Program of Study - English (MA)

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the graduate program in English, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:

Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in English or a minimum of 12 upper‐level undergraduate hours in English or related field.
Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.
GRE General Test. GRE test scores are valid for 5 years. A waiver of the GRE requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of completing a graduate degree (master’s or doctoral).
Writing sample, a written academic paper suitable for an upper-division course

Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.

After being admitted to the MA program, students must consult with the graduate advisor of the program they wish to pursue in order to formulate and sign a degree plan. This certifies that the student is enrolling in courses appropriate to that program.

Program Requirements

The MA in English offers concentrations in English Studies, Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies, and Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy. Each of these concentrations has a thesis and non- thesis option.

English Studies Concentration:

Required Courses (18 Credits)

Choose from Literature and Cultural Studies Graduate Courses (6 Credits)

Choose from Rhetoric, Composition and Literary Graduate Courses (6 Credits)

Choose from Linguistics Graduate Courses (6 Credits)

Students must take one introduction/research methods course from any of the three disciplines within the first 9 hours of graduate study.
Students must take one theory course from any of the three disciplines within the first 18 hours of graduate study.

Choose one of the following options:

Thesis Option:

English Elective Coursework (12 Credits)

Choose from among the English graduate courses with advisor approval

Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)

Thesis

ENGL 7300	Thesis I	3
ENGL 7301	Thesis II	3

Non-Thesis Option:

English Elective Coursework (18 Credits)

Choose from among the English graduate courses with advisor approval

Capstone Requirement

Written Comprehensive Exam

Linguistics Concentration:

Thesis Option:

Required Courses (24 Credits)

ENGL 6360	Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics for Teachers	3
ENGL 6361	Problems in Linguistics	3
ENGL 6362	Modern English Syntax	3
ENGL 6363	Studies in English Phonology	3
ENGL 6365	History of the English Language	3
ENGL 6375	Studies in Language and Culture	3
	Choose from Literature and Cultural Studies Graduate Courses	3
	Choose from Rhetoric, Composition and Literary Graduate Courses	3

English or Linguistics Coursework (6 Credits)

Choose from among the English and Linguistics graduate courses with advisor approval

Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)

Thesis

ENGL 7300	Thesis I	3
ENGL 7301	Thesis II	3
	Thesis prospectus oral defense

Non-Thesis Option

Required Courses (21 Credits)

ENGL 6360	Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics for Teachers	3
ENGL 6362	Modern English Syntax	3
ENGL 6363	Studies in English Phonology	3
ENGL 6365	History of the English Language	3
ENGL 6375	Studies in Language and Culture	3
	Choose from Literature and Cultural Studies Graduate Courses	3
	Choose from Rhetoric/Composition Graduate Courses	3

English or Linguistics Coursework (9 Credits)

Choose from among the English and Linguistics graduate courses with advisor approval

Free Electives (6 Credits)

Open electives with advisor approval

Capstone Requirement

Written Comprehensive Exam

Literature and Cultural Studies Concentration:

Required Courses (12 Credits)

ENGL 6300	Introduction to Literary Studies	3
ENGL 6301	Studies in Literary Theory	3
	Choose from Rhetoric/Composition Graduate Courses	3
	Choose from Linguistics Graduate Courses	3

History/Period Courses (6 Credits)

Choose from the following:

ENGL 6302	Studies in Literary History	3
ENGL 6304	Studies in British Literature	3
ENGL 6305	Studies in American Literature	3

Gender, Ethnic and Cultural Studies (6 Credits)

Choose from the following:

ENGL 6308	Studies in Mexican American Literature	3
ENGL 6309	Studies in the Literatures of the Americas	3
ENGL 6310	Studies in Ethnic Literature	3
ENGL 6311	Studies in Gender and Literature	3
ENGL 6315	Studies in Cultural Studies	3

Transnational Literature (3 Credits)

Choose from the following:

ENGL 6306	Studies in Comparative Literature	3
ENGL 6313	Studies in Post-Colonial Studies	3

Genre or Single Author Courses (3 Credits)

Chosen from the following:

ENGL 6303	Studies in Genre	3
ENGL 6312	Studies in Single Author	3

Choose one of the following options:

Thesis Option:

Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)

Thesis

ENGL 7300	Thesis I	3
ENGL 7301	Thesis II	3

Non-Thesis Option:

Literature/Cultural Studies Electives (6 Credits)

Capstone Requirement

Written Comprehensive Exam

Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Concentration:

Thesis Option:

Required Courses (21 Credits)

ENGL 6320	Introduction to Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6321	Research Methods in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6322	Theory in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6323	History of Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Studies	3
ENGL 6324	Pedagogy in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
	Choose from Literature & Cultural Studies Graduate Courses	3
	Choose from Linguistics Graduate Courses	3

Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Coursework (9 Credits)

Choose from among the Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy graduate courses

Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)

Thesis

ENGL 7300	Thesis I	3
ENGL 7301	Thesis II	3

Non-Thesis Option:

Required Courses (18 Credits)

ENGL 6320	Introduction to Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6322	Theory in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6323	History of Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Studies	3
ENGL 6324	Pedagogy in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
	Choose from Literature and Cultural Studies Graduate Courses	3
	Choose from Linguistics Graduate Courses	3

Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Coursework (12 Credits)

Choose from among the Rhetoric, Composition & Literacy graduate courses

English Electives (6 Credits)

Capstone Requirement

Written Comprehensive Exam

Academic Standing

Students seeking any graduate degree in English must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the graduate hours taken in the department of English of UT Rio Grande Valley. If a student’s GPA falls below 3.0 in a given semester, the student will be placed on probation. If an overall 3.0 GPA is not recuperated during the following semester, the student will be placed on suspension.

Total Credit Hours: 36