Thesis option: 

The thesis option is open to both online and on-campus students.  Students who pursue this option will receive 6 credit hours (hours that count as English electives) for successfully writing and defending a critical or creative thesis. 

Critical and creative guidelines:

Critical theses are extended explorations of an important issue in English or American literature or linguistics that successfully demonstrates current research in the field.  Literary analyses should be roughly 80-100 pages in length, linguistic theses anywhere from 50-75 pages.  Creative theses, which are compilations of poems or short stories, or an independent novella, are usually 30-70 pages long.  The length and scope of each creative thesis depends on the genre and style of writing adopted, but all creative theses should include one of the following: (a) at least 20 poems, (b) at least 5 short stories, (c) at least 1 novella.  Examples of successful critical and creative theses are available in our library. 

How the thesis option works:

Before a student can enroll in thesis hours, s/he must form a thesis committee and write a thesis prospectus.  At least one semester before a student plans on taking thesis hours, s/he must ask a member of the graduate faculty in English to serve as chair of his/her thesis committee.  This chair should be the faculty member best suited to aid the student in his/her critical or creative project.  Once a student secures a chair, s/he will work with that chair to create a thesis committee, a group of 3 graduate faculty (including the chair) that will oversee the project.  After the committee has been finalized, the student must submit a thesis prospectus, which is a formal outline of the proposed project.  The committee will then determine if the prospectus is acceptable.  If the prospectus is approved, the student may enroll in thesis hours (ENG 699) the following semester.

In order to receive credit for the 6 hours of ENG 699, a student must complete and successfully defend his/her thesis.  Ideally, this defense happens at the end of the semester in which thesis hours are taken.  When a student has completed his/her project, s/he must submit his/her finished project to the members of the committee and schedule a defense.  At the thesis defense, the student will offer an oral overview of the project and answer any questions that the committee members pose.  If the committee members find the written work and oral defense acceptable, they will approve the thesis.  Once the thesis is approved by the committee, and the committee chair submits a grade for the thesis hours, the student must submit a properly formatted copy of the thesis to the graduate office.  (For more information on thesis guidelines and the final submission process, please go to the graduate office homepage.)