Master's Thesis
Master’s Examination
Independent Study
Study Abroad
Rationale for Revisions to the Graduate Procedures

[See annual "Important Dates for Graduate Students and Faculty" for exact deadlines]

Thesis Procedures

Each graduate student writing a thesis shall do so under the supervision of a Thesis Committee consisting of three members of the graduate faculty. One of them shall be the Thesis Director; the other two shall be Readers.

The graduate student must provide the Graduate Studies Committee a prospectus for the thesis and a list of the Thesis Committee members. The submitted prospectus must be signed by the proposed Thesis Director and Readers to acknowledge their approval of the prospectus and agreement to serve on the Thesis Committee. The prospectus must be approved and the Thesis Committee appointed before the end of the semester prior to the one in which the student is registered for English 5950. Because prospectuses are not routinely approved, they are due six weeks before the end of the semester in order to facilitate the Graduate Studies Committee's possible requests for revision. The student may present the prospectus to the Graduate Studies Committee no earlier than the successful completion of nine credits. Once the prospectus has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, the MA candidate registers for English 5950 and begins work on the thesis.

Note: The MA candidate must register for English 5950 when he or she begins writing the thesis. If the thesis is not complete by the end of the semester, the student will receive a "DC" (Deferred Credit) and continue work on the thesis until its completion. The candidate registers for English 5950 only once.

The Thesis Director shall guide the graduate student in preparing the prospectus and securing its approval from the Thesis Committee and the Graduate Studies Committee, supervise the writing of the thesis, preside over the Thesis Defense, and, at the end of the process, certify to the Graduate Studies Committee that the finished thesis has the approval of the Thesis Committee.

Schedule of Dates for Submitting a Prospectus

 - For Fall registration in English 5950, the prospectus is due Friday of the ninth week of the Spring Semester.
 - For Spring registration in English 5950, the prospectus is due Friday of the ninth week of the Fall Semester.
 - For Summer registration in English 5950, the prospectus is due Friday of the ninth week of the Spring Semester.
 - Note: For students planning to write during the summer, a statement of intent to do so is due to the Graduate Coordinator the last Friday of October.

I. The Components of a Prospectus in Literary Studies (at least 1000 words, accompanied by a select bibliography):
 - A clear statement of the goals of the project
 - Identification of primary texts to be studied
 - Indication of major secondary works to be studied
 - Indication of critical method to be employed.

II. The Components of a Prospectus for Rhetoric and Composition (at least 1000 words, accompanied by a select bibliography):

 - A clear statement of the goals of the project, including pertinent background about the area of inquiry.
 - An explanation of the research methodology (e.g., case study, empirical analysis, rhetorical analysis, ethnographic study) and a description of the style to be used for documenting sources and presenting data and results.
 - A preliminary bibliography of theoretical sources and existing research on the topic.

The Major Components of a Thesis (in Literary Studies and Rhetoric/Composition):

 - An introduction
 - The body chapters
 - A conclusion
 - Select Bibliography or Works Cited

III. The Components of a Prospectus for the Creative Thesis (at least 1000 words, accompanied by a select bibliography):

 - An introduction to the creative work the student has already accomplished in the program, as well as a projection of the work to be done in the thesis. This discussion should include a consideration of the influences that shape the student's choice of subject, genre, and style.
 - A preliminary bibliography of texts with which the student plans to engage during work on the thesis.
 - A short appendix of finished work, not to exceed 20 pages.

The Major Components of the Creative Thesis:

 - The Preface: an essay that includes a statement of the student's aesthetic aims and demonstrates that the student has read deeply in the chosen genre. This essay should illustrate the creative influences upon the student's work, both textual and experiential, and should be followed by a list of Works Cited.
 - The Creative Body of Work: a substantial body of mature, original, and technically proficient work.

