Admissions
To enter the graduate program in English a candidate must satisfy the requirements both of the Graduate School and the Department of English. A candidate should have a bachelor’s degree, with at least 18 hours in English above the freshmen level. Normally, only students with a grade point average of 3.0 in undergraduate English courses and an overall undergraduate average of 2.75 will be considered. Though the English department welcomes scores from the Graduate Record Aptitude Exam and letters of recommendation, it does not require either of these.
The Graduate Admissions Office can provide information about admission. Apply online for admission. Contact them at (314) 516-5458 or gradadm@umsl.edu.
Applications to the MA in English are considered at all times. However, because spaces in graduate courses are limited, it is strongly advised that prospective students submit their applications well before the semester begins in order to gain admission into their appropriate classes (typically July 1 for the Fall Semester, December 1 for the Spring, and May 1 for the Summer).
About the MA Degree
Students in the MA in English must complete 30 hours, at least 18 hours of which must be in 5000-level Courses. Twelve hours may be taken in 4000-level courses approved by the department and Graduate School. As they move through the program, students are encouraged to explore the wide range of classes that the English Department offers: classes in literature, creative writing, rhetoric, critical theory, pedagogy, and film. The MA is designed to allow students to find a path through the program that meets their interests and needs.
Note that the program description in the University Bulletin is out of date and will soon be changed.
Transfer Credit
Subject to the approval of the Graduate Committee of the English Department and the Graduate Dean, a student may transfer a maximum of twelve hours of graduate course work from other universities. This may include credit earned prior to or subsequent to enrollment at UMSL. Petitions should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director, who will convey the Committee's recommendations to the Graduate Dean for final action. The University does not accept graduate credit for courses from institutes unless the institutes were conducted by UMSL. A candidate working toward an UMSL degree must confer with the Graduate Program Director before enrolling in any course offered by another institution for which graduate credit is anticipated.
Inter-University Graduate Exchange Program
Under the Inter-University Graduate Exchange Program offered by UMSL, Washington University, and Saint Louis University, a student working towards the Master of Arts in English degree at UMSL may take up to 6 hours of graduate credit at Washington University or at Saint Louis University. Credit hours and grade points obtained through the program are automatically counted toward the UMSL degree, and tuition fees are assessed at the UMSL rate. To register for a course offered through the Exchange Program, a student must secure the permission of the off-campus instructor and the Graduate Program Director, and submit the requisite form, which must be obtained in person from the Registrar.
Independent Reading
English 5970, Independent Reading, is primarily designed to allow a Master's candidate to do intensive work in an area of study that has not been or is not likely to become the subject of a regular course or seminar during the student's time in the program. A student who desires to undertake independent study must justify the project to the prospective supervising professor and to the Graduate Program Director. Normally permission to take English 5970 will be granted only once in a student's course of study, and only after the student has completed at least 15 hours of graduate work in English. Moreover, the course may not be used to satisfy program distribution requirements.
Any graduate student who desires to pursue a course of independent reading must confer with the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to work prior to the start of the term in which such a course of study is contemplated. Once the instructor's consent has been received and a schedule of work established, the student should obtain a copy of the Independent Reading Petition from the Graduate Program Director. This form requires a description of the project and the signature of the supervising Graduate Faculty member. It must then be submitted to the Program Director for endorsement; the Program Director will then issue a consent number for the appropriate section of English 5970.
Advising
Before registering for the first semester of course work, students should contact the Graduate Program Director to plan a course of study. Thereafter, students will consult with the Director, who serves as adviser to all Master of Arts in English candidates, during each registration period and as the need for advising arises.
Course Load
The minimum course load for a full-time graduate student is nine hours for a regular semester and five hours for the summer term. Graduate students holding departmental assistantships may register for a maximum of nine hours each semester. To register for an overload, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and obtain the written permission of the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Dean. Forms for requesting permission to register for an overload may be obtained from the Program Director. Such permission will be given only in exceptional circumstances.
Delayed Grades
A graduate student is expected to complete all course assignments by the end of the term in which a course is taken. On occasion, a student may request a delayed grade, but it is left to the discretion of the instructor whether or not to grant the delay. The Graduate School stipulates that delayed grades must be removed within two regular semesters after the time recorded or they automatically become failing grades. However, the English Department encourages the expeditious removal of such grades. Multiple delayed grades may affect the number of courses a student is permitted to enroll for in subsequent semesters and may also lead to academic probation.
Grade Requirement
To receive the Master of Arts in English degree, a student must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better at the completion of course work. If at any time a student's GPA should fall below 3.0, the student may be placed on probation by the Graduate School. (Any student with a GPA below 2.0 will be dismissed from the Graduate School.) At the end of each semester, the Graduate Committee will review the work of each student who is on probation or on restricted status. Students failing to make reasonable progress will be dismissed from the Master of Arts in English program. Reviews of the work of all students in the program will be made at least once a year.
Time Limitation
Graduate School rules state that students must complete all degree requirements within six years after initial enrollment. Students not registering for two consecutive semesters must reapply for admission to the program unless they have been granted an authorized leave of absence by the Graduate Dean.
Each Spring, the Master of Arts in English Prize Essay will be selected by a departmental committee from among those papers submitted to it by Graduate Faculty during the preceding academic year. The author may revise the paper prior to submission. All papers must be received by the Department Chair by February 1; the award will be presented to the winner at a departmental colloquium in the Spring.
