English Graduate Handbook: Master of Arts Program

Master of Arts Program

Plan A : At least fifteen credits of course work plus a Master's thesis and oral defense. This plan is not recommended for students intending to apply for admission to Ph.D. programs but may prove suitable for terminal M.A. students who select a concentration in Creative Writing.

Plan B: At least thirty credits of course work, plus a written Master's exam administered by the department. Students planning to pursue a Ph.D. should choose this plan. A student may not take this exam until a Plan of Study is on file in the Graduate Records Office.

To complete requirements for the M.A. degree, please follow the steps below. More detailed explanations of degree requirements and policies follow.

1. Consult your Major Advisor about courses to be taken. M.A. students are expected to complete at least five 300-level courses and two or three 400-level courses. 3 additional courses (totaling 6 credits) are required of all M.A. students: in the first semester, English 300: Theory and Teaching of Writing (3 credits) and English 305: Advanced Research Methods (1 credit); in the third semester, English 306: Professional Development (2 credits). There are no specific distribution requirements.

2. Select two associate advisors and submit a Plan of Study to the Graduate School in your third semester of course work.

3. Sign up in your third semester of course work to take the written M.A. examination if you are following Plan B (30 credits, no thesis). If you are following Plan A (15 credits, plus thesis), consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and your Major Advisor to set up an oral M.A. exam, which takes the form of a thesis defense.

4. Complete course requirements for the degree, ordinarily within two years. Maintain registration each fall and spring semester until all courses and exams are completed.

5. An application to receive the M.A. degree must be filed in the Graduate School. Consult the current Graduate Bulletin for the deadline for submitting this application. The M.A. thesis (Plan A) must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than one week after the oral exam is passed. Specifications for preparing the thesis may be obtained from the Graduate School ( www.grad.uconn.edu ).

6. To be considered for the Ph.D. program, consult the Director of Graduate Studies in writing (email is fine). (If you are recommended for the Ph.D. program, you must then fill out a formal application with the Graduate Admissions Office before your case can be considered by the Graduate Executive Committee.) University of Connecticut M.As who also took their B.A. here are strongly discouraged from applying for the Ph.D.

Advisory Committee

M.A. work is guided by a Major Advisor and at least two Associate Advisors. Students are registered with and should keep in close touch with the Major Advisor throughout their program. Forms to change the Major Advisor are available in the Graduate English Office.

Time Limit

Course requirements for the Master's degree should be completed within two years, though the Graduate School sets a six-year maximum on completion from the date of initial matriculation. A student must complete at least one course a year until course requirements are fulfilled or register for English 399 (Thesis Preparation) until thesis requirements are fulfilled.

Residence and Language Requirements

There are no residence or language requirements for the M.A. degree. Course work is normally taken at Storrs. Transfer of up to six course credits from another institution's graduate program may be accepted toward a Master's degree at Storrs, provided that such credits are not used to earn a degree at the other institution or elsewhere. Credit may also be allowed for a limited number of graduate courses in departments other than English at Storrs, provided that such credits are not used to earn a degree in another department or in a related program.

Provisional Status

Students admitted on a Provisional basis will be accorded Regular status upon successful completion of at least twelve credits of appropriate course work. (Regular status may be conferred at an earlier stage, if the Major Advisor petitions the Director of Graduate Records, and the petition is accepted.) Students doing less than B level work will ordinarily be dropped from the program.

Plan of Study

The Plan of Study for the Master's degree should be submitted in triplicate to the Graduate School by the end of the third semester or when over half of the expected course work for the degree has been completed. In consultation with his or her Advisory Committee, the student indicates here Plan A or B, the courses taken and to be taken in fulfillment of requirements, and if appropriate, a thesis topic for Plan A. If any changes are necessary after submission of the Plan of Study, a "Request for Changes" form or a memo from the student's advisor must be submitted to the Graduate School. The form may be obtained from the Graduate English Office.

M.A. Examination

If Plan A is chosen, consult with the Major Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies to schedule an oral Master's exam defending the thesis. The M.A. thesis must be deposited in the Graduate Records Office no later than one week after the oral exam is passed, and no later than two weeks before Commencement exercises. Specifications for preparation of the thesis may be obtained from the Graduate School. Check the current Graduate Bulletin ( www.grad.uconn.edu ) for the deadline for submitting the thesis.

For those who choose Plan B, the department administers a written exam, offered in January of the second year of the student's program. This is a six-hour examination on a pre-approved list of approximately 50 texts. The graduate director and assistant will administer the closed-book exam (reading lists are permitted). Students who fail the exam will retake it at a scheduled make-up in late May. Students will only be admitted to the Ph.D. program once they pass the M.A. examination. Please see Appendix A to learn more about the M.A. examination.

Each examination list will be good for three years. After three years, the examination committee will make changes to the list. The lists will be available in the Graduate English Office to all. Click here to read an overview of the exam and view the current, approved list.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program : The Graduate Executive Committee of the English Department controls admissions for the Ph.D. program. To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, notify the Director of Graduate Studies in an email during your third semester of course work, stating your proposed area of further study.

In deciding on admissions for the Ph.D. program, the committee considers the student's range of preparatory background, level of performance in coursework as indicated by grades and descriptive evaluations, ability to do scholarly work as demonstrated through a writing sample, level of performance on the general M.A. exam, teaching ability, and maturity of intention as evidenced by the written personal statement. The Committee will notify the student of its decision by letter.

You should ordinarily make your application during the third semester of your M.A. course work. You should have made up all incomplete grades by the time you expect your application to be considered, and you must sign up to take the M.A. examination in March. You should submit all application materials by January 1st if you wish to place yourself in a fully competitive position.