English - MA Curriculum

Master of Arts ( M.A. )

Students must complete ten courses (30 credits) for the Masters degree and pass the comprehensive examination, in addition to demonstrating reading knowledge of French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish. M.A. students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 (B), or 3.5 (B+) for those receiving financial aid.

Five of the ten graduate English courses for the M.A. degree must meet the following historical distribution requirements:

one course in literature before 1485 (British 1)
one course in British literature, 1485-1800 (British 2)
one course in British literature after 1800 (includes Irish & post-colonial) (British 3)
one course in American literature before 1910 (American 1)
one course in American literature since 1910 (American 2)

In addition, M.A. students must take:

either Research Methods or Introduction to Critical Theory (Required)

The remaining four courses are electives. However, Masters students who are planning to apply for admission to the Doctoral program should consider taking both Research Methods (offered every fall) and Introduction to Critical Theory (offered every spring).

Students should select their courses carefully and consult periodically with the Graduate Director to insure that they are fulfilling all requirements.

There is one exception to the ten-course requirement. Those rare students who wish to do an in-depth M.A. research project may, with the permission of the Graduate Director, which would take the place of one elective course. Students who plan to do the research project should secure a mentor in the semester before their research and writing. They also need to complete and submit a special registration form with their mentor.

The Masters comprehensive exam consists of two 3-hour parts, administered on the same day.

Languages: M.A. students must fulfill the modern language requirement in French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish by passing an examination given by appointment with the appropriate chair in the Modern Languages or Classics Departments or by receiving a least a B in the zero-credit graduate reading courses offered by those departments. Students who have little formal training in a foreign language should take a course. Many students choose to do this during one of the (shorter) summer sessions. It should be noted that German-for-Reading is a full year course, as opposed to French, Italian, Latin and Spanish, which are one-semester long courses.

Students wishing to substitute another modern or ancient language for those above should obtain approval from the Graduate Director. The primary criteria for such requests should be scholarly—that is, the substituted language should have some intrinsic importance to one’s area of literary interest or career plans.

If a student wishes to take a language class at another university, he or she is welcome to do so, but the only criteria accepted for fulfillment of Fordham’s language requirement is an exam given by the relevant Fordham language department. For example, a student wishing to take Spanish might take a Spanish-for-reading course at CUNY. The CUNY course has no effect on her Fordham degree; she would fulfill the requirement once she took and passed the reading language exam at Fordham.

Timetable for Completion (M.A.): Master’s degree requirements must be completed within a maximum of five calendar years. This time-limit applies to both full-time and part-time students. A normal course load is three courses (9 credits) per semester, which makes the completion time of two years for a M.A. degree a reasonable expectation.

Example of full-time M.A. student schedule:

Fall:
Spring:
Summer I or II:
Fall:
Spring:

Total:

3 courses (9 credits)
3 courses (9 credits)
Language for reading knowledge (0 credits)
3 courses (9 credits)
1 course plus M.A. exam (3 credits)

30 credits

The Masters Comprehensive Exam: The M.A. comprehensives are administered three times a year: in the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. The list of texts that will be covered on the exam is available from the graduate administrator.

Normally, M.A. students should be able to prepare for their exams in three months. They should discuss the exam with faculty and the Graduate Director, and expect questions that ask for comparative and synthetic thinking. There is also a handout available that covers recommended study strategies for the exam.

There are three official grades on Masters exams: High Pass (distinguished work of the highest caliber), Pass (satisfactory work), and Failure. There is also the unofficial grade ofLow Pass--which indicates marginally passable work (not suitable for Ph.D. program admission). Low Pass officially lists as a Pass, and therefore allows for a student to receive the degree. All M.A. exam grades are the product of agreement between at least two faculty members. Masters students who fail their exam may re-take it once; they should consult with the Graduate Director to plan their further preparation.

Note: All graduate students must fulfill their language requirements before they can take their comprehensive exams.

Admission from the M.A. Program to the Ph.D. Program: Students who complete the M.A. degree are not automatically accepted into Fordham's Ph.D. program. The Fordham English Department's Ph.D. program is fully funded and therefore, highly competitive. No part-time students are accepted; all students receive a fellowship package for four years and a stipend for teaching thereafter. Fordham M.A. students should recognize that while they have a good chance of admission, given the department’s knowledge of their work to date, they must apply to other Ph.D. programs as well. We cannot and do not accept all qualified students, and decisions are often based on external factors, such as balancing incoming student interests among the historical periods.

Admission to proceed to the Ph.D. is granted depending on several factors: i) grades in the M.A. program, which must, minimally, be a B+ average; ii) formal and informal faculty recommendations; and iii) performance on the M.A. exam (although admission is often granted before the M.A. exam has been graded, contingent on the student's receiving a passing grade).

Masters students seeking admission to the Doctoral program should fill out an official online application form through The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS) Admissions website. The application form must be submitted by the GSAS deadline. There is no fee for this application for current Master students who have maintained continuous matriculation. The student should meet with the Graduate Director to discuss whether other materials, such as written recommendations from faculty within the Department, might be useful to support his or her application. Please note that all Ph.D. applications must include both GRE general and GRE subject test (in English) scores; M.A. students hoping for admission to the Ph.D. program must make sure that their applications will be complete by the GSAS deadline. No exceptions will be made for Fordham M.A. students.