Admission

Applicants must meet the general requirements of the Graduate School, with the additional requirement that they have a 3.000 grade point average in their previous work in English courses. The coordinator of graduate studies in English will then evaluate the applicant’s transcript, prescribing additional undergraduate hours for those who have fewer than 24 credit hours in English and American literature or in other work acceptable to the department of English. Courses in freshman composition, grammar, teaching methods, journalism, speech, etc., may not be included in the required 24 credit hours. Exceptions may be made for outstanding students who have majored in related fields.

In addition to Graduate School application materials, applicants to the English MA program should submit a 500 word statement of purpose explaining their goals or reasons for pursuing an MA in English as well as their skills, accomplishments or experiences that suggest they will be able to succeed in the program. The English department Master of Arts program accepts applications for admission on an ongoing basis.

Applicants who have earned degrees at institutions in countries in which English is not the native language must score at least 600 paper-based, or 100 internet-based on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Examination, or an overall band score of 7.5 on the IELTS, or a score of 73 on the PTE-Academic before being admitted to the MA degree program in English.

Academic Advising

All MA candidates in English are advised by the graduate coordinator in English. The coordinator and student establish a plan of study that takes into account the student’s interests and future vocational plans.

Transfer of Credit

Students must complete 24 credit hours at Wichita State within the English department. If the credit to be transferred comes from a program in which the student took a graduate degree, the time limits imposed by the Graduate School on other transfers of credit will not apply. Credit for transfer courses will not count toward the required number of courses at the 700 level or above unless the transfer credit hours are of appropriate level from Kansas Board of Regents institutions.

Language Requirement

Master's degree candidates in English may fulfill the department’s world language requirements in any one of the following ways:

1. By submitting a transcript showing the completion with a grade of C- or better of at least 15 credit hours of undergraduate work in a single world language or the equivalent as defined by Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
2. By completing the required 15 credit hours of undergraduate work in a single world language.
3. By taking a test administered by the department of modern and classical languages and literatures in the elected world language, with a successful score determined by the English department.
4. By taking at WSU or submitting a transcript showing completion of 6 credit hours of linguistics with a grade of C- or better.

Program Requirements

The MA degree requires 30 credit hours of coursework, which can be completed in person or online. The 30 credit hours include the successful completion of either the master’s thesis (up to 6 credit hours) or master’s portfolio (3 credit hours). The master’s thesis is intended for students interested in an intensive, independent research experience, while the master’s portfolio is intended for students interested in developing documents more reflective of the diverse work they have completed while enrolled in the degree program.

All students must complete the following core coursework:

• ENGL 700 Introduction to Graduate Study in English
• 12 credit hours in period courses in literary seminars: 6 credit hours must be in literature before the 20th century; 3 credit hours must be in literature after the 20th century; of the 12 credit hours, students must take at least one seminar in British and American literature each.

In addition to the above core requirements, thesis students select 9–12 credit hours in elective coursework chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator and must complete 3–6 credit hours of the master’s thesis ( ENGL 890); a maximum of 6 credit hours of ENGL 890 can be applied toward the degree. Portfolio students select 12 credit hours in elective coursework chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator and must complete 3 credit hours of the master’s portfolio ( ENGL 895); a maximum of 3 credit hours of ENGL 895 can be applied toward the degree.

ENGL 700 normally should be included in the student’s first semester of graduate study. At least seven courses toward all degree plans must be at the 700 level or above. The remaining credit hours may be taken at any level 500 or above. Requests for exceptions to this rule may be granted by the graduate coordinator in special circumstances. Candidates completing 500- or 600-level English courses for graduate credit must satisfy a higher differential of performance relative to undergraduate students in the same courses, with the nature of this differential set by the professor. With graduate coordinator approval, courses with a minimum of 80 percent of the content meeting a requirement can occasionally be used to satisfy a requirement other than the one for which they are listed. No single course can be used to satisfy more than one requirement. A major author(s) course cannot be used to satisfy a period requirement. With approval of the graduate coordinator, a course can be repeated once for credit if at least 80 percent of the content is different. With graduate coordinator approval, one elective may be taken in another department or college, such as the College of Applied Studies.

Applied Learning