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Program Details

Graduate Program: English (MA)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
English (MA)  
Program Description

The MA in English is designed to provide a broadly inclusive course of advanced study in English and American literature together with preparatory training and scholarly background for the PhD. Applicants must have completed the equivalent of the undergraduate major in English (i.e. 30 units of upper-division literature courses) with a grade-point average of at least 3.50 in literature courses. Candidates for the MA must take a total of 30 units of graduate coursework (of which 24, or 8 classes, must be in regularly scheduled literature courses unless otherwise approved by the Program Director), demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language, and pass a final examination based on reading lists approved by the faculty.

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

English

Department of English Graduate Studies

The English Department maintains four degree-granting graduate programs:

  • Literature (MA and PhD) 
  • Creative Writing (MFA) 
  • Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English, known as RCTE (MA and PhD) 
  • English Applied Linguistics, known as EAL (MA in TESL, with ties to the PhD in SLAT)

Each of these programs is separately administered and has a separate application procedure. In general (some programs may make exceptions or have a different deadline) applications are due in early January (for matriculation the following August). Admissions are highly selective. The department therefore urges prospective applicants to confer, by early autumn at the latest, with the Director of the individual program in which they are interested.

To access the landing page for an individual program, click on its name below. On these pages you will find contact information for each program, as well as information about graduate study in the department.

General MA

The Department also offers a General MA, a flexible program that includes curricula from Literature, RCTE, and EAL.

Additional Resources

English Graduate Union (EGU), represents all English graduate students 

Financial Opportunities: please email program assistant for information regarding financial support available to graduate students in the Department of English.

Lauren Mason
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of English 

 
College

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Marcia L Simon
520-621-1358
Graduate Program Coordinator
Marcia L Simon
520-621-1358
Director of Graduate Studies
Lauren Camille Mason
520-621-1836
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Guadalupe Estrella
520-621-3484
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

1.    Apply through the Graduate College online portal.  Students should apply to the MA in ENGLISH ONLY if they are not interested in the possibility of continuing for the PhD.  If you are admitted to the program having completed this MA application and then decide to go on to the PhD here, you will have to re-apply, submitting all required documents and fees again. If you think you may want to continue for the PhD, you should apply directly to the PhD in English (even if you will be entering the program at the MA level).

This will include the following:

    • Graduate College application
    • Domicile Affidavit
    • Application fee ($85), payable to the University of Arizona

2.  Complete the Literature Program Online Application (either English  MA or PhD):
     The application will include the following elements:

    • Curriculum Vita
    • Statement of purpose
    • Official copies of transcripts from all colleges attended-you may download unofficial on-line for review purposes. If you are admitted, you will need to mail official transcripts to the program.
    • Three academic letters of recommendation (your recommenders will be able to submit their letters through the online application system)
    • Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Subject test is optional. Ask that your scores be sent to Institution Code #4832 Must be dated within 5 years of enrollment
    • A writing sample (in the form of a critical paper; recommended length 10-20 pages, maximum of 25 pages)
   
   INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ONLY: 

    • TOEFL 550-paper or 79 internet. Scores must be dated within 2 years of enrollment. 

 
Standardized Tests

Required test for both domestic and international students:
General GRE
 

Required test for international:
TOEFL

Minimum TOEFL: 79 internet
Minimum IELTS: Composite score of 7

 

Recommended tests:
GRE Subject test

 

 
Funding Opportunities

Please see our webpage:  http://english.arizona.edu/literature/financial-opportunities#overlay-context=literature/financial-aid-teaching-fellowships-awards

 

 
Admissions Deadlines

Applications are due around January 15 each year for the following fall semester.  We have no spring admission.

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

30 

Core Coursework Requirements

Candidates for the MA must take a total of 30 units of graduate coursework (of which 24, or 8 classes, must be in regularly scheduled literature courses unless otherwise approved by the Program Director), demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language, and pass a final examination based on reading lists approved by the faculty. In consultation with the Graduate Literature Program Director, students select one of two plans of study, as outlined below. Candidates take the final MA exam shortly after completing coursework, normally no later than the fourth semester in the program. A candidate who fails the MA Examination may, upon the recommendation of the committee and the Graduate Literature Director, be granted a second examination. The results of the second examination are final.

 
Elective Coursework

Students can take 2 (6 units) of coursework outside of the English Department upon approval from the director.

 
Additional Requirements

none

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 20%
Med. Time-to-degree (years) 1.75
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male n/a
Enrollment Percent Female n/a
Enrollment Percent International n/a
Enrollment Percent URM n/a

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2020.
  • Median Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2015-2019) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/ENGLMA
Last revised 24 Feb 2021
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