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MA Guides

Literature

Old Book

Rhetoric/Composition

Document with Pen

Creative Writing

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Getting a graduate degree is difficult enough without having to figure everything out on your own! Between the English Department, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Graduate School, there are a number requirements, deadlines, and forms to complete, many of which aren't made clear in advance. You don't have to figure it all out on your own, however!

 

These guides are intended as a series of walk-throughs to help you meet the various requirements of your degree. Everyone's experience in the program and their individual needs will be different, so these guides are not designed to be set-in-stone rules. Think of these guides as a suggested checklist of steps to take and a resource to help point you in the right direction.

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The official English Department requirements for the Master of Arts in English can be found at https://cla.auburn.edu/english/graduate-studies/ma/

Literature

Suggested Timeline:

Literature

Basic Requirements Checklist:

  • 32 credit hours:

    • 9 credits major area courses

      • One course in Pre-1800 Literature

      • One course in Post-1800 Literature

      • One course in Literary Theory (ENGL 7790 or ENGL 7800)

    • 9 credits distribution courses

      • One course in TPC (ENGL 7000, ENGL 7010, ENGL 7020, ENGL 7030, ENGL 7060, ENGL 7070, ENGL 7080, ENGL 7090), Rhet/Comp (ENGL 7040, ENGL 7050, ENGL 7090, ENGL 7300), Linguistics (ENGL 7030), or Creative Writing (ENGL 7130, ENGL 7140)

      • One course in Comparative Literature (ENGL 7810), Genre (ENGL 7850), or Author (ENGL 7830)

      • One Special Topics Course in Technology and Culture, Globalism, Sustainability, or Diversity (ENGL 7780, ENGL 7870)

    • 6 credits in minor area courses

    • 6 credits in elective coursework

    • 1 credit Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

    • 1 credit Rhetoric and Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Foreign language reading proficiency

    • Can be met in three ways:

      • By earning, within the last five years, at least a B in two undergraduate literature courses taught in a foreign language.

      • By passing the foreign language proficiency exam given about the middle of each term.

      • By taking a 3-hour pass/fail reading proficiency course in a foreign language taught by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and earning a final grade of “S.” This course does not carry graduate credit.

  • ePortfolio and Defense/Oral Examination

1st Year - Fall

  • Consider taking the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam

  • Register for Spring Semester

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Distribution course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Rhetoric/Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Literary Theory (ENGL 7790 or ENGL 7800) or Special Topics

    • suggest one be Distribution course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Summer

  • Make sure you are registered for Fall

  • If you are a GTA, prepare your teaching materials for Fall (syllabus, reading schedule, assignment instructions, etc.)

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Optional: One course, suggest a Distribution or Elective course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Fall

  • Develop timeline for ePortfolio completion with major professor

  • Suggest (re)take the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (if still needed)

  • FORM: Graduation Application (under AU Access, on My Academics)

  • Meet with Director of Graduate Studies to make sure you are on track to complete all requirements

  • Register for Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Three Courses

    • suggest completing all non-Major course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Two-Three Courses

    • complete all remaining course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

Rhetoric & Composition

Basic Requirements Checklist:

  • 32 credit hours:

    • 9 credits major area courses

      • ENGL 7040: English Comp: Issues & Approaches

      • ENGL 7050: Studies in Composition

      • ENGL 7300: Rhetoric Theory and Practice

    • 9 credits distribution courses

      • One course in TPC (ENGL 7000, ENGL 7010, ENGL 7020, ENGL 7030, ENGL 7060, ENGL 7070, ENGL 7080, ENGL 7090), or Linguistics (ENGL 7030)

      • One course in Literature or Creative Writing (ENGL 7130, ENGL 7140)

      • One Special Topics Course in Technology and Culture, Globalism, Sustainability, or Diversity (ENGL 7780, ENGL 7870)

    • 6 credits in minor area courses

      • 2 graduate courses in English or another discipline relative to the student’s professional & academic goals - must be approved by the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee

    • 6 credits in elective coursework

      • 2 graduate courses in English

    • 1 credit Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

    • 1 credit Rhetoric and Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Foreign language reading proficiency

    • Can be met in three ways:

      • By earning, within the last five years, at least a B in two undergraduate literature courses taught in a foreign language.

