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English & Comparative Literature
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Program Details

Students must complete a 30-unit program of study, approved by the department’s director of graduate studies. At least 24 of the 30-unit program must be 600- and 700-numbered courses. Students may choose Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (portfolio assessment) for their culminating experience. For Plan B, students are examined orally by a faculty committee after submitting the required academic essays.

Students must submit a Rationale of Study proposal to the Director of Graduate Studies before a request for Advancement to Candidacy can be made.

Requirements

For students entering the program in Fall 2022 or later, the following courses are required to receive an M.A. in English:

Students must take ENGL 600: Introduction to Graduate Study.

Select four courses (12 units) from the following options:

  • ENGL 604A - Seminar: Literary Period or Movement: American Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 604B - Seminar: Literary Period or Movement: British Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 604D - Seminar: Literary Period or Movement: Children’s Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 606A - Seminar: A Literary Type: American Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 606D - Seminar: A Literary Type: Children’s Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 624 - British Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 625 - Literature of the United States Units: 3
  • ENGL 626 - Comparative Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 700 - Seminar: A Major Author or Authors Units: 3
  • ENGL 724 - Seminar: Issues in British Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 725 - Seminar: Issues in Literature of the United States Units: 3
  • ENGL 726 - Seminar: Issues in Comparative Literature Units: 3
  • ENGL 727 - Seminar: Issues in Children’s Literature Units: 3
  • RWS 600 - Reading and Writing Rhetorically Units: 3
  • RWS 601A - History of Rhetoric I Units: 3
  • RWS 602 - Modern Rhetoric and Composition Studies Units: 3
  • RWS 640 - Research Methods in Rhetoric and Writing Studies Units: 3

See the SDSU catalog page for course descriptions.

With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, twelve units selected from other English and comparative literature departmental graduate offerings. A maximum of six units of courses acceptable for graduate credit in other departments (when appropriate) may be used toward satisfying this requirement.

Students may choose Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (portfolio assessment).

  • Plan A (Thesis): ENGL 799A—the thesis is a sustained body of writing of around 70-90 pages.
  • Plan B (Portfolio Assessment and Defense): ENGL 790--The portfolio includes a seminar paper that has been revised and expanded to become a scholarly article.

Students who entered in Fall 2022 or later will complete the rationale of study in their penultimate semester, before a request for Advancement to Candidacy can be made. (For students who entered prior to Fall 2022 continue to complete the Program of Study (POS) worksheet to track your progress.)

Students may wish to consider completing an independent study with the prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students should become familiar with the Graduate Study Guidelines before entering the MA program.

Please see our Courses page for detailed descriptions.

Sample Time-line

The M.A. in English and Comparative Literature is a two-year program. We are in the process of transition, so students entering in Fall 2022 have a different set of requirements than students of previous years. Students should become familiar with the timeline for those entering in Fall 2022 students and those entering in Fall 2020- 2021 so as to plan ahead-- both to fulfill all requirements and also to take advantage of the opportunities SDSU has to offer.

 

Advising

The Graduate Directors are Professor Jessica Pressman and Professor Diana Leong.

Important Links

Class Schedule | SDSU Catalog | Academic Calendar | Graduate Studies | Life on Campus

“I wouldn't have my job at the law firm without my MA. It made me a more attractive candidate to the firm. I’m really glad that I got my MA in English at SDSU. It has definitely opened doors in the legal field for me.”

—Stephanie Sandler