IV: The Thesis Defense

The MA candidate schedules an oral defense of the thesis upon its completion. The defense examines the candidate's ability to speak cogently about the thesis and place it in contexts other than those indicated in the document itself. It also allows faculty and other members of the community to question the candidate on the subject matter of the thesis.

The Thesis Director and the Thesis Committee attend the defense, with the Thesis Director presiding over it. The defense is open to all members of the English Department as well as the public. Thesis Directors should advise candidates on some appropriate method of advertisement (normally, flyers are posted on the third floor of Coleman Hall). The MA candidate is responsible for scheduling the date, time, and location of the defense so that all members of the Thesis Committee may attend and so that the defense takes place before the last day to file for graduation.

Note: Faculty are often not available during the summer. Students who wish to defend during the summer should check with faculty and make the appropriate arrangements.

The defense will include an oral presentation by the MA candidate, followed by questions from the Thesis Director and Thesis Committee. Thesis defenses will last approximately one hour, after which the candidate and audience members will leave the room to allow the Thesis Director and Thesis Committee to deliberate. Candidates receive either a pass or a fail for the defense. Passing candidates may be required to make revisions to the thesis; therefore, it is advisable to schedule defenses in a timely manner. Failing candidates may, after consultation with the Thesis Director, schedule a second defense. On failing a second time, the student shall not be allowed to continue in the graduate program without the express permission of the Graduate Studies Committee after full review of his or her qualifications and progress.

Examining Procedures

Overview

Students pursuing the MA examination option will prepare for and take the exam during their final semester of study (typically in their fourth semester). The MA exam comprises two parts. The first part is a 3½ -hour written exam, covering a specialized topic of the student's choice (1½-2 hours) and a larger but complementary field of interest, such as a literary historical period, a literary genre, or a literary theory (1½-2 hours). The second part is a 1-hour oral defense, covering the same fields of study as the written portion. A student must pass the written portion of the exam with a passing score before he or she may sit for the oral defense. A three-member examination committee develops and assesses the exam. One member of the examination committee serves as the student's reading director, supervising English 5940 (MA Exam Tutorial), which the student takes during the semester of the exam.

Enrolling in English 5940 and Choosing an Examination Committee

In the semester prior to taking the exam (typically the third semester of study), the student must notify the Graduate Studies Coordinator of his or her intent to take the exam. During this semester the student must also select a faculty member to serve as reading director for English 5940. In consultation with the reading director, the student will develop a reading list for the exam and select two other faculty members to serve on the examination committee. The student must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of both the reading list and the examination committee. This petition should be sent to the Graduate Studies Committee no later than the thirteenth week of the semester.

Examination Committee Responsibilities

The reading director will serve as chair of the examination committee. The examination committee's primary responsibility is to develop and evaluate the exam. The committee must send a copy of the exam to the Graduate Studies Committee for approval at least three weeks prior to the written exam. The examination committee will evaluate the written portion of the exam with a score of either "pass with distinction," "pass," or "fail." A student must receive a score of at least "pass" before he or she may sit for the oral defense. The oral defense should be scheduled to take place within one week of receiving the results, and should be no longer than one hour. As a rule, all members of the examination committee will be present at the oral defense.

Examination Format

The MA examination shall test the student's knowledge of authors and works in two areas: (1) a special topic or specialized field (examples: Shakespeare's comedies, Caribbean literature, chivalric romance, young adult fantasy literature), and (2) a larger literary historical period, literary genre, or literary theory (examples: English Renaissance literature, the novel, postmodernist American literature, postcolonial theory).

The reading director and the examination committee attend the defense, with the reading director presiding over it. The defense is open to all members of the English Department as well as the public. Reading directors should advise candidates on some appropriate method of advertisement (normally, flyers are posted on the third floor of Coleman Hall). The MA candidate is responsible for scheduling the date, time, and location of the defense so that all members of the examination committee may attend and so that the defense takes place before the last day to file for graduation.

