Graduate Student Handbook Online Master of Arts in English Revised Spring 2019 Contents I. Objectives of the Graduate Program in English. The UNO Catalog and English Graduate Handbook. Advising: The Graduate Coordinator.
Other Specifics Concerning the Online Master of Arts in English. Course Requirements--General. Graduate Courses in Other Fields. The Written Comprehensive Examination.
7 Progress Through the Program. 7 The Grade of "Incomplete". Completing the Degree. 10 Appendix 1: Reading Lists for the Comprehensive Examinations.
British Literature to 1660: Medieval and Renaissance Literature. British Literature After 1660. Rhetoric and Composition: Classical Rhetoric. 24 Appendix 2: Sample Questions for the Masters Comprehensive Written Examination.
Sample Field Exam Questions for British Literature I: Medieval and Renaissance. Sample Field Exam Questions for British Literature 1660-present. Sample Field Exam Questions for American Literature. Sample Field Questions for Rhetoric and Composition: Classical Rhetoric.
Professional Writing Exam Questions:. 39 Appendix 3: Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis. Consultations/Readers' Comments. 44 Appendix 4: Record of Progress in the Online M.
47 Appendix 5: Graduate Faculty in English and Research Areas. Objectives of the Graduate Program in English The Online Master of Arts degree prepares students for careers in teaching or writing or for further graduate study leading to the doctorate. The program features advanced study in British and American literature, in professional writing and editing, and in rhetoric and pedagogy. The program requires students to complete one of two areas of concentration: Literature, or Rhetoric/Professional Writing; additional areas of concentration will become available as the program develops.
The UNO Catalog and English Graduate Handbook Graduate students are expected to adhere to the requirements stated in all sections of the UNO Catalog that pertain to their programs and to their remaining in good standing with the Graduate School and the University. The catalog, available online in Webstar and at http://www.edu/registrar/catalog/index.aspx, contains information on such diverse topics as admission to candidacy, student loans, career planning and placement services, and transfer credit. You should familiarize yourself with its contents. The handbook you are reading now is the specific guide to the Online MA in English.
You should become very familiar with its contents. Advising: The Graduate Coordinator Before students enroll in courses each semester, they are advised by the Graduate Coordinator (via phone and/or email), who assists students in planning their programs and choosing their classes. Students are advised that permission is required for each course. Students are not allowed to self-select courses or go into Webstar and register for courses for which they have not received permission.
Once a student has been advised, the Graduate Coordinator will issue permissions in Webstar. These permissions should be used in a timely manner or they will expire. Once a student enrolls in courses, any changes to the student’s schedule must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator. Students are able to drop courses in Webstar but not enroll in a new course without permission.
Students should also be advised that course availability in Webstar is not always accurate. Permissions may have been issued that have not yet been used, making a class “full” when it appears to have seats available in Webstar. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator first to check on course availability before making any changes (i., don’t drop a course until you are sure you can get into the new course you hope to replace it with). The Graduate Coordinator keeps a cumulative record of each student's progress in his or her office (LA 297) and updates it each time the student is advised, using the “Record of Progress in the MA Program” (Appendix 4).
You may keep track of your own progress, too, by filling out that same document. Doing so will enable you to recognize where you stand, see how far you have to go, and understand what options remain. 3 Besides working closely with the Graduate Coordinator, you are also encouraged to consult with other members of the graduate faculty about your course of study and career objectives. (However, faculty are not able to issue permissions for courses.
Always contact the Graduate Coordinator about getting into a class.) Through an email distribution list, the Coordinator also keeps students informed of important deadlines and future course offerings; much advising is handled through email as well. You are required to maintain an email account (enrolled UNO students receive one free). You must check this account regularly, or you might miss an important deadline, the beginning date of each semester’s advising period, or other important information. Other Specifics Concerning the Online Master of Arts in English A.
Course Requirements--General The Online Master of Arts program in English requires the completion of 36 hours of coursework. MA students who were not undergraduate English majors are required to take up to 15 additional hours to make up for deficiencies; the Graduate Coordinator will determine additional requirements and add them to the student’s Record of Progress. (Requirements for admission can be found on the university website.) All graduate courses (and only graduate courses may be counted toward your degree) are numbered as specific 5000-, 6000-, or 7000-level courses. By governing by-laws, you are required to take at least half of your coursework in 6000-level courses or above.
You must maintain a 3.0 GPA in your coursework in order to remain in good standing in the program; you must also have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to graduate. According to Graduate School guidelines, no more than six semester hours of credit with a grade of C may be applied to a Master’s degree. Every MA student must take a set of five core courses: 1. The introductory course--ENGL 6280: Introduction to Graduate Studies in English 2.
