Mar 28, 2024  
ARCHIVED 2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
ARCHIVED 2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

English (M.A.)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs by Degree

Program Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School Admission Requirements, applicants must have achieved an average grade of B or higher in upper-level undergraduate courses in the major.  A writing sample and two recommendations addressing the applicant’s aptitude for graduate study are required, and the GRE General Test (gre.org) is optional.

Program Description

The M.A. degree in English offers a choice of three concentrations: Literature, Professional Writing, or Rhetoric and Composition. A total of 33 graduate English credit hours is required: 12 hour core, 9 hour concentration, and 12 hours in one of the following options

  • Thesis Option: 6 hours of thesis and 6 hours of ENGL electives
  • Non-Thesis Option: 12 hours of ENGL electives 

In addition to the coursework, all M.A. in English students must successfully pass written comprehensive examinations based on reading lists and content knowledge, which are specific to each concentration.  For those writing a thesis, a final oral defense is required.   For more information on the M.A. in English, see the current Guide to Graduate Studies in English available at gradeenglish.wcu.edu.  (Any student who receives two final course grades of C or one final course grade of F will be dismissed from the program.)

Core requirements (12 hours)


ENGL 618 - Research Methods in English (3 credit hours) and one course from each concentration (9 total credit hours).

Concentrations (9 hours)


Literature Concentration (9 hours)


Electives (12 hours, of which 6 may be Thesis)


12 hours of courses selected from the three Concentrations above or from the following:

Thesis students must take 6 hours of ENGL 699- Thesis Research and 6 hours of courses selected from the three concentrations above or from the following courses; Non-thesis Options students must take at least 12 hours of electives selected from the three concentrations above or from the following courses:

TESOL Course Approval


English as a Second Language (ESL) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) courses in this listing (ENGL 615, 617, 619, 625, 635,645, or 655) will need the approval of a TESOL faculty member.

Certificate Programs


The English Department offers the following post-baccalaureate certificates: Technical and Professional Writing (Post Baccalaureate Certificate) TESOL (Post Baccalaureate Certificate).

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs by Degree