M.A. Program Policies and Procedures

Sections

• Admissions Criteria & Process
• Funding & Time Limitation
• Credit Hours for Degree
• Specific Course Requirements
• Secondary Concentration
• Creative Writing Concentration
• Language Requirement
• The Master's Thesis
• Thesis Defense
• Non-Thesis Track

Admissions Criteria & Process

Application for admission to the MA Program in English is made through the Graduate School’s “Graduate Application Portal” by completing the application form available on the Graduate School website. All prospective English MA students must follow this process regardless of current enrollment.

All applications for the MA program must include the following to be considered by the English Graduate Admissions Committee:

• A bachelor's degree (BA) from an accredited university
• An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 in English courses and 3.0 overall
• A writing sample of 15-20 pages

The deadline for submitting application materials is January 15; all admitted students will begin in the fall semester. Application materials must be complete and submitted through the Graduate Application Portal by the January 15 deadline to be considered. Application materials are not to be sent directly to the English Department or Graduate Program Director (GPD). 

Funding & Time Limitation

Students admitted to the MA program will receive two years of funding. A significant portion of tuition and fees is covered – contact the Graduate Program Director to find the current rate. 

In their first year, all MA students will receive a competitive stipend to work in the Center for Writing Excellence for 20 hours per week. In their second year, MA students will receive a slightly increased competitive stipend to teach ENGL 1310: Writing and Academic Inquiry on a 2:1 course load. Teaching in the second year is contingent on completing 18 hours of graduate credit. 

Although only funded for two years, students have a maximum time limit of five years in which to complete the degree. In certain circumstances, a one-year extension (for a total of six years, two of which are funded) may be requested. For more information, see the Graduate Handbook (“Graduate School Policies” >> “Master’s Degree, General Requirements”)

Credit Hours for Degree

To complete the MA degree program, a student must complete 30 total credit hours. The hours are distributed as follows:

• 24 hours of coursework (8 seminars)
• 6 hours of thesis work (ENG 5V99)

No more than six credit hours of graduate work from an accredited institution may be transferred. Courses must have been taken within five years immediately prior to matriculation at Baylor, must carry a grade of “B” or better, and cannot come from workshop hours or thesis credits. 

Specific Course Requirements

The following courses must be taken to satisfy the MA program requirements:

• 3 credit hours for Bibliography and Research Methods (ENG 5304)
       All incoming graduate students take this course during the Summer II session prior to their first fall semester
• 3 credit hours (1 seminar) in Linguistics (ENG 5303); Literary Theory (ENG 5306); Curriculum and Pedagogy (ENG 5309); or Composition & Rhetoric (ENG 5310)
• 12 credit hours (4 seminars) in the Primary Concentration (i.e., British Literature and American Literature)
• 6 credit hours (2 seminars) of elective ENG graduate seminars
       These elective hours can be used for a Secondary Concentration or a Creative Writing Concentration

Secondary Concentration

Although a Secondary Concentration is not required, one is possible. The Secondary Concentration consists of six credit hours taken in the English department in an area other than British and American Literature, i.e. Linguistics, Professional Writing & Rhetoric, Literary Criticism, etc. 

A Secondary Concentration outside the English department is possible, but it must be directly relevant to the candidate’s area of study. A Secondary Concentration outside the English department must be agreed upon by both the English GPD and the chairperson of the department in which the courses will be taken. 

Creative Writing Concentration 

While the Baylor English Department does not offer a MFA, students may elect to complete a concentration in Creative Writing. To do so, they must satisfy the same requirements for the MA listed above, with the following exception:

• Rather than the 6 credit hours (2 seminars) of elective ENG graduate seminars, the student must take 6 hours of creative writing seminars (ENG 5314: Creative Writing).*

A student wishing to pursue the Creative Writing Concentration should also connect with a Creative Writing Graduate Faculty Member to serve as their Thesis Director/Advisor and complete a Thesis focused on Creative Writing.

Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of one language in addition to English is required. Language requirements may be satisfied by any of the five methods designated in the Graduate Catalog (see “Graduate School Policies” >> “Master’s Degrees, Specific Degree Requirements” >> “Master of Arts”).