      • By passing the foreign language proficiency exam given about the middle of each term.

      • By taking a 3-hour pass/fail reading proficiency course in a foreign language taught by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and earning a final grade of “S.” This course does not carry graduate credit.

  • ePortfolio and Defense/Oral Examination

Suggested Timeline:

Rhet/Comp

1st Year - Fall

  • Consider taking the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam

  • Register for Spring Semester

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Distribution course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Rhetoric/Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Minor Area

    • suggest one be TPC or Linguistics

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Summer

  • Make sure you are registered for Fall

  • If you are a GTA, prepare your teaching materials for Fall (syllabus, reading schedule, assignment instructions, etc.)

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Optional: One course, suggest a Distribution or Elective course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Fall

  • Develop timeline for ePortfolio completion with major professor

  • Suggest (re)take the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (if still needed)

  • FORM: Graduation Application (under AU Access, on My Academics)

  • Meet with Director of Graduate Studies to make sure you are on track to complete all requirements

  • Register for Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Three Courses

    • suggest completing all non-Major course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Two-Three Courses

    • complete all remaining course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

Creative Writing

Creative Writing

Basic Requirements Checklist:

  • 32 credit hours:

    • 9 credits major area courses

      • ENGL 7130: Fiction Writing (repeated as needed - offered annually)

      • ENGL 7140: Poetry Writing (repeated as needed - offered biannually)

    • 9 credits distribution courses

      • One course in Pre-1800 Literature

      • One course in TPC (ENGL 7000, ENGL 7010, ENGL 7020, ENGL 7030, ENGL 7060, ENGL 7070, ENGL 7080, ENGL 7090), Rhet/Comp (ENGL 7040, ENGL 7050, ENGL 7090, ENGL 7300), or Linguistics (ENGL 7030)

      • One Special Topics Course in Technology and Culture, Globalism, Sustainability, or Diversity

    • 6 credits in minor area courses

      • 2 graduate courses in English or another discipline relative to the student’s professional & academic goals - must be approved by the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee

    • 6 credits in elective coursework

      • 2 graduate courses in English

    • 1 credit Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

    • 1 credit Rhetoric and Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Foreign language reading proficiency

    • Can be met in three ways:

      • By earning, within the last five years, at least a B in two undergraduate literature courses taught in a foreign language.

      • By passing the foreign language proficiency exam given about the middle of each term.

      • By taking a 3-hour pass/fail reading proficiency course in a foreign language taught by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and earning a final grade of “S.” This course does not carry graduate credit.

  • ePortfolio and Defense/Oral Examination

Suggested Timeline:

1st Year - Fall

  • Consider taking the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam

  • Register for Spring Semester

  • Consider serving as editor for the Southern Humanities Review

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Literature Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Literature pre-1800 course

    • suggest one be Distribution course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Rhetoric/Composition Practicum (ENGL 7940)

  • Three Courses

    • at least one should be Major Area

    • suggest one be Minor Area

    • suggest one be Distribution course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

1st Year - Summer

  • Make sure you are registered for Fall

  • If you are a GTA, prepare your teaching materials for Fall (syllabus, reading schedule, assignment instructions, etc.)

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Optional: One course, suggest a Distribution or Elective course

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Fall

  • Develop timeline for ePortfolio completion with major professor

  • Suggest (re)take the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (if still needed)

  • FORM: Graduation Application (under AU Access, on My Academics)

  • Meet with Director of Graduate Studies to make sure you are on track to complete all requirements

  • Register for Spring

  • Consider applying to Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) national conference

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Three Courses

    • suggest completing all non-Major course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

2nd Year - Spring

Suggested/Required Courses

  • Two-Three Courses

    • complete all remaining course requirements

Forms/Requirements to be Met

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