Applicants with an undergraduate major in English should have at least 15 undergraduate hours in English and American
literature; applicants with an undergraduate minor in English should have six hours’ credit in literature on the undergraduate level. Students with deficiencies may enroll for graduate work but may be asked to take undergraduate courses suggested by the department before admission to candidacy for the degree.

> A minimum of six hours of college credit in a foreign language or demonstrated reading ability to the satisfaction of the English Department is required for admission to candidacy.

>  Undergraduate GPA, 3.0 or higher

Application Requirements

• letter of interest/personal statement (1-2 pages);
• writing sample of 8-12 pages;
• at least two letters of recommendation, preferably from college instructors;
• current GRE scores.

Students may be provisionally admitted to the M.A. in English program without having taken the GRE General Test, but to receive full admission, they must take the GRE during the first semester of study at Marshall.

Program Requirements

• English 630; offered in the fall semester. This course should be scheduled among the first 12 hours of graduate study.
• must select an area of specialization; may complete the specialization by taking three courses in an area or by taking two courses and writing a thesis in an area. In addition to this specialization each candidate must take at least one course in each of four other areas.
• non-thesis option: 36 hours of coursework
• thesis option: 32 hours of coursework, 6 of which may be earned by writing the thesis.
• GPA 3.0 (B)
• must pass a comprehensive examination upon the completion of the coursework.

Students should discuss their programs frequently with the Director of Graduate Programs. Further and more particular information may be found in the document, “A Handbook for
Graduate Students in English,” available from the English Department.

Goals and Expectations

Knowledge
The English M.A. graduate should demonstrate:

> comprehensive knowledge of at least three areas of literary study, which include designated historical periods, genres, or literary and cultural theory.  Comprehensive knowledge of a literary period should include major works in all applicable genres and relevant historical, critical, and/or theoretical material.
> competence in applying at least two major areas of literary and cultural theory, both in relation to and independent of particular literary periods and genres.
> familiarity with a range of literary periods, genres, and theories, beyond those described above.           

Abilities
The English M.A. graduate should be able to:

> demonstrate in both writing and speaking a sophisticated level of textual analysis as above.
> use terms and methods of literary and cultural theory as integrated aspects of the student’s own textual analysis.
> write thoroughly-researched, polished essays of substantial length that develop advanced and insightful critical arguments.
> use professional research tools, showing both accuracy in format and the ability to choose, introduce, provide background for, and evaluate peer-reviewed sources.
 

Areas of Specialization

Medieval:

ENG 511 – Chaucer

ENG 517 – English Drama to 1642

ENG 536 – Medieval Literature

Renaissance and Seventeenth Century

ENG 509 – Milton

ENG 510 – Shakespeare’s Comedies, Tragicomedies, Romances

ENG 512 – Shakespeare’s Histories and Tragedies

ENG 517 – English Drama to 1642

ENG 537 – Tudor Literature: Poetry, Prose of the 16^th Century

ENG 538 – 17^th-Century Literature:  Poetry and Prose

Restoration and 18^th Century

ENG 513 – British Novel to 1800

ENG 546 – Drama of the Restoration and 18^th Century

ENG 562 – Restoration and 18^th-Century Poetry and Prose

Romantic and Victorian

ENG 514 – 19^th-Century British Novel

ENG 515 – Victorian Poetry

ENG 547 – British Romantic Poets

19^th Century American Literature

ENG 521 – American Literature to 1830

ENG 522 – American Literature from 1830 to 1865

ENG 523 – American Literature from 1865 to 1914

Modern Literature – British

ENG 533 – Contemporary British Poetry

ENG 535 – Modernism

ENG 620 – 20^th-Century Drama

ENG 624 – 20^th-Century British Novel

Modern Literature – American

ENG 524 – American Literature After 1914

ENG 525 – Southern Writers

ENG 534 – Contemporary American Poetry

ENG 535 – Modernism

Language and Linguistics

ENG 575 – Introduction to Linguistics

ENG 576 – Modern Grammar

ENG 578 – Introduction to Sociolinguistics

Critical Approaches to Literature

ENG 519 – Approaches to Teaching Literature

ENG 555 – Literary Criticism

ENG 558 – Contemporary Fiction:  Form & Theory

ENG 660 – Literary Theory

Genre

Drama

ENG 510 – Shakespeare’s Comedies

ENG 512 – Shakespeare’s Tragedies

ENG 517 – English Drama to 1642

ENG 546 – Drama of the Restoration and 18^th Century
ENG 620 – 20^th-Century Drama 

