Master of Arts

The department considers applicants with a BA degree (or its equivalent) in Comparative Literature or one of the individual languages and literatures (usually English, Romance Languages, German, Russian, or Classics); applicants in related disciplines, such as art history, music, film studies, history, philosophy, political science, and linguistics, who demonstrate a strong interest and a strong undergraduate background in literature; and highly-motivated, highly-qualified candidates from other disciplines.

MA Course Requirements:
A minimum of 30 credit hours are required, distributed as follows:

I. 15 hours of graduate CMLT courses

II. 9 hours of graduate courses in other language and literature departments

III. 3 hours of additional graduate credit

IV. 3 hours of CMLT 7300 (Thesis).

Credit for CMLT 8980 (Independent Study) and CMLT 7300 (Thesis) may not be counted in category I. All students must enroll for 3 hours of CMLT 7300 the semester in which they are to receive their degree.

Courses in category II include those in English, Romance Languages, Germanic and Slavic, and Classics. At least 3 hours of credit in this category must come from a course in which substantial use of a foreign language is required, as opposed to courses in English or those involving literature primarily in translation. Students whose native language is not English may not satisfy this foreign language course requirement by courses in their native language, but may do so by courses in the English department or courses in other departments using English translations.

The additional course in category III may be in CMLT, another literature department, or a related discipline such as art history, music, film, history, philosophy, linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology.

The Graduate School requires that 12 hours of credit be in courses open only to graduate students, exclusive of research (7000) and thesis writing (7300). A maximum of 6 hours of 7000 may be applied toward the 30 hour requirement.

The Graduate School requires that students maintain at least a 3.0 average in all courses taken for the degree. Credit will not be awarded for any grade lower than a "C".

These are minimum course requirements for the degree. Students are encouraged to take additional courses, including courses in related disciplines and extra independent study, but such additional course work will not count toward the minimum requirements. Courses beyond the minimum MA requirements may eventually be counted toward the PhD degree, even if they are taken before the MA degree is awarded.

Selection of Advisory Committee and Major Professor
During the second semester of residence students should select an advisory committee of three members, including a major professor who serves as advisor. In accordance with Graduate School policy, the committee is appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, upon the recommendation of the graduate coordinator. Students should participate in the process of selecting faculty members with appropriate areas of interest. It is the duty of the major professor to act as the student's general academic advisor and to direct the thesis. The major professor must be a full-time member of the CMLT faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher.

Program of Study
By the start of the semester in which they expect to graduate students must submit a program of study listing the 30 hours of minimum course requirements, including 3 hours of 7300. The program of study must be approved by the student's major professor and the graduate coordinator.

Residence and Time Limit
The minimum residence requirement is two semesters which do not have to be consecutive. All requirements for the MA must be completed within six years beginning with the first registration for graduate courses on the program of study. An extension may be granted only for conditions beyond the control of the individual.

Language Requirements for the MA
Candidates for the MA are required to pass proficiency exams in two foreign languages, demonstrating reading fluency in a first language and reading competence in a second. The exam on the first language requires an acceptable translation into idiomatic English of a passage of prose or verse in that language without use of a dictionary. The exam on the second language requires an acceptable translation with the use of a dictionary. Proficiency exams are administered by a departmental examining committee, which shall be sole judge of the acceptability of the translations. Students are urged to take these language exams at the earliest possible date. Proficiency in a foreign language may also be satisfied by a letter from the professor of a graduate course taken in that foreign literature.

It is a regulation of the Graduate School that students whose native language is not English may not use their native language to satisfy the foreign language requirement. Such students may use English toward this requirement if an appropriate proficiency exam in English is passed, or if evidence of English proficiency is provided by submission of written work from a graduate course in English.

The MA thesis should demonstrate the student's ability to employ research methods and critical skills in the study of literary texts and problems in several traditions. The major professor must agree to direct the thesis and approve the topic. Unlike the PhD dissertation, the thesis is not necessarily expected to be an original contribution to the general body of knowledge in the discipline.

Before beginning the thesis, students must submit a prospectus describing briefly the nature, scope, organization, and purpose of the thesis. The prospectus must be approved by the major professor and the other members of the advisory committee. Students should consult with their major professor as well as the other members of the advisory committee in the process of writing the thesis. After the major professor has approved the thesis, it is given to the other members of the advisory committee for final evaluation.

Instructions regarding the format and electronic submission of the thesis are available from the Graduate School. It is the responsibility of candidates to make themselves aware of these instructions and to meet all deadlines set by the Graduate School for the receipt of the degree in a given semester.

Final Examination/Defense of Thesis
The final oral exam, or defense, consists of thirty minutes of questioning on the thesis by the advisory committee. The date of the exam will be arranged by the major professor only after the thesis has been read and approved by the other members of the advisory committee. At least seven days must pass between the day on which the arrangements for this exam are first specified and the day on which it is actually held.

All of this information and more can be found in the CMLT Graduate Handbook.