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Twenty-three
faculty members staff a stimulating and innovative department. The graduate
faculty consists of published scholars whose specialties are as diverse
as the courses listed in the Program of Study (see below for details about
the Program of Study). Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies, Irish Studies,
the Georgia Author Series, the Averitt Lecture Series, and the Cinema
Arts Program provide added dimensions to the program. Many graduates go
on to pursue the Ph.D. in English. Graduate Assistants work closely with
faculty members on teaching and research, and all Graduate students have
access to a Graduate Student Office across from the main departmental
office.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
If you have
further questions about the M.A. in English at Georgia Southern University,
please contact the Graduate Director, Dr. Doug Thomson at 912.681.5779
or 912.681.5471, or send e-mail to dhthom@georgiasouthern.edu. He will
be happy to talk with you about the program and the career opportunities
that can result from having an M.A. in English.
M.A.
36 Hours
Total Hours: 30 +
6 hours Thesis
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 score of no
less than 550 on the Verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE).
4. Analytical writing
score of 3.5.
5. An undergraduate
major or the equivalent in the proposed field of study.
6. 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 GRE 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
Students must file their Program of Study Form (POS) with the College of Graduate Studies not later than the end of the semester prior to the expected graduation term. Candidates for the M.A. in English must complete 30 hours of graduate courses, including English 7111 and 7121 and at least 18 hours (six three-hour courses) on the seminar (6000-7000) level. Upon approval of the director of the M.A. program in English, students may take up to six hours from outside departments, but no more than one course from any particular outside department. To complete the degree, students may choose one of the following two options.
1. THESIS OPTION (Must have the Department Chair's approval):
In cooperation with a thesis advisor and committee, the student will write an M.A. thesis (minimum length 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 College of Graduate Studies ETD web site for additional Thesis information. Prior to beginning the thesis, students will complete the Thesis Prospectus Form.
2. NON-THESIS
OPTION (MASTERS’ PROJECT OPTION)
After completing
thirty hours of course work, students who do not plan to enter a Ph.D.
program 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 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 programs
leading to the Master of Arts degree require a reading knowledge of a
foreign language. Either 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 foreignnational 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 grade of "C" or better 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. Theexam is given during the third week
of each quarter. The student must register for the exam with the Department
of Foreign Languages no later than the last week of the quarter before
the test is to be taken.
The examination
will be based on material selected in advance by the student and approved
by the by the examiner. The student can select either a book of al least
150 pages or several articles totaling at least 75 pages, excluding graphs,
tables, etc. The exam will have a limit of two hours, during which time
the student will be expected to prepare a reasonably accurate written
translation of everalpassages selected by the examiner. The use of dictionaries
an grammars during the exam will be permitted. The examining committee
for foreign languages shall report "pass" or "fail"
to the College of Graduate Studies.
SEMINARS
ENGL 6090
- Seminar in Selected Topics
ENGL 6630 - Seminar in Medieval Literature
ENGL 6631 - Seminar in Shakespeare
ENGL 6632 - Seminar in Literature of the English Renaissance
ENGL 6633 - Seminar in Eighteenth-Century and estorationLiterature
ENGL 6634 - Seminar in Major Authors
ENGL 6635 - Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies
ENGL 6637 - Seminar in Criticism and Theory
ENGL 7630 - Seminar in World and Comparative Literature
ENGL 7631 - Seminar in the British Novel
ENGL 7632 - Seminar in American Novel
ENGL 7633 - Seminar in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
ENGL 7635 - Seminar in Nineteenth-Century American Literature
ENGL 7637 - Seminar in Twentieth-Century American Literature NGL 7638
- Seminar in Twentieth-Century Poetry
ENGL 7630 - Seminar in World and Comparative Literature
A student
may repeat a seminar once, when it is taught with a different subtitle.
Since faculty
members do not receive compensation for independent study work, our departmental
policy is that we do not arrange for independent study with students.
The same policy pplies to undergraduates.
THESIS GUIDELINES (printable version)
1. Students who choose the thesis option are encouraged to begin thinking about and researching possible topics during the first year of study. (A student who does not have a strong idea for a thesis topic by the end of the first year of study should begin seriously to consider the non-thesis option.) Before the beginning of the second year of study (or at some point after the completion of 18 credit hours), the student who chooses the thesis option asks a professor to direct the thesis. The subject matter of the thesis should be within the professor's field(s) of expertise. For crucial information on the thesis and its electronic formatting, students should consult College of Graduate Studies ETD web site.
The professor and the student should discuss the significance and viability of the thesis topic, and at the beginning of the second year of full-time study (or after the completion of 18 credit hours) the student submits a prospectus to the thesis committee for approval. In addition to this form from the College of Graduate Studies, the student should submit a prospectus of a minimum of 500 words detailing his or her planned subject; this prospectus should also include a separate bibliography (a working bibliography) of primary and secondary sources used for the thesis. The prospectus will then be forwarded to the Department Chair for approval. A copy will also go to the Graduate Office (for information and not screening). In consideration of the tight schedule outlined below (see #4), students are urged to complete at least 3 thesis hours before the semester in which they plan to finish and defend the thesis. During the first term of taking 3 thesis hours the student will make substantial progress on the thesis in order to be able to complete the thesis in time to submit it by the deadline of the term when the student plans to graduate.