Poetry

ENG 509 – Milton

ENG 511 – Chaucer

ENG 515 – Victorian Poetry

ENG 547 – British Romantic Poets

ENG 533 – Contemporary British Poetry

ENG 534 – Contemporary American Poetry

Novel

ENG 513 – British Novel to 1800

ENG 514 – 19^th-Century British Novel

ENG 528 – International Literature

ENG 624 – 20^th-Century British Novel

Creative Writing / Composition

ENG 502 – Composition and Rhetoric for Teachers

ENG 508 – Advanced Expository Writing

ENG 544 – Rendering the Landscape

ENG 591 – Creative Writing:  Poetry Workshop

ENG 592 – Creative Writing:  Fiction Workshop

ENG 593 – Creative Writing:  Nonfiction Workshop

ENG 640 – Teaching College English

<note:  an eligible student may also count 9.0 credit hours from the following Writing Project courses toward the M. A. degree>

ENG 641 – Advanced Composition Institute I

ENG 644 – Teacher Inquiry

Other (area indicated by course subject matter)

ENG 580-583; ENG 650-653 – Special Topics

ENG 585-586, 588 – Independent Study

ENG 610 – Readings in British and American Literature

ENG 631 – Major American Authors

ENG 632 – Topics in American Literature

ENG 635 – Major Texts

ENG 636 – Selected British Writers

ENG 637 – Topics in British Literature

At the completion of 18 hours of graduate coursework, students are required to file a Plan of Study with the Graduate School.  If the Director of Graduate Studies approves the plan, it proceeds for approval to the Department Chair and the Graduate College.  Approval of a Plan of Study depends primarily on the following factors: an equal number of 500- and 600-level courses toward the degree total; a clearly defined Area of Specialization; and the presence of at least one course from four other areas.

Thesis Option

Students considering applications to Ph.D. or MFA programs are especially encouraged to pursue the thesis option, as it can serve as a good source for writing samples. 

The thesis option requires a scholarly or creative thesis or other approved written study, and 32 hours of coursework, 6 of which may be thesis hours (ENG 681: Thesis). 

• A student planning to write a thesis should decide on and formally propose a topic as indicated below and then choose three committee members to oversee the project:  one thesis director and two readers from the eligible Graduate Faculty.

• A student must submit to the Director of Graduate Studies the required form identifying his or her thesis director and committee before registering for ENG 681: Thesis.

• The student is responsible for coordinating meetings with his or her thesis director  and for maintaining communication with the other committee members. 

• The student must submit to prospective committee members a preliminary project description (prospectus) no later than the end of the first year of coursework.  As relevant, this description should include a general overview of the project, a working thesis statement, and a bibliography of 10-12 pertinent critical or creative texts. 

• The chair of a thesis committee will call a meeting with all members and the student at the time the Plan of Study is submitted/committee signatures have been obtained (indicating that a prospectus and other required materials have been submitted and reviewed), usually no later than the 18^th hour of coursework.  Each committee may determine some flexibility in roles, but the chair will typically be the contact person between the student and other committee members, and working with the student will schedule communication and a submission calendar.  Each committee member will receive a copy of the signature sheet once it has been submitted to the graduate advisor.  Even though the committee signatures may have been obtained, the committee is not activated until an initial meeting of all members and the student has taken place.  Further, a preliminary submission calendar should be worked out by the student and thesis director at the time signatures are obtained; a committee should usually plan to communicate at least once each semester until the project has been completed.  The recommended length for a completed thesis is 50-80 pages, to vary by project/field/etc.

