Prospective Students

Admission into Program

For acceptance as fully-qualified candidates to a M.A. program, students must hold a degree equivalent to a four-year English degree (amounting to 15 courses in English literature).  They must also have a minimum average of 75% in their undergraduate work, and show promise of ability to pursue advanced study and research on the basis of their academic records. We also require at least one undergraduate course in literary theory (ENGL 399, for University of Regina students).  For further details, please consult the Graduate Calendar. Interested applicants with specific questions about admission into the M.A. in English program are invited to contact the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of English.

Other Classifications of Admitted Students

Students who are not Fully-Qualified may also be admitted in Qualifying, Probationary, or other categories. For example, a Qualifying Student may be one who has demonstrated acceptable performance at the undergraduate level, but not necessarily in the field of English: the student may therefore be required to take up to four qualifying courses during the first year of study.  A Probationary Student may be one who does not have the required average in the undergraduate degree, but whose application, especially in the last two years of undergraduate study, shows promise for graduate studies; a Probationary Student may be admitted into the program on a probationary basis for up to one year, at which time if a minimum average of 75% is met the student's status may be changed to Fully-Qualified. For further details, please see the Graduate Calendar.

Notes for International Students

The M.A. in English program welcomes applications from international students who have completed a degree program equivalent to a four-year or honours undergraduate degree of high standing in English literature at the University of Regina. Note that graduate assistantships or scholarships are not usually available to non-Canadian students in their first year. Applicants from universities where English is not the regular language of instruction must achieve minimum English Language Admission test scores. International students must also meet the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research minimum standards of admission: see the Graduate Calendar. International students on visa/study permits must be full-time in the fall and winter semesters, and at least part-time in the spring semester (see the section on Status in this Handbook), for the duration of their program.  For further information and assistance, contact the UR International; Phone: 306-585-5082; Fax:306-585-4957.

Outline of M.A. Program

In the course-based M.A., fully-qualified students are required to take ten courses (30 credit hours of courses).  With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, up to three of these courses may be graduate courses in an area related to but outside English literature.

In the thesis-based M.A., fully-qualified students are required to take five courses, and write a thesis (15 credit hours of coursework, and 15 credit hours of thesis, for a total of 30 credit hours). One of the thesis-based M.A. courses may be a graduate course in an area related to but outside English literature.  Students may also request to take one course at another university, through the Western Deans Agreement.

The project based path consists of seven courses plus a project - either academic or creative writing - and offers an opportunity for students to study more widely while completing a project the size of a journal article or poetry chapbook, for example.

Each graduate course is worth 3 credit hours. Courses generally last for one semester of thirteen weeks, running from either September to December (Fall Semester) or January to April (Winter Semester).

Second-Language Requirement

There is no second-language requirement for the M.A. in English at the University of Regina.

Tuition Fees

The full fee structure is laid out in Tuition and Related Fees on the Graduate Studies website.

Residence Requirement

There is no residence requirement for students in the M.A. in English program, though it is strongly recommended that students reside in the vicinity of the University of Regina for the duration of their program.

Time to Completion

Full-time students should complete the M.A. degree in two years or less.  Pursuing the M.A. on a part-time basis is also possible.  For the course M.A., there is a time limit of six years from the time of first registration. For the thesis M.A., the time limit is five years from the time of first registration.  For further details, consult the Graduate Calendar.

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