(30 credits)
This program is comprised of twenty-four credits of coursework and a six-credit capstone achieved either through an internship and portfolio or a Masters thesis. Undergraduates who major or minor in English or Multimedia Communication or related field may apply for the 4+1 degree option in their third year and begin taking graduate work in the fourth year. Students who have already earned a Bachelors degree who attend the program full-time can complete the Master of Arts degree in one calendar year; students may opt for part-time attendance if continuing to work full-time.
Requirements
Students take 24 credits of coursework followed by a 6-credit capstone experience.
The following 4 courses are required:
Students must also take 12 credits of electives at the 500- or 600-level. At least one of them must be taken from courses categorized as “Workplace” and one from those categorized as “Social Justice.”
Capstone Experience
Students may choose 1 of 2 capstone experiences. In both cases they will work with a primary adviser in the department, and the work must be approved by a committee of 3 faculty, at least 2 of whom must be faculty from Communication, Language, and Literature Students must outline a proposal approved by their advisers at the start and must hold a public defense of their work at its conclusion.
Option One: ENGL 698A Internship (3 credits)/ ENGL 698B Portfolio (3 credits)
Internships will be done after 12 credits of program work in a professional writing setting approved by the Graduate Program Director. Over the course of the internship, students are expected to create and revise written, digital, or multimedia materials for that workplace and to demonstrate the skills they have learned in their coursework. They will keep logs and samples of their work, report to their department adviser regularly, and reflect on what they are learning.
After completing the internship and all other coursework, students will put together a substantive professional portfolio of materials gathered from their internship experience and coursework, revised to its best quality, together with commentary on the work submitted that is grounded in disciplinary scholarship. This option is designed for students who intend to seek immediate employment.
Option Two: ENGL 699A / ENGL 699B M.A. Thesis (6 credits)
Students will complete an original thesis project on a discipline-specific topic of their choosing. This option is designed for students who intend to seek a doctorate in professional writing. Thesis length may vary depending on print or multimodal format but should be roughly the equivalent of 50-60 pages of reasoned and researched argument.
Substitutions may be granted with permission of the Graduate Director and Program Coordinator/Department Chair.