English M.A.
English Major
Students interested in this program must submit a completed Application for Admission to Graduate Study and should refer to their MyUNIverse Student Center To-Do list or contact the Department of Languages and Literatures for other application requirements. Graduate information and application for graduate admission can be found at https://admissions.uni.edu/application.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the program.
Only graduate courses (course numbers 5000 or above) will apply to a graduate degree, even if the undergraduate course number (4999 or less) is listed. No exceptions will be made.
This major in English is available on the thesis and non-thesis options, and degree applicants choose one of four emphases (see below). Both the thesis and the non-thesis options require a minimum of 30 semester hours. A minimum of 15 hours of 6000-level course work is required for each option.
The four emphases are the following:
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Literature Emphasis, minimum 30 semester hours - available on both thesis and non-thesis options;
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English Studies Emphasis, minimum 30 semester hours - available on both thesis and non-thesis options;
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Creative Writing Emphasis, minimum 30 semester hours - available on thesis option only;
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English in Secondary & Post-Secondary Schools – minimum of 30 semester hours – available on non-thesis option only. This emphasis is offered primarily as a distance education program for practicing teachers. It does not lead to ELA 5-12 licensure.
Graduate students are required to meet with the English Graduate Coordinator each semester for planning and approval of the courses within one's Program of Study. The department may require an applicant to complete course work in addition to the minimum hours specified for the selected option and emphasis. More information about this program approval process is available from the English Graduate Coordinator.
Successful completion of a field examination is required for both the thesis and non-thesis options. In addition, students pursuing the non-thesis option are required to complete an approved research paper.
Teacher licensure is a prerequisite (and a secondary English/Language Arts endorsement is a prerequisite or corequisite) for completing the program approval process for the English in Secondary & Post-Secondary Schools emphasis only. A licensed teacher who lacks a secondary English/Language Arts endorsement should consult at once with the English Graduate Coordinator in order to plan appropriate course work which may include one or more courses in addition to the minimum requirements for the major. Each student's Program of Study for this emphasis requires the approval of the English Graduate Coordinator.
Native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in another language by earning at least a C grade in a second-semester, college-level course or by passing a specially designed examination. Coursework taken to satisfy this foreign language requirement does not count toward the number of hours required for completion of the degree major.
For full admission, in order to demonstrate their proficiency in English, non-native English speakers must achieve a score of 95 in the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), 6.0 in the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or 130 in Duolingo. A student may be required to take additional English language improvement courses at the discretion of the English Graduate Faculty. Work taken to satisfy the language proficiency requirement does not count toward the minimum of 30 semester hours required to complete the selected emphasis.
Individuals teaching in Iowa community colleges are not required to hold state issued teaching licenses. However, graduate course work in postsecondary education may strengthen one’s qualifications for teaching at a community college. Contact individual colleges to determine the requirements for teaching appointments at each institution.
| Required Core: | ||
| ENGLISH 6100 | Methods of Graduate Study in English | 3 |
| ENGLISH 6188 | Seminar in Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 6299 | Research * | 3-6 |
| Select one of the emphases below | 18-21 | |
| Total hours: | 30 | |
- *
For students pursuing the non-thesis option, 3 hours of ENGLISH 6299 is required. For students pursuing the thesis option, 6 hours of ENGLISH 6299 is required.
Literature Emphasis: Available on both the thesis and non-thesis options.
| Electives: | ||
18 hours for thesis option, 21 hours for non-thesis option. Must include 6 hours of 6000-level courses for students pursuing non-thesis option, and 3 hours of 6000-level courses for students pursuing the thesis option. Electives are planned with the English Graduate Coordinator. | ||
| English Literature electives selected from the following: | 15-18 | |
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality | ||
| Literary Criticism | ||
| Issues in Digital Humanities | ||
| Author Seminar: __________________ | ||
| Seminar in Literature: ______________ | ||
| Old English Language, Literature, and Culture | ||
| Early Modern Drama | ||
| English Renaissance | ||
| 18th-Century British Literature | ||
| British Romantic Writers | ||
| British Victorian Writers | ||
| British Novel to 1900 | ||
| British Novel Since 1900 | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| The American Renaissance | ||
| American Realism and Naturalism to WWI | ||
| American Poetry to 1914 | ||
| American Novel Since 1900 | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Poetry | ||
| World Literature Seminar: (Topic) | ||
| Modern Drama | ||
| Literary Nonfiction | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Film History | ||
| Film Theory and Criticism | ||
| Electronic Literature | ||
| Genre Seminar:______________ | ||
| Seminar in Criticism and Theory: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in English Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in American Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in Writing: (Topic) | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| English electives selected from the following: | 0-6 | |
