Our MA candidates pursue a variety of capstone projects. Students in the Online Hybrid Track for Teachers complete an extensive annotated bibliography and a 25-35-page essay that presents a new pedagogical or critical approach to a single literary work. Students in the Literary Studies Track have the choice of taking a two-day written exam based on a list of canonical literary texts or writing a 50- to 75-page thesis that focuses on a specific literary and theoretical topic. Students who want to apply for doctoral programs usually write the thesis to serve as a writing sample in the future; students who teach at the secondary level often choose the exam because of its literary and historical breadth. However, the capstone you choose is entirely up to you.
For more information on the thesis (capstone A), click here.
For more information on the written exam (capstone B), click here.
For more information on the special project (capstone C), click here.
If you have any questions regarding this decision or any other graduate related issues, feel free to contact the director of the English graduate program, Dr. Deborah Spillman.