The Master of Arts in English
Course Requirements for the Master's Degree: 30 units
Continuous enrollment is required. At the discretion of the academic program, a maximum of 6 semester units of special session credit earned in non-matriculated status combined with all transfer coursework may be counted toward the degree requirements. This applies to special session credit earned through Open University, or in courses offered for academic credit through Regional and Continuing Education.
Graduate Time Limit:
All requirements for the degree are to be completed within five years of the end of the semester of enrollment in the oldest course applied toward the degree. See Master's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements.
The Master's program in English is available to students whose undergraduate record qualifies them according to the standards set forth by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Department of English. Students who don't have the equivalent of a major in English must complete the equivalent of a general English minor.
Prerequisites for Students Who Don't Have an English Major or Minor
2 courses required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 335W | Rhetoric and Writing (W) | 3.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisite: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement. | |||||
ENGL 340 | Approaches to Literary Genres | 3.0 | FS | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 276 | Survey of Early British Literature | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 277 | Survey of Later British Literature | 3.0 | SP | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 278 | Survey of Early American Literature | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 279 | Survey of Later American Literature | 3.0 | SP | ||
9 units selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 320W | Poetry Writing (W) | 4.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; ENGL 220W for English Educ students only. | |||||
ENGL 321W | Fiction Writing (W) | 4.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; ENGL 220W for English Educ students only. | |||||
ENGL 327W | Creative Nonfiction Writing (W) | 4.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; ENGL 220W for English Educ students only. | |||||
ENGL 332 | Introduction to Literacy Studies | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 333W | Advanced Composition for Future Teachers (W) | 3.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisite: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement. | |||||
ENGL 338W | Environmental Rhetoric (W) | 3.0 | FS | GE W | |
Prerequisite: Engl 130W. Recommended: ENGL 335W. | |||||
ENGL 341 | Reading Literature for Future Teachers | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 342W | Literature of the Child (W) | 3.0 | FS | GE W | |
ENGL 350W | Science, Technology and the Literature of Cultural Change (W) | 3.0 | FS | GE USD W | |
ENGL 353 | Multicultural Literature: Issues and Themes | 3.0 | FS | GE USD | |
ENGL 354 | Classical Literature | 3.0 | SP | GE | |
ENGL 355 | Bible, Literature, and Culture | 3.0 | FA | GE | |
ENGL 356 | Literature, Politics, and Activism | 3.0 | SP | GE | |
ENGL 364W | American Ethnic and Regional Literature in Focus (W) | 3.0 | FS | GE USD W | |
ENGL 371 | Principles of Language | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 472 | Pedagogical Grammar | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 375 | Introduction to English Grammar | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 398 | Special Topics | 1.0 -3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: Department permission. | |||||
ENGL 399 | Special Problems | 1.0 -3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 415 | Editing Literary Magazines | 4.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 220W (may be taken concurrently). | |||||
ENGL 419 | Chapbook Production | 4.0 | FA | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 415 or two 400-level courses from the Minor in Creative Writing. | |||||
ENGL 420 | Advanced Poetry Writing | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 320W or instructor permission. | |||||
ENGL 421 | Advanced Fiction and Nonfiction Writing | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 321W or 327W or faculty permission. | |||||
ENGL 431 | Theory and Practice in Tutoring Composition | 4.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 333W and ENGL 335W are strongly recommended. | |||||
ENGL 440W | Chaucer and His Age (W) | 3.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 441W | Shakespeare (W) | 3.0 | FS | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 446 | British Renaissance Literature: | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 448 | The Long Eighteenth Century | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 449 | The Romantic Period | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 450 | The Victorian Period | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 451 | Modern Poetry | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 452 | Development of British Drama | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 453 | Modern Drama | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 454 | Comparative Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 455 | The 18th-Century British Novel | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 456 | The 19th-Century British Novel | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 457 | The American Novel | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 458 | Early American Literature | 3.0 | FS | USD | |
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 459 | Later American Literature | 3.0 | FS | USD | |
Prerequisites: ENGL 279, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 461 | The Modern Novel | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 462 | Studies in Major American Authors | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 340; ENGL 278 or ENGL 279. | |||||
ENGL 464 | Modern World Literature | 3.0 | INQ | GC | |
ENGL 465 | American Literary Topics | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 467 | Teaching Multicultural Literature | 3.0 | FA | USD | |
ENGL 468 | 20th-Century and Contemporary British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. | |||||
ENGL 470 | Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 371. | |||||
ENGL 471 | Intensive Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 474 | Syntactic and Morphological Analysis | 3.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 371, ENGL 375. | |||||
ENGL 475 | History of the English Language | 3.0 | SP | ||
ENGL 476W | Phonological Analysis (W) | 3.0 | SP | GW W | |
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, ENGL 371. | |||||
ENGL 477 | Semantics: Language and Meaning | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 478 | Approaches to Reading | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 479 | Gender and Language in Cross-Cultural Perspectives | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 371 or WMST 300. | |||||
ENGL 480 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 489 | Internship in English | 1.0 -3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 498 | Special Topics | 1.0 -3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 498H | Special Topic - Honors | 1.0 -3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 519 | Chapbook Production | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 415; or two 400-level courses from the Minor in Creative Writing; or ENGL 620. | |||||
ENGL 530 | The Northern California Writing Project | 1.0 -6.0 | SM | ||
ENGL 534W | Literature, Language, and Composition: A Synthesis (W) | 3.0 | SP | W | |
Prerequisites: ENGL 335W, ENGL 375, and ENGL 441W. | |||||
ENGL 570 | Contemporary Linguistic Topics | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 371, ENGL 375. | |||||
ENGL 599H | Honors Senior Thesis | 3.0 -6.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 340, ENGL 335W; 3 units selected from ENGL 276, ENGL 277, ENGL 278, or ENGL 279; 3 units of 400-level genre or period course with grades that place student in top 5%; interview; faculty permission. |
Elective courses should be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Equivalent coursework on listed transcripts will be considered in all categories. Substitutions shall be made in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.
