M.A. in English, with Emphasis in English and American Literature

The M.A. in English, with Emphasis in English and American Literature, is a 30-hour degree designed to augment an undergraduate English major or to prepare for study at the doctoral level.

• Admission
• Advisement
• Curriculum
• Comprehensive Exam
• Thesis
• Fellowships
• Assistantships
• Professional Opportunities
  -- At USC
  -- After USC

Admission

Applicants for admission to the M.A. program must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours of upper-division undergraduate courses in English or an appropriate related discipline, with grades indicating ability for successful graduate work.

Applicants should submit directly to The Graduate School

• online application forms,
• at least two letters of recommendation from teachers familiar with your academic achievement,
• transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions, and
• satisfactory scores on the GRE general test and subject test.
  
  Successful applicants to the M.A. program typically have GRE verbal scores at or above the 75th percentile and an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or better.

You should send directly to the Department of English, attention Graduate Studies (address at left)

• a sample of academic writing (approximately 8-10 pages) and
• a statement of purpose.

Your application is not complete until all materials are received by The Graduate School and the Department. Admission decisions are based on all parts of an application, with especially close attention given to writing samples.

Application deadlines are January 30 for those wishing to be considered for fellowships or assistantships and April 15 for all others.

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Advisement

Prior to registering for classes each semester, you should make an appointment to talk with your advisor. New M.A. students may rely on Noreen Doughty, graduate student coordinator, or Graduate Director Holly Crocker, director of graduate studies, for advisement. Within the first two semesters, students are asked to identify an advisor among faculty members in their area of concentration. This advisor will help you plan and file a program of study.

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Curriculum

Students must select one of three areas of concentration: English literature before 1660, English literature after 1660, or American literature.

• 12 hours of distribution requirements: one course in American literature, one in English literature before 1660, one in English literature after 1660, and one additional course in the area of concentration
• 15 hours of electives (ENGL 700 and 732 are recommended; 6 hours may be taken outside the department, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies)
• 3-hour comprehensive exam covering the chosen area of concentration
• 3 hours of ENGL 799, thesis writing
• reading knowledge of one foreign language

See also Course Descriptions, Residency, Language Competence, Time Limits for Degrees, and Frequently Asked Questions.

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Comprehensive Exam

At the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take the exam, notify the Director of Graduate Studies in writing of the area of concentration on which you wish to be examined. Recommended reading lists are available for all areas. The exam is divided into two 90-minute parts—e.g., Medieval and Renaissance for English literature before 1660, and Colonial-Nineteenth Century and Twentieth Century for American literature. Typically, you will choose one of three questions for each part; however, for the post-1660 English literature exam, you will choose two questions from two of three parts: Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, and Twentieth Century. Two of three graders must pass your responses. You have two opportunities to pass this exam.

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Thesis

The M.A. thesis is an essay of approximately 50-80 pages that makes a defensible contribution to scholarship on a figure, text, movement, or problem in your area of concentration. It must conform to standards set by The Graduate School. Your thesis director will supervise your ENGL 799 (thesis) hours, and your essay will be read by one other faculty member in your area.

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Fellowships

A limited number of fellowships are available from The Graduate Schooland the College of Liberal Arts. Applicants to this M.A. program are eligible for these fellowships if nominated by the Department of English. The selection process for nominees begins January 30 with awards announced mid-March.

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Assistantships

The Department of English offers several types of assistantships:

• teaching assistantships,
• editorial assistantships,
• instructional assistantships, and
• research assistantships.

Based on information provided in applications completed by January 30, prospective students will automatically be considered for an appropriate assistantship. (For example, teaching assistantships are available only to students who have successfully completed 18 hours of graduate work in English.)

All assistantships confer in-state tuition status, as well as a stipend and tuition supplement whose amounts vary with the type of assistantship. Students awarded an assistantship by the Department of English are expected to

• carry no incompletes;
• earn no more than one grade below B during their academic career;
• perform assigned duties in a satisfactory manner;
• maintain a GPA of 3.5; and
• make steady progress toward the degree.
  

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Professional Opportunities

At USC

• Opportunities to present papers at conferences sponsored by USC graduate student organizations (see the conference websites for 19th-Century conference and the 20th-Century conference) and by affiliated programs such as Women's Studies.
• Modest financial support for paper presentations at other local, regional, national, or international conferences.
• Eligibility for recognition and awards from The Graduate School (especially for presentations at Graduate Student Day).
• Opportunities for editorial or other career-advancing internships within the university (e.g., with USC Press, USC Office of Program Evaluation, TRIO Programs) or outside it (e.g., with the Commission on Higher Education and grant-funded agencies).

After USC

Graduates with this M.A. degree have found satisfying careers as teachers in private day and boarding schools or community colleges, as grant writers or administrators in nonprofit humanities organizations, as editors or managers at commercial and university presses, as literary agents, as communication specialists in or consultants for government agencies and private industry. For help with career options you should use the resources on campus like

• University Career Center
• College of Arts and Scinces career Development Program

Many graduates apply for admission to Ph.D. programs at this or other major research universities. Although admission to one of USC's doctoral programs in English is not guaranteed after earning the M.A., some students continue graduate work here.

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