| Craft of Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Craft of Poetry | ||
| Craft of Fiction | ||
| Theory and Practice of Writing | ||
| Digital Writing: Theory and Practice | ||
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality | ||
| Literary Criticism | ||
| Author Seminar: __________________ | ||
| Issues in Digital Humanities | ||
| Seminar in Literature: ______________ | ||
| Old English Language, Literature, and Culture | ||
| Early Modern Drama | ||
| English Renaissance | ||
| 18th-Century British Literature | ||
| British Romantic Writers | ||
| British Victorian Writers | ||
| British Novel to 1900 | ||
| British Novel Since 1900 | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| The American Renaissance | ||
| American Realism and Naturalism to WWI | ||
| American Poetry to 1914 | ||
| American Novel Since 1900 | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| World Literature Seminar: (Topic) | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Poetry | ||
| Modern Drama | ||
| Literary Nonfiction | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Film History | ||
| Film Theory and Criticism | ||
| Electronic Literature | ||
| Genre Seminar:______________ | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Workshop | ||
| Poetry Workshop | ||
| Fiction Workshop | ||
| Advanced Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| Applied Writing: Workplace Communication | ||
| Applied Writing: Proposals and Grants | ||
| Applied Writing: Specialized Documents | ||
| The Profession of Editing | ||
| Applied Writing: Projects, Grants and Careers | ||
| Professional Writing Practicum: _________ | ||
| Seminar in Teaching College Writing | ||
| Seminar in Criticism and Theory: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in English Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in American Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in Writing: (Topic) | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| Graduate Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| Seminar in the Teaching of English | ||
| Total hours, thesis or non-thesis option | 30 | |
| Optional: up to 6 additional hours to complete a specialty area or a program certificate, subject to the approval of the student's advisor and the English Graduate Coordinator | ||
English Studies Emphasis: Available on both the thesis and non-thesis options.
| English electives selected from the following: | 18-21 | |
18 hours for thesis option, 21 hours for non-thesis option. Must include 6 hours of 6000-level courses for students pursuing non-thesis option, and 3 hours of 6000-level courses for students pursuing the thesis option. Electives are planned with the English Graduate Coordinator. | ||
| Craft of Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Craft of Poetry | ||
| Craft of Fiction | ||
| Theory and Practice of Writing | ||
| Digital Writing: Theory and Practice | ||
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality | ||
| Literary Criticism | ||
| Issues in Digital Humanities | ||
| Author Seminar: __________________ | ||
| Seminar in Literature: ______________ | ||
| Old English Language, Literature, and Culture | ||
| Early Modern Drama | ||
| English Renaissance | ||
| 18th-Century British Literature | ||
| British Romantic Writers | ||
| British Victorian Writers | ||
| British Novel to 1900 | ||
| British Novel Since 1900 | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| The American Renaissance | ||
| American Realism and Naturalism to WWI | ||
| American Poetry to 1914 | ||
| American Novel Since 1900 | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| World Literature Seminar: (Topic) | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Poetry | ||
| Modern Drama | ||
| Literary Nonfiction | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Film History | ||
| Film Theory and Criticism | ||
| Electronic Literature | ||
| Genre Seminar:______________ | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Workshop | ||
| Poetry Workshop | ||
| Fiction Workshop | ||
| Advanced Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| Applied Writing: Workplace Communication | ||
| Applied Writing: Proposals and Grants | ||
| Applied Writing: Specialized Documents | ||
| The Profession of Editing | ||
| Applied Writing: Projects, Grants and Careers | ||
| Professional Writing Practicum: _________ | ||
| Seminar in Teaching College Writing | ||
| Seminar in Criticism and Theory: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in English Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in American Literature: (Topic) | ||
| Seminar in Writing: (Topic) | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| Graduate Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| Seminar in the Teaching of English | ||
| Total hours, thesis or non-thesis option | 30 | |
| Optional: up to 6 additional hours to complete a specialty area or a program certificate, subject to the approval of the student's advisor and the English Graduate Coordinator. | ||
Creative Writing Emphasis: Available on the thesis option only.
| 3 to 6 hours of the following "Craft" courses: * | 3-6 | |
| Craft of Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Craft of Poetry | ||
| Craft of Fiction | ||
| 6 to 9 hours of the following "Workshop" courses: * | 6-9 | |
| Creative Nonfiction Workshop | ||
| Poetry Workshop | ||
| Fiction Workshop | ||
| Advanced Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| Graduate Creative Writing Workshop | ||
| English Literature electives (planned with graduate coordinator) must include 3 hours of 6000-level courses | 6-9 | |
| Total hours | 30 | |
- *
A total of at least 12 hours is required from ENGLISH 3710/5710, ENGLISH 3715/5715, ENGLISH 3725/5725, ENGLISH 4730/5730, ENGLISH 4740/5740, ENGLISH 4750/5750, ENGLISH 4760/5760 and ENGLISH 6720.
English in Secondary & Post-Secondary Schools Emphasis: Available on the non-thesis option only.
| ENGLISH 6980 | Seminar in the Teaching of English | 3 |
| English electives in in Literature & Pedagogy ** | 6-12 | |
| English electives in Writing & Pedagogy ** | 6-12 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- **
Electives must include at least 3 hours of 6000-level courses.