MA in English
Master of Arts in English
Coordinator: Kevin Binfield
Contact: kbinfield@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2401
Requirements for Admission
Applicants must comply with the Murray State University requirements (see Chapter
2). Non-native English speakers must have a TOEFL score of 20 for each section of
the iBT, an IELTS score of 6.5 with no band lower than 6.0, or a previous degree earned
from an accredited U.S. institution or successful completion of Level 6 of the MSU
ESL program.
Additional requirements for unconditional and conditional admission are:
Unconditional
- Undergraduate major or minor in English
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
Conditional
Departmental judgment of probable success based on Graduate Record Examination scores,
letters of recommendation, or other evidence such as a planned program of prerequisite
courses.
MA Core and Other Degree Requirements
The core of the MA in English comprises 15 hours of coursework and provides a solid foundation in research methods and broad preparation in English and American literatures.
American literature courses (6 hrs)
British literature courses (6 hrs)
Written and oral comprehensive examinations over the common reading list
Total Course Requirements........................................................30
hours
Core Courses.....................................................................................15
hours
ENG electives.....................................................................................15
hours
Core Courses.....................................................................................15 hours
ENG or PHI electives......................................................................15 hours
Core Courses.....................................................................................15 hours
FRE, GER, JPN, or SPA electives..................................................9 hours
ENG, FRE, GER, JPN, or SPA electives......................................6 hours
Concentration: English Education
Total Course Requirements........................................................30 hours
Core Courses.....................................................................................15 hours
ENG 791 Reflective Teaching and Roundtable......................3 hours
Limited electives...............................................................................12 hours
Choose from the following:
ENG 601 Teaching Writing in Schools (3)
ENG 602 Teaching Literature in Schools (3)
ENG 603 Teaching English Language Arts in Schools (3)
ENG 604 Purchase Area Writing Project I (3)
ENG 605 Purchase Area Writing Project II (3)
ENG 750 Purchase Area Literacy Academy (3)
ENG 752 Reading and Writing Connection in English (3)
Note: Graduate courses may not duplicate undergraduate course content. Satisfactory scores in Take One! will meet the requirements for the education portion of the written comprehensive examination.
Concentration: Writing Studies
Total Course Requirements........................................................30 hours
Core Courses.....................................................................................15 hours
Limited electives...............................................................................15 hours
Choose from the following:
ENG 601 Teaching Writing in Schools (3)
ENG 604 Purchase Area Writing Project I (3)
ENG 605 Purchase Area Writing Project II (3)
ENG 620 Life-Writing (3)
ENG 624 Historical Principles in Composition Theory (3)
ENG 626 Advanced Technical Writing (3)
ENG 627 Rhetoric and Professional Writing (3)
ENG 628 Writing Proposals and Grants (3)
ENG 629 Project Design and Usability (3)
ENG 630 Issues in Technical and Professional Writing (3)
ENG 644 Graduate Cooperative Education (3)
ENG 681 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition (3)
ENG 685 Teaching English at the College Level (3)
Contact
Dr. Kevin Binfield
7C Faculty Hall
Murray State University
Murray, KY 42071-3341
270-809-4541 phone
270-809-4545 fax
Graduate Assistantships
The Department of English and Philosophy offers a small number of graduate teaching
assistantships for students who have been accepted into the Master of Arts in English
program. To apply for a graduate teaching assistantship, please forward a letter of
application, a listing of your coursework in English, contact details for two references
able to speak to your academic ability, and a sample of your academic writing to the
program coordinator by 1 April.
Other assistantships are also available at Murray State University. Details on application
procedures and information regarding other types of assistantships can be found on
the Graduate Admissions page.
Comprehensive Examination Information
(Effective 15 August 2013;
UPDATED 4 April 2014)
Near the end of each student's degree program, each student must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations over the texts in the Common Reading List. The Common Reading List can be found here.