Core Requirements
Credits: 3
Credits: 3
required for all Teaching Assistants
Elective Credits: 24-30 with approval of program advisor
Reading knowledge of a modern foreign language or two years undergraduate credit in a modern foreign language on the transcript
Additional Requirements
Under Option A, the candidate is required to present a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work in one of the emphases listed, including 6 hours of thesis (ENGL 798); at least 20 hours must be taken in residence. The candidate will present a thesis which reports the results of research directed by a member of the faculty in English. The thesis may reflect scholarship in literary or cultural studies, language and rhetoric, or linguistics; or in conjunction with appropriate coursework, it may include a creative component. In an oral examination the candidate will be required to defend the thesis and to demonstrate knowledge relative to coursework in the chosen emphasis.
Under Option C, the candidate is required to complete 36 hours of coursework in English followed by successful completion of written examinations under the direction of the Graduate Coordinator.
The two emphases of study for the MA degree in English are:
Studies in Literature: at least 24 semester credits mostly in literature with at least two courses in English literature and two in American Literature, plus six hours of thesis. This emphasis is well suited to those who plan to continue toward the PhD degree in literature or to enter college or community college teaching.
Studies in Language and Rhetoric: at least 24 semester credits mostly in composition, rhetoric, criticism, and linguistics, plus six hours of thesis. This emphasis is well suited to those who plan to teach in a community college or to pursue a PhD degree in rhetoric or linguistics.
Either the literature emphasis or the language/rhetoric emphasis would offer appropriate advanced work for continuing secondary school teachers.
Additional Admission Requirements
To be admitted into the M.A. Program in English, the applicant should have a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate credit in English or receive the consent of the department head.
GRE: Not required
TOEFL: Department requirement of 600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, 100 Internet-based
Minimum GPA of 3.25 in English courses
All applicants are required to submit both a writing sample and a brief statement of interest, goals, etc.
The Department of English requires applicants to have two (2) letters of recommendation sent directly to:
Dr. Sharon Smith
Graduate Advisor
Department of English
South Dakota State University
Box 504, Scobey Hall
Brookings, SD 57007
In addition, applicants who wish to apply for a Teaching Assistant position need to send - to the address listed above - a scholarly writing sample (8-10 pages) along with a brief letter stating the applicant’s intention to apply for the position. Note: Teaching Assistants begin their duties in the fall semester of the academic year; therefore, applications for Teaching Assistants are due on or before April 15. Students applying to begin during the spring semester will not be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship until the following fall semester.
