Master's Program Requirements

Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.

MA candidates in English and Film Studies can choose among three options to complete their study:

the course-work option,
the Major Research Paper option, and
the Professional Skills Option.

All students must complete EN600, a one-term (0.5-credit) seminar in Research Methods, Theory and Professionalization (graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory).

Course Work Option

We offer students the opportunity to complete the degree in eight months by choosing the course work option. Students who choose the course work option will complete seven one-term (0.5-credit) courses and EN600.

Major Research Paper

Master’s students in English and Film Studies who choose the Major Research Paper (MRP) option are required to complete:

EN600 (Research Methods, Theory and Professionalization),
six one term (0.5-credit) courses, and
EN695 (Major Research Paper), which is equivalent to a one-term (0.5-credit) course.

Research Paper Requirements

The Major Research Paper (MRP) is shorter than a thesis (40-50 pages) and provides a well-researched analysis of a research question that offers a fresh perspective on material in the discipline of English and/or Film Studies.

Proposals for MRPs are due Dec. 5 each year, and are subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Supervision

There is no oral defence associated with this MRP; the paper is supervised and graded by a single professor with expertise in the area of focus. Should students fail to submit a passing MRP by Aug. 1, they must then complete the degree through course work.
Unlike a Directed Study (EN690), in which students meet weekly with a professor, the MRP relies more heavily on independent research and writing.

Professional Skills Option

Our Professional Skills Option is designed to provide master’s students with a unique opportunity for supervised practical application of studies in English and Film.

In addition to providing direct experience and an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired through coursework in literary and filmic studies, professional skills placements bring candidates face-to-face with concrete situations and professional working environments. This work-integrated learning course is designed to improve students’ employment prospects and labour market outcomes.

The Professional Skills Option is offered in the spring term (May to June) and cannot be taken in conjunction with the Major Research Paper option.

Requirements

Master’s students in English and Film Studies who choose the Professional Skills Option are required to take:

EN600 (Research Methods, Theory and Professionalization),
six one-term (0.5-credit) courses, and
the placement, which is equivalent to a one-term course: 0.5 credit.

Placement Examples

Recent placements include:

Laurier's Communications and Public Affairs office
Library Archives
Grand River Jazz Society
Grand River Film Society
New Quarterly Journal

Directed Studies

Directed Studies courses are subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. They are reserved for exceptional circumstances. Proposals for Directed Studies courses for the fall term must be received must be received by Aug. 15; proposals for the winter term must be received by Nov. 15.

Courses

In their first year of study, PhD students are required to take four 0.5 credit courses, typically two in each term.

Exams

There are two PhD Candidacy exams: the Comprehensive Area Exam and the Specialization Area Exam. Both exams are designed to prepare students in areas of specialization for teaching and research. The Comprehensive Area Exam is comprised primarily of canonical texts for a teachable area, while the Specialization Area Exam is orientated towards the dissertation and may cover, in-depth, both the canonical and the non-canonical texts necessary for the dissertation research. The two exams complement and reinforce each other, but occur at separate stages of the program and are graded separately.

PhD Schedule

Year 1 (Fall and Winter)

In December, the student consults the graduate coordinator to determine the constitution of the overall Area Exam Committee based upon the plan of research and study for the dissertation.
The committee, which includes the dissertation supervisor plus two other members with expertise in one or more of the areas the student wishes to pursue, is selected by January.
One overarching area of study — genre, period, movement, nation, theory — is chosen by the student for the purpose of developing a recognized teachable strength and of forming a general background for the Specialization Area.
The study selection outlined above will constitute the Comprehensive Area Exam.

Year 2 (December)

The student writes a take-home exam (of a one week maximum duration). The exam comprises a choice of three out of five essays questions, each of which requires approximately eight to 10 pages of double-spaced typed writing. If a student fails the Comprehensive Area Exam, the student is allowed one further opportunity to rewrite the exam within two months of receiving the failed grade.

Year 2 (February)

The student submits a reading list for the Specialization Area Exam to the committee for approval. This list is self-directed in consultation with the examining committee; it comprises 70-80 works (90-100 text units).

Year 2 (March 1)

The student submits a draft dissertation proposal of approximately six-eight pages, and a works cited to the student’s SAE committee.
In drafting this proposal, and the subsequent reading list, students are strongly encouraged to consult and use the Dissertation Proposal Template.
The student begins studying for the Specialization Area Exam, directly pertinent to the dissertation.

Year 2 (Late August)

The student completes the written exam (one essay out of three questions), on campus.
Within one week of the written exam, the student takes the oral exam (two hours), which is devoted to questions pertaining both to the written exam and to the reading list as a whole.
If a student fails either portion of the Specialization Area Examination, the student is allowed one opportunity to rewrite it within four months of receiving the failed grade.

Year 3 (September)

The student begins work on the dissertation.

Year 3 (Early December)

Within eight weeks of the oral exam, the student submits to the committee a final version of the dissertation proposal (six-eight pages) that addresses any feedback offered by the committee arising from the SAE.

Year 3 (April)

By the end of the winter term of the student’s third year, the student must have submitted a working chapter of the dissertation to the committee (minimum: 25 pages) that demonstrates the feasibility of the project, as well as the student’s ability to realize it. Failure to achieve this milestone will result in a rating of unsatisfactory on the annual progress report; two such consecutive ratings will result in a recommendation to withdraw from the program.

Year 3 (Fall or Winter)

Doctoral students are required to meet the language requirement by demonstrating reading proficiency in at least one language other than modern English. (French is the recommended language though students may propose a language other than French if it has direct relevance to the student’s program of study.) The language exam must be completed in Year 3 of the student’s program.

If the student proposes a language other than French, the selection of the language will be determined by the student in consultation with the dissertation advisor.

A student may also submit for approval by the Graduate Studies Committee a written request to have the language requirement waived where evidence of demonstrated proficiency in a relevant second language can be provided. (Any such request must be submitted to the graduate program coordinator no later than the Winter term of the student’s second year in the program.) Credit will not normally be given for the completion of an undergraduate-level language course.

Schedule Overview

Year	Fall Term	Winter Term	Spring Term
1	Two courses	Two courses	Study for the CAE
2	Write CAE (December)	Study for the SAE Draft dissertation proposal due	Write SAE (August) Dissertation proposal due eight week later
3	Dissertation Language exam (fall or winter term)	Dissertation First chapter of thesis due (April) Language exam (fall or winter term)	Dissertation
4	Dissertation	Dissertation	Dissertation defence

Program Standing

A minimum standing of B+ in all prescribed graduate courses and seminars is required. Students are normally expected to maintain an A- average in the program. A student who twice fails the Comprehensive Area Exam, the Specialization Area Exam, or the language exam will normally be required to withdraw from the program. On April 15 of each year of registration, students are required to complete an annual research progress report detailing the achievements of the previous year and the objectives for the next year. The report must demonstrate satisfactory progress, and must be signed with comments by the advisor and graduate coordinator, and filed with the graduate coordinator and the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies office. Failure to submit a satisfactory report may result in a suspension of the student's funding or the student being required to withdraw from the program.