All students must take 30 hours total of coursework of which 15 hours must be at the 8000 level. These 15 hours at the 8000 level may include up to 6 hours of English 8090 (thesis hours) and, in special circumstances and by permission of the DGS, 3 hours of Independent Study (English 8095). The remaining hours may be either 7000 or 8000 level.

Coursework for all students must include:

• 3 hours in critical theory (English 8050, English 8060, or English 8070)

3 hours are required in 2 of the following 3 areas of literature at the 8000 level. However, for students concentrating in literature, 3 hours are required in each of the following 3 areas:

• pre-1700
• 1700-1900
• 1900-present

Under special circumstances and with the approval of the DGS, for literature students one of these three areas can be fulfilled with a 7000-level class.

9 hours at the 8000 level are required in one of the following concentrations (7000 level courses can be substituted with the approval of the DGS):

• Literature
• Creative Writing
• Language and Linguistics
• Rhetoric and Composition

Students can take up to 9 hours outside the English Department with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

The MA Thesis includes up to 6 hours of English 8090. Students generally take 3 hours in the fall and then 3 more in the spring semester.

A student's thesis committee provides the broad academic advising that will ensure success in the field. Committee members should be chosen in conjunction with the faculty advisor. Students should begin approaching potential faculty committee members by the end of their first year in the program. The committee is registered with the Graduate School with the M-2 form. The M-2 form, for an MA thesis committee, should be filled out by the end of the first year in the program.

The MA committee contains at least three members. Students may choose either three faculty members from the English department or two faculty members from the English department and one MU faculty member from outside of the English department.

The thesis requires independent research at the graduate level in a sustained consideration of a critical or creative project. The MA thesis may build on work produced in coursework but must also include significant new work.

Students present and defend their theses to their committee in an oral defense. 

Required length: 40-60 pages

The successful thesis in Literature will:

• support an argument with insightful textual analysis.
• show a command of clear academic prose.
• demonstrate an awareness of current critical, theoretical trends and/or historical contexts relevant to the project.
• use library resources to locate and select critical and/or historical sources, and connect them meaningfully to the central text(s).
• show proficiency in documentation and bibliography.

The successful thesis in Creative Writing will:

• constitute a polished piece or collection of creative work in the candidate's genre of specialization.
• demonstrate a nuanced understanding and practice of the genre and/or form in question.
• by including an annotated bibliography of at least 10 entries or a critical introduction of no more than 15 pages, demonstrate a critical engagement with the practice, history, and/or theorization of creative writing.

The successful thesis in Language and Linguistics will:

• identify and investigate a problem or question that is relevant to current debates in the field.
• situate the investigation within the relevant scholarship with appropriate citation of the literature.
• demonstrate command of methodological and analytical tools suitable for the investigation.
• demonstrate command of effective writing in an appropriate academic register.

The successful thesis in Rhetoric and Composition will:

• identify and articulate (with the possibility of transforming) a problem or question situated in current critical, historical, theoretical, methodological, or pedagogical conversation(s) in the field of rhetoric and composition studies
• demonstrate a critical engagement with the theory, practice, and/or history of rhetoric and/or composition by situating the inquiry within relevant scholarship
• apply methodological, analytical, and/or creative approaches suitable for the inquiry
• demonstrate awareness of conventions through appropriate language, writing, and citation choices 

In their first year, students should discuss possible thesis topics with the Director of Graduate Studies and faculty members likely to constitute the student's MA thesis committee.

The MA Thesis includes up to 6 hours of English 8090. Students generally take 6 hours of thesis credit in one semester while doing research and writing. Some will take 3 hours in the fall and then 3 more in the spring semester if they are working closely with an advisor at the outset of the second year. Students may apply up to 6 hours of 8090 towards the 8000-level course requirement.

For instructions on how to format your thesis see the grad school.