Our program features a streamlined curriculum of 30 credit hours to degree completion. That’s just 10 classes standing between you and your Master’s Degree! 

Our curriculum is flexible, allowing you to tailor your degree to your interests and needs. This includes time-to-degree completion: you are allowed up to five years to complete those 10 classes, so you may go as slowly or as quickly as you want. 

The Master’s Degree includes three stages. With the exception of Research Methods (best completed during your first semester) and the Capstone Experience (completed toward the end of your degree), requirements may be fulfilled in the order that fits your schedule best. 

Stage 1: Required Courses (12 credit hours: 4 classes) 

• Engl 6311: Research Methods

This is the only specific required course in the degree program, and it should be taken in the first semester of study, as it develops skills necessary for successful Master’s-level work. 

• 1 class in each of the following categories:
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Rhetoric, Composition, and Pedagogy

If you’re not sure what area you want to focus on, it can be helpful to complete these requirements as early as possible, in order to give you a preview of possible areas of concentration. 

Stage 2: Electives (12 credit hours: 4 classes) 

Between the 12 hours of electives and the six hours of the Capstone experience (see below), the Master’s program is customizable to the student’s interests. These electives can be chosen from the wide variety of courses offered within the English Department, but your choices don’t stop there! Several electives can be taken outside the English Department with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. 

Stage 3: Capstone Experience (6 credit hours: 2 classes) 

The Capstone Experience involves significant one-on-one interaction with faculty. Students develop their customized Capstone plans in close consultation with a faculty advisor and the M.A. Faculty Advisor. Capstone courses are to be completed toward the end of the degree. 

One Capstone Experience option is English 7399, the Master’s Essay, with the objective of preparing an essay for publication. The essay might be in literary scholarship for publication in a literary journal; in pedagogy for publication in a forum like English in Texas; or even a “real-world writing” project such as a podcast. Other Capstone options include the Teaching English as an Additional Language Practicum, the Practicum in the Teaching of English, internships in publishing, or a Research Trip/Study Abroad option.

For a complete list of degree requirements and procedures, current students may consult the M.A. Student Handbook by visiting the Graduate Student Sharepoint Site. Go to Academic Programs, Graduate Studies, Graduate Forms and Info.