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| Degree Programs :
English Graduate Program |
| Use the drop-down box
below to go directly to other degree programs. |
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| Dr. Bill Bolin-
Interim Assistant Dept. Head |
| Dr. Donna Dunbar-Odom
- Director of Graduate Studies (English) |
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English Graduate Program
For
the preparation of college teachers of English, Texas A&M
University-Commerce offers the Master of Arts in English and the Ph.D.
in English.
For
the preparation of high school teachers of English, the university
offers the Master of Arts in English and the Master of Science with a
major in English.
For
the Ph.D. in English, the student may choose to concentrate in either
Written Discourse: Theory and Practice (composition, rhetoric, and
linguistics) or Critical Literacy (literature, literary theory, and
reading).
Specific
requirements and procedures for graduate work and applications for
assistantships may be obtained from the Head of the Department or the
Director of Graduate Studies.
A
comprehensive minor in English is available for doctoral degree
students. This minor is recommended for supervisors of programs in
English education.
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| MASTER'S DEGREES IN
ENGLISH |
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Students
seeking a Master's degree in English may choose either a
thirty-semester-hour program that includes a thesis (English 518
counting for six hours) or a thirty-six-hour program that includes an
independent research project (English 595 counting for three hours).
Both programs of study lead to an M.A. degree for students who
demostrate foreign language proficiency or to an M.S. degree for
students without foreign language.
All
master's students should consult with the Director of English Graduate
Studies about which program would be the most relevant to their future
plans. Most of the coursework for both thirty and thirty-six hour
programs is elective, but students will want to select courses that
reflect their interests and future needs and that will prepare them to
write a final project (English 595 paper or English 518 thesis). Final
projects may be written on literature, composition, linguistics,
children's literature, or some combination thereof. With agreement of
the student's committee, the project may focus on Creative Writing by
student.
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| Table 1. Summary of
Master's Degree Requirements in English |
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Program
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Thirty-Hour Option
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Thirty-Six-Hour Option
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Course Work
(Major Dept.) |
at least 30 sh total, at
least 18 sh in English, including Eng 599 |
36 sh, at least 24 sh in
English |
| Minor |
12 of the 30 sh may be
outside of English |
12 of the 36 sh may be
outside of English |
| Final Project |
6 sh of 518 Thesis
(included in total 30 sh) |
3 sh of 595 Paper
(included in total 36 sh) |
| Examinations |
Written and oral proposal
of Thesis and final defense |
Written and oral proposal
of 595 paper |
Foreign Language*
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| a. 2 yrs of the same language in college |
| or |
| b. dept. for lang. exam |
| or |
| c. 50th% on GSFLT |
| or |
| d. 6 sh graduate level coursework |
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Same options as for 30-hr
degree |
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| *Students who do not
satisfy the foreign language requirement will receive an M.S. degree
rather than an M.A. |
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| PH.D. IN ENGLISH |
| The graduate faculty in English at Texas A&M
University-Commerce offers a graduate program leading to the Ph.D. in
English. This degree is designed for students wishing to teach in
community or four-year colleges and universities. It stresses both
substantive knowledge of the various divisions within the field of
English and an extensive introduction to the profession, including
classroom teaching, tutoring, and computer-assisted instruction. The
degree requires that each candidate serve as a teaching assistant. |
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| Table 2. Summary of
Doctoral Degree Requirements: Ph.D. in English |
| Course
Work |
The Ph.D. in English
requires 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree or 60 semester
hours beyond the master's. Students with master's degree work may
petition the Director of Graduate Studies and the Head, Department of
Literature and Languages, to use relevant master's level course work to
satisfy some requirements. |
| Doctoral distribution requirements beyond the Master's
degree: |
Pedagogical and
Professional Core
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| Bibliography and
Research: English 599 |
3 sh |
Area 1: Written
Discourse Theory and Practice (One course in composition, one course in
linguistics) |
6 sh |
| Teaching Seminars:
English 571 and 677 |
6 sh |
Area 2: Critical
Literacy (One course in each: British, American, World Literature) |
9 sh |
| Teaching: Colloquiums
English 675 and 676 |
6 sh |
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Either
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| Literary Theory: English 520 and 6 sh Colloquium in
Literature: English 775 |
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Or
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| Multi-Cultural Literature and Language: English 503 and 6 sh
Approaches to the Teaching of Writing: English 776 |
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6 sh |
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| Total |
21 sh |
Total: Written Discourse
+ Critical Literacy |
15 sh |
| Core Total |
36 sh |
| Additional
hours in specialization |
Students focusing on
Written Discourse: Theory and Practice will need 12 additional hours in
the specialization, for a total of 18 hours of courses in Written
Discourse. Those in Critical Literacy will need an additional 9 hours,
for a total of 18 hours in Critical Literacy courses. |
9-12 sh |
| Electives |
Students who submit
master's course work in English to satisfy some of the above
requirements and those who do not have a master's degree in English
will need to take additional electives, in consultation with a faculty
advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the head of the
department. |
3-6 sh |
| Dissertation |
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9 sh |
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| Foreign Language |
Other Requirements
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One Language
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Two Languages
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| a. |
12 sh of appropriate
college-level classes |
| or |
| b. |
50 percentile on GSFLT |
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| a. |
25 percentile on GSFLT |
| or |
| b. |
Department Foreign
Language Proficiency Examination (FLPE) |
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| Residency |
| a. |
All doctoral students
must serve at least one year as Teaching Assistants within the
department. During that year, they will take a full class load (6-9
hrs.), tutor, have a faculty mentor, and teach in our first-year
program under our guidance. |
| b. |
Doctoral students will enroll in a series of graduate
seminars in both their specialization and related areas, seminars that
require interaction with other students, interaction with a professor,
and extensive use of library facilities. |
| c. |
Doctoral students will also enroll in a series of
professional and pedagogical seminars and colloquia that will introduce
them to the issues and history of the profession of Teaching College
English, as well as provide them with mentors. They will observe senior
faculty and other assistants teach and be observed by the director of
First-Year English, the director of Graduate Studies, the department
head and/or their faculty mentor. |
| d. |
Doctoral students will be encouraged to participate in the
summer conference held by EGAD (English Graduate Students for Academic
Development), both in planning and arranging and by appearing on the
program. |
| e. |
Doctoral students will be trained as tutors and work in the
Communication Skills Center within the Department, and all will work in
the Computer Classroom and become familiar with the Daedalus software
system. |
| f. |
Doctoral students are encouraged to become professionally
involved by subscribing to relevant journals and by attending
professional conferences both local and national, both as participants
and as observers. |
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| Examinations
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A comprehensive and
in-depth Qualifying Examination, consisting of both written and oral
portions, is required at or near the completion of course work and
before beginning work on the dissertation. |
| Dissertation |
| a. |
Written in one's area of concentration under the direction of
an advisor and two other committee members from the department, plus
one member from another department. |
| b. |
Requires a written proposal and oral defense of the proposal
before the committee. The proposal defense is open to the university
community. |
| c. |
Requires a final oral defense after completion. The oral
defense is open to the university community. |
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Note:
The Department reserves the right to suspend from the program any
student, who in the judgment of a duly constituted departmental
committee, would not meet the professional expectations of the field.
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