English, M.A.
About the Program
The English program enjoys a high reputation for teaching and research in both traditional and innovative areas of literary history and literary criticism. The graduate program prides itself on providing students with the advantages of studying at a Research I institution in a diversity-filled urban environment.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 3 years
Campus Location: Main and Center City. Every summer, the department offers the Rome Seminar in Art and Culture.
Full-Time/Part-Time Status: In order to be certified as full-time, a student must engage in at least 9 credits of coursework each term or the equivalent in supervised teaching, dissertation research, or writing. In special circumstances, the department permits part-time enrollment, but such students are not exempt from the guidelines concerning reasonable academic progress toward the degree.
Interdisciplinary Study: Students are encouraged to engage in serious interdisciplinary projects and to work closely with a faculty member engaged in research and publications projects that take them regularly into the areas of History, Philosophy, Psychology, the arts, and non-print media.
Affiliation(s): Affiliations include the Association of Departments of English (ADE) and the Modern Language Association (MLA).
Study Abroad: The Rome Seminar in Art and Culture is offered in the Summer term at Temple University's Rome campus, the Villa Caproni. This 6-credit graduate seminar is designed to bring together the disciplines of aesthetics and cultural studies. In its interdisciplinary thrust, the seminar is intended to serve as a foundation for advanced study in the human sciences and to reflect the most current trends of thought in post-modern culture. Applications are welcome from advanced undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in fields such as art, film studies, literature, philosophy, and social theory. The seminar entails an intensive program of classwork, field trips, and guest lectures. The city of Rome is used extensively as a resource. Accommodations are available in a Temple student Residenza or through student-arranged living accommodations in advance. All classes are taught in English.
Areas of Specialization: The literature faculty is unusually productive in both emerging and traditional areas of literary scholarship. The M.A. program provides options for intensive study in critical theory, cultural theory, film theory, interdisciplinary methods, minority literature, and women’s studies. Traditional areas of study include Renaissance, eighteenth-century, nineteenth-century, modern, and contemporary literature, as well as rhetoric and composition.
Job Prospects: Graduates find jobs in the Philadelphia area and in all parts of the United States as teachers, editors, journalists, and in all professions that value writing and critical thinking.
Non-Matriculated Student Policy: In general, English graduate courses are open only to students who are matriculated in an English graduate degree program. However, students matriculated in another graduate program at Temple University may be admitted to introductory-level English courses at the discretion of the instructor. In exceptional cases, a non-matriculated student may request permission from the instructor to register for a course. Students who fall into these two categories must register through the Graduate Director.
Financing Opportunities: Assistantship monies are typically reserved for doctoral students.
Admission Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadline:
Fall: February 15
To be considered for a fellowship and/or teaching assistantship, applicants should submit a complete application by December 15. Applications are accepted until February 15, although funding consideration is uncertain for later applications.
APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program to begin the application process and receive your TUid number.
Next, visit https://www.cla.temple.edu/interfolio/english-ma to create or log in to your Interfolio account. Complete the supplemental program application and upload scanned copies of all supporting documents to your account, with these exceptions:
- Scores for the GRE and TOEFL, if applicable, must be reported directly by ETS to institution code 2906.
- Official electronic transcripts must be sent to eng1grad@temple.edu or the originals mailed to:
Sharon Logan, Graduate Coordinator
Temple University College of Liberal Arts
Dept. of English
1114 W. Polett Walk, 1027 Anderson Hall (022-29)
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6090
Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 3
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members familiar with the applicant's academic abilities.
Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: An applicant should hold an undergraduate degree in English or have completed equivalent coursework in English and American literature.
Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A baccalaureate degree is required in a Humanities discipline. A wide range of literature courses should have been taken.
Statement of Goals: In approximately 600 to 1,000 words, include your research goals, your particular interest in the Temple English graduate program, and your future goals.
Standardized Test Scores:
GRE: Required. Scores on the verbal section are most important on the general test.
GRE Subject Exam in Literature: Required. Subject test scores are highly considered. A low score does not exclude an applicant from consideration, if other application materials are strong.
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:
- TOEFL iBT: 105
- IELTS Academic: 7.0
- PTE Academic: 72
Resume: Current resume required.
