MA Program

The MA program offers courses toward the Master's Degree in English. The program requires a thesis in addition to a minimum of 30 credits of course work, including four required courses -- Bibliography and Research Method (2 credits), English Writing (1 credit), Literary Criticism (3 credits), and a second foreign language (no credit ). The candidate must have passed two Reading List Examinations before submitting the thesis, which requires an oral defense. Completion of this program takes one to four years.

DFLL admits only ROC residents and overseas chinese students. Our program is not open to international students.

M.A. Program Regulations
(Revised March 27, 2002, Departmental Affairs/Course Committee Meeting)

I. Coursework

1. M.A. students in the program must complete 30 credits of coursework, excluding the thesis. Required courses are as follows:
(1) English Composition (1 credit) and Advanced Critical Writing (1 credit). The two courses are to be completed in the first and second year, respectively.
(2)  At least one course from Group 1, synchronic literary theory and methodology, e.g. Hermeneutics (3 credits), Psychoanalysis (3 credits), Ideological Literary Criticism (3 credits), Linguistic Textual Analysis (3 credits).
(3)  At least 12 credits from Group 2, diachronic historical periods and individual authors, e.g. Seminar on the Medieval Period (3 credits), Renaissance Drama (3 credits), Chaucer Studies (3 credits), Seminar on Shakespeare (3 credits), Milton Studies (3 credits), Romantic Poetry (3 credits), Origins of the Novel (3 credits).
(4)  At least one course from Group 3, synchronic genre, theme, inter-genre, and cultural studies, e.g. Utopian Literature (3 credits), Pastoral Poetry (3 credits), Literature and Religion (3 credits), Film Analysis (3 credits), Literary Translation Studies (3 credits).

(5)  Second foreign language (no credit). For all graduate students in the program who have completed two years or more of second foreign language coursework in a university accredited by the Ministry of Education, and who have received a score of 70 or above in each term, this requirement may be waived with proof of scores prior to the beginning of classes. In this case, it is not necessary to take the second foreign language examination in lieu of coursework. For those who have completed one year of a second foreign language with a score of 70 or above in each term, the course requirement for the first year may be waived; otherwise, the second foreign language examination can be taken as a substitute for the requirement. The examination must be applied for at the beginning of the first term of each school year, and may be taken up to two times for a given language. Those who do not pass the examination or who have not undertaken coursework in a second foreign language must complete the second year of a second foreign language course at this university and pass with a score of 70 or above.
2. Considering the actual needs of students, the department may offer independent study courses (1-3 credits) for students in their second year or above. In order to enroll in an independent study course, students must seek the agreement of an individual professor, who must sign the independent study course syllabus and submit it to the department chair for approval at least one week before classes begin. As a rule, each student may take an independent study course only once during the entire course of study.
3. With approval from the department chair, students may take up to 3 credits in courses outside this department.
4. Students may enroll in a maximum of 12 course credits each term. Enrollment in more courses is not allowed without permission from the department chair.

II. Thesis Supervisor

As a rule, thesis supervisors of graduate students are full-time faculty members at this university, ranking assistant professor or above. In certain cases, with approval from the department chair, the thesis may be supervised by a part-time faculty member ranking assistant professor or above. After completion of three terms of coursework, the student may obtain a thesis supervision agreement form from the department office and submit it before the add-drop period of each term.

III. Qualifying Examination

Only one examination is required. The student may consult the thesis supervisor for drawing up a reading list relevant to the M.A. thesis. After the required coursework and credits are completed, the student may register for the qualifying examination within two weeks of the beginning of classes.

IV. M.A. Thesis

The thesis is a requirement equivalent to 6 credits of coursework. Students may choose from the two options below:

1. The M.A. thesis should be on a topic relevant to foreign language or literature; it should be written in English, be 80 pages or longer, typewritten or computer-printed, and formatted according to the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook. After successful completion of the thesis defense, the thesis should be bound according to university regulations.

2.  After obtaining approval from the thesis supervisor and the department chair, the student may undertake the study and translation a work of English or American literature (or other western literatures) as an M.A. thesis. The procedure is as follows:

(1) Choose a famous work of English or American literature (or another western literature), write a study of 40 pages or longer in English (or another western language), including notes and bibliography.

(2) Translate the work from the original language into Chinese, including notes where necessary.

(3) The study section should be written in English (or another western language), typewritten or computer-printed, and formatted according to the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook. After successful completion of the thesis defense, the translation section in Chinese should be bound together with the study section.

3.  Before starting work on the thesis, two copies of the thesis prospectus approved by the supervisor must be submitted to the department chair, who will appoint two relevant faculty members to examine the prospectus. After the prospectus is approved, the student may register for the degree examination in the following term.

V. Degree Examination

1.  Registration dates for the degree examination are from the beginning of classes to November 30 for the first term, and from the beginning of classes to April 30 for the second term.

2. When registering, the student must submit a registration form accompanied by one copy of the student’s academic transcript, and four copies of the thesis draft and abstract as approved by the supervisor.

3.  After the thesis defense, revisions in the thesis must be clearly annotated and elucidated. The revisions must be approved by all members of the thesis defense committee; a written approval form with their signatures must be submitted to the department office within the stipulated time frame before the candidate may proceed to graduation. Any disputes that arise will be deferred to the department chair.

4. The degree examination is held according to the University Regulations on Doctorate and Master's Degree Examinations.

VI. These regulations are implemented after being passed by the Departmental Affairs / Course Committee Meeting. When revised, the same procedures will apply.