English Language and Literature

The Department of English Language and Literature offers three distinctive Master of Arts (MA) programs, one in Literary Studies, one in Rhetoric and Communication Design (RCD) and one in Experimental Digital Media (XDM). Literary Studies and Rhetoric Communication Design are available in three options. All three programs can be pursued through regular or co-operative studies.

Admission Requirements

Following are admission requirements for the Master of Arts degree programs in Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Communication Design, and Experimental Digital Media.

• An Honours Bachelor's degree in English, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 78% in English courses, and at least 75% overall.
• Those applying to the MA Literary Studies program but holding Honours degrees that combine English and another discipline may be admitted at the discretion of the admissions committee.
• Those with Honours degrees not in English may apply to the MA Rhetoric and Communication Design and Experimental Digital Media programs but may be required to take as many as ten undergraduate courses in English to prepare them for graduate-level study in the discipline. Additional courses will be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Officer and will generally correspond to the minor program in English. When applying for admission to the MA in Rhetoric and Communication Design, candidates may also be asked to submit a portfolio of undergraduate or professional writing.
• A Statement of Interest, no more than 500 words, explaining your reasons for applying to the MA program at the University of Waterloo.
• Three letters of reference, at least two of which must be from academic sources.
• Proof of competency in English (if applicable).

See the English Language Proficiency page for other acceptable tests of English.

In exceptional circumstances, students who do not meet the requirements outlined above may be considered for admission to a transitional, probationary or qualifying program depending on their academic background. See the Categories of Admission page for more detailed information.

Master of Arts (MA) in Literary Studies

In the Master of Arts in Literary Studies, students learn about historical and contemporary areas of British, American, Canadian and English-language postcolonial literatures and the theories pertinent to their study. All students in this program take at least one course in Rhetoric and Communication Design. Graduates of the program are employed in private industry, government, educational organizations, non-governmental organizations, and in their own businesses; others go on to doctoral programs. However it is used, the education we offer in literary studies gives grounding for work and further research concerning the ways and means that our society communicates.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Literary Studies is available through the regular or co-operative education streams. Students choosing the co-op stream will submit two work reports in addition to the requirements of their program option listed below.  

Thesis Option

Students electing the thesis option will be encouraged to have a thesis proposal approved by the end of the second academic term and the thesis bound and delivered by the end of the third academic term. The thesis will usually run from 80 to 100 pages of typescript. It will be evaluated by the supervisor and one other reader. Three copies of the approved thesis (agreeing in format with the Thesis Regulations and Guide issued by the Graduate Studies Office) will be submitted to the Graduate Office no later than five weeks before Convocation, either in the Spring or in the Fall.

Major Research Paper

The Major Research Paper will be 40-50 pages long. It will be an in-depth inquiry into a problem in Literary Studies, and will situate the problem and proposed solutions in relation to selected aspects of the current state of knowledge. It may involve primary document research and will involve assessing the secondary literature on the topic. It will be supervised by a member of the faculty and have a second reader who is also a member of faculty, by who may belong to a different academic unit than English.

Students planning to complete their degree through this option should arrange a supervisor and a second reader and prepare a proposal and working bibliography for the approval of the department's graduate studies committee before the end of the second academic term.

Master of Arts (MA) in Rhetoric and Communication Design

In the Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design, students supplement a core graduate course in rhetorical theory and criticism with projects or course work in the areas of rhetoric, discourse analysis, semiotics, multimedia design and critique, composition pedagogy, and professional writing. All students in this program take at least one course in Literary Studies. MA-RCD graduates are employed in private industry, government, educational organizations, non-governmental organizations, and in their own businesses; others go on to doctoral programs. However it is used, the education we offer in rhetoric and communication design gives grounding for work and further research concerning the ways and means that our society communicates.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design is available through the regular or co-operative education streams. Students choosing the co-op stream will submit two work reports in addition to the requirements of their program option listed below.  

Thesis Option

The thesis will be 80-100 pages long, or the equivalent in other media. It will be an in-depth inquiry into a problem in an area of Rhetoric and Communication Design. It will involve thorough research, and proficiency in the technology of the medium chosen. It will be supervised by a member of the faculty and have a second reader who is also a member of faculty, but who may belong to a different academic unit than English.

Students planning to complete their degree through this option should arrange a supervisor and a second reader and prepare a proposal and working bibliography for the approval of the department's graduate studies committee before the end of the second academic term.

