Masters of Arts Program in English Literature
“For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.”
-- John Milton --
The English Department offers the Master of Arts degree, as well as courses for the language-arts concentration in the M.Ed. in secondary education. The goal of our program is to offer our graduate students the close interaction with faculty members, both in teaching and in research, that the University of Montevallo is known for. The diversity and flexibility of our program allows our students to shape their graduate work to fit their needs and we pride ourselves on the unique environment of support and engagement that enables our students to pursue their academic goals.
Admission Guidelines:
In reviewing applicants, the Department’s Graduate Committee seeks to identify students who will be fully engaged in the program and who will contribute actively to the scholarly and creative efforts of the Department and the discipline. In addition to meeting the University’s minimum standards for enrollment in the graduate program (GPA and GRE or MAT scores), the top applicants will hold a B.A. in English (or a degree in a related field) and will submit the following:
Two satisfactory letters of academic reference from current or past professors (or others familiar with the applicant’s scholarly potential) and a thoughtful statement of purpose (addressed to the Chair of the Department). In addition, applicants are asked to submit a writing sample of 10-15 pages they feel best represents their academic potential. The Graduate Committee will carefully consider all information when making its decision.
Degree Requirements:
| For the Master of Arts in English, a student will select, in consultation with the Chair of the English Graduate Program, a total of 30 semester hours of graduate courses. Twenty-four hours will come from coursework in the English Department, and it is recommended that 12 of these hours will be seminar courses. Normally, that will mean that the student will enroll in one seminar each term. Any exception must be approved by the Chair of the English Graduate Program. The remaining 6 hours are earned by writing a terminal thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor in the second year of the program. |  |
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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Stephanie Batkie
For a copy of our program brochure: M.A. in English
(Photo credits: Lori Culpepper, Stephanie Batkie) |
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