Nina Levine, Chair  

Overview

The Department of English offers programs leading to the M.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. degrees with areas of emphasis in English and American literature (M.A. and Ph.D.), composition and rhetoric (M.A. and Ph.D.), and speech communication (M.A.). The department also offers joint master’s degrees with the School of Library and Information Science (M.A./M.L.I.S.) and the Moore School of Business (M.A./M.S.) (see Graduate Dual Degree Programs ). The M.A.T. degree in English is offered in cooperation with the College of Education. Interdisciplinary affiliations with African American Studies, Southern Studies, and Women’s Studies increase the range of course options and research opportunities within degree programs.

As the number and variety of degree programs suggest, our graduates pursue careers in many fields, including college- and university-level teaching, public and private secondary education, librarianship, publishing, creative and technical writing, journalism, public relations, and business administration. Graduates of our doctoral programs are especially well qualified for academic careers, and they enter tenure-track positions upon graduation at a rate consistently higher than the national average.

Admission

Applicants for admission to the M.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D. degree programs in the Department of English 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 in the department. Applicants for all degrees must submit all application forms required by The Graduate School, satisfactory scores on the GRE general test, a sample of academic writing, a statement of purpose, and at least two satisfactory letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their academic achievement. The GRE subject test of literature in English is required of applicants to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in English and American Literature. The GRE subject test of literature in English is not required of applicants to the MA programs in speech or in composition and rhetoric, nor is it required of applicants to the Ph.D. program in composition and rhetoric.

To particularly well-qualified candidates, the Department offers the chance to apply for Direct Admission to the Ph.D. Program. All those applying for direct admission will also be considered for regular admission to the M.A. program.

Successful applicants to the M.A., M.A.T., and M.F.A. programs typically have GRE verbal scores of 550 and above (for tests taken before October 2002), GRE analytical scores in the 3-5 range (for tests taken October 2002 and after), and an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or better. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program generally have GRE verbal and analytical scores of 600 (for tests taken before October 2002) and a GPA of 3.50 or better in their undergraduate (direct-admission applicants) or master’s degree course work. These numbers are provided as guidelines; we do not set absolute cut-off scores. All parts of an application are carefully considered, with especially close attention given to the writing sample.

An applicant who lacks adequate undergraduate course work may have to take up to 12 credit hours of 400-level literature or communication courses (depending on the degree emphasis sought) before the application will be considered.

The application deadline is December 15 for those wishing to be considered for graduate assistantships and fellowships. For all others the deadline is April 15.

Degree Requirements

Residence and other basic requirements for degrees in English are established by The Graduate School. Special requirements established by the department are outlined below.

Graduate credit for degree candidates in English normally is restricted to courses numbered 700 or above. Qualified graduate students may enroll in courses numbered 500-699 with the approval of the department’s director of graduate studies and may receive graduate credit by doing such additional work as required by the department and the instructor. The chair of the department may authorize students in other departments or schools to obtain graduate credit in most English courses numbered 500-699.

Programs and Courses

Programs

• Creative Writing, M.F.A.
• English, M.A.
• English, Ph.D.

Courses

• ENGL 550 - Advanced English Grammar
• ENGL 565 - African American Theatre
• ENGL 600 - Seminar in Verse Composition
• ENGL 601 - Seminar in Verse Composition
• ENGL 602 - Fiction Workshop: Short Story
• ENGL 603 - Nonfiction Prose Workshop
• ENGL 604 - Seminar in Composition for the Visual Media
• ENGL 605 - Seminar in Composition for the Visual Media
• ENGL 606 - Playwriting Workshop
• ENGL 610 - Fiction Workshop: Book-Length Manuscript
• ENGL 611 - Writing the Longer Nonfiction Project
• ENGL 612 - Writing Poetry: Traditional and Modern Forms
• ENGL 613 - Writing the Full-Length Play
• ENGL 615 - Academic and Professional Writing
• ENGL 616 - Writing Children’s and Young Adult Literature
• ENGL 620 - Computer Methods for Humanistic Problems
• ENGL 620P - Laboratory for Computer Methods for Humanistic Problems
• ENGL 650 - Special Topics in Literature
• ENGL 680 - Survey of Linguistics
• ENGL 690 - Special Topics in Composition
• ENGL 691 - Teaching of Literature in College
• ENGL 692 - Teaching of Composition in College
• ENGL 700 - Introduction to Graduate Study of English
• ENGL 701 - Special Topics in Old English Literature and Culture
• ENGL 704 - Special Topics in Medieval Literature and Culture
• ENGL 706 - Special Topics in 16th and 17th Century British Literature and Culture
• ENGL 707 - Special Topics in 18th Century British Literature and Culture
• ENGL 709 - Special Topics in 19th Century British Literature and Culture
• ENGL 714 - Special Topics in 20th & 21st Century British Literature and Culture
• ENGL 719 - Special Topics in Colonial American Literature and Culture
• ENGL 721 - Special Topics in 19th Century American Literature and Culture
• ENGL 722 - Special Topics in 20th & 21st Century American Literature and Culture
• ENGL 731 - Special Topics in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
• ENGL 732 - Principles in Literary Criticism
• ENGL 733 - Classics of Western Literary Theory
• ENGL 734 - Modern Literary Theory
• ENGL 736 - Special Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies
• ENGL 739 - Special Topics in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
• ENGL 740 - Special Topics in Southern Literature and Culture
• ENGL 741 - Special Topics in African American Literature and Culture
• ENGL 743 - Special Topics in Women’s Literature and Culture
• ENGL 746 - Special Topics in Transatlantic Literature and Culture
• ENGL 747 - Special Topics in Global Anglophone Literature and Culture
• ENGL 748 - Special Topics in Postcolonial Literature and Culture
• ENGL 749 - Special Topics in Performance Studies
• ENGL 754 - Special Topics in Film and Media Studies
• ENGL 764 - Special Topics in Theory and Critical Methods
• ENGL 765 - Advanced Film Study
• ENGL 766 - Special Topics in Genre, Form, and Aesthetics
• ENGL 776 - Introduction to Bibliography and Textual Studies
• ENGL 781 - History of English Language
• ENGL 782 - Varieties of American English
• ENGL 788 - Stylistics
• ENGL 789 - Poetics
• ENGL 790 - Survey of Composition Studies
• ENGL 791 - Introduction to Research on Written Composition
• ENGL 792 - Classical Rhetoric
• ENGL 793 - Rhetorical Theory and Practice, Medieval to Modern
• ENGL 794 - Modern Rhetorical Theory
• ENGL 795 - The Teaching of Business and Technical Writing
• ENGL 796 - Special Topics in the Teaching of English
• ENGL 797 - Current Scholarship in Rhetoric and Composition
• ENGL 799 - Thesis Preparation
• ENGL 803 - Special Topics: Seminar in Literary and Cultural Studies
• ENGL 804 - Special Topics: Seminar in Theory and Critical Methods
• ENGL 805 - Special Topics: Seminar in Media Studies
• ENGL 831 - Theory of Prose Fiction
• ENGL 832 - Theory of Poetry
• ENGL 846 - Studies in Southern Literature
• ENGL 850 - Studies in British and American Literature
• ENGL 862 - Special Topics in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
• ENGL 870 - Seminar in Bibliography, Textual Criticism, and Editing
• ENGL 871 - Seminar in Bibliography, Textual Criticism, and Editing
• ENGL 872 - Seminar in Bibliography, Textual Criticism, and Editing
• ENGL 890 - Studies in Rhetoric and Composition
• ENGL 895 - Directed Reading and Research
• ENGL 896 - Directed Reading and Research
• ENGL 899 - Dissertation Preparation

• SPCH 543 - Communication, Law, and Society
• SPCH 700 - Introduction to the Advanced Study of Speech Communication & Rhetoric
• SPCH 701 - Pedagogies of Speech Communication & Rhetoric
• SPCH 712 - Rhetorics of Materiality, Technology, and Science
• SPCH 734 - Theories of Public Argumentation
• SPCH 741 - Theory and Practice of Rhetorical Criticism
• SPCH 744 - Public Advocacy and Civil Society
• SPCH 746 - Rhetoric of Movements
• SPCH 749 - Performance and Cultural Studies
• SPCH 790 - Special Topics in Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance
• SPCH 792 - Classical Rhetorical Theory
• SPCH 793 - Medieval to Modern Rhetorical Theory
• SPCH 794 - Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
• SPCH 796 - Independent Study in Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance
• SPCH 797 - Special Projects in Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance
• SPCH 799 - Thesis Preparation