8 Open Degree Plan
The Open Degree Plan allows students the maximum amount of flexibility to select courses according to their own goals and interests. As with other emphasis areas, students should consult with the graduate advisor when pursuing an open plan.
M.A. with Thesis
Students choosing this option take 30 hours of coursework, including ENGL 6001: Introduction to Graduate Studies, Bibliography and Research and 3 hrs. of ENGL 6640: Thesis Research must be completed with a grade of S, and the completed thesis must be successfully defended and accepted by the College of Graduate Studies. The remaining 24 hours may be fulfilled by electives chosen from among any 5000- or 6000-level English courses. One 5000-level World Language for Reading Knowledge course may also be used as an elective.
M.A. with Portfolio
Students choosing this option take 33 hours of coursework, including ENGL 6001: Introduction to Graduate Studies, Bibliography and Research; and a minimum of 3 hours of ENGL 6913: Directed Portfolio, completed with a grade of S. The portfolio is made up of three course papers revised according to the recommendations of the assigning professors (one of whom should act as portfolio director) into short essays appropriate for submission to relevant academic journals and an essay of at least 1500 words addressing the choice of essays and reflecting on the process of revising them into publishable articles. Final submission of the portfolio to the portfolio director should include the originally assigned papers, the revised articles, the reflective essay, and a sign-off sheet attesting to the directing professor’s satisfaction with the revisions. The portfolio director will assign a grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory based upon the completed portfolio. The remaining 27 hours may be fulfilled by electives chosen from among any 5000- or 6000-level English courses. One 5000-level World Language for Reading Knowledge course may also be used as an elective.
