English Program

Progression, Retention, Dismissal, and Readmission Policies

  1. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all graduate courses.
  2. Earning grades below “B” in graduate courses will result in the following consequences: Students admitted Fall 2011and thereafter will be dismissed from the Graduate School if they accumulate three or more academic deficiency points unless otherwise indicated by individual program policy. A grade of “C” (although it may be credited toward a degree) equals one deficiency point. A grade of “D,” “WF” or “F,” or “U” (none of which will be credited toward a degree) equals two deficiency points. Candidates admitted BEFORE Fall 2011 and receiving two grades below “C” (“D”, “F”, “WF”,“U”) will be dismissed from the program. One grade below a "C" results in a warning.
  3. If dismissed from the program, the student must wait a minimum of two semesters and obtain approval from the academic department, before applying for readmission. The academic program reserves the right to place specific conditions and contingencies on any offer of readmission. Readmission is not guaranteed and prior academic performance and conduct in the program will be considered.
  4. The maximum time allowed for completion of the master’s degree is seven calendar years.  No work completed more than seven years prior to degree completion will be accepted toward the degree, except with special permission from the student’s major professor, the Chair of the English Department and approval from the Dean of the Graduate School.
  5. No more than 6 semester hours of academic work may be transferred from another institution into a master’s-level graduate program. This credit must be documented in the form of an official transcript at the time of admission. Transfer credit will be evaluated after admission by the academic department. To be eligible, credit must be no more than seven years old prior to completion of the degree.
  6. students must receive a grade of B or better in the fourth sequence course of a foreign language or a passing grade in a reading proficiency examination administered by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.
  7. Students entering the literature emphasis without an undergraduate degree in English or an English minor or its equivalent must complete the following requirements prior to enrollment in graduate-level coursework: ENGL 3060; ENGL 3210 and ENGL 3215; ENGL 3110 and ENGL 3120-all with a grade of "B" or higher in each and prior to enrollment in graduate-level courses. Students entering the rhetoric and composition emphasis without an undergraduate degree in English or an English minor or its equivalent must complete the following requirements prior to enrollment in graduate-level coursework: three hours of either 3210 or 3215; and three hours of either 3110 or 3120-all with a  grade of "B" or higher in each and prior to enrollment in graduate-level courses.