Thesis Option

A student enrolled in the Joint M.A. Program in English may elect to fulfill six hours of the 30- hour degree requirement by writing a Master’s Thesis (English 701).  The thesis is a long research paper, usually of about 50 or more pages, that successfully pursues a topic in literature or another relevant branch of English Studies.  The thesis must be orally defended after the written document has been acceptably completed. Students completing a thesis should consult the University of Charleston’s Thesis Guidelines.

The thesis is undertaken in the second half of the total course of study.  Normally, the six credit hours for the thesis will be spread out over two consecutive semesters.  Moreover, no student may take more than nine hours in any combination of English 698: Tutorial (3 hours), 699: Independent Study (3 hours), 701: Thesis (6 hours), and 702:  Internship (1-3 hours).

The student who wishes to write a thesis must first complete a written proposal and a working bibliography for the project. He or she should then enlist, from among the faculties of the two institutions, a thesis director willing and appropriately qualified to direct the proposed project.  Two additional appropriately qualified readers must be added to complete the thesis committee.  The committee should include at least one representative from each institution.  In order to register for English 701 the student must have established a full committee.

Students undertaking a thesis are expected to complete the entire process, including the oral defense and final corrections, while in residence.  Those who find they cannot do so must petition the Joint Program Committee in writing for permission to continue in absentia. The petition must receive the prior approval of the student’s thesis director and must contain an agreement regarding the nature of the student’s oral defense.

Final Reflection

In addition to completing your thesis or revision for publication capstone, you will be asked to complete a final reflection in which you discuss your development as a writer and researcher in the program.

In the first part of your reflection, please offer a self-assessment of your writing, accounting for any changes over the program in your processes and understanding of writing in the context of English Studies. Please also discuss the ways in which your final project as a whole connects to and demonstrates the relevant program learning outcomes:

  • Use close reading and textual analysis to interpret literary and cultural texts.
  • Convey sound research-based arguments in accordance with standard expectations in academic writing.
  • Select relevant critical, historical, cultural, and theoretical sources to inform contributions to scholarly conversations.

You need not work through these in a formulaic way. The outcomes are just here to help scaffold your reflection as you think about how have progressed as a close reader, as a sophisticated writer, and as a participant in ongoing scholarly conversations.

The second part of your reflection will be more professionally oriented. In ENGL 511, you completed the MA and Career Goals Research Project that offered an opportunity to reflect on you career goals in relation to your pursuit of an MA in English. This reflection is tied to the program’s fourth learning outcome, which states that students will:

  • Understand how the MA in English can serve as preparation and/or credential to enter or advance within a range of career goals or paths.

Now that you are nearing completion of the program, please discuss how your career and professional goals have changed over the course of the program. What aspects of the program were most important in helping you develop skills that you view as central to your future professional goals?

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