Note: Faculty are often not available during the summer. Students who wish to defend during the summer should check with faculty and make the appropriate arrangements.

Failing the Exam

As a rule, a student who fails the exam will wait until the next semester to be re-examined. With permission of the reading director and the Graduate Studies Coordinator, the exam may be scheduled earlier. On failing a second time, the student shall not be allowed to continue in the graduate program without the express permission of the Graduate Studies Committee after full review of his or her qualifications and progress.

Policies on Independent Study

Independent Study credit may be earned through advanced research and writing in a particular area of study. Students registering for English 5990 will have completed graduate-level course work or done extensive reading in the selected area of study. In special circumstances, students may apply for Independent Study credit for graduate-level study in an area in which coursework is not offered during the academic year.

Students intending to register for English 5990 should as early as possible consult with the Coordinator of Graduate Studies regarding their plans for the independent study. When the director has been chosen, the student and the director, in consultation, should prepare a proposal containing the following: 1) a general description of the project; b) justification for the number of credits requested; c) a detailed weekly study plan/syllabus for the project (assignments and contact hours should be mentioned); d) a bibliography of primary and secondary sources (for creative writing proposals, a bibliography of texts, if any, considered essential for the project). Independent study projects culminate in a seminar-length paper or creative writing synthesizing and reflecting the student's work.

Because of university registration procedures, Independent Study proposals must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before the last week of classes in the semester prior to the one in which the student plans to register for English 5990. Independent Study proposals must be signed by the sponsoring faculty member in order to be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee. Since proposals are not routinely approved, the student must submit the Independent Study proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee by the deadlines announced in the Graduate Studies calendar for each semester.

No student shall be allowed to undertake Independent Study projects which duplicate or overlap material being covered simultaneously in a regular graduate class or projects which duplicate or overlap material covered by that student in English 5997 (Study Abroad). Independent Study should not be used to prepare for the Master's examination. The number of Independent Study proposals accepted each semester may be restricted due to financial, administrative, or other factors.

Policies on Study Abroad

Permission to register for English 5997, Study Abroad, shall be given by the Graduate Studies Committee in the manner specified above for approval of Independent Study projects, except that the deadline for project approval shall coincide with deadlines set by the Program Director for Study Abroad.

Rationale for Revisions to the Graduate Procedures

The Thesis

Since we have expanded our MA program to a two-year program and graduate students now have more time and support for developing their MA theses, we have introduced two substantive changes to our thesis procedures that will improve the process.

First, we have eliminated the petition in favor of more emphasis on the prospectus. This change will encourage graduate students to prepare more carefully considered and developed prospectuses that will give their Thesis Directors, Thesis Committee members, and the Graduate Studies Committee more insight into the prospective theses. In return, said professors will be able to give students more carefully considered feedback regarding the needs they see for revision and development. The result will be more mature scholarly writing in the theses.

Second, we have added an Oral Defense to our thesis procedures. We do so to introduce a final examination of a thesis's content and to provide MA candidates the opportunity to speak and present themselves publicly as accomplished scholars or creative writers. We believe that undergoing an Oral Defense will provide a capstone experience for our MA candidates and help prepare them for other public speaking experiences in their professional careers. The Oral Defense also provides department and community members the opportunity to learn more about an MA candidate's work, thus enhancing the scope of dissemination of scholarship and creative work produced in our department.

The MA Examination

The committee has decided to add an oral examination component to the MA exam for three reasons:

 - The expansion of the MA program to two years permits that we conform our standards to those of other departments in the university that require both written and oral exams.
 - The MA thesis option will now require an oral component, and it seems proper that the MA exam option do so as well.
 - Students need both oral and written skills, and different students demonstrate their accomplish-ment more effectively in oral and written settings. The addition of an oral exam will both provide students the opportunity to present their knowledge in the two different situations and ensure that they are able to do so.

Date of Implementation of the revised procedures and policies for all Graduate Students:
Fall Semester 2005