The department of English and Technical Communication has entered into a cooperative agreement with the department of English of the University of Missouri–St. Louis to offer the Master of Arts in English. A maximum of 12 graduate credit hours may be taken at Missouri S&T (with no more than 9 credit hours at the 3000 level).
The program provides an avenue for place-bound secondary teachers, traditional and non-traditional Missouri S&T students, and other qualified residents of South Central Missouri to pursue advanced work whether for career advancement or for personal and lifelong learning and enrichment. The program is also designed to help a select group of incoming freshmen to complete their bachelor's and master's degrees in five years; for more information, contact the Honor Academy (master student fellowship program).
Candidates for the M.A. in English must meet the admission requirements of both the graduate schools and the departments of English at Missouri S&T and UMSL. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree, with at least 24 hours in English above the freshman level, 12 in literature courses. Normally only students with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in undergraduate English courses and an overall average of 2.75 will be considered. Applicants must submit scores for the Graduate Record Examination.
In general, students scoring below the 65th percentile on the verbal examination will not be accepted into the program. Students may retake the examination to improve their scores. In addition, the departments require letters of recommendation from two English professors with whom the student has worked. The letters, the undergraduate record, and the Graduate Record Examination scores will be the basis for the admission decision. Three emphasis areas are available: literature, composition, and creative writing. Students must submit fiction or poetry in application for the creative writing track.
Applications should be received by May 1 for fall semester and for the summer session, and December 1 for the spring semester. Late applicants will be considered but cannot be assured of admission. For more information, contact the Missouri S&T Department of English and Technical Communication.