GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER'S DEGREE

Admission

Application for admission is obtained either from the Graduate School, Director of Admissions and Records, or from the Graduate School's electronic application form. Admission is contingent upon meeting the following requirements:

1. a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, or proof of equivalent training at a foreign university;

2. the necessary English course requirements (see Graduate Catalog);
3. an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at
least 3.5 in English and 3.0 overall;
4. a Graduate Record Examination aptitude score of at least 1000 (verbal plus quantitative), the verbal score of which must be at least 600;
5. three letters of recommendation;
6. a writing sample (15 - 20 pages);
7. approval of the Graduate School.

Probationary admission may be allowed when the undergraduate grade point average in English falls below 3.5 but not below 3.0 and/or the overall grade point average falls below 3.0 but not below 2.7, or when the Graduate Record Examination composite aptitude score falls below 1000 and /or the verbal section below 600. Probationary admission requires the approval of the departmental admission committee and means that the student must make a "B" average in the first 9 graduate hours of coursework at Baylor. Final approval rests with the Graduate School.

An applicant who is qualified for unconditional admission but who lacks six or fewer hours of required coursework may, in the first semester, pursue work for graduate credit while also completing work which will satisfy the prerequisites, subject to the approval of the department chairperson and the Graduate School. The total course load may not exceed 15 semester hours.

For those individuals for whom one or more admission requirements (i.e., GRE scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) may be lacking, the Graduate School will approve permission to register as a "Graduate Special" student, provided the following conditions are met:

1. the Graduate School has received a completed application and payment of the $25.00 application fee, (no processing is initiated without the application fee);
2. the Director of Graduate Studies of the program to which the graduate student is applying has approved up to but no more than nine (9) hours of graduate coursework toward the program of study associated with the desired degree;
3. if conditions 1 and 2 are met, the Graduate School will complete and submit the Advisor Slip for "graduate special" students to the Registrar's Office;
4. if admission requirements are not satisfied by the end of the semester in which the student is registered for the ninth graduate credit, the student will be rejected for admission by the Graduate School and no further graduate-level registration will be permitted.

Degrees Offered

The department offers the Master of Arts in English Literature. The M.A. program consists of a thesis track and a non-thesis track (see below).

Total Number of Hours

For the student electing to pursue a thesis track, the following requirements must be satisfied:

1. Completion of 30 semester hours of graduate credit constitutes the minimum requirement;

2. Six hours of the 30 will be credited for the thesis;

3. A defense of the thesis constitutes the oral examination.

For the student electing to pursue a non-thesis track, the following requirements must be satisfied:

 

1. Completion of 33 semester hours of graduate credit constitutes the minimum requirement;

2. An oral examination based on Baylor graduate coursework constitutes the oral examination (see below).

Transfer of no more than 6 semester hours from an accredited institution may be allowed (see Graduate Catalog for conditions).

Residence of at least nine months is required--i.e., one academic year, three summers, or a combination of a fall academic semester and a summer residency.

An advisor's slip to be signed by the Director of Graduate Studies is required each semester for proper registration.

Specific Course Requirements

The following courses are required:

• At least 18 hours of graduate credit in the major area of study (i.e., in English and American Literature). Students electing to pursue the thesis option shall take English 5304 (Bibliography and Research Methods) and one additional course drawn from the fields of literary theory/criticism, linguistics, rhetoric and composition theory, and principles of teaching writing.
• Students wishing to concentrate on creative writing must take at least two courses (six hours) in creative writing. This will fulfill the requirements for a minor (see below).
• Students electing to pursue the non-thesis option shall take a minimum of two courses drawn from the fields of literary theory/criticism, linguistics, rhetoric and composition theory, and principles of teaching writing.
• All coursework must be graduate-credit conferring. (See the Graduate Catalog.)
  

Minor

Although a minor is not required, one is possible. The minor, consisting of six hours of graduate credit, may be taken inside the department (i.e., in an area other than English and American Literature - such as creative writing, linguistics, literary criticism, etc.) or outside the department (i.e., in history, philosophy, etc.). A minor outside the department must be directly relevant to the candidate's area of study. The minor must be agreed upon with the advice and consent of both the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English and the chairperson of the department in which the minor is to be taken.

Language

Any student who has completed 14 semester hours in one foreign language or 16 semester hours in two (or the equivalent of the fourth-course level in one language, or the second-course level in each of two) and who has earned a "B" or higher in the final course may be considered to have completed the foreign language requirement for the Master of Arts Degree.

