Master of Arts (M.A.) in English

The M.A. offers a flexible program of study that enables students to shape their course of study. All students take three core courses in literary analysis, prose style, and composition theory, respectively. In addition, each student will choose a concentration in either literary analysis or creative writing and will take most of his or her five electives in that area.

Degree Requirements (36 cr.)

All courses are 4 credit hours, unless otherwise designated.

• ENG-G 660 Stylistics
• ENG-L 501 Professional Scholarship in Literature
• ENG-L 502 Contexts for Study of Writing
• ENG-L 699 M.A. Thesis; or
  ENG-W 609 Directed Writing Project

• Electives (20 cr.) | Five elective courses

Note | Students must take at least one course in the literary period or genre that they choose for their directed writing project. A student who wishes to complete a creative writing project must take a total of three writing workshops in at least two genres. Any one of those courses may be taken twice for graduate credit.

World Languages Requirement

Students must have completed two college semesters of a single world language by the time the M.A. degree is conferred. Candidates who have completed these two courses as part of other graduate or undergraduate programs need not take additional courses as part of the M.A. degree program. Candidates who have gained world language skills outside of the classroom may take a world languages placement examination to demonstrate their achievement of language skills equivalent to those achieved from two semesters of formal study.

Transfer Credit Hours

Applicants may be allowed to transfer up to two graduate courses or 8 credit hours from another graduate institution (or from previous graduate work at IU South Bend) if those courses demonstrably contribute to the work required for the Master of Arts in English. Unless transfer courses are clearly equivalent to the required core courses for the Master of Arts, those courses are counted as electives. Candidates must include in the application a request to transfer courses, a brief description of each course identifying how it contributes to the Master of Arts in English, and supporting documentation such as syllabi, assignments, papers, or other relevant material.

Academic Regulations

Students must confer with their academic advisors on a regular basis to determine an effective course of study.

An average grade of B (3.0) is required for graduation, and no course with a grade lower than B– (2.7) is counted toward the degree. Students are required to maintain good academic standing, i.e., to maintain a 3.0 GPA. Failure to maintain good standing may result in dismissal from the program.