The Master's Thesis

Guidelines for the Master’s Thesis can be found in the Graduate Catalog and on the Graduate School website under the “Student Resources” tab. The candidate is responsible for understanding and following all guidelines and procedures set forth by the Graduate School. 

Work on the Master’s Thesis may formally begin when the student has completed 12 hours of graduate work. The student will assemble a committee composed of the following:

• The Thesis Director/Advisor: A Graduate Faculty member in English
• A Graduate Faculty member in English
• A Graduate Faculty member from a department other than English

Because of the varied nature of Master’s Theses across programs and projects, the Graduate School does not stipulate length requirements. However, Master’s Theses in the English department generally fall between 13,500 and 18,000 words.**

Thesis Defense

After the Thesis is written, it must be evaluated during an Oral Defense. In consultation with the Thesis Director, the candidate should circulate the completed Thesis to all members of the Thesis Committee well in advance of the Defense. A Defense date should be set and a room scheduled with the Administrative Associate in the English department office. 

Ten days before the Thesis Defense, the GPD must submit the “Announcement of Orals” found on the Graduate School website. This form cannot be submitted by the candidate. There is no requirement regarding the time of year the Defense must be scheduled. Online defenses (i.e. Zoom, Teams, etc.) may be scheduled with the approval of all Committee members and the GPD.

The Thesis Defense will begin with the candidate giving an overview of the project, its intervention in the scholarly field, and ultimate conclusions. The committee members will then ask the candidate questions based on their reading of the Thesis and the conversation that ensues. At the end of the question-and-answer discussion, the candidate will be asked to leave the room while the committee discusses their evaluation of the Thesis. The candidate will then be brought back into the room and informed of the committee’s decision. 

Before leaving the Defense, the candidate and all committee members should sign the “Results of Oral Exam” form. This is generally brought to the Defense by the Thesis Director, who will then submit the form to the Graduate School.

The candidate is permitted to invite friends and family to the Oral Defense. However, this must be discussed with the Thesis Director and is dependent on the Director’s approval and space available in the defense room. 

Non-Thesis Track 

In certain rare cases, a Master’s Degree in English may be obtained without writing and defending a Master’s Thesis. In this case, the student must complete 33 semester hours of graduate credit (rather than 30 hours stipulated above). In addition, the student must complete an Oral Examination.

The Oral Examination Committee will be made up of a minimum of four faculty members:

• The Chairperson; an English Graduate Faculty member who has taught the candidate
• An English Graduate Faculty member who has taught the candidate
• An English Graduate Faculty member who has taught the candidate
• A Graduate Faculty member from a department other than English

Ten days before the Oral Examination, the GPD must submit the “Announcement of Orals” found on the Graduate School website. This form cannot be submitted by the candidate. There is no requirement regarding the time of year the Defense must be scheduled. Online defenses (i.e. Zoom, Teams, etc.) may be scheduled with the approval of all Committee members and the GPD.

The Oral Examination will consist of questions covering major works, figures, periods, and concepts from the student's Baylor coursework. At the candidate's request, professors may provide general information prior to the examination about the range and scope of questions they expect to ask. The student is expected to demonstrate competence in each of the areas examined and to engage in an intellectually informed conversation. The Oral Examination will generally be an hour long. At the conclusion of the question-and-answer discussion, the candidate will be asked to leave the room while the committee discusses their evaluation. The candidate will then be brought back into the room and informed of the Examination result.

Before leaving the Oral Examination the candidate and all committee members should sign the “Results of Comprehensive Exam” form. This is generally brought to the Examination by the Oral Examination Committee Chairperson, who will then submit the form to the Graduate School.

A candidate who fails the Oral Examination may take a second Examination only with the approval of the Oral Examination Committee, the English GPD, and the Dean of the Graduate School. In no case will a second Oral Examination be given in the same semester as the original Examination. If the candidate fails twice, no further Examination will be allowed.

* If it is not possible for a student to take two ENG 5314 seminars during their coursework, they may elect to allow three of their thesis hours to count towards this requirement. This can only be done with the approval of the Thesis Director/Advisor and the GPD.

**This is roughly between 50 and 70 pages based on an average of 265 words per page of double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. These requirements may be different for the Creative Writing Thesis option.
This word count includes Notes but excludes the Bibliography/Works Cited.