MA Program
Application Deadlines for the Master's in English Literature Program
PLEASE NOTE: We have changed our application policy for the Master's degree program. Beginning in the 2009-10 academic year, applications will only be considered for matriculation in the following Fall quarter. However, we will be reviewing applications on a semi-rolling basis, based on when the application has been submitted. Our admisisons committee will be reviewing files, and issuing admissions decisions, after the following dates:
- November 1st of the current academic year
- * February 1st & April 1st of the year of intended matriculation
Program Code - E25MA
Applications for the Master's degree are accepted throughout the year (quarterly deadlines are listed above). Students admitted to the Master's program currently average GRE Verbal scores of 600. We offer only a full-time Master's Degree Program in English; applicants interested in a part-time degree should contact School of Continuing Studies for information about its Master's in Literature, in Creative Writing, and in Liberal Studies.
The English Department's Master's program is flexible in its requirements, allowing students considerable freedom in choosing courses in English and in related disciplines. However, this program appeals to a select audience, including students who may not have earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature but who want to increase their knowledge of the literary canon and critical theory. Running in tandem with the Ph.D. program, the Master's program's admissions standards are exceptionally high, while financial aid remains unavailable. As such, the program matriculates a small number of students every year. Graduates of the Master's program have gone on to pursue careers in secondary teaching and publishing; they have also entered Ph.D. programs at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Southern California, and elsewhere.
Because a Master's degree is not a prerequisite for admission into our Ph.D. program, students accepted into our Master's program who are interested in pursuing doctoral work must apply separately to the Ph.D. program and compete with its annual pool of applicants. Subsequent admission into the Ph.D. program is for these students more the exception here than the norm.
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
Candidates for the Master's in English enroll in a program of studies consisting of nine courses. These comprise:
- Eight courses, at least three of which must be at the graduate level (400 or 500-level courses). Up to three courses may be taken in related departments.
- One unit of Research (590), in which the candidate writes a Master's thesis of 6,000 to 8,000 words under the supervision of a member of the Graduate Faculty in English. Upon completion, this thesis is submitted to the supervisor and a second reader for their joint approval.
