University Catalog 2024-2025

English (MA)

Degree Requirements

Students may choose from the degree tracks below to complete coursework within a focus area.

Focus Tracks are as follows:

Degrees earned will be distributed as: "Master of Arts in English" without focus area track specifications.

Film Studies Track

Research Courses6
Interdisciplinary Studies in English 1
Master's Project in English
Core Courses15
Select nine hours of 500-level film coursework approved in conjunction with the academic committee 2
Select an additional six hours of elective courses approved in conjunction with the academic committee 3
Department Electives6
Select six hours of coursework in Literature, Rhetoric and Composition, or Linguistics approved in conjunction with the academic committee
Open Electives6
Select six hours of open electives in any area, including film or another area of complementary study, approved in conjunction with the academic committee 4
Total Hours33
1

An alternative course may be selected approved in conjunction with the academic committee

2

Excluding ENG 592 Special Topics in Film Styles and Genres

3

The electives may include an additional 500-level film studies course, ENG 592 Styles and Genres (this is a dual level/upper level undergraduate course for which ENG 592 students will do graduate-level work), or ENG 636 Directed Readings (S/U graded courses).

4

Courses may also include various sections of ENG 585 Studies In Film, ENG 592 Special Topics in Film Styles and Genres, or ENG 636 Directed Readings.

Linguistics Track

Distribution Requirement Courses6
Select six credit hours of coursework in Literature, Film, or Rhetoric and Composition approved in conjunction with the academic committee
Linguistics Track Courses24
Linguistics Courses
Select a minimum of five Linguistics courses approved in conjunction with the academic committee
Elective Courses
Select a minimum of three courses from English or complementary fields of study approved in conjunction with the academic committee
Research Course3
Master's Project in English
Total Hours33

Literature Track

Research Component Courses6
Literature, Methods, and the Profession 5
Master's Project in English 6
Distribution Requirement Courses12
Select one course from each of the following four areas listed under "Distribution Requirement Courses" listed below
Literature Elective Courses9
Select three literature courses approved in conjunction with the academic committee 7
Open Elective Courses6
Select two elective courses in English or complementary fields of study approved in conjunction with the academic committee 8
Global Perspective Requirement (Co-Requisite)
See "Global Perspective Requirement" for details below
Total Hours33
5

ENG 669 is required in the first semester

6

ENG 676 is required in the final semester

7

Students may elect to explore broadly or to focus their coursework in an area of special interest.

8

Electives may be chosen from English or from complementary fields of study. TAs may count ENG 624 as an elective.

Distribution Requirement Courses

Select one course from each of the following areas listed below:

British Literature before 1600

ENG 509Old English Literature3
ENG 510Middle English Literature3
ENG 52916th-Century Non-Dramatic English Literature3
ENG 551Chaucer3
ENG 558Studies In Shakespeare3
ENG 561Milton3
ENG 578English Drama To 16423
ENG 582Studies in Literature (when topic applies)3

British Literature after 1600

ENG 550British Romantic Period3
ENG 560British Victorian Period3
ENG 56218TH-Century English Literature3
ENG 56318TH-Century English Novel3
ENG 564Victorian Novel3
ENG 57020TH-Century British Prose3
ENG 57120TH-Century British Poetry3
ENG 572Modern British Drama3
ENG 579Restoration and 18th-Century Drama3
ENG 582Studies in Literature3

American Literature

ENG 531American Colonial Literature3
ENG 548African-American Literature3
ENG 555American Romantic Period3
ENG 565American Realism and Naturalism3
ENG 573Modern American Drama3
ENG 575Southern Writers3
ENG 57620TH-Century American Poetry3
ENG 57720th-Century American Prose3
ENG 580Literary Postmodernism3
ENG 582Studies in Literature3

