A. Coursework: 33 semester hours (at least 24 graded), which must include:

1. Fifteen hours of coursework in Rhetoric and Composition

• ENC 5700 Theories of Composition

• ENG 5028 Rhetorical Theory and Practice

• ENC 5720 Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition

• LAE 5370 Teaching English in College

• LAE 5946 Teaching English as a Guided Study [Note: only Composition and Rhetoric majors may count LAE 5946 toward the MA degree.]

2. Gateway Theory course: Issues in Literary and Cultural Studies (ENG 5079)

3. Six hours of thesis credit (if electing thesis option) or three hours of portfolio credit (non-thesis option).

4. Additional hours of coursework to reach 33 credits

5. Successfully defend the MA thesis or MA portfolio (see additional details for portfolio option below)

B. All candidates for the MA degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language; see University Requirements for the MA/MFA Degree, Section 2.

C. Students should have a major professor and supervisory committee in place by the end of Year 1. The supervisory committee must consist of a second member of the Rhetoric and Composition faculty; the third member may be in any area.

D. The Rhetoric and Composition MA Thesis

1. Register for the Thesis

Students must take a total of 6 thesis hours. No more than 6 hours may be taken in any one semester. Students must submit a complete and signed supervisory committee form before requesting hours. Students must be signed up for a minimum of two thesis hours in the term in which they receive their degrees. Students must continue to register for 9 credit hours each semester if receiving a tuition waiver.

2. Preparing a Prospectus

The prospectus should be submitted to the Department of English once it is approved and signed by the supervisory committee. The prospectus must be completed at least a semester before graduation. For a sample Prospectus Cover Page, see the Graduate Curriculum Canvas site.

The student must produce a first draft, which the major professor will evaluate; the student will revise until it suits both parties. When the major professor and the student agree that the prospectus is satisfactory, the student must produce a draft to be presented and discussed in the presence of the entire committee, whereupon it must be approved and signed by all the members of his or her committee. The prospectus should be submitted, approved, and filed with the Graduate Program Coordinator before work in earnest begins on the thesis (at least one full semester before graduation).

3. Writing a Thesis

The major professor, true to title, will have the major say as to the development and the ultimate success of the thesis. The major professor will see chapters as they are completed, will make comments or suggestions, and will approve revisions or request additional changes. It is recommended that students meet with their major professor at least twice a semester to discuss their progress. The major professor will let the student know when the thesis is ready to be shown to the other members of the supervisory committee. For the defense, the student will need to present each committee member with a clean “semi-final” draft of the thesis, usually revised one more time after the committee’s response and defense. Please note: the department does not supply access to laser printers for final thesis printing. It is not considered bad form to consult with committee members after submitting the thesis and before the formal defense.

4. Defending

To defend a thesis, the student meets formally with the major professor and other members of the supervisory committee to answer their questions about the work submitted. Students register for ENG 8976 (Thesis Defense) for the term in which they plan to defend it. Contact the major professor and committee members to arrange a time convenient to all, and then see the English Dept. Graduate Program Coordinator to reserve a conference room for the defense (or, at the direction of the major professor, arrange for a defense using distance technology). At the defense, make note of the suggestions and corrections made by the supervisory committee: These notes will facilitate a final revision. For the defense attendance policy, see University Requirements for the MA/MFA Degree, Section 5.

5. Submitting

Submission of all Theses and Dissertations is done electronically. See Manuscript Clearance on the Graduate School website (under Thesis, Treatise, Dissertation) for deadlines and information on the submission process. Students must complete the entire manuscript clearance process within 60 days of the defense of their manuscript. Students unable to successfully complete the entire process within the 60 days must re-defend.

E. The MA Portfolio in Rhetoric and Composition

1. Goals of the MA Portfolio

a. To represent the breadth of a student’s study of Rhetoric and Composition;

b. To study a subject within Rhetoric and Composition in depth and to convey the results of that study through academic writing;

c. To demonstrate the ability to contribute to ongoing conversations among scholars in Rhetoric and Composition;

d. To reflect on experiences teaching, tutoring, and/or consulting within the program; and

e. To project a trajectory—including writing, reading, and teaching—beyond the experience as an MA student.

2. Procedure

a. As early in the process as possible but no later than one semester prior to the semester of graduation, the student will create a portfolio plan in consultation with his or her committee chair and write a short proposal (1-2 pages) for the committee that defines the portfolio’s outcomes, identifies each artifact, and proposes a rationale for each artifact. Typically, this proposal should be completed and approved at least one semester prior to the semester of graduation.

b. In the student’s final semester in the program, the student should register for 3 hours of a DIS (ENG 5906r subtitled MA Portfolio in Rhetoric and Composition) with the major professor, who will be identified as the Instructor of Record for that course. The DIS form is available on the Graduate Curriculum Canvas site.

c. The student will meet regularly with the major professor and any other committee members as needed for guidance and feedback. Students may continue to receive feedback and revise the portfolio until a set due date at which point the portfolio is submitted to the committee for evaluation.

d. An oral defense of the portfolio will take place typically two weeks after the submission of the completed portfolio. The oral defense must occur at least two weeks before the end of the semester to allow time for revisions and evaluation.

i. A majority (two of three) of committee members must agree that a portfolio passes. The committee can provide a conditional pass of the portfolio, contingent upon successful completion of revisions.

ii. If a portfolio fails to receive a majority of passing votes or if the revisions take longer than the end of the semester, the student may resubmit the revised portfolio the following semester.

iii. For the defense attendance policy, see University Requirements for the MA/MFA Degree, Section 5.

3. Content: Each portfolio should include:

a. An opening statement introducing the student and the contents of the portfolio in the context of the portfolio goals the student has articulated.

b. Reflections explaining the motivation for including each artifact, connections between the pieces, and what the overall portfolio says about the student, again, keyed to the goals. Together the reflections should consist of at least 1000 words and can take many forms: They can be included in the introductory materials; they can be presented in the form of a letter to the reader; they can be introductions, annotations, and/or commentary on individual artifacts; they could be in a reflective essay; or they can be any combination of these or other possibilities.

c. At least four artifacts in addition to the introductory and reflective materials. The portfolio should not only reflect back on the student’s experiences in the program, but they should also project forward to possibilities and goals beyond the MA degree. Some students will have a very specific trajectory in mind while others might be more open-ended and speculative. Both approaches are acceptable.

i. One artifact must be a substantive piece of academic writing that reflects the student’s ability to engage in scholarly conversation within the field (approximately 15-20 pages).

ii. The student must also include at least one artifact that is pedagogical in nature, which could include a teaching philosophy, a set of linked teaching materials, a set of professional or technological training materials, evidence of teaching effectiveness, or any combination of these.

iii. Other artifacts for the portfolio will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her major professor and approved by the portfolio committee. Additional artifacts can include informal writing, administrative documents, peer reviews, audio or visual projects, web or document design projects, and a host of other multimodal, textual options that reflect a student’s work and abilities related to the Rhetoric and Composition Program.