PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Program-Wide Requirements
- View the 2024-25 bulletin here.
- All Programs of Study require 33 credit hours from course work at the 5000-level or above.
- English 5000 (Bibliography and Methods of Research), which should be taken as early as possible in your graduate career; it is offered each fall.
- All English M.A. candidates are required to pass a Comprehensive Exam taken towards
the end of the completion of course work.
- Reading and key term lists are available here.
- The exam is generally given late in the semester and lasts four hours.
- Failing candidates may be reexamined after a minimum of three months and before a maximum of twelve months. The result of the second examination is final.
Program Options
English M.A. (non-thesis)
- Students selecting non-thesis will use Research Plan I.
- ENGLISH 5000 - Bibliography and Methods of Research (3 credit hours)
- 10 Courses from the Graduate Offerings (30 credit hours)
English M.A. (thesis)
- Students selecting thesis will use Research Plan III.
- ENGLISH 5000 - Bibliography and Methods of Research (3 credit hours)
- 8 Courses from the Graduate Offerings (24 credit hours)
- ENGL 5990 Thesis (6 hours)
English MA with Creative Writing Concentration (thesis/non-thesis)
- For the thesis creative writing concentration MA, your program of study must include
two of the following creative-writing courses: English 541A, English 541B, or English
541C before you register for your creative thesis hours.
- You will need the permission of the instructor to enroll in these courses.
- If not familiar with your work, the instructor may require samples of your writing.
- One of 541A, 541B, and 541C will typically be taught each fall and spring semester.
- ENGLISH 5000 Bibliography and Methods of Research (3 credit hours)
- An approved thesis in creative writing can also count towards the 12 required credits.
- Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in creative writing courses in order to complete the Creative Writing Concentration.
Creative Writing Faculty
- Barry Kitterman, kittermanb@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7878, Office: Harned 219
- Andrea Spofford, spofforda@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7869, Office: Harned 222
- Amy Wright, wrighta@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7714, Office: Harned 215
Linguistics Concentration (may be thesis/non-thesis)
- ENGLISH 5000 - Bibliography and Methods of Research (3 hours)
- An approved thesis in Linguistics can also count towards the 12 required credits.
- Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in linguistic courses in order to complete the Linguistics Concentration.
LINGUISTICS FACULTY
- Neeta Bhasin, bhasinn@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7870, Office: Harned 139.
- Katherine Honea, honeak@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7117, Office: Harned, 223.
- Andrew Kostakis, kostakisa@apsu.edu, (931) 221-7339, Office: Harned, 105.
RECOMMENDED COURSES
English 508A and 508B: Criticism and Theory. We encourage you to take one of these Criticism and Theory courses during your program of study. These courses either survey important critical approaches to the study of language and literature (508A) or examine in much greater depth one critical approach to the study of language and literature (508B). These courses are particularly important for students who intend to enroll in a doctoral program and aid students in passing the comprehensive examination, which requires one response to a theory question.