The student who does not meet the preceding language requirements may do so while enrolled for graduate work, or may elect to sit for an examination in a foreign language.

Admission to Candidacy

Admission to candidacy for the master's degree is automatically approved by the Graduate School when the student has completed approximately one-half of the course of study.

The candidate must have maintained a "B" (3.0) average for admission to candidacy.

Thesis

The thesis-track candidate must present an acceptable thesis on a problem in the field of his/her major subject. This thesis must give evidence that the candidate has pursued a program of research, the results of which reveal both superior technical competence and a significant contribution to knowledge.

Work on the thesis may begin when the student has completed 12 hours of graduate work, has selected the thesis committee (consisting of the director from his/her area of special interest, another full Graduate Faculty or Associate Graduate Faculty member of the department, and a third member (full Graduate Faculty) from outside the department), and has had the topic formally approved via a prospectus filed with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of English. This committee is responsible for guiding the student's research and approving the final draft of the thesis. Responsibility for filing the Thesis Committee Form (which includes the names of the committee and the title for the thesis as soon as they are determined) lies with the student. The form is submitted to the Graduate School, Director of Admissions and Records, Poage Library, Second Floor, Room 202.

If desired, the student who has demonstrated exceptional ability in creative writing may produce a creative thesis in lieu of a research thesis. All requirements and deadlines pertaining to the research thesis also apply to the creative thesis. As with the research thesis, the graduate student may begin work on the creative thesis after completing 12 hours of graduate work, selecting a thesis committee, and having the project approved via the prospectus filed with the Director and Chair.

For the formal requirements regarding the thesis, including the deadlines for submission of the manuscript, the technical requirements of the manuscript (see the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook; Macintosh Palatino 12 point font or IBM Palisade 12 point font is required), the abstract, binding costs, and research course requirements, see the Graduate School Guidelines available in the English Office. Students are reminded that the MLA Handbook was not designed to guide the construction of a thesis; therefore, the Graduate School specifications regarding preliminary pages, chapter format, and other thesis-specific characteristics must be used in conjunction with the MLA guidelines. (See Guidelines for M.A. Thesis and and Ph.D. dissertation.)

Application for Degree

The student files for graduation at the beginning of the semester in which the student anticipates degree completion. Filing is completed at the Graduate School, Office of the Associate Dean. The student must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible to file.

Oral Examination - Thesis track

The candidate must undergo a thesis defense after all of the above requirements have been satisfied in order to justify the topic and approach chosen, demonstrate familiarity with methods of research, and display a capacity for independent thought.

The candidate should arrange the time of the examination with the chair of the thesis committee and secure approval of the date from the Graduate School. Deadlines for examinations are posted in each semester's Schedule of Classes. (See "Calendar of Events"). Responsibility lies with the student in both establishing the time of the examination and making sure members of the thesis committee can attend. See the English graduate secretary to make these arrangements.

Oral Examination - Non-thesis track

The candidate must undergo a one-hour oral examination after all of the above requirements have been satisfied in order to demonstrate mastery of the field and capacity for independent thought.

The examining committee will be made up of a minimum of four faculty members (at least three from the English Department) with a terminal degree and who have taught the candidate, and any administrator who may desire to attend. One professor shall be designated as chairperson of the examining committee and shall assist the candidate in forming an examining committee and discussing possible test content.

The candidate should arrange the time of the examination with the chairperson of the thesis committee and secure approval of the date from the Graduate School. Deadlines for oral examinations are posted in each semester's Schedule of Classes. (See "Calendar of Events"). Responsibility lies with the student in both establishing the time of the examination and making sure an examining committee is assigned. See the graduate secretary to make these arrangements.

A candidate who fails the oral examination may take a second examination only with the approval of the departmental graduate committee and the Dean of the Graduate School. In no case will this examination be given in the same semester as the original examination. If the candidate fails twice, no further examination will be allowed.

Time Limitation

The maximum time limit is five years from the date that the student is first enrolled in the master's program at Baylor University. The student may petition for an extension of time provided there are extraordinary circumstances. The maximum time permissible may not exceed six years.

Writing Expectations

Of particular concern to the English faculty is the writing of its graduate students. The Department espouses the view that writing is more than mere "proficiency"; that is, matching verbs and nouns, avoiding comma splices, and using words correctly. Good writing is not a goal to be achieved but a process to be pursued. Toward that end, every graduate class will not only require writing, but will expect a high level of performance from its students.