Specific Requirements and Opportunities
To complete the master of arts degree in English, the student may choose either a thesis or a non-thesis program. The department head will help prepare a plan of study in either program. Both thesis and non-thesis require 33 hours of graduate work.
All students are required to take English 6300, Introduction to Graduate Study (offered each fall). Students who wish to teach writing courses in the department as graduate teaching assistants or work as teaching assistants in the department must take ENGL 6380 , Composition Pedagogy and Theory.
The department offers fellowships to students who are interested in Western American Studies. Further information about the fellowship is available through the English Graduate Advisor.
Internships - in publishing, local community development, and research assistance - can be arranged in consultation with individual faculty members and the Graduate Advisor.
With department approval, students are allowed to take up to six hours of coursework in a related discipline, provided that the course selections are sufficiently connected to the student’s research interests.
Online courses are offered once per term. Face-to-face courses are generally scheduled to meet once a week in the late afternoon and evening, to accommodate students’ schedules.
All students are required to file a plan of study with the Graduate Advisor before the completion of 15 hours.
Comprehensive Exam and Thesis
All students studying for the Master of Arts in English must satisfactorily complete a written Comprehensive Exam. The exam is taken in the student’s second calendar year and is offered each fall and is based on a list of five to seven books. The list for the year is distributed in the previous fall. The exam combines a thematic essay question as well as a question that tests close-reading skills. Exams are offered on a Saturday and are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Specific information about the exam (length, scoring, sample questions, reading list, etc.) is available in the EPML office.
Requirements for students selecting the Thesis Option
Students who have selected the “Thesis Option” are required to complete a thesis of 60-80 pages on a research topic and give an oral defense of that thesis. In consultation with the department head, the student must select a committee with one chair and one or two second readers. While taking thesis hours (two 3-hour courses in separate terms), the student is expected to consult with the committee and to make satisfactory progress on the thesis. The final thesis must be formatted according to the thesis handbook for West Texas A&M University, available through the Graduate School. The thesis director will notify the graduate office that the candidate has successfully defended the thesis.
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