English, Master of Arts
Degree Options available for Master of Arts in English
- Option A: Thesis Option (36 Hours)
- Option B: Examination Option (36 Hours)
Master of Arts in English
The Master of Arts (M.A.) in English at UNK offers students the opportunity to study literature; composition, rhetoric, and language; childhood and youth studies; and creative writing. Graduate courses are offered as seminars, workshops, and directed readings. Our M.A. serves active, in-service teachers who seek graduate credit or a graduate degree to deepen their knowledge and advance their careers; students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. in English; creative writers sharpening and refining their skills for publication or for an MFA program; and students planning careers in editing, publication, professional and technical writing, and business.
Admission Process
Departmental admission to the Graduate program is based on transcripts, a 1-2 page letter of interest, a 10 page writing sample, two letters of recommendation, and the appropriate application forms (including indication of desired degree option). The Graduate Committee of the Department of English will weigh (and in some circumstances waive) these documents in the best interest of the program and the applicant. A student interested in pursuing a degree program in English should
- Meet the requirements for admission1 set by the Office of Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach.
- Submit an official undergraduate transcript to the Office of Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach showing at least 18 semester hours in upper division (300-400 level) courses in English Studies (literature, writing, linguistics, etc.).
- Submit an online application to the Office of Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach.
- Submit a writing sample: the writing sample should be related to an aspect of English studies and 10 pages in length (for creative writing, 5 pages creative writing and 5 pages critical/analytical writing; for all other interest areas, 10 pages critical/analytical writing).
If you do not currently have a writing sample available to submit and need suggestions for a prompt to create one, you may use the following: Please write a critical/analytical essay examining an idea of “place” through at least two literary texts. Your choice of place can be broadly or narrowly construed: a room, home, a woods, a city (specified or not), an island, nation, etc., can all be “places.” - Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Submit a 1-2 page letter of interest outlining motivation for post-graduate study at UNK, previous work in the discipline, particular English studies and/or literary interests, and educational goals.
Graduate College Degree Requirements
A student's Program of Study must include at least half or more hours of 800-level courses.
At the graduate level, credit/no credit courses must be a function of the course and not a choice of the student. Only 6 hours of credit/no credit courses may be applied toward a Master of Arts degree.
Students must either complete a comprehensive examination or write a thesis, and the results must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach at least four weeks before graduation date.
English Department Degree Requirements
At least half of the course work must be completed in non-P courses.
- 1
In the absence of any of the above, admission may be granted on a conditional basis.
Offered by Department of English
MA in English (36 credit hours)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Classes | 9-12 | |
| Select 3 credit hours of US Literatue Colloquium | ||
| Colloquium: US Literature through 1855 | ||
| Colloquium: US Literature 1855-Present | ||
| Select 3 credit hours of British Literature Colloquium | ||
| Colloquium: British Literature through 1700 | ||
| Colloquium: British Literature: 1700-Present | ||
| Selet 3 credit hours of theory courses | ||
| Principles of Literary Criticism | ||
| Theory of Rhetoric and Composition | ||
| Critical Approaches to Children's Literature & Culture | ||
| Narrative Strategies | ||
| Poetic Strategies | ||
| Select 0-3 credit hours of ENG 805 (required if GA) | ||
| The Teaching of Composition | ||
| Focus | 12 | |
| Select 12 credit hours from ONE of the following focus areas: | ||
| Literature | ||
| Colloquium: World Literature | ||
| Literature of Puritanism and Early American Nationalism | ||
| Literature of Puritanism and Early American Nationalism | ||
| Literature of the American Renaissance | ||
| Literature of the American Renaissance | ||
| Literature of American Realism | ||
| Literature of American Realism | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| Contemporary American Literature | ||
| Contemporary American Literature | ||
| Literature of the Great Plains and American West | ||
| English Literature to 1500 | ||
| English Literature to 1500 | ||
| Literature of the English Renaissance | ||
| Literature of the English Renaissance | ||
| The Literature of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century | ||
| The Literature of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century | ||
| Literature of the Romantic Period | ||
| Literature of the Romantic Period | ||
| Literature of the Victorian Period | ||
| Literature of the Victorian Period | ||
| Modern British & Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Modern British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Contemporary British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Contemporary British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Poetry Writing | ||
| Poetry Writing | ||
| Fiction Writing | ||
| Fiction Writing | ||
| Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Prosody: The Music of Poetic Form | ||
| Colloquium: Creative Writing | ||
| Narrative Strategies | ||
| Poetic Strategies | ||
| Creative Writing Thesis Workshop | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Childhood Studies | ||
| Children's Literature | ||
| Children's Literature | ||
| Literature for Adolescents | ||
| Literature for Adolescents | ||
| Children's Adolescent Lit | ||
| Fairy Tales & Folklore | ||
| The Graphic Novel | ||
| Critical Approaches to Children's Literature & Culture | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Composition, Rhetoric, and Language | ||
| Descriptive Linguistics | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| The Teaching of Composition | ||
| English around the Globe | ||
| Theory of Rhetoric and Composition | ||
| Writing Seminar | ||
| Prosody: The Music of Poetic Form | ||
| Language & Composition in the Secondary School | ||
| Language and Composition in the Secondary School | ||
| Theory and Practice of Digital Rhetoric | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Electives | 6-15 | |
| Descriptive Linguistics | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| The Teaching of Composition | ||
| Principles of Literary Criticism | ||
| English around the Globe | ||
| Theory of Rhetoric and Composition | ||
| Writing Seminar | ||
| Poetry Writing | ||
| Poetry Writing | ||
| Fiction Writing | ||
| Fiction Writing | ||
| Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Prosody: The Music of Poetic Form | ||
| Colloquium: Creative Writing | ||
| Colloquium: World Literature | ||
| Children's Literature | ||
| Children's Literature | ||
| Literature for Adolescents | ||
| Literature for Adolescents | ||
| Children's Adolescent Lit | ||
| Literature of Puritanism and Early American Nationalism | ||
| Literature of Puritanism and Early American Nationalism | ||
| Literature of the American Renaissance | ||
| Literature of the American Renaissance | ||
| Literature of American Realism | ||
| Literature of American Realism | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| Contemporary American Literature | ||
| Contemporary American Literature | ||
| Literature of the Great Plains and American West | ||
| Colloquium: US Literature through 1855 | ||
| Colloquium: US Literature 1855-Present | ||
| Fairy Tales & Folklore | ||
| The Graphic Novel | ||
| Critical Approaches to Children's Literature & Culture | ||
| American Environmental Literature and Theory | ||
| Global Environmental Literature and Theory | ||
| Language & Composition in the Secondary School | ||
| Language and Composition in the Secondary School | ||
| English Literature to 1500 | ||
| English Literature to 1500 | ||
| Literature of the English Renaissance | ||
| Literature of the English Renaissance | ||
| The Literature of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century | ||
| The Literature of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century | ||
| Literature of the Romantic Period | ||
| Literature of the Romantic Period | ||
| Literature of the Victorian Period | ||
| Literature of the Victorian Period | ||
| Modern British & Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Modern British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Contemporary British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Contemporary British and Commonwealth Literature | ||
| Colloquium: British Literature through 1700 | ||
| Colloquium: British Literature: 1700-Present | ||
| Narrative Strategies | ||
| Poetic Strategies | ||
| Theory and Practice of Digital Rhetoric | ||
| Creative Writing Thesis Workshop | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Topics in Film Studies | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Thesis | 0-6 | |
| Thesis | ||
| A comprehensive exam is required for students not completing a thesis | ||