Admission Requirements:
In order to receive unconditional admittance into the Master of Arts degree in English, the applicant must have:
· a score of 450 or higher on the verbal section and a 3.5 or higher on the analytical writing section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
· an overall GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or a 2.75 on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 hours of course work
· an undergraduate degree in English or a related field
· an academic writing sample of 10-15 pages
· a statement of purpose
· two letters of academic recommendation.
· In place of the GRE examination, a score of 388 or higher is accepted from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).
The English Department adheres to the following policies outlines in the Graduate Bulletin regarding admissions:
Conditional admission may be granted to an applicant
· Who does not have a satisfactory test score
· Who has not taken the prescribed examination(s)
· Who has not complied with other specific departmental requirements
A conditionally admitted student will be allowed to take no more than 12 graduate credit hours. Graduate credit toward a degree at the University of Montevallo will not be awarded until the requirements for unconditional admission have been met. No student who has been conditionally admitted will be allowed to register after attempting 12 hours of graduate work unless he or she has subsequently been unconditionally admitted.
Transfer credits are accepted from other accredited institutions, but no more than 6 credits may be transferred.
Program Requirements:
To remain in the M.A. program, students must earn a 3.0 or better in ENG 500 and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA overall. Students must also show satisfactory progress towards degree completion (they must be enrolled in at least 3 credits during the academic year). If necessary, students may apply for a leave of absence from the department, approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Department Chair.
Students must also be registered for at least one class in the semester they defend their thesis. Any exceptions must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Department Chair.
Master’s Thesis:
The Master’s Thesis should represent a unique contribution to the field of research in the study of English language and literature. The topic selection should consequently reflect the student’s individual interests and should engage with current scholarly topics, discussions, and questions. Students have the option of taking one of three thesis tracks:
1) literary analysis
2) creative thesis
3) rhetoric and composition studies
In evaluating the thesis, regardless of which option is selected, committee members will look for demonstrably high levels of research, writing, and awareness of the scholarly community the student is now a part of. The department expects that the final product be complete in terms of the development of argument, style, the consultation of appropriate primary and secondary sources, and formal elements of spelling, grammar, citation, and format. The finished document should be between 60-100 pages and must accord to the departmental requirements for presentation and formatting. For a creative thesis, the final product should be a book-length collection of poems or stories of publishable quality, with a substantial scholarly essay of introduction that situates the project in historical and contemporary literary traditions. If the work is considered satisfactory, the committee signs off on the thesis, and it is counted towards completion of degree requirements. The final copy should also be bound, and a copy provided for the department to keep in its library.
In addition, once the thesis is completed the student will participate in a public defense of his or her work that attests to the level of argument, engagement, and scholarly value of the finished product. The defense will be conducted by the three members of the student’s advising committee (consisting of one chair and two secondary readers) and is intended to both give the student a chance to present his or her work and to offer the department a forum for evaluating the thesis as a representation of critical thought and analysis. The defense opens with a brief presentation given by the student as to the matter and development of the thesis or, in the case of a creative thesis, a reading of a sample of the work, and then the floor is opened to questions from the committee. These open questions address aspects of the written product as it stands and also how it engages with the coursework the student has completed throughout the course of the program. If the student’s presentation and response to the committee’s questions are considered satisfactory, the committee signs off on the defense process, and the defense is counted towards completion of degree requirements.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Stephanie Batkie
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of English, Station 6416
University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL 35115
EnglishGradInfo@montevallo.edu