MA Degree

This page contains an overview description of the MA program at OSU, information about admission to the program, and course requirement information. 

Overview

A Master's Degree in Technical Writing will prepare you for advanced and specialized positions in technical communication, such as project managers, information designers, communication analysts, teachers, and trainers. The Master's Degree will also prepare you for doctoral work in technical communication.

The OSU Technical Writing Program has two highly flexible approaches: the MA Option (30-33 hours) and the MA Emphasis (30 hours).

MA Option. This option has two focuses. The first is technical communication as a profession. The second is communication skills such as writing, editing, document design, online documentation, and electronic publications. You also focus on other secondary skills that are relevant to technical fields like computer science, engineering, and graphic arts. You may choose to write either a thesis or a creative component.

MA Emphasis.The MA focuses on technical communication as it complements other areas of English. Students also choose to study areas such as creative writing, composition and rhetoric, teaching English as a second language, linguistics, screen studies, and periods of British or American literature. You are required to write a thesis for the MA Emphasis.

Admission

Admission to the Technical Writing Option to the MA in English is based on a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. You will be evaluated on an individual basis according to the following guidelines:

GPA You should have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, particularly in English and other communication-oriented courses.

Undergraduate Major. Most applicants have an undergraduate major in English, a related field, or at least 24 hours beyond first-year composition. However, students with other relevant backgrounds are also considered. For example, students may demonstrate a background in a technical or scientific field through work experience and/or coursework.

Recommendations. You must submit two letters of recommendation that discuss your potential for success in graduate school.

Statement of Purpose. You must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words that outlines a proposed area of study, reasons for undertaking graduate study in that area, relevant work experience, and future career plans.

Writing Sample or GRE Scores. You must submit one of the following (the Writing Sample is preferred):

• Writing Sample: Technical Writing students may submit either a portfolio of work-related documents or a 7-15 page paper recently written in an upper-level English course (or related area of study)
• GRE: General and subject area scores

Remember that strength in one area may compensate for relative weakness in another.

TOEFL and TWE (non-native speakers). A graduate degree in English requires students to have a high degree of mastery of all aspects of English language proficiency. For this reason, the department requires standardized English proficiency test scores for all applicants whose native language is not English, even those who have previously received degrees from American universities. The following are the minimum English proficiency requirements for admission to graduate study in the Department of English.

Students who take the paper-based TOEFL must submit both a TOEFL and a TWE (Test of Written English) score. The minimum recommended score for the TOEFL is 600 and for the TWE is 5.0. For students taking the computer-based TOEFL the minimum total score is 250 and the TWE score is 5.0. Students taking the TOEFL iBT should demonstrate high scores on all sub-tests. The minimum recommended total score is 100, with minimum reading and writing section scores of 26.

Students wishing to apply for a teaching assistantship must also demonstrate adequate oral proficiency in English, as indicated by a minimum score of 50 on the TSE (Test of Spoken English) or its institutional equivalent-- the SPEAK Test, or a TOEFL iBT speaking score of 26. No student will be considered for a teaching assistantship in the Department of English without having attained these minimum scores. Students who meet these minimum score levels will be required to take the university ITA (International Teaching Assistant) Test in the week before classes begin. In order to qualify for a teaching assistantship, students must achieve a score of 250 or higher on the ITA Test.

General Note on Admission. Please note that meeting the minimum standards for admission does not necessarily guarantee admission. You should also visit the Graduate College Website to be sure that you meet all the requirements. You can also visit the program's Department Rules and Financial Aid for more information.

Course Requirements

The MA in English with an option in Technical Writing consists of 30 or 33 hours. Students who choose to write a thesis take 30 hours, including 6 hours of thesis. Students who choose not to write a thesis take 33 hours and complete a Creative Component, which normally comes from an Internship. The following requirements govern course work for the technical writing degree:

Introduction to Technical Communication. English 5513, Introduction to Technical Communication, is required of all students during their first year in the master's program. Students who believe that they have already taken a course equivalent to English 5513 may petition the Graduate Director to have that requirement waived. The student's petition should include a letter asking for the waiver and containing reasons for the request, a copy of the syllabus from the previous course, and any papers or assignments done for that course. The Graduate Director will then pass the request and materials submitted to those professors teaching English 5513 for an evaluation and written recommendation. Upon receiving the recommendation, the Graduate Director will affirm or deny the petition and notify the student and the student's adviser. Each case will be judged on its own merits, regardless of whether the same course number at the same institution has been recommended as an equivalent course before.

Methods Course for Teaching Assistants. Teaching assistants must take an appropriate methodology course or courses in their first semester of teaching at Oklahoma State University. These hours may be counted as part of the total hours of course work.