Writing Sample: The writing sample should be a work of literary criticism, not creative writing, approximately 12 to 15 pages in length. It should represent the best of its author's critical and writing abilities.
Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 30
Required Courses:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Coursework, including at least one advanced-level (8000 to 9000-level) seminar | 27 | |
ENG 9996 | Master's Essay | 3 |
Total Credit Hours | 30 |
Language Examination: Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language.
Culminating Events:
Qualifying Paper:
While enrolled in ENG 9996, students must write one qualifying paper that demonstrates the student's ability to write perceptively, lucidly, and at length (4,000-6,000 words) on a literary subject. Typically a substantial revision of a paper submitted for a previous course, the qualifying paper is to be submitted in the last term of coursework. A sponsor on the Graduate Faculty must approve it for submission to the Graduate Director. Then, two members of the English Graduate Faculty other than the paper's sponsor review it. The readers may accept the essay, ask for revisions, or fail it. The paper must receive a passing grade from at least one of the non-sponsoring readers. An essay that has been failed by two readers is not accepted as an M.A. qualifying paper. With the permission of the Graduate Director, the student may revise the essay. An essay that has been revised at a reader's request must be resubmitted to the same reader to certify that the objections have been met.
Courses
ENG 5001. Introduction to Graduate Study in English. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ENG 5011. Early British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5012. Early American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5014. 16th and 17th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5016. 18th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5018. 19th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5021. 19th Century American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5022. 20th and 21st Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5024. 20th and 21st Century American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5026. Anglophone Literatures. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5028. Literatures in Translation. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5031. Translation Study. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5032. Book History. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5100. Topics - Literary Genres. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5200. Topics - Literature and Culture. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5300. Topics - Cinema and Media Arts. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5301. Methods in Cinema and Media Studies. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5401. Introduction to Digital Text Methods. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ENG 5500. Topics - Critical Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5501. History of Critical Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5502. Current Directions in Critical Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5600. Special Topics in Creative Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5601. Poetry Workshop. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5602. Fiction Workshop. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5603. Craft in Creative Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5701. Composition Research Methods. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5702. Historical Studies in Language and Rhetoric. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5710. Topics - Literacy and Language. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 5720. Topics - Rhetoric and Composition. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8101. Advanced Study - Early English Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8102. Advanced Study - Early American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8104. Advanced Study - 16th and 17th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8106. Advanced Study - 18th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8108. Advanced Study - 19th Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8109. Advanced Study - 19th Century American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8202. Advanced Study - 20th and 21st Century British Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8204. Advanced Study - 20th and 21st Century American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8205. Advanced Study - Anglophone Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8301. Advanced Study in Translation. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8302. Advanced Study in Book History. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8304. Advanced Study in Genre. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8402. Advanced Study in Cinema and Media. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8501. Advanced Study in Critical Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8704. Advanced Study in Literacy and Language. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8706. Advanced Study in Rhetoric and Composition. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8900. Advanced Study in Literature and Culture. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 8904. TU/Penn Exchange Poetics. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ENG 8985. Teaching in Higher Education: Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ENG 9082. Independent Study. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9083. Master's Manuscript Tutorial. 3 Credit Hours.
Field of Study Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Majors: English.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9089. Rome Seminar in Art and Culture. 6 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9100. Seminar in Literary and Cultural Studies. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9200. Seminar in Cinema and Media Studies. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9300. Seminar in Critical Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9400. Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9994. Preliminary Examination Preparation. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9995. Master's Project. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9996. Master's Essay. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9998. Pre-Dissertation Research. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ENG 9999. Dissertation Research. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Dissertation Writing Student.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Contacts
Program Web Address:
https://www.cla.temple.edu/english/graduate/
Department Information:
Dept. of English
1027 Anderson Hall
1114 W. Polett Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6090
215-204-7561
Submission Address for Application Materials:
https://www.cla.temple.edu/interfolio/english-ma
Submission Address for Official Electronic Transcripts:
Submission Address for Official Paper Transcripts:
Sharon Logan, Graduate Coordinator
Temple University Dept. of English
1114 W. Polett Walk, 1027 Anderson Hall (022-29)
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6090