One course in British literature 3. One course in American literature 4. One course in Rhetoric. One course in Writing.
At some point during your program, you must decide to concentrate either in Literature or in Rhetoric/Professional Writing (including editing, journalism, technical editing, professional editing, and professional writing). The Graduate Coordinator will help students determine the appropriate classes to fulfill the requirements for each concentration. (Core courses are not part of a concentration, so if you took, say, a three-hour course in Shakespeare as a part of the core, you must complete nine additional hours of literature so as to complete your concentration. Electives MA students will usually have 12 hours of electives.
If a student writes a thesis, the thesis can count for 3 of those elective hours. In addition to regular course offerings, you may elect to take ENGL 6397: Directed Study (3 hours) under the supervision of a graduate faculty member who agrees to direct the course. Except in unusual cases, Directed Study is restricted to students in the later stages of their programs. Students must secure prior approval of their planned study in that course from both the director of the study and the Graduate Coordinator (work up a written syllabus, including readings, of a page or so with the director of the study, both of you sign it, and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator).
Graduate Courses in Other Fields With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, a student can take up to 6 hours in courses in disciplines other than English as long as those courses are cognate with and will enhance a student’s degree. Talk to the Coordinator about this. Transfer Credit As stated in the UNO Catalog, "a maximum of one-third of the credit hours required for the degree transferred from other schools may be used in a master’s degree program, if approved by the program and the College,” “the student must be currently enrolled, must have completed at least 9 hours of graduate course work in a degree program at UNO,” and “only credits earned in courses with a grade of "B" or higher may be transferred.” Application for graduate credit must be initiated through the Graduate Coordinator. The Written Comprehensive Examination At some time early in their course of studies, students should decide if they want to take two 3- hour written comprehensive exams, or one such exam and write a thesis (see below about the thesis).
The written examination is based upon reading lists and course work. Examinations are offered in American Literature, Early British Literature, Later British Literature, Professional Writing, and Classical Rhetoric. Reading lists and questions for each field can be found in appendices to this handbook. The exam is offered in the middle of each fall semester, spring semester, and summer semester.
Students must sign up for their chosen fields at least a month before the exam is offered; dates are announced toward the beginning of each semester. Students who live in the vicinity of campus can take their exams with the on-site students at the scheduled time, always a Saturday. 5 For students who cannot come to campus, arrangements will be made with an online proctoring service or a campus that provides proctoring services near where the student lives. Modest fees are associated with such services.
Students are not allowed to use notes or texts during the exam, but they are allowed to use copies of the reading lists, which are found in the appendices. To ensure objectivity in the grading, student exams are coded only by student identification number. Each part of the exam is written and graded by graduate faculty members who specialize in the chosen field. The names of faculty who evaluate the exams are not announced prior to the exam.
Students who fail an exam have the option of retaking the exam in the same field, but only once and at the set exam time in a later semester. A second failure in that field means that a student must find another way to fulfill the degree requirements. Thesis Option Students who choose the thesis option complete their coursework requirements by taking one 3- hour comprehensive examination, and they write and defend a thesis. Students who select the non-thesis option write two 3-hour comprehensive exams.
Students in the M. program who wish to continue on to doctoral study are strongly encouraged to write a thesis. This exercise strengthens the critical writing skills expected in doctoral study, and it may help the student locate a topic for a doctoral dissertation or develop a publishable manuscript. Those who intend to finish at the M.
level may wish to write the thesis for various reasons. Those in professional writing can gain additional experience by writing one in their field. A creative writing thesis is also an option. Although the thesis is usually drafted late in the program, students should begin looking for topics early on.
Often a professor may suggest development of a topic a student has already investigated in a course. The topic may also emerge from an interest that has no direct connection with any of the courses a student has taken. Students should feel free to explore ideas for a thesis topic with members of the graduate faculty or with the Graduate Coordinator. Although the thesis topic must have the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the major professor, the choice of topic is the prerogative and the responsibility of the student; topics are never assigned by the department.
Guidelines for drafting a thesis are included in Appendix 3 to this handbook. A student may write a thesis in literary criticism, or may elect to do a thesis in creative writing, in rhetoric, or in professional writing. Requirements for each type of thesis are provided in Appendix 3. Students working on the thesis enroll in ENGL 7000 (Thesis Research).
This course may be repeated, but regardless of the number of times it is taken, only three hours of credit for this course may be applied toward the student's degree. Credit is awarded and a grade assigned only on acceptance of the thesis by the department and the Graduate School.