M.A. Degree
- Program Requirements for the Center
- Specialization Requirements
- Master’s Project Option
- Department of English Requirements
- Other Department Requirements
Program Requirements for the Center
To qualify for a specialization in Writing Studies within a department, graduate students must complete the following Center for Writing Studies' requirements for the M.A. The graduate students must also meet the requirements of their home department.
Specialization Requirements
- English 505/C&I 563Writing Studies I: Social Contexts and Functions of Writing (4 credits)
- English 506/C&I 564Writing Studies II: Writing Processes and Their Development (4 credits)
- One additional elective course in Writing Studies chosen from a list approved by the Center for Writing Studies in consultation with a Writing Studies faculty member (4 credits)
Master’s Project Option
For students who decide in consultation with a Writing Studies faculty member that a Master's Project would best complete their program, an independent study may be chosen to fulfill the elective requirement. To so qualify, the independent study must result in a Master's Project that, when completed, would be deposited in the Writing Studies office. The Master's Project is a 4 credit independent study project related to pedagogy, administrative problems, or research in Writing Studies. Students may develop and test instructional materials, design and evaluate an administrative procedure or program, or design and conduct a research project.
Department of English Requirements
Currently, the majority of Writing Studies’ graduate students enter the program through the Department of English. In addition to satisfactory completion of the M.A. specialization requirements for Writing Studies (listed above), the candidate for the MA degree must fulfill the following requirements:
- 32 credits of course work (400 or 500 level)
- Satisfactory completion of a Special Field Examination
- Demonstrated reading knowledge of a foreign language
For more information consult the Department of English website.
Other Department Requirements
M.A. requirements for other departments are available on their home websites:

