comparative Literature from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 grade-point average in the upper-division major courses, provided that a minimum of 24 units of upper-division coursework is included. If the applicant holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in another major, 24 units of upper-division coursework in English and/or Comparative Literature must be completed with at least a 3.0 grade-point average before beginning work in the master\u2019s degree program.

In the event that the applicant\u2019s grade-point average in prerequisite courses is below 3.0, he or she may take additional upper-division English and/or Comparative Literature coursework and reapply to the program. The applicant should consult with the graduate adviser to determine appropriate coursework. Some courses taken to make up qualitative deficiencies may be credited toward the M.A., if completed with a \u201cB\u201d (3.0) or better, and if applicable to the student\u2019s particular study plan. Courses taken to remove quantitative deficiencies may not be applied to the M.A. program.

All applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English, must demonstrate competence in English. Those who do not possess a bachelor\u2019s degree from a postsecondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper) or 100 (Internet), or 7.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).