Master of Arts English with a Concentration in Language, Literature, and Rhetoric (MA)
The Master of Arts program in English presents a full array of opportunities in literary studies, technical writing, composition and rhetoric, and the teaching of English. Our faculty, due to their varied areas of expertise, offer unique learning experiences in areas such as gaming, web design, environmental sustainability, Indigenous studies, digital humanities, postcolonialism, and ethnic and gender diversity. Faculty take a hands-on approach to teaching with manageable classroom sizes allowing for personalized instruction and a dynamic culture of learning.
With this concentration, students will take the five core courses in the accelerated (eight week) asynchronous format. The elective courses will mostly be in-person, but some online options will be available.
Whether you are looking for a professional leg up or simply wish to continue your education, a Master's Degree at ODU promises in-depth exploration of critical discourses that harness the force of language, technology, and literature. The program prepares students for further graduate study in English; for technical writing and editing; for teaching in secondary schools and colleges; for careers in publishing, grant writing, medical writing, social media managing, and community building; for further study in such fields as anthropology, law, psychology, and philosophy; for careers in government and industry; and for other professions requiring analytical, literary, linguistic, digital media, or writing skills.
Admission Information
The student must initially meet all general University admission requirements. For regular admission, students must generally have at least 24 undergraduate hours in English, or a closely related field, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. However, students applying to the technical writing concentration may have little or no undergraduate course work relating to English, provided that they have an average of 3.0 or better in their undergraduate major.
Students applying to all concentrations must also, in addition to other admissions materials, provide:
- a 1-2 page single-spaced statement of purpose outlining the applicant’s research interests and goals for the program and past relevant academic and/or work experience that has prepared the applicant for graduate work in English studies
- an 8-12 page writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s writing ability, analytical skills, and engagement with scholarly sources.
International students must submit scores from the TOEFL examination, a sample of scholarly writing, and three recommendations, at least one of which evaluates ability in English. For regular admission, students must score 230 on the computer-based TOEFL (the equivalent of 570 in the older, paper-based score scale or 80 on the TOEFL iBT). Students may be admitted provisionally with a TOEFL score of 213 (550 in the paper-based scale), but must attain the scores required for regular admission after 12 hours of graduate work.
This concentration, which offers a comprehensive grounding in literature, linguistics, and rhetoric, prepares students for a wide variety of careers, including teaching and administrating writing in language arts, community college, or university contexts. It also prepares students for advanced work at the doctoral level. This in-person concentration allows students to choose from a wide array of courses in literature, linguistics, and rhetoric to help fulfill their professional goals. This program is completed by taking both online (the core) and on-campus (electives) courses.
Please note: Of the total 30 hours needed to graduate, no more than 12 hours can be at the 500 level.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| ENGL 600 | Graduate Studies in English | 3 |
| ENGL 602 | Language in Communities | 3 |
| ENGL 662 | Cybercultures and Digital Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 685 | Writing Research Methods | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Graduate Internship or Project | ||
| Portfolio Preparation | ||
| Thesis Research | ||
| Concentration Electives | 15 | |
| Select five of the following: | ||
| The Teaching of Literature | ||
| English Renaissance Drama | ||
| British Literature 1660-1800 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines | ||
| Victorian Literature | ||
| General Linguistics | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| The American Novel to 1920 | ||
| The American Novel 1920 to Present | ||
| American English | ||
| The Teaching of Composition, Grades 6-12 | ||
| New Literatures in English | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Native American Literature | ||
| African-American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Language, Gender and Power | ||
| Modern World Drama | ||
| Contemporary World Literature | ||
| Topics in English | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| American Literature 1945-Present | ||
| Teaching College Composition | ||
| Methods and Materials in TESOL | ||
| Phonology | ||
| Language Structure Analysis | ||
| Discourse Analysis | ||
| Language and Communication Across Cultures | ||
| Language in Society | ||
| Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing Studies | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Additional Requirements
Master of Arts Portfolio Project Option
Students may choose to develop a portfolio as the capstone project for the MA in English for the technical writing, rhetoric and composition, or teaching of English concentrations. Students choosing the portfolio will propose the scope of their individual projects to the graduate program director and the committee chair. Portfolios are a collection of individual texts with a meta-narrative that explains the connection between these texts and the portfolio’s intellectual underpinnings. The entire portfolio should range between 10,000 and 15,000 words. Portfolios can be, but are not limited to, a collection of extensively revised course work, a collection of teaching materials, or a collection of new media texts. To help prepare the portfolio, students will be encouraged to take an independent study for up to 3 credits (ENGL 697) as one of their electives their final semester; the student’s committee chair should direct this independent study. Students should identify a director and committee before their final semester. The will cover the portfolio and its related areas, as well as questions about course work relevant to the portfolio.
Master of Arts Thesis Option
The opportunity to undertake a long research project or other appropriate project is available to students in the Master of Arts in English. Writing a thesis may be of particular benefit to those who contemplate further graduate work or who have a strong desire to pursue a single topic in great depth. Under the guidance of an advisor (a member of the graduate faculty), the student must earn at least six hours of credit over the course of two semesters (ENGL 698 & ENGL 699) for a completed, approved thesis. The oral defense of the thesis by a student will cover the thesis and its related areas, as well as questions about course work relevant to the portfolio. Students who fail a second time will no longer be eligible to receive the Master of Arts in English from Old Dominion University.
Master of Arts Oral Comprehensive Examination Option
During the first three weeks of the semester in which they intend to graduate, students must contact the graduate program director in English to schedule their comprehensive examination. The oral comprehensive examination covers each student’s particular program of study; apart from the development or defense of a thesis. Based on the courses taken by the student, the examination tests the student’s mastery of materials and concepts, interpretive skills, and ability to make critical distinctions and connections. Students who fail the oral comprehensive examination may retake the test only once in a different semester. Students who fail a second time will no longer be eligible to receive the Master of Arts in English from Old Dominion University.