The Master of Arts degree in English offers patterns in British and American Literature, Creative Writing, and Language and Literacy.
Prerequisites for Admission to Conditionally Classified Status:
- Satisfactory grade point average as specified in "Admission to Master's Degree Programs" in the University Catalog.
- An acceptable baccalaureate from an accredited institution, or an equivalent approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Completion of the Graduate Record Examination with a minimum score of 500 on the verbal portion of the General Test (native English speakers only). The GRE score is only one of the factors considered on the assessment of the applicant.
- For all applicants who have not completed a baccalaureate degree (or three years of full-time academic study at the post-secondary level) in Australia, Great Britain, Anglophone Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United States, completion of one of the following:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum paper-based score of 580 or Internet-based score of 92; or
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 7.0; or
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a minimum score of 65.
Further, a significantly low score on any part of these required exams will require that a student enroll in remedial courses appropriate to the area of weakness as specified by the Graduate Advisor.
- Submission, with the application, of a writing sample demonstrating critical and analytical skills. Creative Writing students should also submit a sample of creative work.
- The Graduate Committee will make assessments of the applicant's complete record, balancing GPA, letters of recommendation, GRE score, writing samples, and any other material in the application package.
- Approval by the department and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Prerequisites for Admission to Classified Status:
In addition to any requirements listed above:
- Completion of a departmentally administered essay assignment, by those required to take TOEFL, during registration week of the first semester. Remedial work in composition will be required for those whose writing is judged inadequate by essay readers, and a student may not be advanced to classified status until an acceptable level of proficiency is reached.
- Two letters of recommendation, preferably from English department faculty who know the student's work, to the departmental Graduate Coordinator.
- Completion of ENGL 276 and ENGL 277, Survey of British Literature, or its equivalent. Students coming to Chico from undergraduate institutions that offer an undergraduate comprehensive examination in literature or a course of the same kind as the Survey of British Literature are requested to submit, when possible, as one of their letters of recommendation, a statement from a faculty member directly involved with that examination or course.
- A post baccalaureate grade point average of at least 3.0 in a minimum of 12 departmentally specified units of letter-graded, graduate-level course work.
- Completion of departmental literacy requirement.
Advancement to Candidacy:
In addition to any requirements listed above:
- Classified graduate standing and completion at the University of at least 9 units of the proposed program.
- Formation of the graduate advisory (thesis) committee in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.
- Development of an approved program in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Such a program will include:
- A statement of aims.
- An outline of course units to be earned in pursuit of these aims.
- A description of the nature of the culminating activity.
Requirements for the MA Degree in English:
Completion of all requirements as established by the department graduate committee, the graduate advisory (thesis) committee, and the Office of Graduate Studies, to include:
1. Completion of an approved program consisting of 30 units of 400/500/600-level courses as follows:
1 course required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 661 | Literary Criticism and Theory | 3.0 | FA | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 641 | British Medieval Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 642 | Renaissance British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 644 | Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 646 | British Victorian Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 651 | American Literature: Beginnings to 1865 | 3.0 | FS | ||
Note: Students may also take ENGL 648, 652, 654, 656, or 657 if the reading list covers primarily texts written prior to 1900.
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 699P | Master's Project | 1.0 -6.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 699T | Master's Thesis | 1.0 -6.0 | FS | ||
Students who plan to do a creative project (ENGL 699P) must have permission to do so from the creative writing coordinator and must have completed the requirements for the Creative Writing Pattern.
Twelve units selected from one of the patterns listed below. Specific courses for each pattern will be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. With the permission from the Graduate Coordinator and thesis/project committee, students may also take related courses beyond their chosen pattern requirements.
Creative Writing Pattern
6 units required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 620 | Workshop Form and Practice | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: At least one 400-level creative writing course or instructor permission. |
ENGL 620 must be taken twice for credit.
