2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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English, MA

Program Requirements

  1. Students must complete a minimum of 30 ENGL credit hours.
  2. Students must complete all courses at the graduate (5000 and above) level.
  3. Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in all  in all courses that apply to the degree and must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements. 
  4. Students must complete a minimum of 21 ENGL credits with CU Denver faculty,

Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

  1. All courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted.
  2. All courses must be completed in the ENGL subject code.
  3. Students must complete all required coursework satisfactorily.
  4. Students must demonstrate a commitment to language diversity. Students must demonstrate satisfaction of this requirement to their program advisor, through one of the following ways:
    1. A language other than English is spoken in the home and competency is confirmed by the CU Denver department of Modern Languages or an equivalent body.
    2. Completion of two semesters (or the equivalent) at the college level of any second language, including Old English, American Sign Language, computer coding, translation.
    3. Completing ENGL 5601 Teaching English Language Learners: Theory and Practice, as an elective course.
  5. Compliance with all graduate education policies and requirements is required.
  6. Graduate students may only count six credit hours of Independent Study toward the English MA degree.
  7. Candidate for Degree: Graduate students must be registered for at least one credit hour during the semester that they graduate. Those who have completed all required courses and requirements may register for CAND 5940 Candidate for Degree section 900.
  8. Teaching Assistantships: Graduate students who receive a teaching assistantship must take ENGL 5913 Practicum in Language and Rhetoric in the fall during their first semester as a teaching assistant. ENGL 5913 Practicum in Language and Rhetoric may also be counted as an elective.
Complete the following required courses:15
Introduction to Graduate Studies
Linguistics & Global Englishes
Theory (Literary and Rhetorical Theory)
Genres of Writing
Technologies of Writing
Complete 12 ENGL graduate (5000-level or higher) credit hours.12
Students may choose to concentrate English graduate courses in a particular area of study that meets the student’s goals in the program.
Complete a three credit hour portfolio exam or a minimum of three credit hours designing and defending a thesis. Students completing a thesis must consult with and submit a proposal to the graduate committee for approval.3
Portfolio Exam
Master's Thesis
Total Hours30

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.