Master of Arts in English

The Master of Arts degree in English is designed to provide advanced study and research in English through the study of literary genres, special topics in British and American literature, and cross-genre investigation of themes and literary modes—with special attention to critical thinking, analyzing, and writing about literature. The program requires thirty-six (36) semester hours of credit at the graduate level, including six (6) hours of a thesis. These hours include a nine (9) hour core and twenty-one (21) hours of electives. The degree program also requires a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours at Fayetteville State University; a thesis on a subject connected with the student’s major field of study demonstrating research and interpretive skills; a written comprehensive examination on the content of the M.A. (to be taken and passed before defending the thesis); and an oral defense of the thesis.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the M.A. in English program must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with an undergraduate major in English or another appropriate field. The degree must show a minimum overall GPA of 2.70 on a 4.00 scale for all undergraduate study.

Applicants may also be considered for admission if they have a minimum GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in the last sixty (60) hours of study, which may include no more than twelve (12) hours of graduate study. Applicants are also required to have completed two years of a foreign language. This requirement may be met by proficiency examination or completing two years of foreign language study at Fayetteville State University. Admission to the program also requires one official baccalaureate transcript and official copies of any transcripts depicting graduate studies; two letters of recommendation from professors or others qualified to evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue graduate work in English; scores on the Verbal and Subject sections of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) taken within the last five years; a writing sample of ten to thirteen pages to accompany the application; and an interview with the departmental Graduate Studies Committee. Applicants who have deficiencies in English may be required to complete additional courses in English.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 36 Credits

Core Curriculum 9 Credits

• ENGL 507 Bibliography and Methods of Research
• ENGL 515 History of Criticism and Literary Theory

Choose one from the following two courses:

• ENGL 636 Seminar in American Literature
• ENGL 637 Seminar in British Literature

Other Required Courses 6 Credits

• ENGL 638 Thesis I
• ENGL 639 Thesis II
• Electives 21 Credits

The remaining twenty-one (21) hours will be taken from the following courses with at least six (6) hours taken from the 600-level courses.

• ENGL 502 Forms of Fiction
• ENGL 503 Drama
• ENGL 505 The Lyric
• ENGL 508 Introduction to Linguistics
• ENGL 511 Tragic Vision
• ENGL 518 Technology and Language Arts Curriculum
• ENGL 531 Literature of the South
• ENGL 533 Approaches to Reading African-American Literature
• ENGL 534 Women and Literature
• ENGL 623 Medieval Literature
• ENGL 630 Modern Novel
• ENGL 632 Special Topics