Graduate Studies

The M.A. Program in English


The Department currently offers five routes for the M.A. in English:

  • Course-based
  • Thesis-based (literature)  
  • Thesis-based (creative writing)
  • Project-based (literature)
  • Project-based (creative writing)


The course M.A. (ten courses) provides an opportunity to achieve a breadth of knowledge in many areas of English literature.  The thesis M.A. (five courses plus thesis—either academic or creative writing) provides an opportunity to do in-depth research, and an extended piece of writing, on one area of English literature. The project based path path (seven courses plus project - either academic or creative writing) offers an opportunity for students to study more widely while completing a project the size of a journal article or poetry chapbook.

Because the Master's degree is normally the highest offered in the Department of English at the University of Regina, the Department can offer the kind of close support of Master's students and high-priority supervision of Master's theses sometimes not available in departments with doctoral programs. Both the thesis and course M.A. offer students excellent preparation for graduate studies at the doctoral level, or for jobs and careers in English.

The M.A. in Creative Writing consists of five courses: AT LEAST TWO GRADUATE COURSES IN CREATIVE WRITING MUST BE TAKEN, plus an additional three graduate courses in English Literature or theory; and a creative thesis with a critical/ theoretical introduction.


MA Project Route

The project-based MA is offered to both streams in the program: the academic and creative writing stream. Each stream has different requirements for the project.

Academic stream:
The project involves conducting research and writing a standard scholarly article of approximately 8000 words. This will involve one semester of research and one semester devoted to writing the article. Students will present a public talk concerning their projects (for instance an OMAD discussion). It is not required that the article be accepted by a journal to be awarded the MA.

Creative writing stream:
The project involves conducting research and writing a substantial body of work depending upon genre. A poetry project will entail writing a Chapbook (8-12 poems and poetics); a fiction project will constitute a series of micro-fictions or one conventional short story or a chapter for a novel; a creative non-fiction project will constitute a series of mini-essays or one conventional creative non-fiction essay. Students will present a public talk concerning their projects such as a public reading or OMAD discussion. It is not required that these projects be accepted for publication to be awarded the MA.

 

For more information about graduate programs in English, visit the University of Regina's Graduate Studies website.