ENGLISH, M.A., 36 HOURS

Total Hours: 30 + 6 hours Thesis

Advising: College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Literature and Philosophy, Dr. Doug Thomson, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8023, Statesboro, GA 30460, phone (912) 681-5779, fax (912) 681-0653, email dhthom@georgiasouthern.edu, website: http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/litphi/

Admission Requirements

Regular

1. Completed requirements for the Bachelor's degree in a college accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting associations.
2. A 3.0 (4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average or higher on all undergraduate work.
3. A minimum score of 550 on the Verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken prior to October 1, 2002 or a minimum score of no less than 550 on the Verbal and no less than 3.5 on the Analytic Writing sections of the GRE taken after October 1, 2002.
4. An undergraduate major or the equivalent in the proposed field of study.
5. Two letters of recommendation by persons familiar with the applicant's academic experience.

Provisional

A minimum score of 450 on the Verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken prior to October 1, 2002 or a minimum score of no less than 450 on the Verbal and no less than 3.5 on the Analytic Writing sections of the GRE taken after October 1, 2002; accompanied by a better than 2.75 (4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average on undergraduate college work. Students who do not meet provisional requirements may appeal to a departmental committee of graduate faculty members for admission.

Program of Study

ENGL 7111 - Seminar in College English (1)

ENGL 7121 - Methods of Research (2)

ENGL - Six seminars at the 6000 or 7000 level (18)

Up to six hours may be taken in other disciplines (no more than one course per department) upon approval of the Director.

(See below and for more information consult the M.A. English web page at http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/litphi/graduate2007.php)

1. Thesis Option

   In cooperation with a thesis advisor and committee, the student will write an M.A. thesis (minimum of 60 pages, not counting Notes and Works Cited). The student must pass an oral examination consisting of a discussion of the thesis and of questions related to it. In depth and scope, the thesis must demonstrate originality in research as well as independent and critical judgment in interpreting materials. The major professor shall supervise the research, direct the writing of the thesis, and approve the thesis in its final form. Prior to final approval, the members of the thesis committee will have read the thesis. Both second and third readers shall report all comments to the major professor. See the Graduate Student Manual for additional Thesis information. Prior to beginning the thesis, the student should have the supervisor complete a Thesis Prospectus Form to be approved by the department and the Graduate College.

2. Non-Thesis Option

   After completing thirty hours of course work, students may opt to take two additional courses at the 6000-7000 level instead of writing the thesis. They will prepare one of the papers (of fifteen to twenty pages) that they write in those courses to present before a faculty forum, followed by a question and answer session. The paper and the presentation will be assessed by a panel consisting of the student's teacher for the course and two other professors.

OTHER PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Language Requirement

All degree programs leading to the Master of Arts degree require a reading knowledge of a foreign language. French, German, or Spanish is generally required, but another language may be specified by the major professor when the latter is appropriate to the area of research proposed by the student in the thesis prospectus. A foreign national may not use English or his or her native language to satisfy the language requirements.

Georgia Southern University offers the following two options for graduate students who need to complete a foreign language requirement:

1. The language requirement may be satisfied by a minimum grade of "C" in the fourth course of a college-level foreign language that is approved by the student's advisor.
2. A student primarily interested in reading research in his or her field should prepare to take the Foreign Language Graduate Reading Exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages. The student must arrange with the Department of Foreign Languages to take the test in the first half of any semester.

Seminars

ENGL 6630 - Seminar in Medieval Literature (3)

ENGL 6631 - Seminar in Shakespeare (3)

ENGL 6632 - Seminar in Literature of the English Renaissance (3)

ENGL 6633 - Seminar in Eighteenth-Century and Restoration Literature (3)

ENGL 6634 - Seminar in Major Authors (3)

ENGL 6635 - Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies (3)

ENGL 6637 - Seminar in Criticism and Theory (3)

ENGL 7630 - Seminar in World and Comparative Literature (3)

ENGL 7631 - Seminar in the British Novel (3)

ENGL 7632 - Seminar in the American Novel (3)

ENGL 7633 - Seminar in Nineteenth-Century British Literature (3)

ENGL 7635 - Seminar in Nineteenth-Century American Literature (3)

ENGL 7637 - Seminar in Twentieth-Century American Literature (3)

ENGL 7638 - Seminar in Twentieth-Century Poetry (3)

ENGL 7999 - Thesis (6)

A student may repeat a seminar once when it is taught with a different subtitle.