Pictured | Briana Becker | English, Creative Writing | Mishawaka, Indiana (hometown)
Participates in "Pub Hub"
Photo credit | Noah Becker (age 5)

Master of Arts in English

The Master of Arts (MA) in English offers a flexible program of study that enables students to shape their course of study. All students take four core courses in literary analysis, prose style, composition theory, and literary 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 four electives in that area.

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 MA 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 MA 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.

Students who currently hold a valid Indiana teaching license are exempt from the World Language Requirement.

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.

Degree Requirements (36 cr.)

All courses are 4 credit hours, unless otherwise designated.

Required Courses (16 cr.)

• ENG-G 660 Stylistics (through Fall 2018)
  ENG-W 616 Prose Style Workshop (Pending final approval) from Spring 2019
• ENG-L 501 Professional Scholarship in Literature
• ENG-L 502 Contexts for Study of Writing
• ENG-L 680 Special Topics-Literature Study and Theory

Electives (16 cr.)

Select four courses from the list below (Any alternatives require approval of the Director of Graduate Studies)

Students opting to complete a final MA project in creative writing must complete at least three writing workshops for their electives, one of which must be in the project's genre of choice. Likewise, students opting to complete a final MA project in literature must complete at least three literature courses for their electives, one of which must be in the project's area of specialization. Students opting to complete a final MA project in literacy, rhetoric, or composition can take any four electives from the list below.

• ENG-L 590 Internship in English
• ENG-L 612 Chaucer
• ENG-L 623 English Drama from the 1590s to 1800, Exclusive of Shakespeare
• ENG-L 625 Readings in Shakespeare
• ENG-L 631 English Literature 1660-1790
• ENG-L 639 English Fiction to 1800
• ENG-L 642 Studies in Romantic Literature
• ENG-L 647 Studies in Victorian Literature
• ENG-L 650 Studies in American Literature to 1900
• ENG-L 653 American Literature 1800-1900
• ENG-L 660 Studies in British and American Literature 1900 to Present
• ENG-L 674 Studies in International English Literature
• ENG-L 680 Special Topics in Literary Study and Theory
• ENG-L 681 Genre Studies
• ENG-L 695 Individual Readings in English
• ENG-W 511 Writing Fiction
• ENG-W 513 Writing Poetry
• ENG-W 615 Writing Creative Nonfiction

Final Thesis Project (4 cr.)

• ENG-L 699 MA Thesis; OR
  ENG-W 609 Directed Writing Projects