English — Degree Requirements

Requirements for the MA degree in English include the satisfactory completion of 30 credits of approved course work, including completion of a final capstone essay or exam (3 cr.) or a master’s thesis (6 cr.).

The 30 credits may be earned in graduate English seminars (at least five in residence are required), in the Graduate English Colloquium (ENGL 609), in the Final Projects (ENGL 691 for composition; ENGL 692 for creative writing; ENGL 693 for literature), by completing a Master’s Thesis in any of the three tracks (ENGL 699), or in Independent Study (ENGL 696). A limited number of courses at the advanced undergraduate level (with extra work) or in a related field may also be approved by the graduate program director; such approval must be arranged in advance.

Composition concentrators are required to complete their final project in composition and take at least four seminars related to composition. Literature concentrators are required to complete their final project in literature and take at least five courses emphasizing literature, including at least one literature course in which the majority of the texts to be studied were written before 1850. Either concentration may include crossover courses, i.e., courses in language or literary theory. Creative writing concentrators are required to complete their final project in creative writing and to take at least four courses emphasizing creative writing and at least three additional courses emphasizing only literature. (The literature course requirement may be modified—with the permission of the Director of Creative Writing and the Director of the Graduate Program—for students with strong backgrounds in literature who have an interest in preparing themselves to teach composition as well as creative writing.)

By petition, up to 6 graduate credits taken either at another university or at UMass Boston as a non-degree student may be transferred into the program. For further details and restrictions, see the “General Academic Regulations: Transfer Credit” section of this bulletin.

As a required capstone project, students may choose either the 3-credit final essay or exam (final exercise), or they may choose the 6-credit Master’s Thesis.

The 3-credit final exercise is intended to provide culminating evidence of the graduate student’s mastery of subject matter and methodology, either in a long paper or project report, or in a comprehensive written examination of at least three hours. Concentrators in composition undertake an appropriate research and writing project or prepare for an exam through ENGL 691. Concentrators in creative writing prepare a creative project through ENGL 692. Concentrators in literature may carry on preparation for a final paper or examination through ENGL 693. In all cases, students must propose their project in detail and have it approved by their faculty director and by the Graduate Program Director the semester before the project is due.

The literature concentrator may choose either the final paper or the examination option. Under the first option, the student submits a long paper (critical, interpretive, or pedagogical) of approximately 30 pages, with the written approval of a faculty supervisor. The paper may or may not be based on a course paper, should deal with a substantial body of material (primary and secondary), and should include an annotated bibliography of works used.

Under the second option, the student negotiates with his or her project supervisor to compile a reading list, which must be approved by an exam committee. The three- hour exam, which covers both primary and secondary material on the topic, is then prepared by that committee. The exam option carries 3 credits.

The Master’s Thesis in the English MA Program (6 credits) may be undertaken in any of the three tracks and consists of a substantial project of approximately 60 pages. Creative writing students will include a related analytic paper with their manuscript. In all cases, a thesis proposal is required and must be approved by the student’s thesis director and by the Graduate Program Director and, if appropriate, by the Director of Creative Writing. The Master’s Thesis requires a defense in front of the student’s thesis committee and is open to the department. Students choosing to undertake the Master’s Thesis should have their project well under way at the beginning of the semester before their project is due.

For a more complete description of the program, see The English Graduate Program Handbook, available from the English MA Program, English Department, University of Massachusetts Boston.