Master of Arts in English
Gain a strong foundation in language and literature
The UNA Master of Arts in English Program offers a solid professional and academic foundation in literary studies, enhanced with available coursework in writing, linguistics, and film studies. All courses are taught by a faculty of dedicated mentors and skilled educators with numerous publications and a wide range of research interests. The program provides an ideal environment for students who want the challenge of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. UNA is a diverse, mid-sized university, located in the city of Florence, with excellent resources and a supportive faculty intent on preparing our graduate students for both teaching and scholarship.
Graduate study at UNA is competitively priced for the region. Graduate students may apply for assistantships, fellowships, or research awards. Our graduate students receive faculty guidance to develop conference presentations and publications. Our graduate organization is growing and active, with many opportunities for professional development.
“The MA in English provided a forum for my critical thinking and judgment to grow. Learning the complex philosophical relationships in literature and connecting these to modern life is the heart of the degree. Thinking, Writing, and Maturity are staples of UNA's program, made possible by the outstanding scholars who expertly balance teaching and one on one interaction for the student's benefit.”
M. Brett Fish
M.A. in English
The MA in English prepares students to teach at the community college level, pursue advanced study at the Ph.D. level, or pursue career or salary advancement in fields of education, business and industry.
Important Forms
Program Learning Outcomes
By the time they graduate, MA in English students will:
1. Identify and evaluate language as historically and socially constructed
2. Be prepared to organize, and utilize research in variety of professional fields and civic settings
3. Analyze literature through the application of diverse critical, historical, cultural, and political lenses that recognize dynamics of identity and power in literary texts
4. Design and produce literary analyses that make research-based contributions to field of English using critical frameworks, primary sources, and secondary sources
Program Requirements
Master of Arts Degree in English: a minimum of 36 semester hours of credit, to include the following core and options:
Core Courses of Study: 9 hours
Emphasis on contemporary methods and aims of literary research; special readings designed to familiarize students with a wide range of available source materials and research techniques. Required of students seeking a master’s degree in English. Open only to those students in the Master of Arts in English program. (Fall)
Major critical trends in literary theory, with emphasis on criticism since 1945, including structuralist, cultural materialist, deconstructive, and feminist approaches to literature. Exploration of these theories and analysis of selected works of literature. Required of students seeking a master’s degree in English. (Spring)
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of research design for the thesis and comprehensive exams. Students will explore research questions that make contributions to the field of literary studies. (Fall)
Literature Requirement: 18 hours
Students must take a minimum of 18 semester hours of literature courses, not including the core classes.
Elective Courses of Study: 6 hours
Foreign Language Requirement:
The M.A. in English requires demonstration of reading proficiency in a foreign language. Students satisfy the foreign language requirement in one of the following ways:
- by completing a second-year course sequence in a language with a 3.0 or higher, or
- by successfully completing graduate coursework in foreign language reading proficiency, or
- by the successful completion of a reading proficiency examination administered through the Department of Foreign Languages, or
- by a comparable alternative approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
- EN 504: Old English Language and Literature. (3 Credits). This course will also count towards the literature requirement portion of the degree.
Capstone Thesis or Exam Hours: 3 hours
Total: 36 hours
THESIS OPTION:
The master’s degree program in English provides for an option of a minimum 36 semester hours of coursework or 30 semester hours of coursework plus a thesis earning six hours’ credit. Student electing the thesis option must obtain approval from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and must register for the thesis and pay the appropriate fee.
THESIS: Students choosing the Thesis Option must complete three (3) semester hours of EN 690 Thesis in addition to the core and 24 additional semester hours of graduate courses in English for a total of 36 hours.
THESIS PROPOSAL: Students choosing this option must submit a thesis proposal no later than mid-term of the semester prior to enrolling in EN 690 Thesis.
THESIS DEFENSE: Students choosing the Thesis Option must enroll in EN 695 Thesis Defense during the term in which they complete the thesis.
Exploration of a research-based topic or project under the direction of a first and second reader. A topical thesis will include a review of pertinent literature, collection and analysis of primary and secondary literary sources, and composition of a defensible thesis. A project-based thesis will include a review of pertinent literature, design and implementation of a literature-based project, and analytical evaluation of process and outcome. A grade of “S” indicating satisfactory performance or a grade of “U” for unsatisfactory performance will be recorded on the transcript.
Orientation to and administration of a thesis defense for the MA in English program. A non-credit course required of all candidates for the thesis option. The course is to be taken in the last term in which the student is expected to complete all other program requirements. A grade of “S” indicating satisfactory performance or a grade of “U” for unsatisfactory performance will be recorded on the transcript. A grade of “S” is required for graduation; the course may be repeated once. Prerequisite: student must have completed all other program requirements or be enrolled in the last course for program completion.
