Master's Program
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- Concentrations
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Students enter M.A. programs in English for a variety of reasons. Some wish simply to extend their liberal education beyond the bachelor's level; others want professional training for high school or junior college teaching; still others see the M.A. as a stepping stone to the Ph.D. and a career in college teaching. At Ohio University we have tried to design an M.A. program that meets the diverse needs of these different students. We believe that all students should have a thorough grounding in the basic elements of literary study; thus all students must satisfy a common set of core requirements. We also believe, however, that students should have the right to give their studies a particular emphasis, and thus we offer a choice of five departmental concentrations. These concentrations are carefully selected groups of courses that give each master's program a distinctive focus.
Our M.A. program is a two-year (six terms) undertaking, although full-time students who are not Teaching Associates may complete it in four terms.
M.A. Requirements
Students pursuing the Master of Arts in English must satisfy the following requirements:
Bibliography and Methods
ENG 593 deals with enumerative and descriptive bibliography and methods of scholarship. It also provides a general introduction to graduate study and research in English literature and language.
English Language
The English language requirement can be met by one of two courses. ENG 503 (English Language) studies the history of the English language from the Anglo Saxon period to the 18th century. ENG 504 (American English) is an introduction to the various sources of information about American English as it is spoken and written today.
The Teaching of English
ENG 591 and 591A, ordinarily taken in the student's first and second quarters and required only of teaching associates, are designed to offer various kinds of practical and theoretical information and discussions about teaching, including various teaching methods, grading standards, counseling, use of computers, etc. All teaching associates also take 791 (1 credit hour) every quarter. This course addresses professional and pedagogical issues in the profession.
Literary Theory or Criticism
Students will take at least one course that has as its primary focus literary theory or the strategies of literary analysis and criticism.
Thesis or Master's Essay
The master's thesis must observe college, departmental, and individual faculty deadlines and criteria for the thesis. The master's essay is a scholarly essay of publishable quality and length, written as an extension of work done in a seminar but researched and reshaped to meet professional standards of scholarly publications, and submitted to the faculty director of the essay.
Area Distribution
Students are required to take seminars in at least three of the following six periods:
- Medieval Language and Literature
- Renaissance Literature
- 18th Century Literature
- 19th Century British Literature
- American Literature
- 20th Century Literature
Of these three seminars, one must focus primarily on British literature before 1700, one must focus on literature after 1700, and one must focus primarily on American literature.
Foreign Language
Two years of coursework as recorded on an undergraduate transcript; or, a grade of CR (B or better) in any Ohio University Modern Language graduate series (511-512-513) or Classics 501-502-503. Some foreign language instruction is also available, in an accelerated format, during the summer.
Departmental Concentrations
Students will elect one of the following concentrations:
Literary History
Students choosing Literary History will take three additional period seminars covering the three periods not included in their area distribution. Thus, students concentrating on literary history will have seminars in all six periods.
Creative Writing
Students choosing Creative Writing must satisfy either the bibliography and methods requirement or the English language requirement, but they are not required to do both. They must take three creative writing seminars, ENG 765 Form and Theory, and complete a creative master's thesis.
Literary Criticism
Students choosing Literary Criticism will complete three courses in literary theory, criticism, or stylistics. Students may count the course in literary theory or criticism required of all M.A. students as part of this concentration; however, if they do so, they will also take one additional period course to bring their total hours to the number required in other concentrations.
Women's Studies
The Women's Studies Graduate Certificate is an interdisciplinary certificate. Students choosing this concentration will take a total of four courses, one of which must be WS 589: "The New Scholarship on Women: The Question of Difference." Students will also take three Women's Studies or cross-listed courses before that. Two of these three courses must be outside the field of English.
Rhetoric and Composition
Rhetoric and Composition students take 593 Bib and Methods OR 592B Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition. Note: only some students will benefit from this depending on scheduling. Rhetoric and Composition students take two literature courses--one in British and one in American. Rhetoric and Composition students are required to take four courses in Rhetoric and Composition instead of 3.
- ENG 592A Major Rhetorical Theories and the Teaching of Composition
- ENG 592B Composition Research and Teaching
- ENG 592C Rhetoric in Reading
- ENG 592D The Rhetorical Tradition and the Teaching of Writing
- ENG 575 Teaching Technical Writing
- ENG 792E Computer and Composition Pedagogy