Master of Arts in English Program Requirements

These program requirements can be tailored to meet students' interests and career goals.

26 Hours of Course Work

• A 4-hour course in Contemporary Theory.
• 4-hour classes in three of the following categories: period, author, genre and approach.
• 10 hours of elective course work.

Most coursework should be at the 5000 level, a student may include no more than two 4000 level classes in their program.

With the permission  of their advisor, students may take three credit hours outside of the department to meet their program requirements.

Reading List Exam

Thesis

Four hours of ENGL 5960: Thesis Research

The capstone of your Master of Arts program is your thesis, an independent research project written with the support and supervision of your director and committee.  The typical length for a thesis in 50-75 pages, plus notes and it is expected that your finished project will be a thoroughly researched,  highly polished and professional presentation of an original argument that situates itself in the critical discussion of your topic.

Learning Outcomes

The Masters degree in English builds upon the skills acquired as an undergraduate:

•    Read, interpret, and write about a diverse range of texts in English, for example literature, film, digital media, and popular culture.

•    Understand those texts analytically and critically.

•    Understand those texts on the basis of careful close reading.

•    Understand those texts through past and current literary theory.

•    Understand that those texts are culturally constructed in time, place, and tradition.

•    Understand how those texts inform culture.

•    Participate in the critical and cultural discourses of English.

•    Participate clearly and appropriately through multiple spoken and written forms.

Students who receive a master's degree in English from the University of Wyoming will be able to demonstrate all of these skills at a more professional level, which will include:

•    A solid grounding in either Composition and Rhetoric or Literary Studies.

•    The ability to participate actively in the theoretical discussions central to the field.

•    The ability to conduct independent research.

•    The ability to construct a sustained sophisticated and original argument on a specialized topic.

•    The ability to situate that argument professionally in the critical dialogue.

•    The ability to present it persuasively and coherently with individual voice and style.