Academic Catalog

English (M.A.)

Admission Requirements

Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. Application deadlines are October 15 (for Winter admission) and January 15 (for Fall admission with funding consideration). The deadline for fall admission without funding consideration is August 1. The English Department requires that all applicants provide a statement of purpose, two academic letters of reference, and sample essay from a previous English course. M.A. applicants who wish to emphasize creative writing also must submit a creative writing sample.

Applicants are also required to submit an application supplement. View the graduate admissions page of the English Department's website for more details.

Program Requirements

The Master of Arts degree in English is offered as a Concentration in Creative Writing (Plan A), Concentration in Technical and Professional Writing (Plan C), Plan B, or Plan C option. These options correspond to the Graduate School's Plans A, B or C for the master's degree.

Academic Scholarship: All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Plan A: Concentration in Creative Writing

The M.A. program in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing is designed to prepare students to go on to a Master of Fine Arts or doctoral work in creative writing or to train students with a specific interest in creative writing that may not lead to further advanced study.  The M.A. in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing requires thirty-three credits of course work, which must include:

Select four 7000-level courses at Wayne State University
ENG 6800Advanced Creative Writing3
ENG 8999Master's Thesis Research and Direction6

Students in the M.A. program in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing should plan to take 15-18 credits of creative writing courses at the 5000-, 6000-, and 7000- levels, taken from the following:

ENG 5695Publishing Practicum3
ENG 5860Topics in Creative Writing3
ENG 5870Poetry Writing Workshop3
ENG 5880Fiction Writing Workshop3
ENG 5885Topics in Creative Non-Fiction Writing3
ENG 6800Advanced Creative Writing3
ENG 7800Seminar in Creative Writing3

Students also choose between 8-12 credit hours of electives at the 5000-, 6000-, and 7000-levels from the English Department's course list in the Graduate Bulletin.

Plan B

The M.A. program in English Plan B is designed to prepare students to go on to doctoral work in English or to train students with a specific interest in English that may not lead to further advanced study. The M.A. in English requires thirty-three credits, including a three-credit essay. Demonstration of proficiency in at least one foreign language is also required if directed to do so by an academic advisor based on the research topic of the Master's Essay (for further details, consult the Director of Graduate Studies).

Select five 7000-level courses in English at Wayne State University
ENG 7999Master's Essay Direction3

Plan C

The M.A. program in English Plan C is designed to prepare students to go on to doctoral work or to train students with specific interests (e.g., professional writing) that may not lead to further advanced study in English. The M.A. program in English Plan C requires thirty-three credits of course work, which must include:

Select five 7000-level courses in English at Wayne State University
The submission of a zero-credit portfolio

Plan C: Concentration in Technical and Professional Writing

The M.A. degree in English with a concentration in technical and professional writing is designed to accommodate students with specific interests in preparing for careers as writers, or in publishing, or who want to pursue advanced study in a PhD program.

The M.A. program in English with a concentration in Technical and Professional Writing requires thirty-three credits of course work, which must include:

ENG 7066Writing in Multiple Settings3
ENG 7820Graduate Internship Practicum2
ENG 7840Technical and Professional Communication3
ENG 7870Teaching Practicum in Technical and Professional Writing2

Students in the M.A. program in English with a Concentration in Technical and Professional Writing should plan to take 9 credits, taken from the following:

ENG 5005Digital Storytelling3
ENG 5695Publishing Practicum3
ENG 5825Grant, Proposal, and Public Writing3
ENG 5830Writing in the Workplace3
ENG 5840Topics in Professional Writing3
ENG 5895Topics in Environmental, Nature, and Science Writing3

For the remaining 14 credit hours of elective courses, students may choose from the 5000-, 6000-, and 7000-level courses in the English Department's course list in the current Graduate Bulletin.

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