THE PROGRAM
The Master of Arts in English at UNC is a relatively small program in which a
limited number of students work closely with faculty mentors. Because of
the size and mission of UNC and the English department, we have the resources
and quality faculty of larger universities but remain small enough to sustain
the intellectual community and atmosphere of a quality liberal arts college.
Class sizes in the MA program, for example, are small, usually eight to twelve students. At the same time,
the program offers course work in all major periods of British and American
literature, rhetoric and composition, and creative writing, as well as in such
emerging fields of study as Latino/a literature, critical theory, women's
literature, Native American literature, film, American ethnic literatures, and
the literatures of the Americas and Asia. Faculty--with doctorates from
such prominent universities as SUNY-Buffalo, Duke, Tulsa, Ohio State,
Cal-Berkeley, Iowa, Emory, and Arizona--are committed to both scholarship and
teaching.
STUDENTS
Because the program is organized around a common core but still allows for some
customization, it serves students with a variety of interests and career goals:
oTeaching, at the secondary or junior/community college level: The MA in
English extends the student's knowlege of literature and literary theory,
develops close reading, research, and writing abilities, and offers coursework
in rhetoric and composition theory and practice.
oDoctoral study: The MA is a stepping stone for more advanced study of
British and American literature, composition, theory, and other fields.
UNC graduates have been accepted into PhD programs at such universities as Iowa,
Indiana, Kent State, University of Denver, Texas Tech, and Southern Illinois.
oWork in other fields: The MA in English is excellent preparation for
careers in editing and the several areas of professional writing, law, library
science, public relations, and various communications fields.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
The MA has recently been redesigned to reflect changes in the discipline and to
ensure that students can graduate within two years.
Course Work: The degree requires thirty hours of course work. All
students take ENG 600, Introduction to Graduate Study, one graduate course in
literary theory (usually ENG 638), two graduate courses in British literature
(one before 1800), one course in American literature, and four elective courses.
The Master's Project (see below) carries three hours course credit.
Exam: Comprehensive exams are based on three lists of twenty-five works:
the lists in British and American literature are set by the department, while
the third area of the exam is based on a list selected
by the student, in consultation with a faculty member, to represent her or his
field of special interest.
Master's Project: All students complete a Master's Project, usually a
research paper of thirty to fifty pages, often on a topic initially developed in
a graduate course. The Master's Project may also involve a creative work
(poems, short stories, or chapters of a novel, for example). The student
makes a public presentation of the Project before an audience of students and
faculty.
Click
here to see our Program Requirements in the UNC Catalog.
For further information, contact
Dr. Marcus Embry
Director of Graduate Studies
marcus.embry@unco.edu
970-351-2111 (voice)
970-351-3378 (fax)
For application information, please go to Northern
Colorado Graduate School Admissions and Finances.