NON-THESIS OPTION:
Students choosing the Non-Thesis Option must complete 30 hours of graduate courses in English, which includes the core, EN 689: Research Design and EN 699: Directed Readings.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION: Students choosing this option must enroll in EN 696, Comprehensive Examination, at the appropriate time and must successfully complete a comprehensive examination.
At least 50 percent of the coursework required to complete the selected option must be earned at the 600 level.
EN 699: Directed Readings (3)
Individually supervised reading and research in a literary period in preparation for Comprehensive Examination. A grade of "S" indicating satisfactory performance or a grade of "U" for unsatisfactory performance will be recorded on the transcript. May be taken twice for three semester hours or once for six semester hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the Department Graduate Coordinator.
Orientation to and administration of a written comprehensive examination for the M.A. in English program. A noncredit course required of all candidates for the non-thesis option. The course is taken the term in which the student expects to complete all other program requirements, or the term immediately thereafter. A grade of “S” indicating satisfactory performance or a grade of “U” for unsatisfactory will be recorded on the transcript. A grade of “S” is required for graduation; the course may be repeated once. Prerequisite: student must have completed all other program requirements or be enrolled in the last course(s) for program completion. (Fall, Spring)
Graduate Funding and Scholarships
The English department offers both graduate teaching and research assistantships as well as several scholarships that students can apply to.
Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships:
Graduate Teaching Assistantships:
Graduate Teaching Assistants receive mentoring and training in how to teach English at the college level. Students take courses in pedagogy, shadow experienced instructors, and eventually teach their own sections of English composition. Open to on-campus full-time graduate students pursuing a Master's Degree in English who have achieved a minimum 3.25 grade point average overall and who are meeting all standards toward advancing in the program and who are in good standing in the program. Prior-year applicants may apply. Each assistantship is for one full academic year, renewable for up to two additional years. The recipient works twenty hours per week.
Application form (Click to open form). Please send application materials to the MA in English Coordinator, Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy.
Adams-Nordin Endowed Graduate Research Assistant Scholarship:
Open to all graduate students pursuing a Master's Degree in English who have achieved a minimum 3.25 grade point average overall and are advancing toward their M.A. degree in English, meeting all standards in good standing in the program. Each assistantship is for one academic year only; prior-year recipients may apply. A separate application is required each year. The deadline to apply for the academic year beginning in the fall is the first Monday of February.
Application Form (Click to open form. If you have Adobe Acrobat you will be able to fill out and save the form. Otherwise, you will have to print out the form, fill it out, and create a new pdf by scanning it). Please send application materials to the MA in English Coordinator, Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy.
English Department Graduate Scholarships:
William G. and Betty Jean Cale Graduate Scholarship:
Graduate students pursuing a Master’s Degree in English who have achieved a minimum 3.00 grade point average overall and who are advancing toward their M. A. degree in English, meeting all standards in good standing in the program. Prior-year recipients may apply. Each award is for one full academic year, renewable for up to two years of graduate study.
Application Form (Click to open form). Please send application materials to the MA in English Coordinator, Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy.
Dr. Eleanor Parks Gaunder Memorial Award:
Recipients shall be full-time students pursuing a Master’s Degree in English and resuming their educations after an absence of at least five years. Preference is given to women (to the degree permitted by law). Selected by the Department of English. A separate application is required. The deadline to apply is the first Monday of February of each year.
Application Form (Click to open form. If you have Adobe Acrobat you will be able to fill out and save the form. Otherwise, you will have to print out the form, fill it out, and create a new pdf by scanning it). This application form needs to be sent to engscholarships@una.edu.
Albert S. Johnston, Jr. Graduate Fellowship in Shakespeare Studies:
For current Master's degree students who are focusing on Renaissance literature. Applicants must have a 3.0 undergraduate g.p.a. Awardees must maintain a 3.5 graduate g.p.a, write a thesis which in some way addresses the works of Shakespeare, maintain full-time status, and take EN623 and either EN621 or EN622.
Application form. Please send application materials to the MA in English Coordinator, Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy.
Albert S. Johnston, Jr. Study Abroad Shakespeare Research Scholarship:
For current undergraduate and graduate students who have been accepted into the English Department's England Study Abroad program. Applicants must be focusing on Shakespeare for their research project and use the resources available on the trip to complete the project.
Application form. All materials are directly sent to Dr. Cheryl Price at cprice7@una.edu. Note: this scholarship is only available when the department offers the summer study abroad trip.