The English Master of Arts Non-Thesis Option consists of the following:

30 credits of coursework, including ENG 595 (Master’s Project)

M.A. Portfolio (with Introduction) 

• In the non-thesis program, students are required to submit a portfolio of professional writing. At the beginning of the third semester of the program, the student will choose a group of three or four Faculty members to serve as the portfolio committee; one of these Faculty members will be designated by the student as the Major Professor. During the fourth and final semester, the student enrolls in ENG 595 (Master’s Project) with the committee chair. Under the guidance of the chair of this committee, the Faculty members will work with the student to develop, evaluate, and approve a professional portfolio. 
• Portfolio Introduction: The student generates a written introduction to the Portfolio. The written introduction is a statement of intent that articulates an intellectual rationale for the selection of the work included in the portfolio, describes the processes of revision, provides a retrospective commentary on the portfolio and its intellectual coherence, and indicates future directions for scholarship and writing. Usually this statement is expected to be about 4-5 pages in length.

M.A. Oral Defense

• This is a one-hour oral defense of the portfolio and its written introduction. Portfolio Committee members serve as oral defense committee members. Results of the oral defense shall be reported promptly to the student and to the Dean of the Graduate School.