Rhetoric, Linguistics, Composition, Film Studies, Criticism or Theory

ENG 505Writing Program Administration: Theory, Practice, and Research3
ENG 511Theory and Research In Composition3
ENG 513Empirical Research In Composition3
ENG 514History Of Rhetoric3
ENG 515Rhetoric Of Science and Technology3
ENG 516Rhetorical Criticism: Theory and Practice3
ENG 523Language Variation Research Seminar3
ENG 524Introduction to Linguistics3
ENG 525Variety In Language3
ENG 528Sociophonetics3
ENG 532Narrative Analysis3
ENG 533Bilingualism and Language Contact3
ENG 534Quantitative Analysis in Sociolinguistics3
ENG 536Research Methods in Phonology3
ENG 539Seminar In World Literature3
ENG 540History Of Literary Criticism3
ENG 541Literary and Cultural Theory3
ENG 549Modern African Literature3
ENG 554Contemporary Rhetorical Theory3
ENG 580Literary Postmodernism3
ENG 581Visual Rhetoric: Theory and Criticism3
ENG 582Studies in Literature3
ENG 583Studies In Rhetoric and Writing3
ENG 584Studies In Linguistics3
ENG 586Studies In Theory3

Global Perspective Requirement

The Global Perspectives requirement is intended to provide students with a greater understanding of language structure and a globalizing perspective on texts and culture. Student may fulfill this requirement in one of two ways:

  1. Demonstrate language proficiency (by meeting one of the following options):
    1. Taking a reading exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The Foreign Language Department offers optional preparatory courses for students planning to take the reading exam: FLS 401 Spanish Graduate Reading, FLF 401 French Graduate Reading, FLG 401 German Graduate Reading.  
    2. Enrolling in and passing with a C- or better a 300-400 level course taught in the language (not translation).*
    3. Having an undergraduate major or minor in a foreign language within the past five years.*
    4. Speaking a language other than English as your first language.*
  2. Take a World Literature course or an approved alternative.  This course will typically count toward the degree as a literature or unrestricted elective, but there may be some instances in which the course can fulfill a core requirement.

If you’re considering doctoral work in literary study, we encourage you to consult with your advisor. In some cases, certifying language proficiency via reading exam may help satisfy a doctoral language requirement later on.

*

To document language proficiency via option B, C or D, contact the Graduate Services Coordinator.

Rhetoric and Composition Track

Core Courses15
Composition
Theory and Research In Composition
Rhetoric Course
Select one of the following courses listed under "Rhetoric Courses" listed below
Rhetoric and Composition Courses
Select two courses from "Rhetoric Courses" or "Research Component Courses" listed below 9
Linguistics Course
Select a Linguistics course approved in conjunction with the academic committee 10
Research Component Course6
Select one additional course from "Research Component Courses" listed below
Master's Project in English 11
Department Electives6
Select six credit hours of coursework in Literature, Rhetoric and Composition, or Linguistics approved in conjunction with the academic committee
Open Elective Courses6
Select two elective courses approved in conjunction with the academic committee 12
Total Hours33
9

May include special topics courses in areas such as computers and composition, emerging genres, writing across the curriculum, and writing program administration (usually offered as ENG 583 Studies In Rhetoric and Writing.

10

ENG 525 Variety In Language is recommended if you are planning a teaching career.  Note: If you choose a linguistics course to fulfill your research methods requirement (e.g., ENG 527 Discourse Analysis), you may take an additional rhetoric or composition elective in this slot instead.

11

The capstone project should be on a topic that draws from scholarship in the area of rhetoric and composition or that is of clear relevance in the field. It should be conceived to address a specific audience and designed for a specific situation; thus, it could be composed as an article targeting a specific journal or conference; a curriculum plan or teaching materials for a particular instructional agenda; an online resource fulfilling a well defined need; etc. The master's project should be developed in consultation with faculty in rhetoric and composition and must be approved by the advisor for the concentration.

12

"Open Elective Courses" may be from rhetoric and composition, linguistics, literature, digital humanities or other areas within the English Department, or, when appropriate to meet particular goals, from the Department of Communication, Foreign Languages, History, Psychology, the College of Education, or other fields.

Rhetoric Courses

These courses address major issues and concepts in rhetoric ranging from Greek antiquity to contemporary poststructuralism, and applications from public speeches to popular culture to teaching to technical communication.

Select one of the following courses:
ENG/COM 514History Of Rhetoric3
ENG 515Rhetoric Of Science and Technology3
ENG/COM 516Rhetorical Criticism: Theory and Practice3
ENG/COM 554Contemporary Rhetorical Theory3

Research Component Courses

Before embarking on your capstone research, select one research methods course congruent with your disciplinary interests.

