English, MA
Chairperson: Gerry Canavan, Ph.D.
Department of English website
Degree Offered
Master of Arts
Program Description
To study English is to explore the world through texts. Students of English learn how literary and cultural forms interact with history, politics and ideology to create meaning; participate in the most important conversations of our day through reflective, argumentative and creative writing; and discover their own voices as writers.
In the master of arts program in English, students enrich their study of literature through a rigorous, personalized, project-based postgraduate experience that prepares them to achieve their professional and personal goals. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, master of arts students design a program of study that includes traditional course work in small, discussion-based classes and can include on- or off-campus internships and a culminating thesis or project. This flexibility prepares students for an array of future plans, including careers in a range of fields such as academia, law, library sciences, education, publishing, nonprofits and business.
Admitted master’s students are eligible for Marquette’s standard tuition discount for humanities graduate degrees.
Specialization: British, American, and other Global Anglophone Literatures
The master of arts program in English offers a rigorous, personalized, project-based postgraduate experience that prepares students to achieve their professional and personal goals. Students have the freedom to pursue their particular interests in literary studies in a way that prepares them for an array of future plans, including admission to a doctoral program in English; admission to graduate programs in a range of disciplines, including law, library sciences, education or business; or preparation for careers in the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, students design a program of study that may include traditional course work, internships and/or a culminating project.
MASTER of Arts CURRICULUM
PLAN A REQUIREMENTS
Plan A requires 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 24 credit hours of course work, which consists of a combination of courses at the 5000 level and up suited to each student's interests and goals, plus 6 credit hours of a master's thesis. The thesis must be approved by the thesis director and two other readers, one usually being the director of graduate studies.
Required course work:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ENGL 6820 | Studies in Modern Critical Theory and Practice | 3 |
Electives chosen from 5000 level ENGL courses (maximum of 15 credits) and any of the following: 1 | 21 | |
Literature to 1500 | ||
16th and 17th Century Literatures | ||
Studies in Shakespeare | ||
The Long 18th Century | ||
Studies in Nineteenth-Century British Literature | ||
Studies in Twentieth-Century British Literature | ||
Studies in American Literature from the Beginnings to 1900 | ||
Studies in Twentieth-Century American Literature | ||
21st Century Literatures | ||
Studies in Transatlantic Literatures | ||
Studies in Transnational Literatures | ||
Studies in Genre | ||
Study in History of Literary Criticism | ||
Studies in Modern Critical Theory and Practice | ||
Studies in Literary Criticism | ||
Topics in English | ||
One graduate-level (cognate) course from outside ENGL 1 | ||
Studies in Rhetoric and Composition Theory 2 | ||
ENGL 6999 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
- 1
Consent required from the director of graduate studies.
- 2
Consent required from the director of graduate studies and recommended for those students who may be considering pursuing a Ph.D. degree.
PLAN B REQUIREMENTS
Plan B requires 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree and will consist of courses at the 5000 level and above suited to each student's interests and goals.
Required course work:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ENGL 6820 | Studies in Modern Critical Theory and Practice | 3 |
Electives chosen from 5000-level ENGL courses (maximum of 15 credits) and any of the following: | 27 | |
Literature to 1500 | ||
16th and 17th Century Literatures | ||
Studies in Shakespeare | ||
The Long 18th Century | ||
Studies in Nineteenth-Century British Literature | ||
Studies in Twentieth-Century British Literature | ||
Studies in American Literature from the Beginnings to 1900 | ||
Studies in Twentieth-Century American Literature | ||
21st Century Literatures | ||
Studies in Transatlantic Literatures | ||
Studies in Transnational Literatures | ||
Studies in Genre | ||
Study in History of Literary Criticism | ||
Studies in Modern Critical Theory and Practice | ||
Studies in Literary Criticism | ||
Topics in English | ||
Up to two graduate-level (cognate) courses from outside ENGL 1 | ||
Studies in Rhetoric and Composition Theory 2 | ||
Independent Study in English 3 | ||
Professional Project in English 3 | ||
Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
- 1
Consent required from the director of graduate studies.
- 2
Consent required from the director of graduate studies and recommended for those students who may be considering pursuing a Ph.D. degree.
- 3
A culminating project to be developed in consultation with the director of graduate studies and an assigned faculty mentor.
ACCELERATED Bachelor's-Master's DEGREE PROGRAM
The accelerated degree program in English is designed to allow students to earn a bachelor of arts degree and a master of arts degree in English in five years rather than the six years normally required to earn both degrees. Undergraduates participating in this program are granted early admission to the Graduate School and are allowed to take up to 12 credit hours of graduate-level courses during their senior year.
The accelerated degree program prepares students for the next stage of their careers. Students who complete a master of arts in English have gone on to gain admission to excellent doctoral programs, medical schools, and law schools and several have gone on to pursue an advanced degree in library and information studies. Our alumni have also applied their critical reading, thinking, and writing skills in a variety of private sector positions. Students in the accelerated degree program benefit from the smaller class sizes and intellectual rigor of graduate courses in their senior year and from working with an adviser to construct a program of study and a thesis project targeted to their specific intellectual and professional goals.
Students in the accelerated degree program work closely with the director of graduate studies and a departmental adviser to construct a personalized program meant to help them to fulfill their personal and professional goals. In their fourth year, students take four classes that count toward both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. In their fifth year, students take six courses to complete the master's degree. In this final year, students may elect to write a master's thesis, complete an internship, or do a professional project, though these are not required. ADP students are encouraged to enroll in ENGL 5954 Seminar in Creative Writing or ENGL 5997 Capstone as undergraduates to develop a plan with a faculty mentor for their fifth year.
The accelerated degree program in English is not restricted to undergraduate English majors. To apply for admission to the accelerated degree program, students should have completed four English courses beyond ENGL 1001 Foundations in Rhetoric and maintained a 3.000 cumulative GPA. For additional information about requirements, interested students should contact the English Department.
University Policies
- Academic Censure - Graduate School
- Academic Integrity
- Academic Misconduct
- Academic Program Definitions
- Accelerated Degree Programs
- Attendance - Graduate School
- Awarding Diplomas and Certificates
- Background Checks, Drug Testing
- Class Rank
- Commencement
- Course Levels
- Credit Hour
- Credit Load - Graduate School
- Faculty Grading
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- Grading System - Graduate School and Graduate School of Management
- Graduation - Graduate School
- Immunization and Tuberculosis Screening Requirements
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- Repeated Courses - Graduate School
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- Transfer Course Credit - Graduate School
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Graduate School Policies
- Academic Performance
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- Certificate Concurrent Enrollment
- Conduct
- Confidentiality of Proprietary Information
- Continuous Enrollment
- Courses and Prerequisites
- Cross-listed Courses
- Deadlines
- Doctoral Degree Academic Program Overview
- Dual/Joint Programs of Study
- Graduate Credit
- Graduate School Policies
- Independent Study
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- Master's Degree Academic Program Overview
- Merit-Based Aid Registration Requirements
- Research Involving Humans, Animals, Radioisotopes or Recombinant DNA/Transgenic Organisms
- Temporary Withdrawal from Graduate Program
- Time Limitations
- Working with Minors