Graduate Catalog 2003-2004
English
| Graduate Faculty |
The Department of English offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy. Specializations available in the Master of Arts program include literature, technical communication, rhetoric and writing, and teaching English as a second language. The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program offers the specializations of poetry and fiction. For more information, see "Master of Fine Arts" in the Degree Programs section of this catalog.
The Master of Arts-Plan I program is a thesis option designed primarily for students expecting to pursue a Ph.D. degree. The Master of Arts-Plan II program is a flexible non-thesis option in which individuals may design their own professional or personal enrichment programs. The M.A.-technical communication program is designed for students with interests in written communication, particularly for science, technology, business, and industry. The M.A.-teaching English as a second language program combines the study of linguistic theory and application with training in methods of teaching English as a second language. It also offers a dual master’s with German.
The central objective of the doctoral program in English is to recruit and equip women and men with a broad range of skills whose interests in English studies move them to seek careers as teacher-scholars at a variety of institutions in higher education. To that end, the doctoral program in English seeks to recruit doctoral students, including those with literature backgrounds and interests, for our nationally-known rhetoric and composition program. This program emphasizes rhetoric and composition as its core curriculum and provides students with a thoroughgoing foundation in rhetorical theory and history, composition pedagogy, research methods, electronic-mediated communication, and scholarly publishing. It also allows students to augment these core requirements with additional courses in composition studies or with course work in other areas. For instance, students are encouraged to develop a four-course concentration in another area within the department (e.g., literature, critical theory, scientific and technical communication, creative writing, or TESL) or in another of the University’s interdisciplinary programs.
Prerequisites to Graduate Work
Admission to the M.F.A.-creative writing program is based primarily on the evaluation of sample manuscripts submitted to the creative writing program at the time of application. Prerequisites for the M.A.-technical writing program include excellent undergraduate preparation in writing and an undergraduate foundation for graduate work in a cognate area.
Usually, students begin the Ph.D. program after completing a master's degree; well-prepared and motivated applicants with only baccalaureate degrees may apply for admission into a "continuing" Ph.D. program which leads directly to the Ph.D. without the intermediate step of the M.A. Such candidates do not prepare theses but qualify instead by a portfolio assessment mid-way through the second year of the program.
Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in English should follow the instructions outlined in the "Graduate Admission" section of this catalog. Applicants to all programs must submit a 10-15 page research writing sample. Applicants also seeking funding must complete a separate assistantship application form available from the Graduate Secretary of the Department of English. Funding is increasingly competitive and applicants should apply as early as possible to insure their consideration. No funding applications will be considered after the annual February 1 deadline for fall admission.
The GRE Literature in English Subject Test is not required. Applicants to the M.F.A. program who wish to specialize in fiction must submit a portfolio of 50 pages. Those planning to specialize in poetry must submit a portfolio of 30 pages. Portfolios should be sent to: Director, M.F.A. Program, Department of English, BGSU, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, before February 1 prior to the fall semester students wish to enter the program.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts
Plan I: Candidates must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate credit including at least 24 hours in English course work (excluding ENG 602). Requirements include:
(1) ENG 607 and ENG 615 or equivalent;
(2) three or more 600- or 700-level English courses;
(3) for literature specialists, five courses chosen from chronologically-arranged groups to ensure a broad background in English and American literature;
(4) an approved thesis (three to six hours of ENG 699) and an oral examination given by the candidate's thesis committee based on the thesis; and (5) ENG 602, for graduate assistants.
Plan II: Candidates must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate credit including 21 hours of English course work (excluding ENG 602). Requirements include:
(1) ENG 607 and ENG 615 or equivalent; and, for anyone preparing to teach, ENG 620;
(2) a professional concentration of four courses, with no more than two in English;
(3) completion of one of two examination procedures:
(a) a comprehensive examination in either literature or rhetoric and writing based upon a departmentally-approved core reading list; or
(b) a portfolio of work that includes an extensive annotated bibliography in the field of concentration and representative seminar papers; and(4) ENG 602, for graduate assistants.
Scientific and Technical Communication
Candidates must complete 36 hours of graduate credit. Requirements include:
(1) 12 hours in a cognate area;
(2) ENG 640; ENG 641; ENG 642; ENG 689; ENG 696; TECH 633; and a computer science course approved by the technical writing director;
(3) an internship (ENG 689) in an appropriate business;
(4) collection of the student's written work in a portfolio;
(5) an oral examination to be taken during the student's last semester of course work. The examination committee must include the director of technical writing, the graduate coordinator, and at least one faculty member from the student's cognate area; and
(6) ENG 602, for graduate assistants.
The English graduate coordinator and director of technical writing may require a student to take extra courses to prepare for a career in business, science, or technology.
Teaching English as a Second Language
Candidates must complete 32 to 38 semester hours of graduate credit (excluding 602). Requirements include:
(1) three to nine hours in an internship teaching English as a second language (ENG 688);
(2) ENG 610; ENG 611; ENG 612; ENG 615; ENG 620; ENG 697; ENG 716; and ENG 718;
(3) a written comprehensive examination, prepared by a departmental examination committee and based primarily upon a reading list of books and articles relevant to the field; and
(4) ENG 602, for graduate assistants.
Master of Fine Arts
The two-year M.F.A. program consists of a minimum of 40 semester hours of graduate credit. Requirements include:
(1) 16 hours of ENG 632, Graduate Writers’ Workshop, in the area of specialization;
(2) three hours of techniques in the area of specialization;
(3) six hours of thesis credit;
(4) three hours of desktop publishing;
(5) three hours of advanced fiction or poetry workshop; and (5) nine hours in either recommended courses or electives.
Total hour requirements may be reduced for outstanding students who are able to apply credit from previous graduate work. However, transfer of hours must be approved prior to enrollment. In all cases, students must take at least 30 hours in residence with a minimum of one workshop per semester in the area of specialization. All students must complete 30 semester hours of graduate work after being accepted into the M.F.A. program in addition to any work done in other programs at the University. For more information, see "Master of Fine Arts" in the Degree Programs section of this catalog.
Doctor of Philosophy
Students must complete a total of 90 semester hours of graduate credit, of which a maximum of 30 hours may be transferred from a master's degree in English. General requirements for the Ph.D. include:
(1) a minimum of 33 hours of graduate course work beyond the M.A., of which at least 24 hours must be in 600- and 700-level courses;
(2) satisfactory completion of preliminary examinations, including the oral examination;
(3) an approved dissertation graduate lecture, dissertation text, and dissertation defense. A minimum of 16 hours of ENG 799, Dissertation Research, must be accumulated in the candidate's degree program. A maximum of 21 hours of ENG 799 may count toward the 90 hours required for graduation; and
(4) demonstrated advanced competence in a foreign language, computer language, or American Sign Language, or successful completion of ENG 750.
Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php. Graduate courses offered by the Department of English use the prefix: ENG.
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