Graduate Admission

Admission is competitive and is determined by the Director of Graduate Studies in English and the graduate committee. Applicants must satisfy the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission:

1. a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university;

2. a "B" average (3.0) in the undergraduate major;

3. acceptable scores* (no more than four years old) on the General portion of the GRE;

4. two official transcripts of all previous college or university work;

5. two recommendation forms sent directly from persons who can testify to the applicant's ability to do graduate work; (Copies of the required forms are available in the Graduate Office, College of Arts and Sciences, or in the Department of English.)

Applicants should be aware that meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the M.A. program. Applicants to the M.A. concentrations in literature in English, or rhetoric and composition may be able to help their candidacy by including with their application a writing sample that demonstrates the ability to do library research, literary analysis, and/or graduate-level composition.

Registration and Advisement

The Office of the Registrar will notify students by mail of the date and time of their registration. The Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English will act as adviser to all M.A. students until a faculty member is designated or until they have chosen a thesis director. Students are responsible for making appointments with the Director of Graduate Studies for advisement and for being familiar with the requirements for their degree as set forth in this booklet and in the Graduate Bulletin, College of Arts and Sciences.

M.A. Program

Time Limit
All requirements for a master's degree must be completed within seven years.

Coursework
Candidates for the M.A. with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition must complete satisfactorily 33 semester hours of graduate coursework, including at least 24 hours of rhetoric and composition courses and 6 hours thesis research. English 8125 (Writing and Research Methodology) is required. Students should take this course as early as possible in their programs.

Foreign Language Requirement
Candidates for the M.A. with an emphasis in rhetoric, composition, and technical and professional writing are expected to demonstrate fluency in one foreign language or to have received a grade of B or higher in both English 8121 (Electronic Writing and Publishing) and English 8123 (Digital Rhetoric).



Thesis
Candidates for the M.A. with an emphasis in rhetoric, composition, and technical and professional writing may choose the same thesis requirement as candidates for the M.A. with an emphasis in literary history. A director and two additional readers must approve a thesis prospectus, and they will guide the students research and writing until its satisfactory completion. See A Guide to Graduate Thesis Proposals. You should also familiarize yourself with the Graduate Catalogue.

Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. degree program prepares students to choose careers as teachers on the college and university levels, or in secondary schools, to conduct scholarly research, and to write at a professional level. At the end of their Ph.D. courses, students should demonstrate a superior understanding of composition pedagogy and practice, knowledge of the history of rhetoric, knowledge of workplace writing theory and practice, and the technical skills necessary for communicating in electronic environments.

Admission
Applicants should be aware that meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the Ph.D. program. Admission is competitive and is determined by a committee that weighs all of the following requirements:

1. a master's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university; 2. two official transcripts of all previous college or university work; 3. two recommendation forms sent directly from persons who can testify to the applicant's ability to do graduate work; (Copies of the required forms are available in the Graduate Office, College of Arts and Sciences, in the Department of English or on the College of Arts and Sciences web site .) 4. satisfactory scores (usually those well above the 50th percentile), no more than four years old, on the General portion of the Graduate Record Examination; 5. an essay composed by the applicant stating his/her goals and career objectives; and 6. a ten to fifteen page writing sample that demonstrates the ability to do library research, literary analysis, and/or graduate-level composition.

Advisement
Because the requirements for the doctoral programs are complex, candidates for the degree are urged to consult regularly with the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English. By the time students have chosen their area of concentration and have completed the majority of their coursework, students should choose a major professor who is qualified to supervise their preparation for comprehensive examinations and guide their thesis research.

Requirements for the Doctoral Degree Program
Students in this plan must complete at least 30 semester hours of coursework beyond the M.A. level, plus 20 hours of dissertation research. Before you begin taking classes, you should work out a plan of study with one of the faculty.