2. With an eye on the deadlines, the student and director devise a time-table for completion of the thesis.
3. The student should seek feedback and criticism from the director as the thesis progresses. A good idea would be for the student to submit each chapter as it becomes completed, and the professor should meet within a week to discuss the marked draft with the student. The director and student will work around occasional delays necessitated by other commitments of the director.
4. The student should consult and follow this timetable for the thesis process. The dates are geared to the deadline for the Deadline to submit electronic theses and dissertations to College of Graduate Studies for final format review”* specified each term in the Graduate Catalog. The specific dates for each semester will be posted on the Department’s graduate web page.
Eight weeks before the “Final Review”: last possible date to submit completed draft of thesis to the director. When the draft thesis has been completed and the director has found it generally satisfactory (the student and director may meet several times before this happens), then and only then is it ready to be sent on to the other committee members (readers). By this point the draft must be free of all surface and grammatical errors.
Six weeks before the “Final Review”: last possible date for the director to submit the thesis to the main office, which distributes it to the readers. The readers must be allowed at least two weeks to critique and return the thesis to the major professor, who will then sit down with the student to discuss the called-for changes, or suggestions for revision. These may be substantive or minor. The student will make the revisions. When these are completed, the director and student will meet again to discuss whether they have been satisfactorily implemented.
Three weeks before “Final Review”: The director submits the thesis to the main office of the Literature and Philosophy Department. The main office distributes copies of the thesis to the other readers and schedules a date for the defense (orals) that is agreeable to all parties.
One week before “Final Review”: final date for the defense of the thesis. The committee may find it necessary for the student to make further but probably non-substantive changes.
5 . Deadline to submit electronic theses to College of Graduate Studies for final format review. Having followed carefully the guidelines on the College of Graduate Studies ETD web site, the student submits the approved and defended thesis in PDF format to the College of Graduate Studies. See the section “How and where do I submit my PDF document for format check?” on the ETD web site.
6 . Once the student makes any revisions in format required by the Graduate College, he or she submits the final document in PDF format to the College of Graduate Studies ETD using the Upload Thesis/Dissertation for Final Submission function at the ETD site. Follow the upload procedures listed.
*The “Final Review of Thesis and Dissertation by College of Graduate Studies” (item #5) should not be confused with the “Deadline to submit final approved electronic thesis to College of Graduate Studies” (item #6) which generally occurs ten-fifteen days later.
Deadlines for Spring 08:
Feb 16: last possible date to submit completed draft of thesis to the director
Feb. 28: last possible date for the director to submit the thesis to the main office
April 9: final date for the defense of the thesis
April 16: Deadline to submit electronic theses and dissertations to College of Graduate Studies for final format review
May 9: Deadline to submit final verified (approved) electronic theses or dissertations to College of Graduate Studies
Finishing the thesis during the summer: a note for summer terms A and B
The deadlines for submitting electronic theses and dissertations to the College of Graduate Studies for final format review are June 23 for Term A and July 24 for term B. The department does not set timelines for the summer period, but students should consult closely with their thesis director and readers as they plan to complete and defend their theses.
MASTERS’ PROJECT OPTION GUIDELINES
After completing thirty hours of course work, a student may opt to take two additional courses at the 6000-7000 level instead of writing the thesis. Following or concurrent with enrollment in these additional courses, the student will prepare one paper (of fifteen-twenty pages) that he or she has written in any seminar to present before a faculty forum. The student is encouraged to revise and polish the paper for the presentation. The paper and the presentation will be assessed by a panel consisting of three professors of the student’s choosing. The student should expect to take up to 20 minutes to communicate the argument of the paper, relying upon summary and also reading important or illustrative passages from the text; faculty will take 20 minutes to ask the student questions about the paper. After the presentation, faculty will fill out the “Report on Masters’ project Presentation” form and submit it to the director of the M.A. program, who will then send a copy to the College of Graduate Studies. A successful report is required for the student to graduate with the M.A. under the Masters’ project option.
Time guidelines for the Masters’ project: The student must complete and send the “Program of Study Form” form to the College of Graduate Studies the semester before which he or she intends to graduate. At least 6 weeks prior to the date of the presentation, the student should notify the director of the M.A. program in English and the three faculty who will attend the presentation. The student should make sure that the attending faculty have a completed copy of the paper no later than one week before the presentation. The “Report on Masters’ Project Presentation” form must be sent to the College of Graduate Studies.
AFTER
THE DEGREE
If you decide
to continue with graduate work beyond the M.A., you should know about
a policy adopted by the Council of Graduate
Schools. "Acceptance of an offer of financial support (such as
a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for
the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes
an agreement that both student and graduate school expect to honor. In
that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance
must be defined carefully and understood by all parties. Students are
under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to
April 15." For more information, see the full
policy.
For more information
about the English Graduate Program or an Assistantship, contact Dr.
Doug Thomson.
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