The School of Arts and Humanities offers the Master of Arts in English to provide opportunity to talented and highly self-disciplined individuals to earn an MA tailored to fit their lifestyles, interests, and goals and to develop their writing, critical thinking, and literary analysis skills to an exemplary level through study under successful and dedicated instructors from a range of backgrounds and aesthetic perspectives. Our program offering includes four (4) concentrations: Literature, Children’s and Adolescent Literature, Rhetoric and Writing, and Creative Writing.

The mission of the MA program is directly related to the mission of the university in that it enhances individuals’ abilities to think creatively and critically, to effectively communicate, to be technologically literate, to appreciate and contribute to the cultures of their communities and beyond, and to possess awareness and sensitivity to global issues.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

A graduate of the Master of Arts in English from the University of Arkansas at Monticello will:

• Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the major texts and traditions of language and literature as well as their social, cultural, theoretical, and historical contexts.
• Be able to critically read and interpret a variety of texts so as to demonstrate in writing and speech the comprehension and analysis of those texts in a significant manner.
• Be able to design and produce texts for a variety of purposes and audiences including scholarly research and material suitable for submission to national journals.

Admission Requirements

A student who is admitted to the Master of Arts in English program must:

1. Official bachelor’s transcript from an accredited institution;
2. Undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher;
3. Two letters of recommendation from writers, editors, or educators qualified to judge the applicant’s potential for success;
4. Writing sample: minimum of ten pages indicating ability to write at a graduate level’
5. Statement of goals.

Student Advising

All MA students are advised by the MA Director to assure that program requirements are being met and that each student is progressing toward completion of the degree.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of nine hours of graduate-level work can be transferred from other accredited universities with the approval of the MA Director and the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. No course with a grade lower than “B” can be transferred.

Thesis

The final 6 credit hours consist of ENGL 598V - Master’s Thesis , in which students complete a thesis of approximately 40-80 pages with a bibliography; length and topic to be determined and approved by the student and their thesis faculty-mentor and another faculty member.