• All committee members should expect to receive a “preliminary full” draft of a thesis at least two weeks prior to the date listed on the graduate calendar for submitting a “complete” draft; a defense should not be scheduled until this first full draft has been reviewed.  A “complete” draft reflecting the student’s revisions made according to the committee’s initial suggestions should then be available to the committee chair as specified on the graduate calendar, and the chair will further advise the student whether to forward this as a final draft to the rest of the committee at this time.

• Once all committee members agree on the completion of this final draft, the student must orally defend the thesis at a scheduled thesis defense.  The student is responsible for coordinating a time with the committee members and for reserving the department library for the defense.  During the defense, committee members may ask various questions pertaining to the subject, writing, and scope of the thesis.  The defense is open to interested members of the department and to the university community.

• At the thesis defense, the committee may still advise minor revisions before the text is submitted to the graduate school. Theses must be submitted electronically (ETD) and it is the student’s responsibility to attend any required training sessions and to submit his or her thesis to the Marshall website.  Refer to the Marshall University Library homepage for ETD requirements and information.  Recent student theses are also available on this site.
   

Comprehensive Exams

As graduate students complete the coursework for the degree, they will take a 5 hour comprehensive exam, consisting of questions in 3 exam areas. 

When students have earned 12 graduate credits (usually by the second semester of study), they should start to prepare for the exam by assembling a 3 member examination committee composed of Graduate Faculty.  The student will ask 1 member to serve as chair.  The chair will write a 2-hour exam question in the student’s Area of Specialization; the other 2 committee members will write 90-minute exam questions.  Students should meet with the examining professors before the exams, but should not expect to know specific exam questions in advance. 

Students will select 3 exam areas as approved by the Graduate Director.  Exam reading lists may cover the following areas: Medieval, Renaissance, 18^th-Century/Restoration, 19^th-Century British, 20^th-Century British, American before 1865, American since 1865, Postcolonial Anglophone, Linguistics, Composition/Rhetoric, Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Short Story, and Theory (specific theory lists are available).  Period lists cover works in all genres for the period, while genre lists cover works in a particular genre for all periods.  With the approval of an examining professor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the exam may include one Major Author question.  The reading list for the Major Author question should include 5-10 other primary works from the author’s period.

A student should consult with and formally petition his or her examiner and the graduate advisor if he or she wishes to develop a non-standardized reading list for any subject.  Where the graduate faculty has  advised a standardized option for an exam list, individual modifications may be determined with the examiners, with the exception of major author lists, which while personalized should nonetheless should meet the coverage standards described above. 

The exam is monitored by the Director of Graduate Studies and takes place in a computer-assisted classroom.  Students may choose to handwrite their exam answers or they may type them at a computer.  Questions are given to students by the Director of Graduate Studies or exam facilitator as exams are scheduled.   

Exam deadlines:

Students must submit their signed exam committee forms to the graduate director no later than the end of the semester in which they complete 18 credit hours of coursework.  Exams are offered once per semester, usually on a Saturday in the second half of the academic session.  Students who fail to meet the above deadlines will not be eligible to take their exams until the following semester.

Exam coverage:

All exam lists should consist of approximately 30 primary works of literature, and approximately 10 secondary works of literary criticism and theory.  The exam lists will contain a wide range of texts, with a small number of required texts and a large number of optional readings from which the student will choose.  As noted previously, the reading list for a Major Author question should include 5-10 other primary works from the author’s period. 

Exam evaluation:

Each examining professor will assign an individual grade of E (Excellent), P (Pass), or U (Unsatisfactory) to the exam question that he or she submits.  The exam committee will then determine an overall exam grade, which will consist of one of these three designations or PC (Pass with Contingency). 
 

Teaching Assistantships

A limited number of graduate Teaching Assistantships is available each year.  Information and application materials may be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies.  The deadline for application is March 15, although applicants may in some cases be considered after that date.  Interested students should submit applications as early as possible.