Electives. The remaining hours of course work are chosen by students in consultation with their advisory committees. Choice of courses should be based on the student's thesis subject, professional goals, and preparation for the MA Qualifying Examination.

Required Hours at 5000/6000 Level. All MA students must complete at least 21 hours of course work at the 5000/6000 level; this 21 hours of course work may include six hours of credit for work on the thesis.

ENGL 5990. ENGL 5990 limits enrollment (with permission from the Graduate Director) to students pursuing an MA degree in English with options in TESL and Technical Writing who elect the Creative Component rather than the thesis. The use of ENGL 5990 is restricted to students who have completed coursework and need to enroll in two or three hours in order to take their qualifying examinations.

4000-Level Courses. Only those 4000-level classes marked by an asterisk in the OSU University Catalog are available for graduate credit. All graduate course work should include a research paper or other appropriate project. In the instance of a 4000-level course that may not require such a paper or project, the student should, with the consent of the instructor involved, arrange for such a paper or project to supplement the assigned work. The Department strongly suggests that all graduate courses be at the 5000/6000 level.

Transfer Hours. Students may transfer up to nine graduate hours from another university granting a Master's degree in English. The student's advisory committee shall determine the number of hours of transfer credit to be awarded. If a student uses the hours for a degree at the previous institution, the hours are not applicable to the MA degree at OSU.

Independent Study. Independent Study courses may be occasionally arranged with an instructor when no regular graduate course on the desired topic is available during the student's expected tenure. Each of the two course numbers (5210 and 6210) may be used for up to six hours credit per semester, and no more than nine hours total per course number. All students requesting an Independent Study course must hold a meeting with their advisory committee and receive approval by the departmental members of the committee. Special forms must be used by those who wish to enroll in such courses. Available from the English Graduate Office, these forms should be submitted no later than the end of the first week of graduate enrollment prior to the semester in which the independent study class is taken. A student who has completed the 17th graduate credit hour in a degree program but who does not have an approved plan of study on file in the Graduate College may not arrange an Independent Study course.

The Graduate Studies Committee will evaluate applications for independent study in accordance with the following criteria and procedure:

• Has the student's advisory committee approved the course?
• Has the student taken regularly offered courses related to the subject?
• Is the independent study unlikely to have a negative impact on enrollment in concurrent or immediately subsequent course offerings?
• Does the independent study fill a gap in the student’s curriculum? Or is the specific course content unlikely to be offered during the student's expected tenure?
• Are the text materials clearly listed?
• Is the work appropriate for the number of credit hours requested?
• Is the list of assignments and percentages awarded to each clearly explained?
• Is the schedule of conferences sufficiently specific?

If all eight questions may be answered affirmatively, the Graduate Director will send a written notice of acceptance to the faculty member, who will then inform the student.

If one or more questions cannot be answered affirmatively, the Graduate Director will contact the faculty member in an effort to clarify and/or resolve the problem(s). If no resolution can be reached, the Graduate Director will inform the faculty member of the denial and the reason(s) for the denial in writing. The faculty member will then inform the student.

End-of-Semester Evaluations. All graduate students will be evaluated in writing at the end of each semester by the professors with whom they have taken courses. These evaluations are kept on file in the Graduate Office. These evaluations are available for students to read.

Grade of "Incomplete." The following regulations apply to students who receive the grade of "Incomplete" ("I") for any of their course work within the English Department:

Students must make up the “I” within one calendar year, after which time, in accordance with University policy, the grade of “I” may not be changed. Individual faculty members, however, may establish a shorter time limit for making up the “I.” This shorter time period should be indicated on the back of the grade sheet along with the requirements for making up the incomplete.

Teaching assistants or associates having more than three "I's" on their records will not be recommended for reappointment.

Teaching assistants or associates having any "I's" on their records will not be recommended for summer employment.

The following appears in the current OSU Catalog: "This grade [I]is given to a student who satisfactorily completed the majority of the course work and whose work averaged “D” or better, but who has been unavoidably prevented from completing the remaining work of the course. The conditions, including appropriate time limits, for the removal of the “I” are indicated on the official class roll by the instructor. A condition that the student must repeat the course in order to remove the “I” is not permitted. The maximum time allowed for a student to remove an “I” is one calendar year. The dean of the student's college may recommend to the Office of the Registrar the adjustment of this period in exceptional circumstances. It is the responsibility of the student to satisfy the requirements stipulated by the instructor at the time the “I” is assigned; it is the responsibility of the instructor to initiate action to have the new grade entered as soon as possible after the student fulfills the requirement. The new grade does not result in the deletion of the “I” symbol from the transcript. Upon completion of the course requirements, a second entry is posted beside the original “I” on the transcript to show the final grade for the course. The incomplete grade which is not removed within the allotted period becomes a permanent incomplete."