Select one of the following courses to fulfill the "Research Component Course" requirement:
ENG 506Verbal Data Analysis3
ENG 513Empirical Research In Composition3
ENG/COM 516Rhetorical Criticism: Theory and Practice3
ENG 527Discourse Analysis3
ENG 532Narrative Analysis3
ENG/COM 581Visual Rhetoric: Theory and Criticism3
ENG 583Studies In Rhetoric and Writing 133
ENG 585Studies In Film 143
ENG 587Interdisciplinary Studies in English 153
13

ENG 583 Studies In Rhetoric and Writing when topic is methodological

14

ENG 585 Studies In Film when focused on pertinent methodologies

15

ENG 587 Interdisciplinary Studies in English when focused on pertinent methodologies

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree Requirements

The Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s (ABM) degree program allows exceptional undergraduate students at NC State an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at an accelerated pace. These undergraduate students may double count up to 12 credits and obtain a non-thesis Master’s degree in the same field within 12 months of completing the Bachelor’s degree, or obtain a thesis-based Master’s degree in the same field within 18 months of completing the Bachelor’s degree.

This degree program also provides an opportunity for the Directors of Graduate Programs (DGPs) at NC State to recruit rising juniors in their major to their graduate programs. However, permission to pursue an ABM degree program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate School. Admission is contingent on meeting eligibility requirements at the time of entering the graduate program.

Faculty

  • Christopher M. Anson
  • William Wilton Barnhardt
  • Barbara A. Bennett
  • Belle McQuaide Boggs
  • Kirsti Karra Cole
  • Eduardo C. Corral
  • Huiling Ding
  • Robin M. Dodsworth
  • Marsha Gabrielle Gordon
  • Jennifer Marie Hessler
  • Hans Dodds Kellner
  • Dorianne Louise Laux
  • Leila S. May
  • LaTanya Denise McQueen
  • Jeffrey Ingle Mielke
  • Jason Miller
  • John D. Morillo
  • James S. Mulholland
  • Miriam E. Orr
  • Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi
  • Jeffrey Leo Reaser
  • Laura Ruth Severin
  • Carter Sickels
  • Jason Swarts
  • Anu Thapa
  • Erik R. Thomas
  • John N. Wall Jr.
  • Walter A. Wolfram
  • Anne Baker
  • Agnes Bolonyai
  • Helen Jane Burgess
  • Christopher James Crosbie
  • Marc K. Dudley
  • Casie J. Fedukovich
  • Paul Camm Fyfe
  • Andrew Robert Johnston
  • Jennifer Anne Nolan
  • Stacey L. Pigg
  • David M. Rieder
  • Margaret Simon
  • Timothy Linwood Stinson
  • Douglas M. Walls
  • Rebecca Ann Walsh
  • Zachary Charles Beare
  • Ronisha Witlee Browdy
  • Sumita Chakraborty
  • Maya L. Kapoor
  • Michelle McMullin
  • Cadwell Turnbull
  • Josie Torres Barth
  • Brian Blackley
  • Anna Marie Gibson-Knowles
  • John J. Kessel
  • James Robert Knowles
  • Jill Collins McCorkle
  • Joseph H. Millar
  • John Paul Stadler
  • Barbara Joan Baines
  • John Balaban
  • James M. Grimwood
  • Antony Howard Harrison
  • Philip E. Blank Jr.
  • Michael P. Carter
  • David H. Covington
  • Robert S. Dicks
  • James W. Clark Jr.
  • Angela Mackie Davis-Gardner
  • Jack D. Durant
  • Joseph A. Gomez
  • Charlotte Gross
  • Linda T. Holley
  • Deborah Hooker
  • Marvin Hunt
  • Susan M. Katz
  • John J. Kessel
  • Margaret Fontaine King
  • Robert C. Kochersberger
  • Lucinda H. MacKethan
  • Walter E. Meyers
  • Carolyn Rae Miller
  • Catherine E. Moore
  • Devin A. Orgeron
  • Ann M. Penrose
  • Carmine A. Prioli
  • Dick J. Reavis
  • Sharon M. Setzer
  • Judy Jo Small
  • Lee Smith
  • Jean J. Smoot
  • Allen Frederick Stein
  • Jon F. Thompson
  • Mary Helen Thuente
  • Robert V. Young Jr.
  • Catherine A. Warren
  • Harry C. West