Assistantships are renewable for a second year providing that students meet these requirements: 

• Complete both ENG 630 and ENG 640 during the first fall semester of work.

• Participate in a supervised teaching experience during the first fall semester with a designated mentor teacher who is an English professor. 

• Take three classes (at least 9 hours) per semester to remain a full-time student. 

• Teach one 3-hour class in freshman composition as assigned.  This responsibility generally begins the semester following a mentorship and completion of ENG 640:  Teaching College English. 

• Tutor in the Writing Center.  Tutoring hours reflect teaching work load:  10 hours the first semester (when students are not teaching) and 5 hours the following semesters (when they are teaching).

> Application For A Teaching Assistantship
> Acceptance of a Teaching Assistantship

Awards and Scholarships

Marian Alexander Blake and Merrill Clifford Blake Scholarship in Confederate Literature
This is a $5000 Scholarship awarded to a graduate student in English at Marshall. Applicants must demonstrate an interest in Confederate literature, an aptitude for research and writing, and a record of academic achievement. The recipient of the Blake Scholarship writes a thesis in an area related to Confederate literature and makes use of the resources of the Rosanna A. Blake Confederate Library at Marshall University. Please contact the graduate adviser for additional information and application materials. The deadline for application will be posted each year.

William J. Maier Writing Awards
Cash prizes available through the generosity of the Sarah and Pauline Maier Scholarship Foundation are awarded annually to students enrolled in English classes at Marshall University. The categories include freshman composition, upper-division and graduate exposition, and poetry and fiction. Mr. William J. Maier, Jr., a native West Virginian, a Harvard Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar, began the awards in 1973 after reading an article by English Department faculty member John Teel in The National Review. These awards for excellence in writing range from $100 to $500.

Activities and Organizations

Visiting Writers Series
Organized by the Department of English, this series is currently in its twentieth year. Each year, four to six noted authors have come to campus to present a reading of their work to the faculty, students, and the public. The series is funded by the College of Liberal Arts and such organizations as the Birke Symposium and the West Virginia Humanities Council. 

Et Cetera
Et Cetera was founded in 1953 as an outlet for students writing. Since then, the publication has grown to include poetry, fiction, and artwork. The staff includes students primarily from the English and the Art Departments, under the supervision of the English Department. In 2004, Et Cetera  became available online.  Et Cetera is now accepting student poetry, short fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and black & white photographs and artwork for the annual 2008 issue. For more info.....

MUSE (Marshall University Students of English)
Contact Dr. Janet Badia (badia@marshall.edu) for more information about MUSE and its activities.

Beyond the MA

Students considering work beyond the master’s degree should begin to make plans and investigate possibilities at least a year before the anticipated date of enrollment. Deadlines for admission and financial aid tend to fall early in February and may be much earlier for some schools. Keep in mind that many students retake both the general and the advanced literature sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), in order to improve their chances for acceptance and financial assistance. After filing the initial application, plan plenty of time for transcript requests, faculty letters of recommendation, and both general and advanced literature GRE examination scores to arrive before the final deadline.  Ask faculty for letters of recommendation before fall semester ends so that they may be prepared by early spring semester.

In addition to the Area of Specialization for the master’s degree at Marshall, a student should aim for solid course coverage in English, American and world literatures, as well as a variety of time periods and genres. While many doctoral programs still require at least two foreign languages for the Ph.D. degree, others are moving toward accepting one foreign language and advanced computer literacy.

As part of your application you will most likely be asked to submit scores for the advanced literature section of the GRE, as well as the general scores. As part of your preparation in English and American literature, you should consult past examinations and seek the help of faculty members in the department.

When planning for the future, students should remember that English faculty are happy to guide, counsel, advise, and write recommendations for employment, as well as for further graduate work. Candidates for Ph.D. programs should submit complete files to the English Department Credentials Committee by 1 December. The Committee will review each file and recommend any needed changes.