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English Graduate Degree Programs

Candidates must fulfill the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and of the Department of English. See the College of Graduate Studies section for the general requirements applicable to each degree.

Master of Arts. Of the minimum of 33 credits required for the degree, at least 24 credits must be earned in the Department of English at the University of Idaho, and of these no more than nine credits earned at the Grace Nixon Summer English Institute may be applied to the degree; included in the total credits required, 3 credits are to be taken in a theory course (which may include Engl 506, Engl 511, or a theory course approved by the department's director of graduate studies) and 3 credits in pre-1900 literature. Course work for the M.A. in English is normally at the 500s level; however, up to six credits of work at the 400s level may be included, but only with the approval of the student's major professor and the department's director of graduate studies. Students are allowed to take 3 credits maximum in practica applying toward the degree.

Thesis and Non-Thesis Options:

Plan A requires 27 credits of coursework and 6 thesis credits, leading to the submission of an acceptable thesis of 60 pages or more. See the College of Graduate Studies "Graduate Handbook for Theses and Dissertations."

Plan B requires 30 credits of coursework and 3 credits Engl 599 Non-thesis Masters Research, leading to the completion of two papers suitable to be submitted for publication, an abstract for each paper, and  a concise explanation of  initial and additional research and revisions (3-5 pages),  accompanied by an annotated bibliography.

Students and their major professors and committees will design their programs.

Theses or papers may address topics in literature and literary theory and criticism or composition and rhetorical theory.

Candidates for the master's degree in English are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in one of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Latin, Classical Greek, Spanish, or Russian.

For options under Plan A or Plan B, each student will take an M.A. examination following completion of work submitted in acceptable form, as confirmed by the major professor. The oral examination will be designed to test the student's ability to defend his or her work articulately with respect to research methodology, critical perspective, and applicability to related work in the area.

Students and their major professors and committees will design their programs.

Theses or papers may address topics in literature and literary theory and criticism or composition and rhetorical theory.

Candidates for the master's degree in English are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in one of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Latin, Classical Greek, Spanish, or Russian.

For options under Plan A or Plan B, each student will take an M.A. examination following completion of work submitted in acceptable form, as confirmed by the major professor. The oral examination will be designed to test the student's ability to defend his or her work articulately with respect to research methodology, critical perspective, and applicability to related work in the area.

Master of Arts in Teaching. The M.A.T. is a non-thesis degree designed for teachers who are certified in English and who wish to strengthen their English preparation and improve their teaching effectiveness.

Of the minimum of 33 credits required for the degree, at least 24 must be earned in the UI Department of English, and at least 24 credits must be at the 500 level (or equivalent, in the case of transfer credits). The remaining course work in English may be at either the 400 or 500 level (300-level courses are not acceptable toward the M.A.T. in English). Six credits must be taken in professional courses in education taught by the UI College of Education or equivalent college of education; at least 3 credits must be earned in a standard university course, as opposed to district in-service workshops. The student earns 3 credits for the M.A.T. teaching project. The combined number of credits earned in English in another graduate school or through correspondence study may not exceed nine; the College of Education may accept such credits in the professional courses in education at its discretion.

Area requirements for the degree, which may have been satisfied prior to enrolling in the M.A.T. program, include an upper-division or graduate course in each of the following areas: medieval through 18th-century literature, romantic through modern British literature; early American literature (before Civil War); later American literature; linguistics; history of the English language (or a second linguistics course); literature of women, minorities, third-world cultures, or non-dominant discourses. In addition, students must complete, or have completed within five years prior to enrolling in the M.A.T. program, course work in these areas: literary criticism; theory/practice of teaching literature to adolescents; theory/practice of teaching writing (may be satisfied by a Northwest Inland Writing Project course taken during the summer in a 3-credit or larger block). There is no language requirement for the M.A.T.

Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language. The M.A. in TESL is intended for students who are interested in learning to teach English as a second language. The curriculum provides both theoretical background and practical training in the field. Students take course work in theoretical and applied linguistics and in teaching methods.

Of the minimum of 33 credits required for the degree, at least 24 must be earned while enrolled in residence at UI. At least 12 credits are to be taken from approved courses in language and linguistics, 12 credits are to be taken from approved courses in pedagogy (at least 9 of these credits are to be from English department courses), and 9 credits are to be taken from approved electives in English and education. At least 21 credits must be earned in courses numbered 500 and above.

TESL students will write either a thesis in addition to 27 credits of classes or take 33 credits of classes.

Native speakers of English in the TESL program must complete or have completed two years of college work (or its equivalent) in a modern foreign language. They must have studied a foreign language for at least one semester (or equivalent) within the preceding five years. Non-native speakers of English are excused from this requirement.

In the second year candidates will take a comprehensive examination on linguistics, pedagogy and TESL theory, and teaching methodology.

Master of Fine Arts. The M.F.A. is the terminal degree for those wishing to teach creative writing at the college or university level; it is also among the credentials expected of those seeking employment in arts administration, editing, and related fields. The curriculum provides theoretical and practical training in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and editing and publishing.

The program's principle aim is to teach aspiring writers their craft and at the highest possible level. We gladly speak to students about publishing their work, or about teaching or editing, but our first concern is teaching and learning the craft of writing. While we encourage applicants to apply only in one genre, once they are admitted, we encourage them to "cross-pollinate": we like to see poets working at narrative pacing in a fiction or nonfiction class, and we like to see the prose writers attentive to individual syllables in poetry. We encourage students to experiment and to push themselves in new directions. We also insist that they know where they fit in the continuum of writers, and that they understand and can speak with conviction of where they might place themselves in any of several literary traditions.

Of the minimum 54 credits required for the degree, at least 15 are to be taken in graduate-level literature (which may include ENGL 506); 15 in graduate-level creative writing courses; 3 in workshops taught by Distinguished Visiting Writers; 3 in a Techniques course (ENGL 581, 582, or 583); 9 elective credits; and 9 in thesis. A minimum of four semesters in residence is required.

The thesis will take the form of a collection of poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, or novel, and will be prefaced by an introduction. Upon completion of the thesis in acceptable form, each student will take an oral examination designed to test the student's ability to discuss articulately his or her creative process, intellectual and creative influences, chosen genre, aesthetic perspective, design, and intent.

Students who enter the program with advanced work in creative writing at the undergraduate level will ordinarily take only 500-level courses in English. Those who have not completed an advanced undergraduate course in one of the three major genres (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction) will in addition to the above ordinarily take advanced undergraduate courses, as advised by the director of creative writing.