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 415 | Editing Literary Magazines | 4.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 220W (may be taken concurrently). | |||||
ENGL 419 | Chapbook Production | 4.0 | FA | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 415 or two 400-level courses from the Minor in Creative Writing. | |||||
ENGL 420 | Advanced Poetry Writing | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 320W or instructor permission. | |||||
ENGL 421 | Advanced Fiction and Nonfiction Writing | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisite: ENGL 321W or 327W or faculty permission. | |||||
ENGL 519 | Chapbook Production | 4.0 | SP | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 415; or two 400-level courses from the Minor in Creative Writing; or ENGL 620. | |||||
ENGL 689T | Internship in Teaching College English | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 431 or ENGL 470 for ESL; faculty permission. |
1 course required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 653 | American Literature: 1920 to Present | 3.0 | FS | ||
Note: Students may also take ENGL 654, ENGL 656, or ENGL 657 if the reading list covers primarily texts written after 1900.
Language and Literacy Pattern
4 courses selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 431 | Theory and Practice in Tutoring Composition | 4.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 333W and ENGL 335W are strongly recommended. | |||||
ENGL 478 | Approaches to Reading | 3.0 | FA | ||
ENGL 632 | Theories of Literacy | 3.0 | SP | ||
ENGL 634 | Teaching Composition | 3.0 | SP | ||
ENGL 636 | Composition Program Design and Development | 3.0 | F1 | ||
ENGL 692 | Special Topics in English | 3.0 | FS | ||
Literature Pattern
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 641 | British Medieval Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 642 | Renaissance British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 644 | Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 646 | British Victorian Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
ENGL 651 | American Literature: Beginnings to 1865 | 3.0 | FS | ||
Note: Students may also take ENGL 648, ENGL 652, ENGL 654, ENGL 656, or ENGL 657 if the reading list covers primarily texts written prior to 1900.
3 courses selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 641 | British Medieval Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 642 | Renaissance British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 644 | Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 646 | British Victorian Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 651 | American Literature: Beginnings to 1865 | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 652 | American Literature: 1865-1920 | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 653 | American Literature: 1920 to Present | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 654 | Seminar in American Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 656 | Themes, Genres, or Problems in Literature | 3.0 | FS | ||
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENGL 657 | Comparative Literature | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Electives
9 units required:
Students may select the 600-level courses from Creative Writing, Language and Literacy, or Literature.
(a) You must take at least 24 units of 600-level courses in the discipline of English.
(b) You may take up to 6 units from 400/500-level courses.
(c) ENGL 689T (Internship in Teaching College English) may be repeated, but only one course (3 units) will be counted as an elective.
(d) Normally, not more than a total of 6 units of Independent Study (ENGL 697) and Master's Thesis (ENGL 699t) or Masters Project (ENGL 699P) will be allowed. Note: ENGL 697 may be taken for a letter grade.
2. Completion and approval by the Graduate Coordinator of an acceptable culminating activity. The English Department Graduate Committee will recommend granting the master's degree to candidates who have satisfactorily completed one of the following:
(a) A written thesis prepared according to the standards established in A Guide to Graduate Studies: Policies, Procedures, and Format, available from the Office of Graduate Studies. The thesis will present a scholarly/critical study or a sustained creative effort.
(b) A terminal project equivalent in scope to the thesis or seminar papers options and appropriate to the candidate's focus of study or special competence.
3. Approval by the departmental Graduate Committee and the Graduate Coordinators Committee on behalf of the faculty of the University.
Graduate Requirement in Writing Proficiency:
Writing proficiency is a graduation requirement.
English degree candidates will demonstrate writing competence through two examples of their writing which have been submitted as assigned work. These must be presented to the Graduate Coordinator by the instructor(s) who assigned them, together with a written statement of his/her opinion of the papers' authenticity. The papers may not represent work done in connection with the thesis or terminal project, and at least one sample must demonstrate documentation of research according to the latest edition of the MLA Handbook style standards. This requirement must be met before the student is advanced to classified status.
Graduate Grading Requirements:
All courses in the major (with the exceptions of Independent Study - 697, Comprehensive Examination - 696, Master's Project - 699P, and Master's Thesis - 699T) must be taken for a letter grade, except those courses specified by the department as ABC/No Credit (400/500-level courses), AB/No Credit (600-level courses), or Credit/No Credit grading only. A maximum of 10 units combined of ABC/No Credit, AB/No Credit, and Credit/No Credit grades may be used on the approved program (including 697, 696, 699P, 699T and courses outside the major). While grading standards are determined by individual programs and instructors, it is also the policy of the University that unsatisfactory grades may be given when work fails to reflect achievement of the high standards, including high writing standards, expected of students pursuing graduate study.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average in each of the following three categories: all course work taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to the master's program; all course work taken at CSU, Chico subsequent to admission to the program; and all courses on the approved master's degree program.
Graduate Advising Requirement:
Advising is mandatory each semester for all English majors. Consult the Graduate Coordinator for specifics.