2023-2024 Catalog

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English M.A.

Course Requirements for M.A. in English

Admission Requirements

  1. A completed application form accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable application fee.
  2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate records.
  3. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in 24 credit hours of upper-level courses in English language and literature.
  4. Three letters of recommendation, with at least two from English professors.
  5. A 1-2 page statement of intent outlining the candidate’s goals for the program and relevant background.
  6. A 7-10 page writing sample that demonstrates the candidate’s abilities in reading, research, and critical thinking about literary texts.
  7. A plan of study approved by the advisor and appropriate dean.

Courses

CourseTitleCreditsOffered
ENGL 501Literary and Cultural Theory

3

 Fall.

TWENTY-SEVEN CREDIT HOURS OF COURSES in literature or theory at the graduate level.

Note: For students electing the Thesis Plan, ENGL 591 and ENGL 592 are included in the 30-credit-hour total.

Total Credit Hours: 30

Course Requirements for M.A. in English—with Concentration in Creative Writing

Admission Requirements

  1. A completed application form accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable application fee.
  2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate records.
  3. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in 24 credit hours of upper-level courses in English language and literature.
  4. Three letters of recommendation, with at least two from English professors.
  5. A 1-2 page statement of intent outlining your area of writing interest, your goals for the program, and your relevant background.
  6. A writing sample in your primary genre: 10-15 pages of poetry, or 15-30 pages of prose (literary fiction or literary nonfiction).
  7. A plan of study approved by the advisor and appropriate dean.

Courses

CourseTitleCreditsOffered
ENGL 501Literary and Cultural Theory

3

 Fall.
ENGL 581Workshop in Creative Writing

3

 As needed.
ENGL 591Directed Reading

3

 As needed.
ENGL 592Master's Thesis

3

 As needed.

TWELVE CREDIT HOURS of graduate-level literature or theory courses.

Note: ENGL 581 is taken for three semesters for a total of 9 hours.

Total Credit Hours: 30

Examination Plan

Under the examination plan (optional for M.A. in English) and upon completion of at least 24 credit hours of graduate course work, students take a written examination prepared and administered by the Department of English. The examination is based on reading lists in two of the following four categories: (1) British literature before 1800, (2) British literature since 1800, (3) American literature, and (4) theory or genre. Prior to the examination, students, in consultation with faculty, will prepare reading lists for the two categories selected. The departmental graduate committee must approve the reading lists and will appoint faculty committees to conduct examinations. Guidelines for preparing reading lists are available from the departmental graduate advisor.

Thesis Plan

Under the thesis plan (optional for M.A. in English; required for M.A. in English with concentration in creative writing), students take ENGL 591: Directed Reading in preparation for the writing of the thesis and ENGL 592: Master’s Thesis in their final semesters of study toward the M.A. degree. During this time they complete research for and write a master’s thesis on a subject of their choice that has been approved by the departmental graduate committee. The thesis will be written under the direction of a faculty member of the student’s choice and will be read by that faculty member and by a second reader appointed by the departmental graduate committee. For M.A. in English students, the thesis will normally be a substantial critical or research paper (though different kinds of projects are possible) of approximately fifty to seventy pages in length. For M.A. in English with concentration in creative writing students, the thesis will consist of a substantial body of poetry, fiction, nonfictional prose or drama. A defense of the thesis before a faculty committee is required in all cases.

Accelerated B.A. / M.A. in English Admission Option

Undergraduate students matriculated at Rhode Island College can apply for conditional admission to the Master of Arts in English program after completing 72 credits, at least 12 of which must be in English courses taken at RIC. If conditionally admitted to the M.A. program, students begin taking graduate courses after completing 90 credits. They will take 9 credits of graduate coursework that can count toward both the B.A. and M.A. degrees: ENGL 501 and two elective 500-level seminars. In addition, conditionally admitted students can take one 500-level course that will count only toward the M.A. degree. If students are in good standing upon completion of the B.A., they are fully admitted to the M.A. degree program, which could be completed in two semesters.

Admission requirements remain the same as for the M.A. degree with the following exception: a minimum G.P.A. of 3.2 in English courses.