Major Research Project

The Major Project can build on a portfolio of professional and technical writing, or on previously completed graduate course work. The assessed component of the major project will be a presentation equal in value and effort to two course credits. The project may take the form of an essay of approximately 50 pages (12,500 words), a digital project of similar length and complexity, a usability study or another form of analysis and presentation acceptable to the major project committee and the graduate committee of the department. Proposals for major projects must be approved by the graduate committee in the second academic term of the student's program.

Students wishing to pursue this option should make contact with a supervisor as early as possible in the second term, and work with the supervisor to craft a proposal to the graduate committee.

Master of Arts (MA) in Experimental Digital Media

The Master of Arts in Experimental Digital Media, is a program dedicated to exploring the creative and critical processes made possible by the new digital media. XDM emphasizes a lab-based and hands-on approach to digital technology; students in the program learn to use the digital media as a critical tool combining theory and practice in the production of objects-to-think-with. The program's rich mix of theoretical and practical study prepares graduates for research in digital media, and/or a variety of careers in the media industries. The program is focused on the Critical Media Lab, a centre for the experimental production of digital objects and exhibitions where students, faculty, and local digital artists interact. 

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Experimental Digital Media is available through the regular or co-operative education streams. Students choosing the co-op stream will submit two work reports in addition to the requirements of their program option listed below. Unlike the Literary Studies and RCD degrees which offer course work, major research paper and thesis options, the XDM program only offers the Major Research Project.

Major Research Project
 
Students must prepare a proposal for their project and a working bibliography with advice from their planned supervisor. These proposals are approved by the supervisor and a second reader and must be submitted for approval to the Department Graduate Committee before the end of the second academic term.

The Project is the culminating point of the program, in which students demonstrate a mastery of critical theories and theoretical concepts by embodying them in digital artifacts, environments, or practice. Projects will entail the design, conception or production of objects-to-think-with, evocative objects that focus attention on key cultural and theoretical issues in the humanities.

In many cases the project will remain at a design or prototype stage, although the manufacture of the object is by no means ruled out in principle. The design or prototype itself will be accompanied by a commentary of 40 pages in which the student will describe the theoretical and cultural context of the project and its aims, analyse its feasibility and its functioning, describe its cultural and rhetorical significance, and indicate its possible lines of development. 

Extra-departmental courses and reading courses for the MA in Experimental Digital Media: 

Students may include two extra-departmental graduate courses in their degree requirements, but these courses must be approved by the graduate committee. For a course outside the University of Waterloo, the Ontario Visiting Graduate student (OVGS) form must be completed. For a course inside the University, the department’s graduate studies committee must approve. In either case, the department’s graduate office must be supplied with a syllabus in electronic form and the course must be approved before the beginning of the term in which it is scheduled to run.

Students may also take one directed reading course as part of their programs, in the event that no satisfactory regular course is available. Directed reading courses must be designed and submitted to the graduate committee by the instructor in consultation with the student, and the course outline (with rationale, reading list, assignments and schedule) must be approved by the graduate committee in the term prior to the one in which the course is to be run.

Additional MA Program Requirements

Language Requirement

Each candidate must attain or demonstrate basic competence subject to feasibility of testing by UW in a language other than English, including all natural languages, ancient and modern, and excluding middle English but not Anglo-Saxon.

Proof of competence may take four forms:

• successful completion of two terms of beginning undergraduate study in the language
• successful sitting of an exam at the appropriate level set by a department of the University
• completion of degree-level study in that language at another university
• evidence of other kinds that is deemed sufficient by the departmental Graduate Committee.

Reading Courses

Reading courses may supplement regular offerings in the graduate program, although it is understood that they will be given only in exceptional circumstances. Students are permitted to take only one reading course as part of the MA degree. If students can demonstrate that a reading course is necessary to their overall program, they may petition the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee to allow such an independent course.

Course Grades Required

In order to graduate, candidates must receive an average of at least 75% in their courses. If a student receives one failing grade or two grades lower than 70%, the Graduate Studies Committee will review his or her standing in the program and the student may be asked to withdraw from the program.

Further Information

Each candidate's program must be approved by the Department Graduate Officer. All requirements for the degree should be completed no later than six terms after a full-time graduate student has been admitted as a candidate.