Degree Title: Master of Arts

Program Name and Number: English - MA5231

Department/Unit: Department of English

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Terms of Entry: Fall

Program Mission: The M. A. is meant to serve a diverse range of students, from those who wish to extend their liberal education beyond the bachelor’s level to those planning to pursue a Ph. D. and a career in college teaching.  We believe that all of these students should have a thorough grounding in the basic elements of literary study; thus all students must satisfy a common set of core requirements. We also believe, however, that students should focus on a particular emphasis, and thus we offer a choice of three departmental concentrations—literary history, creative writing, and rhetoric and composition.

Program Learning Objectives:

• Introduce students to the professional conversation in English studies in various fields and to texts from diverse eras and cultures, with the intention of provoking and supporting their intellectual curiosity.
• Offer students instruction and practice in reading texts critically through multiple theoretical perspectives and in various historical, social, and aesthetic contexts.
• Provide students opportunity for frequent and extensive writing, culminating in longer pieces (MA essay or thesis), and guidance in fashioning this writing to participate in shared public conversation (publication, conference presentation, reviews, etc.)
• Introduce students to the theory and practice of the teaching of writing.
• Prepare students for continued graduate work, careers in teaching, or other professions that require knowledge of language and/or literature and skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing.

Program Overview: The Department of English offers a M. A. degree that can serve either as preparation for a Ph.D. and a career in English studies or as an extension of education in the liberal arts beyond the Bachelor’s degree. We believe that all students should have a thorough grounding in the basic elements of literary study; thus all students must satisfy a common set of core requirements. We also believe that students should have the opportunity to give their studies a particular emphasis, and thus we offer a choice of three departmental concentrations. These concentrations, Literary History, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric and Composition, are carefully selected groups of courses that give each master’s program a distinctive focus. Completion of the program generally requires two years of course work, but full-time students who are not teaching assistants may complete the program in less time.

Concentrations:

• Literary History: Students concentrating on literature history have the opportunity to study a diverse array of literary periods, national literatures, and genres. The coursework is conducted in small seminars, ensuring a high level of interaction between graduate students and faculty.
• Creative Writing: Students concentrating on creative writing have the opportunity to study with renowned writing faculty in three genres (fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction). The coursework is conducted in small seminars combining workshop and academic approaches. Outside of the classroom, students have the opportunity to work on the department’s literary journals and to interact with visiting writers.
• Rhetoric and Composition:  Students concentrating on rhetoric and composition explore rhetoric and composition theory, history, and research, and the ways these relate to the teaching of writing. Because most of our students are also teaching assistants, this theoretical, historical, and pedagogical coursework is supplemented by practical teaching experiences and administrative opportunities.

Opportunities for Graduates: Students enter M.A. programs in English for a variety of reasons. Some wish simply to extend their liberal education beyond the bachelor’s level, others want professional training for high school or junior college teaching, and still others require preparation for ongoing academic studies, including the doctoral degree.

Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/cas/english/grad/english-ma/index.cfm

Link to Program Handbook: https://www.ohio.edu/cas/english/grad/courses-resources/handbook.cfm

Graduation Requirements: 

Literary History Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. One course in Literature before 1640
4. One course in British or American Literature 1640-1830
5. One course in British or American Literature 1830-present
6. One Multi-ethnic / Cross Cultural Literature course
7. Two additional courses and a Master’s Essay, OR one additional course and a Master’s Thesis
8. ENG 7910: Professional Issue in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required only for teaching assistants)

Creative Writing Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. Three Creative Writing Workshops in the same literary genre
4. One Creative Writing Workshop in another literary genre
5. Two Literature Courses
6. Master’s Thesis
7. ENG 7910: Professional Issue in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required only for teaching assistants)

Rhetoric and Composition Concentration

1. ENG 5950: Introduction to English Studies
2. ENG 5890: Teaching College English (required only for teaching assistants)
3. Four courses in Rhetoric and Composition
4. One course in Critical Theory
5. One Literature course
6. Master’s Essay OR Master’s Thesis
7. ENG 7910: Professional Issue in Teaching College English (1 hour per semester; required only for teaching assistants)

Minimum semester hours required: Students with teaching assistantships will complete the program with 60 hours, but the program could be completed by full-time students without teaching assistantships in 33 hours.

Thesis requirement: Required for Creative Writing concentration; Optional for Literature and Rhetoric/Composition concentrations

Qualifying exam: No

Comprehensive exam: No

Foreign Language Requirement: No

Expected time to degree if studying fulltime: Students with teaching assistantships take four semesters to complete the program, but those who are not teaching assistants may complete the program in three semesters.

Culminating Experience: Students either complete an MA essay or an MA thesis. Students in the Creative Writing concentration must complete a thesis (a portfolio of their creative work with a critical introduction), while students in the other concentrations may choose either to complete a thesis (an 80 to 100 page critical argument) or a shorter essay (a manuscript for a publishable essay at least 25 pages in length).

Admission Requirements:  Applications for the M.A. program must be submitted electronically to the Graduate College, along with the general scores from the GRE, three letters of recommendation from professors familiar with the applicant’s academic work, a writing sample (analytical essay or creative writing portfolio, depending upon concentration), and a one-page statement of purpose, indicating at the top the name of the concentration for which the prospective student is applying (i.e., literary history, creative writing, or rhetoric and composition). The application should also include transcripts of all undergraduate classes, showing a record of substantial coursework in English language and literature. There are no additional application requirements for students transferring from another degree.